Check out trucking industry evolution over the years, and it’s role in making what US are now. You’ll find some really interesting, and possibly surprising stuff.
Beginnings of Modern Trucking – 1900’s
Can you imagine that back in 1900’s, it took a whole month for a truck to arrive from Seattle to New York. These strange vehicles could be seen only in metropolitan areas. They were slow and rough with a solid rubber tires.
You can say that starting point of the way to the modern trucking industry was development of the tractor/semi-trailer combination and leaving chain drives in favor of gear drives.
All that was happening in the first decade of 20th century.
By 1914 US counted nearly 100,000 trucks, mostly used in urban areas.These trucks had iron and solid rubber wheels and tires, and could gain maximum speed of 15 mph.
In order to protect roads, some states (four states to be precise) limited truck weights from 18,000 to 28,000 pounds.
New Deal, ATA, HOS – World War I & World War II
During the years of World War I and World War II, Roy Chapin was the first who tried a long-distance shipment with pneumatic tires that could carry a heavier loads and drive at higher speed.
