Terminal Trucking began operations in Indianapolis in 1931. The company experienced nominal success operating routes from the Midwest to the South, with routes as far south as Atlanta. In 1935, Ellis Trucking Company merged with Terminal Trucking, increasing the number of operating units from 6 to 70. The companies functioned together as affiliates throughout the next several years. During World War II, nearly 75% of the trucking firm’s freight was related to the war effort. After the war, a...
Motor Cargo Industries was founded in the small town of Tooele, Utah in 1922. At that time it was named Barton Truck Line. The company was small and had only two trucks, and would stay a small operation for some time, as Utah was a sparsely populated state and did not enjoy much economic prosperity during that period. The economic outlook of Tooele only darkened as the nation suffered under the Great Depression, and while Barton Truck Line did not succumb to the financial pressures, it was...
Indianhead Motor Line, Inc. was founded by Lester A. Wilsey in 1931 with a nine-year-old Model T truck. With this 1922 truck Wilsey began serving the area surrounding Rice Lake, Wisconsin. In those early days, the company operated under the name Wilsey Truck Co.
However, after several years of business, Wilsey realized a more distinctive name was required if he were to remain competitive. He chose the name “Indianhead” to pay homage to the...
J.W. Ringsby founded Ringsby Truck Lines in Denver, Colorado when he purchased a new REO Speedwagon in 1932. Ringsby Truck Lines’ first services were less-than-truckload (LTL) and truckload service between Denver and Chicago. Within a short time, Ringsby Truck Lines began establishing service and terminals in other western states.
In 1947, Ringsby Truck Lines made one of its first acquisitions. The company purchased Wyoming-based Russell...
Deregulation of the U.S. trucking industry began in the late 1970s. Congress passed the Motor Carrier Act of 1980 and it was signed into law by President Carter on July 1, 1980.
One of the most dramatic changes due to deregulation was the virtual explosion in the number of trucking firms. From 1980 to 1990, the number of licensed carriers doubled – from fewer than 20,000 to more than 40,000!
Forty years after the deregulation of the American trucking industry, truckinginfo.net estimates that...
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Richard (Dick) Simon grew up in Provo, Utah, in a family of truckers and developed a healthy love of the industry. In 1955, Dick Simon sold his new car to buy a...