For Kenworth, the 1950s were some of its most exciting years. A financial windfall started out the decade, with a special truck built for ARAMCO that became a standard at oil sites around the world. In the mid 1950s Kenworth began building trucks in Canada and developed a new design with the cab beside the engine, upping the cargo capacity by 1,000 pounds and offering greatly improved visibility for the driver. In 1956 the company became a subsidiary of the Pacific Car and Foundry Company and under new ownership the 900 model, with a lighter, shorter chassis, was introduced. And, in 1957 the first tilt cab over engine was introduced with easier access to the engine and transmission for servicing. See the huge variety of Kenworths moving goods to Americans at the start of boom times.

Founded in 1923, Kenworth has since become one of the most recognized names in American truck manufacturing. This book highlights the golden era of trucking in crisp period photographs that present a variety of trucking companies and their Kenworth trucks - in action. Kenworth trucks are featured at work in a variety of settings and jobs - from logging to hauling all types of commodities, including grain, oil and gasoline, livestock, lumber and meat. Photo shots include the many types of trailers used in moving goods from place to place. A visual treat for the Kenworth enthusiast.

After WWII Americans were anxious to re-stoke the economy after a long “make-do with what you have” dry spell. By the 1950s new highways were being built, new trucking companies were being formed and old ones revived. Americans were buying newly-styled cars and the latest technologies once again. Semi-trucks helped pave the way for this huge growth spurt in America with dependable trucks built by Mack, GMC, Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, International, White Freightliner, Peterbilt, Kenworth, Diamond T, Reo, Autocar, Brockway, Sterling and others, many using the increasingly popular diesel engines made by Buda, Hercules, Waukesha, and Cummins, which helped their heavy loads haul quicker. Ron Adams portrays this booming era with over 300 superb photos of trucks hauling cement, fuel, and a variety of goods to enthusiastic Americans.

The continued improvement of roadways and the dawn of the Interstate highway system in the 1950s was a boon to American industry in general and the trucking industry in particular. This marque-by-marque photo collection provides a comprehensive and nostalgic look back at the rapid development of the tractor-trailer rigs that resulted. Manufacturers like GMC, Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, White, Freightliner, Peterbilt, Kenworth, Diamond T, International, Mack, Autocar, Brockway and Sterling are shown hauling everything from Cadillacs to cabbage across town, up the coast and over mountain passes. Thorough captions describe the development and history of each model as depicted in archival black-and-white and period color photography.

Examining the evolution of the popular ½-ton American pickup truck, from a basic utility vehicle, to stylish icon and North America's best selling vehicle, this volume focuses on specifications, rarer makes and models, industry facts and figures, and optional equipment, via detailed text and previously unpublished images.

T. A. Peterman needed a better truck to haul logs in the northwest, so after experimenting and then acquiring Fageol Motors, he came up with a formula to create rugged, tough trucks to battle curvaceous, undependable mountain roads, earning the nickname ‘betterbuilt’ trucks. Peterman died in 1945, but management helped make Peterbilt a serious producer of heavy-duty trucks up to its sale to PACCAR in the late 1950s. In August 1960 Peterbilt moved to a new facility and became a division of PACCAR, carrying on its own tradition while retaining its product line. A western builder, Peterbilt’s popularity escalated throughout the states through the 1960s, leading the company to start a new plant in Tennessee by the end of the decade. At the height of their popularity, Peterbuilts are portrayed through large format photographs taken at the time when these heavy haulers were put to work. See them in action and read about both the trucks and owners who operated them.

In 1951, Freightliner signed an agreement with the White Motor Co. to sell Freightliner trucks through White Dealerships. The trucks became White-Freightliner, gaining momentum through the 1950s and exploding in sales through the 1960s. As you look at the photos on the pages of this book, you will see just a few of the many different customers and hauling jobs they did in the peak of their popularity. Small, medium or large hauling jobs, White-Freightliners fit right in to the needs of the trucking industry.

White Motor Company was a major producer of American trucks between 1919 and 1980 with its primary manufacturing facilities in Cleveland, Ohio. The company began as a sewing machine manufacturing concern founded in 1876 by Thomas H. White and expanded by his sons into steam and gasoline-powered automobiles; however, it was in the trucking field that White made its mark. During its production years, White offered a broad array of light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks before concentrating on the latter from the 1960s on. In addition to its brand name, White purchased and/or marketed a litany of other trucking manufacturers, including Reo, Diamond T, Diamond Reo, Autocar, Whitehorse, PDQ, Western Star, and White Freightliner trucks. White fell on hard financial times and declared bankruptcy in 1980. The named lived on for awhile in the 1980s under the parentage of corporate giant Volvo. This book reviews White medium and heavy-duty truck models in roughly the decade of the 1950s, including the WC, 3000, 4000, 5000, and 9000 series.

This book follows on the heels of Big Rigs of the 1950s (0-7603-0978-7), which has proven popular with vintage truck fans. This book tackles a new era, the 1960s, providing views of the trucks that traveled America's highways during that decade. Photography again comes from the enormous archive of Ron Adams, author of Big Rigs of the 1950s, Mack Trucks, and 100 Years of Semi Trucks. Each prominent manufacturer receives its own chapter, and less prominent brands are also covered. Adams provides detailed information about the truck models pictured, as well as the trailers, trucking companies, and hauling configurations seen in the photographs.