The History of Transport Trucks
- The first self-propelling trucks were steam powered beasts, born in the late 18th century. The tires were made from wood and steel, and later solid rubber. Concepts like suspension, steering and braking were developed, but advances were slow due to the lack of interest in the vehicles. During this period, most resorted to the standard horse-drawn wagon method of transport; the self-propelled truck was seen as more of a novelty than anything.
- In the middle of the 19th century, one of the most important inventions in the history of transportation helped the truck to begin to realize its full potential. The internal combustion engine was smaller and more efficient than the steam engine, and trucks slowly became accepted widely as a useful form of transport. Solid rubber tires slowly gave way to balloon tires and the cabs of trucks, which had been open to the outside until this point, closed to allow more safety and comfort for the driver. By 1910, there were some 10,000 trucks in the U.S. and by the 1920s, the trucking industry was in full form. Hundreds of truck manufacturers existed, and trucks were used with increased frequency for long distance trips.
- In 1935, Congress established the Motor Carrier Act, a federal law allowing the government to regulate the trucking industry. The Motor Carrier Act created regulations for rates, the amount of time drivers were allowed to operate trucks and where different trucking companies could operate. These regulations helped the trucking industry compete with the rail industry. In the 1940s, Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge entered the trucking market. The V-8 engine was developed, giving the vehicles greater horsepower and higher speeds. Also, companies started designing trucks for reliability and comfort as well as load capacity. By the time the U.S. instituted the Interstate Highway System in 1956, trucking was ready to overtake the rail industry as the main form of transportation.
- The post-WW2 trucking boom brought huge changes in how transport trucks were built that continued through the end of the century. Malcom McLean, the founder of the McLean Trucking Company, developed containers that attached to hitches on the back of trucks and the world was forever transformed. Customers loved the efficiency and ease standardized containers allowed for, and the rest of the transportation industry--including rail and sea shipping--quickly jumped on board.
Trucks continued to evolve, and advances in suspension, fuel efficiency, speed, and power were made time and again. Modern pickups were developed for small load handling, and these quickly caught on for local haulers and people with businesses that could use them, like farmers and carpenters. - Today, trucking is still the go-to method of freight transport. Truck manufacturers are focused on a number of things, with fuel efficiency topping the list because of the rising operating costs associated with fuel consumption. Aerodynamics have become a catch phrase in the industry, and companies have begun looking for alternative fuels to power the vehicles.