Trucking in the 50s - 100 Years of Trucking

hey guys it's Maddy today we are back with another decade of our brand-new 100 years of trucking series this time we are taking you guys on a trip back through time in our very own truck time machine starting all the way back in 1950 let's get started [Music] if you'll recall from our previous trucking in the 40s video we left off in the year 1949 the second world war was over in Americans were finally finding their footing in the world post war as the world's strongest military power the fruits of this prosperity were now more widely available than ever before nonetheless this newfound growth and success wouldn't come without a price as the 50s also marked the rudimentary stages of civil rights movement in the Cold War crusade against communism in the wise words of Winston Churchill America at this moment stands at the summit of the world as the new decade of the 1950's approached during this so-called post-war boom everything in the US was booming the economy the suburbs and most of all the babies undoubtedly the trucking industry was still booming as well with many new advancements and models being debuted during this decade first and foremost freightliner Trucks would kick off the decade in 1950 with the release of their new b42 Eastern freight liner tractor also around this same time a groundbreaking new technological advancement was made that would continue to shape our world to this day color television in 1951 Ford continued to grow into their newfound niche in heavy-duty truck manufacturing and officially began marketing their new line of semi tractors as big job trucks this same year Kenworth trucks would release their model 853 for use in the oil fields of the Middle East with the introduction of their American 801 version later in the year also in 1951 Freightliner and fellow manufacturer White Motors company teamed up to give birth to an all-new heavy-duty brand known as white freight liner this same year in the mood to find even more modes and methods of manufacturing better trucks white motors would wager and win in their efforts to acquire the assets of Sterling trucks however the acquisition of these specially designed Sterling's would be a move that proved rather ineffective in the years following and eventually led to the overall demise in retirement of the Sterling trucks nameplate only two years after its purchase in 1953 speaking of white freight liner in 1953 it was this year that the new brand unveiled their groundbreaking WF 64 truck this WF 64 model debuted not only as the first white freight liner truck but also the first overhead sleeper ever available not to mention this novel WF 64 truck sported an innovative fueling system unlike anything ever seen before and could be powered by gasoline diesel or even liquefied propane this same year the increasingly iconic industry leading brand Peterbilt officially debuted their renowned red oval emblem that still to this day remains a cult classic crest for the company also in 1953 former 5 star Army General Dwight D Eisenhower was elected president having been heavily influenced by his extensive military past Eisenhower was deemed the best man with a plan to combat and contain the spread of communism in the States as well as further expand upon New Deal programs previously set into place by President Roosevelt however no amount of military training could prepare him for the ever-growing cold war that had sent in as tension built not only with the Soviet Union but also racially within the states as well the next year of 1954 marked a cornerstone in early civil rights movement when the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Brown versus the Board of Education case that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional this same year Peterbilt debuts their notorious narrow or needle-nosed trucks with their single drive model 281 and dual drive model 351 following this huge historical landmark yet another milestone in the Civil Rights realm would occur in the next year in 1955 when Miss Rosa Parks in from refused to give up her bus seat to a white man which ultimately led to the Supreme Court ruling that also deemed bus segregation as unconstitutional despite the turbulence surrounding the trucking industry 1955 also saw the introduction of GM C's new df8 60 cannonball cab over engine model in the company's new blue chip truck design also in 1955 Kenworth trucks unveiled their rather unique and unusually designed cab beside engine truck these oddball phone booth like models sported suicide sleepers which required the driver to lie down cross ways behind the driver and the engine and were eventually outlawed due to safety purposes the federal aid Highway Act of 1956 popularly known as the National interstate and defense highways Act was enacted and signed into law by President Eisenhower in June of 1956 although previously presented as the Federal Highway Act of 1944 under FDR's reign the legislation had been stalled due to controversy over the issuance of bonds in order to finance the project however as a result of his experiences in 1919 as a participant in the US Army's first transcontinental motor convoy across the u.s. Eisenhower fiercely advocated for the implementation of the highways not only with the intentions of quicker easier and more efficient transport but for the purpose of national defense in the event of a ground invasion with an original authorization of 25 billion dollars for the construction of over 40,000 miles of the interstate highway system supposedly over a ten-year period it was the largest public works project in American history at the time that same year in 1956 American businessman and transportation entrepreneur Malcolm McLean pioneered the modern containerized intermodal shipping method which allowed for far more efficient transfer of cargo between trucks trains and ships also in 1956 Kenworth came out with their new conventional cab 900 series trucks 1957 was a giant year for the industry as Dodge debuted their new line of heavy-duty power giant trucks with higher horsepower housing engines however that wasn't the only giant sized news that year later on on October 4th the Soviets launched the very first artificial Earth satellite ever into the atmosphere this satellite or Sputnik as it was coined prompted a period of public panic over the perceived technological gap between the US and the Soviet Union and triggered the beginning of a new era of political technological and scientific developments known as the space race the next year of 1958 would mark another major milestone in truck manufacturing as Pacific car and foundry better known today as pack are purchased perhaps their most prized possession with the procurement of Peterbilt motors company after being bought by PACCAR Peterbilt was back and better than ever and began developing their first distinct model line finishing off the decade with a bang Peterbilt unveiled their first yoona light tilt cab cab over engine truck with the model 352 in 1959 also in 1959 GMC debuted their all-new dynamic duo of trucks with their DLR 8000 in DFR 8,000 models these boxy block-like semi tractors quickly earned their Crackerbox nickname due to their squared off appearance lastly the 50th and final puzzle piece of our nation the US state of Hawaii was admitted to the Union in 1959 pulling together the picture-perfect painting of the American landscape and polishing off the end of the Nifty 50s thank you all so much for watching this decade of our new series 100 years of trucking trucking in the 50s before you leave make sure you like the video check out the other videos on our Channel and subscribe we're growing rapidly and quickly approaching our next goal of 20k subscribers so thank you all so much for your support for the show if you have any questions comments concerns or anything else you'd like to talk to us about please be sure to tune in to our podcast the chrome corner Wednesdays at 12 p.m. noon Eastern Standard Time and join Maddie and Dave as they answer viewers questions and discuss all things chrome if you'd like to stay up to date with the new projects we have coming please follow us at Jax chrome show on Facebook Twitter and Instagram we still have our truck history shirts available on our website at Jax chrome show com so be sure to check them out if you're in the mood for some chrome drop by our online chrome shop at Jax chrome shop comm and save on your order by using the discount code youtube' thanks for watching we'll see you next week and remember if you're a don't shine you don't know jack [Music]

Channel: Jack's Chrome Shop

Views: 366,812

Keywords: jack's chrome show, jack's chrome shop, chrome and steel radio, jack and dave show, the chrome corner, chrome corner, 100 years of trucking, trucking in the 50s, trucking in the 1950s, 1950s, 50s, peterbilt, kenworth, sterling, space race, sputnik, soviets, soviet union, cold war, freightliner, big rig, truck, trucks, trucker, trucking, trucking news, trucking entertainment, trucking podcast, trucking industry, heavy haul, long haul, white motors, ford trucks, gmc, gmc trucks, chrome

Id: jcP2QhiF0so

Length: 10min 27sec (627 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 14 2020