Semi Trucks of the American West & 1970s (2 Book Set)

Prior to the 1970s, when length laws were written to allow longer configurations to run on the national interstate highway system, you would only see a lot of these trucks west of the Mississippi. Configurations such as the Rocky Mountain Double were not allowed in many states.

Semi Trucks of the American West is the first book to showcase the unique truck/trailer combos and companies that worked the roads in the American West from the early 1900s through the 1970s. Ron Adams has pulled 375 images from his vast collection to feature companies and truck makers, such as Navajo Freight Lines Inc., Denver-Chicago Trucking Co. Inc.; Braswell Motor Freight Lines Inc., Western Truck Lines Inc.; I.M.L. Freight Inc.; West Coast Fast Freight Inc.; Los Angeles-Seattle Motor Express Inc.; Garrett Freight Lines, Illinois-California Express Inc.; Ringsby Truck Lines Inc.; Watson Bros. Transportation Co. Inc.; Pacific Inter-Mountain Express; Transcon Lines Inc.; Big Sky Co-op of Montana; Garrison Fast Freight Inc.; Arrowhead Freight Lines Inc.; United Truck Lines Inc.; Strickland Transportation Co.; Peterbilt semi trucks; Sterling: International; Kenworth; White: Autocar trucks; GMC semi trucks; Fruehauf trailers; Mack semi trucks; Freightliner semi trucks. Trucks and companies from the following states are covered: California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Wyoming, and Montana.

By 1972 there were nearly one million tractor-trailer rigs hauling every conceivable kind of cargo on America’s roads. Can you imagine the variety of trucks you would have seen at truck stops across the country? But the 1970s proved to be a decade of incredible change for the over-the-road trucking industry, and by 1980, fuel efficiency became a prime concern for companies. At this time, airfoils and other aerodynamic aids began to appear, and trucks in general, started to take on a similar look. In this picture-packed book, Ron Adams has pulled together a collection of over 300 images that trace the evolution of truck design and use back to the earliest horse-drawn units right up through the early 1980s. Short introductory chapters cover the earlier years of trucking, and then Ron takes you on a coast-to-coast tour of the 1970s, showcasing the huge variety of big rigs working the roads and providing detailed information about the trucks, trailers, cargoes, and trucking companies. In addition to photos and detailed captions, there are period articles covering early aerodynamic testing and also on advancements in truck design in the 1970s. Semi Trucks of the 1970s feature trucks from all makers, including International, Freightliner, Kenworth, Mack, White-Freightliner, Autocar, Brockway, Peterbilt, Ford, and Diamond Reo. This is a complete look at this evolutionary period in trucking history. W3 In this picture-packed book, Ron Adams has pulled together a collection of over 300 images that trace the evolution of truck design and use back to the earliest horse-drawn units right up through the early 1980s.