Category: trucking history

These Newly Colorized Vintage Trucking Photos Look Like They Were Taken Yesterday

Posted on February 23, 2021 by - trucking history

While trucking has always been a way to transport goods, the industry has changed a lot in it’s roughly 100 year history. 

In the last 10 years alone, we’ve seen the rise of ALOGs, then ELDs, and now it seems electric and self-driving trucks might be just over the horizon. So we wanted to look back through the history of trucking and get a glimpse of how the industry got started and what it used to be like. 

To make these images feel even more real, we utilized a computer program to colorize these old semi truck photos. We know you’ll love this trip through the history of the trucking industry.

1. A driver for a construction company, 1918.

2. A fleet of trucks owned by R. Crealy, 1920.

3. Swift Ice Cream Company (no not that Swift), 1955.

4. Loading a truck at the Associated Transport Company, New York City, 1943.

5. Associated Transport Company, New York City, 1943.

6. Checking a trailer at Davidson Transfer Company in Baltimore, Maryland, 1943.

7. Associated Transport Company New York city, 1943(?).

8. Associated Transport Company yard jockey moving truck in Baltimore, Maryland, 1943.

Like us on Facebook for more!

We want to keep you informed and engaged with the trucking industry! Like us on Facebook to stay up to date with everything from ExpressTruckTax!

Join us at MATS

Posted on March 22, 2017 by - famous truckers, MATS, MATS 2017, Mid America Trucking Show, Mid America Trucking Show 2017, new truckers, rookie truckers, trucking history, veteran truckers

Truck yeah! It’s time for MATS again. From March 23rd to March 25th the Mid-America Trucking Show will be the place to be. Come out for a good time, we will even be there to celebrate all things trucking.

The Mid-America Trucking Show 2017

MATS is a big deal. It’s an annual heavy-duty trucking event that’s the biggest trucking show in the world. Mats is the longest running trucking show in history and attracts over 75k attendees from all over the world. If you’re in the trucking industry then this is a must-see event, located in Louisville Kentucky.

In 1972 MATS was created to provide the trucking industry with a place to come together to work towards making advances in the industry by sharing ideas, and showing off new, top of the line products and technology.

By going to this free event you’ll be able to take a peek at the newest trucks and technology for everyone in the trucking industry. Over 1,000 trucking companies will be attending to tell you about the services and products they offer. Plus, the 1,100,000 square foot exhibit space will be filled with trucks, celebrities, seminars, and exciting events.

You can enjoy the PKY Truck Beauty Championship, which is named in honor of Paul K. Young, who started MATS. The show involves giving out awards and accolades to custom trucks, and is a site to see! A few of the categories included people’s choice, working combo, and limited mileage dump combo.

The educational seminars include a variety of valuable information for everyone included in the trucking industry. You can attend the How To Get More MPGs Out of Your Truck seminar, presented by North American Council on Fuel Efficiency, as well as the Building Profitable Freight Relationships seminar, presented by Truckstop.com.

After learning and seeing a lot of awesome trucks you can cut loose at the free MATS concert, with Tony Justice, the 2nd generation trucker out of East Tennessee, with songs about the trucking life he lives. Then Thompson Square, the talented duo that earned the ACM Award for “Vocal Duo of the Year” will perform. These events are free while supplies last.

We’re Going!

Best of all, ExpressTruckTax will be attending! You can meet our top representatives and learn about the great services we provide as the market leading HVUT solution. Feel free to ask us about the services we offer, from providing your with the necessary tools to quickly and easily file your Heavy Vehicle Use Tax Form 2290 to our IFTA calculator that will help you quickly calculate your IFTA totals.

Our sister companies will be going too! Keep an eye out for TruckLogics, ETT+, and ExpressIFTA!

https://www.trucklogics.comTruckLogics is the complete business management solution for those in the trucking industry. It has innovative features to help fleet owners and owner-operators save time while managing every aspect of their entire business. It’s totally mobile, so they can even check in on their business while they’re on the road. A few of their features include online invoicing and billing, ProMiles, electronic driver logs, IFTA calculating tools, and dispatch management.

ExpressTruckTax Plus or ExpressTruckTax Plus is the place to go to e-file your IRS form 2290 or Heavy Vehicle Use Tax in the blink of an eye. You’ll receive your stamped schedule on in a matter of minutes! Plus, you can get your EIN, and file your  BOC-3!

ExpressIFTA takes the headache away from preparing your quarterly IFTA report because they’ve simplified the process with their innovative tools for calculating and tracking your IFTA totals. You can even upload your GPS data to get your miles traveled per jurisdiction. All of your records for each of your vehicles will be kept in one convenient location.

Enjoy MATS

To celebrate all things trucking from the pride, hard work, and awesome custom rigs join us at the Mid-American Trucking Show. We can’t wait to talk about the services we provide, learn new things at seminars, and check out awesome rigs!

For more trucking tips visit ExpressTruckTax.com, and please share your thoughts about MATS in the comment section below.

Driving Through the Decades: 6 Weird Concept Trucks

Posted on February 2, 2016 by - #TruckTechTuesday, concept trucks, cool trucks, technology, trucking history, trucking nation, weird


Let’s face it, Trucking Nation, we all have something weird in our past! Maybe you went through a disco phase, or you rocked a mullet for a while. Heck, I had an afro myself at one point. But do you ever wonder what kind of weird trends the trucking industry has hidden in its past?

Over the decades, designers have tried to improve the art of trucking with extravagant designs aimed towards bringing trucking into the future. While rigs have gotten more efficient over the years, we’re not in the space age future these designers predicted!

Take a look at these weird-looking concept trucks from transportation’s past (and maybe the future)!

1964 GM Bison Concept Truck

With a turbine-based design, this freight hauler debuted at the 1964 New York World’s Fair (the same event where Ford debuted the Mustang). While this vehicle fell into obscurity, the Bison pioneered automation with an electronic system for loading and unloading standardized cargo containers. While the Bison never took off, another turbine-based engine did work its way into a different concept.

(photo courtesy of Hemmings Daily)

Chevrolet Turbo Titan III Concept Truck

Chevrolet designed the Turbo Titan III with a turbine engine, when gas was cheap and government regulation was light. Styled as the future of the transport industry, this truck had swing-up windows, three lens headlights, and a twin dial steering system. By the time the 70s rolled around, the costs and emissions were too high for this truck to take off.

(photo courtesy of Truck Trend Network)

Steinwinter Supercargo 2040 Cab Under Concept

Designed to reduce aerodynamic drag and wind resistance, this strange looking rig resembles a skate more than a truck. Even though it had Recaro seats and less blind spots, handling issues plagued the vehicle and it proved unpopular with drivers.

(photo courtesy of franestan613 via Imgur)

Mercedes Benz EXT 92 Concept Truck

At the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1992, Mercedes Benz premiered the EXT-92. Utilizing technologies from all transportation sectors, this concept truck had the drag of a car and enough features packed in to create quite a stir – like a fax and telephone system, kitchen with a microwave, and even a built-in coffee maker.

(photo courtesy of TrucksPlanet)

Colani Spitzer Silo Concept Truck

You know when legendary Swiss-German designer Luigi Colani gets involved, the results are going to be eye-popping at least. Conceptualized during the 70s fuel crisis, this rig made a resurgence after the recent global fuel troubles.

(photo courtesy of Dark Roasted Blend) 

Walmart’s WAVE Concept

Designed by Walmart with Peterbilt, Great Dane Trailers, and Capstone Turbine, the WAVE stands for Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience. This rig uses a turbine-powered hybrid drivetrain, and has a combustion engine that can run on diesel, natural gas, and biodiesel fuel. And while it’s not on the road yet, the WAVE allows designers to test new technologies and approaches.

(photo courtesy of Wired)

While you aren’t hauling freight in the Bison or a Colani truck, your rig still needs to keep up with HVUT fees this year. If you have any questions about filing your 2290s, feel free to contact us by phone at 704.234.6005, by email at support@expresstrucktax.com, or with the live chat support from our website.

ThrowBack Thursday: Trucking in the 1950s

Posted on May 8, 2014 by - throwback Thursday, trucking history, trucking news

Are you ready for a Triple Throwback Thursday? I’ve been touring the history of the trucking industry and when I got to the 1950s, I was surprised at how significant the era was for heavy hauling manufacturing. So join me in an ExpressTruckTax Special Edition Throwback Thursday as we look at the unique history of Kenworth, Freightliner, and Mack.

In 1955, Kenworth launched a radical new design – the Cab-Beside-Engine. This half-cab jewel was a driving innovation, providing better visibility for the driver, vehicle weight reduction and increased capacity. The design saved 700 pounds of dead weight compared to the Cab-Over-Engine construction. The use of Alcoa aluminum alloys is what what shed the pounds for this truck.

                                                                                                       photo credit: trucksplanet.com

In the 1950s, Freightliner was ahead of its time when it comes to alternative-fuel use. They not only optimized long-haul applications while meeting restrictive length laws with the introduction of the WF64, but this truck could run off 3 different fuel types – gasoline, diesel or liquefied propane. The WF64 was a unique innovation that proved alternative-fuel was possible for heavy-haulers. What an amazing achievement for the time.

                                                             photo credit: commercialmotor.com

Last stop on our scenic tour of the 1950s Trucking Industry is Mack. This American Legend manufacturer has been around a long time and in the 50s they out did themselves by launching not 1, but 3 new models of trucks. The G, H and B models  were the epitome of product advancements when Mack introduced them to the trucking industry. The G series featured an all-aluminum cab and could haul big payloads. The H series, or the “Cherry Pickers” were designed with a short bumper-to-back of cab dimension to accommodate 35 ft. trailers within 45 overall legal limits. The shining star of Mack’s new designs was the B series (pictured below). It had a trend setting rounded appearance, which set the new standard for trucks, as with a wide range of model variations to choose from. From it’s introduction in 1953 to it’s discontinuation in 1966 127,786 B models were produced, and many are still in active service today.

                                                                                            photo credit: dieselpoweringmag.com

Who knew there were so many advancements in truck design in such a short amount of time. Thanks for riding along on this tour of 1950s Trucking History, you’re welcome back any time.