When were truck trailers invented?

Defunct American manufacturing company

Fruehauf Trailer Corporation, previously Fruehauf Trailer Company (1918–1963) and Fruehauf Corporation (1963–1989),[1] was an American company engaged in the manufacture and sale of truck trailers, and other machinery and equipment, with headquarters located in Detroit, Michigan. It was founded in 1918 in Detroit, after August Fruehauf created the semi-trailer and launched a new industry. The Fruehauf trailer company introduced revolutionary inventions to trucking and transportation with hydraulic dump trailers, bulk tanker trailers, and automatic fifth-wheel couplings among their more than one thousand patents, including the shipping container in 1956. Expanding across the country, Fruehauf had 16 plants and more than 80 distributorships for parts and service. Globally, the company expanded into Europe, South America, and Asia.

Following a proxy battle in the late 1980s the company filed for bankruptcy protection in 1997. International divisions became independent, U.S. subsidiaries such as Kelsey Hayes, Pro-Par, Budd Wheels, and Hobbs were sold; Wabash National acquired the crippled company in 1997.

History

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The company's founder, August Charles Fruehauf (1868–1930), was born in Fraser, Michigan, the son of Sophia and Charles Fruehauf.[2][3] He began his career as a Detroit-area blacksmith and carriage builder. In 1914, a local businessman named Frederic M. Sibley asked Fruehauf to build a trailer that could be towed behind a Ford Model T and transport a boat to upper Michigan. Fruehauf successfully built the device, and Sibley requested he build additional trailers for use on his lumber yard.[4] Fruehauf would call them "semi-trailers", and his product proved popular. In 1918, he incorporated his business as the Fruehauf Trailer Company.[1][5][6]

The semi-trailers soon demonstrated their practicality and orders came in from competing lumber dealers and any manufacturer who wanted to expand their customer base. Closed van trailers were designed and put into service. Industries such as dairy and fuel oil were revolutionized with this "go-anywhere" type of transportation. Capitalizing on August Fruehauf's slogan, "a horse can pull more than it can carry, so can a truck", the company continued to grow.

Fruehauf developed semi-trailers for use in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. Developing more than 150 patents for military products alone, these were eventually introduced into commercial use. Among them were early versions of the shipping container used on some U.S. railroads and, after 1956, on the ships of Pan-Atlantic Steamship Co., the ship line controlled by container pioneer Malcom McLean and later known as Sea-Land. Fruehauf contributed to the creation of the American Trucking Association and was instrumental in the creation of the interstate highway system as advisors to President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Fruehauf purchased competing companies to acquire distribution, new technology, or geographic advantages. Warner-Fruehauf in Baltimore, Hobbs from Texas, and Strick in the Midwest. On February 28, 1947, the Fruehauf Corporation purchased the Carter Manufacturing Company. Carter was started in 1927 and based in Memphis, Tennessee, with another location in Birmingham, Alabama. The Carter Manufacturing Company was involved in the manufacturing of trailers from the Carter plant. As with Warner-Fruehauf in Baltimore, all trailers made out of the Memphis and Birmingham plants were called Fruehauf-Carter.

During the U.S. guided missile boom in the 1950s and 1960s, Fruehauf developed and manufactured missile vehicles, ground-based and submarine-based missile launchers, transporters/erectors, shipping containers, ground handling equipment, equipment shelters, and other components for the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force. This included systems for the Atlas, Bomarc, Corporal, Falcon, Genie, Hawk, Matador, Nike Ajax, Nike Hercules, Jupiter, Polaris, Redstone, Regulus I, II, Sergeant, Thor, and Titan missiles.[7] To meet increasing defense contract work, the hub of the company's ground handling/ground support equipment (GHE/GSE) production was placed at its plant in Delphos, Ohio.[8] The company also provided the army with 5,000-US-gallon (19,000 L) fuel tank semi-trailers [9] and 12-ton semi-trailers.[10] At its plant in Fullerton, California (previously owned by Hanson Bros.) it manufactured 15-ton amphibious lighters[11] and reusable metal shipping boxes for military purposes.[12] Both Detroit and Fullerton branches of the company's military products division took part in the U.S. space program, producing among the other things Gemini practice recovery spacecraft.[13]

In 1959, the company, Roy Fruehauf, Teamsters Union President Dave Beck, and others were indicted on charges that the company had illegally lent $200,000 to Beck in 1954. The Teamsters had previously lent $1.5 million to Roy Fruehauf to finance a proxy fight against his elder brother, Harvey, and Roy Fruehauf was alleged to have returned the favor by making the loan to Beck. As the Teamsters represented some Fruehauf employees, the loan was alleged to be an illegal gift or bribe, in violation of the Labor-Management Relations Act of 1947. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the indictment in 1961,[14] but subsequently, the case was dismissed.

Following the death of August's sons, Harvey, Harry, and Roy Fruehauf, the Fruehauf family was no longer in charge by the mid-1960s. Resting on the laurels of the preceding decades, management would not make the tough and difficult personal sacrifices needed to withstand economic challenges. While the company eventually diversified and expanded its operations, financial issues resulted in the sell-off of company divisions in 1989. The truck trailer unit continued operation as Fruehauf Trailer Corporation.[1]

In the 1970s and 1980s, Fruehauf became a major manufacturer of aluminum or steel marine intermodal containers for container ships, both in the U.S. as well as through various overseas subsidiaries such as Fruehauf France or Nippon Fruehauf, with major global shipping lines and container leasing companies as customers.

The company declared bankruptcy on October 7, 1996. An axle plant in Ohio was sold to Holland Hitch Company on February 18, 1997, and Fruehauf's United States manufacturing and sales business was sold to Wabash National on March 17, 1997.[15] Prior to the bankruptcy, the Bellinger Shipyard owned by Fruehauf in Jacksonville, Florida, was sold to M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc. for $1.9 million in 1995 and then the Jacksonville Shipyard was sold to developers in 2014.[16] Companies in France, Mexico, New Zealand, and Japan continued to operate under the Fruehauf name.[6][15]

In 2015, Poland's largest trailer company, Wielton, purchased a 65% share of Fruehauf France. It completed the purchase of the balance in 2017.

In 2021, MV Commercial purchased Fruehauf in the UK from administration. It aims to revive the brand and increase production by investing heavily in the business which had been neglected for several years.

In 2023, Fruehauf featured in the October issue of Bulk & Tipper magazine, with the article covering Fruehauf's acquisition by MV Commercial and the success of the takeover.[17]

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Why is it called a “semi trailer”? Who built the first one? How long have semi trailers been in use? If you’re in the transportation business, you might find it interesting to learn more about the back half of the tractor-trailer, which has carried an incalculable amount of cargo and been pivotal in the growth of commerce around the world for the last 125 years.

The Semi Trailer Defined

It’s safe to say that most people refer to “semis” without giving much thought to what the term “semi trailer” really means. A semi trailer has that name because it doesn’t have a front axle, and therefore isn’t the same as a trailer, which does.

In other words, the weight of this type of trailer and its contents is partially supported by its wheels, with the rest of the support typically coming from the tractor unit that pulls it. It may also be supported by what’s called a dolly or by the back end of another trailer in the case of a tandem tractor-trailer configuration.

A Custom Car Maker Designs the First Semi Trailer

A Scottish-American designer and inventor named Alexander Winton is widely credited with inventing the semi trailer in Cleveland, Ohio. First founding a bicycle company, he went on to form the Winton Motor Carriage Company in 1897.

Wanting to get his custom cars to customers without putting any miles on the vehicles, Winton designed a car-hauling unit that could be pulled by a truck. Soon, other car manufacturers were purchasing his semi-trailer product to transport their vehicles.

The use of what became known as “tractor-trailers” increased dramatically during World War I, when the military found that they offered speed and flexibility not available with trains and horse-drawn trailers. This was especially true after inflated (pneumatic) tires were created, as they addressed concerns about the effects steel and solid rubber wheels were having on the dirt and gravel roads of the day.

In the 1930s, the expanding construction of paved roads made semis even more useful, and when the Interstate Highway System was developed in the 1950s and 1960s, the tractor-trailer became the cornerstone of the cargo transportation industry.

Semi Trailers Then and Now

Semi trailers have come a long way from their roots as custom car haulers in the early 1900s. Today, there are a wide range of semi trailer types, many of which are available for lease or rent through Boxwheel, including:

• Dry van trailers – Named for their ability to protect goods from rain and the elements in general, these fully enclosed semi trailers are used to haul many different types of goods and materials.
• Flatbed trailers – Flatbeds are semi trailers designed to carry cargo or containers that don’t need to be fully enclosed. With no walls or roof, they can also be used to haul items that are too tall or wide for dry van trailers.
• Liftgate trailers – As the name suggests, liftgate trailers have a platform or “gate” at the back that can be raised and lowered to make loading and unloading of cargo easier.
• Refrigerated trailers – Alexander Winton likely could not have envisioned “reefer trailers” when he developed the first semi trailers, as the electric refrigerator didn’t become common in homes until the late 1920s. Today, farmers, grocers and others who transport perishable and temperature-sensitive goods would be lost without them. Highly insulated, reefer trailers also have a refrigeration unit that keeps them cool.

Specialized Semi Trailers

In addition to the types of semi trailers listed above, other versions have evolved through the years to accommodate specific needs. For example, tanker trailers are designed to carry liquids and gases safely and efficiently. Often, they have specialized membrane tanks and multilayer vacuum insulation.

Taking Winton’s vehicle hauling idea literally to the next level, car carrier trailers allow for vehicles to be transported in two layers. This configuration cleverly doubles the trailer’s carrying capacity.

To make the carrying and unloading of loose materials more effective, what are called dump trailers or tipper trailers were developed. Their beds raise or tip to pour out the contents when they reach their destination.

Similar to flatbed semi trailers, so-called low bed trailers are built to haul freight that is especially tall and/or heavy. Often, low bed trailers are used to carry oversized equipment like bulldozers or components for large industrial equipment.

Container trailers are another variation on the flatbed. Using chassis designed for especially heavy loads, these semi trailers are made to carry shipping containers. The ease with which containers can be loaded onto and removed from container trailers makes transporting goods and materials very efficient.

What’s Ahead for Semi Trailers?

What will semi trailers look like and what functionality will they have in another 125 years? It’s hard to say, but one thing is clear: Semi trailers will continue to evolve to meet the changing needs of businesses. Technology that’s in its infancy today—or that hasn’t even been imagined yet—will surely be taken for granted by then, as inventors and engineers continue to take Winton’s innovative car hauler in many new directions.

Another thing that’s certain is that Boxwheel will continue to provide the trailers and expertise that our clients need to operate efficiently and effectively. We like to say that, “We make leasing a trailer affordable, safe and easy.” Please contact Boxwheel Trailer Leasing if you have questions about our inventory of semi trailers from top manufacturers or our three-step trailer rental or trailer leasing process.

Photo: FOTO:FORTEPAN / Négyesi Pál / CC BY-SA