Autocar Trucks Of The 1960s At Work

As we start the 1960s, the current Autocar truck models were well on their way in popularity. White had purchased Autocar in 1953 yet Autocar trucks continued thru to the 1970s as part of the "Big Four" White brands. The Interstate Highway System was being expanded through the country in the '60s, but many roads were still rugged. The cure for many truckers was to buy an Autocar, highly regarded as a rough, tough and sturdy truck. Ron Adams picks out the best in his vast collection of Autocar truck photos, all the hardest working trucks hauling goods across America in the 1960s, one of the most interesting decades in trucking. Not only does Adams provide detailed information about the trucks, he doesn’t forget the trailers, trucking companies, and hauling configurations seen in the photographs.

Autocar’s roots go way back into the early 1900s and became known for tough and rugged trucks. When WWII came, very few trucks for civilian use were produced and by the end many trucks were worn out from constant use. After the war, civilian production began again in full force because of the lack of new trucks. In 1950, when Autocar introduced the new driver cab, the louver design was eliminated. The old style flat windshield sleeper cabs were used up until 1953 (the same year that Autocar was purchased by the White Motor Co.) when the new sleeper cab was introduced. Autocar became the top-of-the-line marque for White and marketing focused primarily on specialized applications, such as construction, logging, mining and oil industries. See the rest of the “World’s Finest” helping do their part to revive America in the 1950s.

White Motor Company was a major producer of American trucks between 1919 and 1980 with its primary manufacturing facilities in Cleveland, Ohio. The company began as a sewing machine manufacturing concern founded in 1876 by Thomas H. White and expanded by his sons into steam and gasoline-powered automobiles; however, it was in the trucking field that White made its mark. During its production years, White offered a broad array of light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks before concentrating on the latter from the 1960s on. In addition to its brand name, White purchased and/or marketed a number of other trucking manufacturers, including Reo, Diamond T, Diamond Reo, Autocar, Whitehorse, PDQ, Western Star, and White Freightliner trucks. White fell on hard financial times and declared bankruptcy in 1980. The named lived on for awhile in the 1980s under the parentage of corporate giant Volvo. This book reviews White medium and heavy-duty truck models in roughly the decade of the 1960s, including the 1500, 4000, 5000, 7400, and 9000 series.

This highly visual study covers the US and Canadian truck manufacturers that built trucks in North America in the 1960s. Canadian-built trucks were often unique, while others were built specifically for the American market. The North American truck manufacturers continued to thrive to meet the demands of the prosperity of the 1960s with fresh designs and features. These rugged, reliable trucks were capable of transcontinental commutes of goods on a regular basis, or performing delivery and construction tasks in and around cities. This concise volume covers not only the histories of the major and lesser known truck manufactures, but also the obscure, yet historically significant manufacturers.

This book follows on the heels of Big Rigs of the 1950s (0-7603-0978-7), which has proven popular with vintage truck fans. This book tackles a new era, the 1960s, providing views of the trucks that traveled America's highways during that decade. Photography again comes from the enormous archive of Ron Adams, author of Big Rigs of the 1950s, Mack Trucks, and 100 Years of Semi Trucks. Each prominent manufacturer receives its own chapter, and less prominent brands are also covered. Adams provides detailed information about the truck models pictured, as well as the trailers, trucking companies, and hauling configurations seen in the photographs.

Vol. 7, 9-11, 14-19 include interpretations 1-34.