Did you know that 70% of all freight in the US is transported by means of trucking? The US relies heavily on trucking for all sorts of things but it hasn’t always been that way – early trucking in America consisted of unsafe and clunky automobiles that weren’t even equipped with lights! Have a read of this article to find out more about the history of trucks in the US.

Early Trucking

Before the invention of the truck, products were transported by means of trains, wagons and waterways. The first truck was invented in 1898. Early trucks were nothing like the trucks we see on our roads today – they were very simple and lacked essential safety features. Due to the fact that tires used to be solid, if you had ridden in a truck during the late 1800s, you would have been in for a bumpy ride! As mentioned, early trucks did not even have lights attached to them, meaning driving a truck at night was extremely dangerous.

Development

In the early 1900s, trucks started to be equipped with some of the safety features we view as essential today. Trucks were installed with lights, meaning that driving on the road at night time was far less dangerous. One of the biggest changes in the history of trucking was the start of World War I – the US military were incentivized to engineer better equipment as they used trucks as part of the war effort. This led to the trucking industry progressing in leaps and bounds as better and better trucks were engineered to be more efficient in a military context. Without World War I, the trucking industry might not have made the huge leaps that it made in the early 1900s, technology wise.

Trucking Today

Entering the 20th century, the trucking industry exploded as big stores started to arrive in cities and people were able to purchase their own trucks. Trucking culture became a big subculture and truck drivers were featured in songs, movies and on television – all the time associated with a particular dress code and style. The trucking industry remains ever changing but is constantly expanding with advances in modern technology. In the 21st century, it is possible to buy all sorts of accessories for your truck, like these Toyota truck accessories to ensure it is as safe and efficient to drive as possible. Toyota truck accessories offer useful things such as a decked drawer system that you can install into your truck for great storage – this is a great place to store all your tools.

Trucking has been a part of transportation since the late 1800s but it has gradually grown into a huge industry which the US heavily relies on for most of its transportation. Next time you are driving on the highway and notice a truck driving past you, you will know all about the history of this automobile that revolutionized the American transport industry!