OTA Dispatch Issue 3 2019

OTA IS CELEBRATING its 80 th anniversary this year, which means we’ve been around since 1939. The trucking industry has changed quite a bit since the beginning, even since OTA’s founding date. Here are some facts to put things into perspective. Average cost of a new house $3,800 $294,000 Cost of a gallon of gas 10 cents $2.77 Average annual wage $1,730 $56,000 Cost of a loaf of bread 8 cents $2.50 Average price of a new car $700 $37,577 WHAT HAPPENED IN 1939? ` ` Germany invades Poland in September, starting World War II. ` ` The Manhattan Project forms in New York, eventually leading to the first atomic bomb in 1945. ` ` William Hewlett and David Packard create the Hewlett- Packard (HP) technology company for just $538, roughly the price of a low-end HP laptop today. ` ` Both “Gone with the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz” premiere. ` ` Lou Gehrig retires from Major League Baseball after being diagnosed with ALS. ` ` Batman makes his first appearance in the monthly Detective Comics. OTHER FUN TRUCKING FACTS: ` ` $895 was the price of a new Ford flathead V8 back in 1938. ` ` The front of trucks were usually plated with chrome (chromium), a preferred method, because it makes parts slicker and protects them from rust. Then in 1941, when the US entered WWII, the government took full possession of the element because there was not enough chrome in the US and most of it was found overseas so trucks were simply painted. ` ` In the early days of manufacturing, wrenches were custom made for the equipment serviced and would be provided along with whatever part they were used for. ` ` Before sleeper cabs, some drivers used to hang a hammock under the trailer and sleep in it. TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES OF TRUCKING OVER TIME: Watch for future historical articles in the Dispatch ! Much of the trucking information was provided by staff and exhibits at the Pacific Truck Museum in Salem, Oregon. Museum information can be found online at pacificnwtruckmuseum.org . IN 1939... THEN... IN 2019... NOW... Trucks built specifically for the commod- ities they hauled—such as fruit or ice Trucks mass manufactured per class, but not specific to commodities Open cab trucks Closed cab trucks Two-stick shifting Automatic shifting and autonomous trucks Crank start engine Battery-powered engine Hard rubber tires Pneumatic tires Wooden (usually oak) spokes Steel or aluminum spokes Home deliveries made using a paper note of supply requests Home deliveries using the cell phone in your pocket Acetylene (also known as carbide) gas lamps for front or side lighting LED lamps No seatbelts Required seatbelts and airbags No side view mirrors Sideview mirrors required and incorporation of cameras for blind spots Trucking History Then Versus Now Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. 34 Oregon Truck Dispatch