Transportation History: Railroads and Trucking

The always competitive, sometimes cooperative relationship between railroads and trucking has been a hot topic for Traffic World since at least 1912.

From the day when trucks started to replace horse-drawn wagons carting shipments between rail freight depots, railroads and truckers have often been at odds as they battle for shippers.

In this special report we republish two articles by Homer H. Shannon that throw light on the roots of the conflict, outlining the rapid growth of trucking in the 1920s and 1930s.

"The Truck, Rail Competitor and Ally," first published in the Dec. 20, 1930 edition of Traffic World, examines the conversion of less-than-carload rail traffic to less-than-truckload freight. That built pressure to bring trucking under the Interstate Commerce Commission''s regulatory umbrella.

"How a Motor Freight Line Operates," first published in 1931, gives us a detailed look at the growth of Keeshin Motor Express, one of the early leaders in the LTL trucking industry.

Several short excerpts from Traffic World over the decades throw light on related issues and events: the Railway Labor Act of 1926, the Motor Carrier Act of 1935, the growing use of trucks and the final fate of Keeshin Motor Express.

Shannon was a freelance writer whose career began before World War I and lasted into the 1970s. In addition to Traffic World , he wrote for Airway Age, The New York Times, Harper''s Magazine, Forbes and Confidential, among other publications.