Freight Socks
Description: Founded in 1931 with just two old trucks, Blue Ridge Transfer's reach grew far beyond their hometown of in Galax, Virginia to become one of the largest over the road trucking companies in America. Blue Ridge originally focused exclusively on hauling furniture from manufacturers in North Carolina, but after deregulation, they expanded across the 48 contiguous states, hauling furniture outbound and appliances and other goods on the return trip. By the mid '80s, Blue Ridge had over 700 employees, 300 tractors, and more than twice as many trailers. the privately owned company was sold in 1997, and within a few years, was rebranded by the new owners and merged into their existing operations.
Description: Gordons Transports Inc. was founded in 1933 by A.W. Gordon in Memphis, Tennessee. Gordons initially ran daily service between Memphis and St. Louis, but would soon expand their offerings to include direct service to Chicago, Jackson, Hattiesburg, Gulfport, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Birmingham, Mobile, and points in between. Despite growing to be one of American largest direct service trucking companies, deregulation took its toll on Gordons, and in 1983, they closed up shop.
Description: Johnson Motor Lines was founded in Charlotte, North Carolina back in 1945. They maintained operating authority over several routes that ran from Louisiana all the way up the east coast to New England. Despite the company's strength and longevity, Johnson Motor Lines was one of the early trucking companies to fall within the first few months of deregulation in 1980.
Description: Johnson Motor Lines was founded in Charlotte, North Carolina back in 1945. They maintained operating authority over several routes that ran from Louisiana all the way up the east coast to New England. Despite the company's strength and longevity, Johnson Motor Lines was one of the early trucking companies to fall within the first few months of deregulation in 1980.
Description: Founded in 1968, Wichita Southeast Kansas Transit (WSKT) was a privately held trucking company that started as a certificated Kansas Intrastate Carrier, serving Wichita and Southeast Kansas with overnight freight service. WSKT grew their network to 46 terminals in a closed loop line haul configuration across fifteen states. WSKT offered LTL Interstate and Intrastate, Pool Distribution, and Time Definite Delivery services and continued their reputation of guaranteed overnight service up until the end when they were sold in 2005.
Description: Show your love for the open road with this awesome trucker design! Whether you're behind the wheel of a big rig or supporting someone who is, this design celebrates the hard work and dedication of truck drivers everywhere. Perfect for truckers, long-haul drivers, and anyone who enjoys the freedom of the highway. Available on t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and more, this design is great for everyday wear or as a gift for the trucker in your life.
Description: Harvey Jones started a business hauling dry freight between Springdale, Rogers, and Fayetteville, Arkansas with two mules and a wagon in 1918. Jones bought his first truck in 1919, and when the M&NA railroad went on strike in 1920, Jones Truck Lines (JTL) began hauling freight between Seligman, Missouri, and Eureka Springs – a route that would have been served by rail. As the strike wore on for years, it was a catalyst for JTL's rapid growth, adding more trucks and routes. Post-war saw JTL buying up smaller lines, making them the largest privately owned carrier in the country in the '50s. As of 1990, JTL had 133 terminals in 23 states throughout the Midwest and South, with 3,300 employees and revenues of $240 million.
Description: Harold and Virgil Crouch were brothers from rural Irwin, Iowa who began driving trucks, eventually buying their own trucks, working as owner/operators, primarily hauling grain in the Irwin area. Harold and Virgil eventually teamed up to form Crouch Brothers Trucking in 1939 and, together, purchased the grain elevator in Kirkman, Iowa, and moved it to Irwin as a central part of their business. Crouch Brothers Trucking was expanding and increasingly getting into freight transport at Virgil's direction, though Harold really wanted to stick to the grain business. In 1943, the brother's partnership ended, and Virgil, along with their other brother, Cleo, continued to build Crouch Brothers into one of the Midwest's largest carriers.
Description: Founded in 1930, Smith's Transfer Corporation was based out of Staunton, Virginia and, inside of 50 years, grew to be the eighth-largest trucking company in America. For decades, you could find their signature 'ST' logomark on their silver trailers traveling from coast to coast until the company was bought out in the early '80s.
Description: Trans Western Express (TWE) opened its doors in the early '70s and hit the ground running to become one of Canada's largest LTL trucking companies. Based in Toronto, TWE ran Canada from coast to coast and heavily advertised their daily service to Western Canada. TWE would eventually begin making inroads into North America, but were eventually absorbed by a larger carrier network and the Trans Western Express name was retired in the early 2000s.
Description: Seven Santini Brothers (also Santini Brothers, Inc.) was a full-service American moving, storage, and relocation company that was founded by seven Italian immigrants. The seven brothers were Pasquale, Pietro, Paride, Rinaldo, Agostino, Goffredo, and Martino, five of whom started the business in 1905, with the last two others joining in 1907. Ultimately, the Seven Santini Brothers grew into one of the world's largest moving, packing and shipping organizations, with offices and warehousing facilities from coast to coast and in six foreign countries. The Santini family eventually sold the company to another moving and storage outfit in 1988 that decided to dismantle and sell the various operations and by 1993, the company was dissolved.
Description: Starting out as Branch Storage Company in Perkasie, Pennsylvania in 1920, and went into the freight business as Branch Motor Express Company in 1923. It did not take long for the company to make its mark in moving freight, and applied for intrastate certificate of authority on several key routes within Pennsylvania. With two decades of building their intrastate business, Branch applied and received interstate authority from the ICC in 1944, relocated their headquarters to New York City, and began running between key manufacturing regions throughout the East Coast. Billing themselves as "The Main Stem of The Industrial East," Branch was a key player in manufacturing, moving both raw materials and finished goods throughout their network.
Description: M.S. Carriers was founded in Memphis, Tennessee by Michael Starnes in 1978. Starnes started the company out of his own home, with just two trucks and $10,000. By 1986, the company had achieved considerable success, and gone public. Starnes began a strategy of expansion into short-haul markets throughout the '90s. At the time, more than 75 percent of the truckload freight in the nation was carried on routes within a 500-mile radius of their origin, and Starnes focused on owning that market share. The strategy paid off, and in 1993, M.S. Carriers grew 20 percent, allowing the company to add 400 tractors to its pool of assets, now totaling over 1,900.
Description: Illinois California Express (ICX) got their start in 1936 as Rocky Mountain Lines, but after a series of acquisitions and mergers post-war, they rebranded themselves as ICX in 1948. Throughout the 60s and 70s, ten other carriers were acquired and merged into ICX operations. In their heyday, the company had 30 terminals in 15 states, and maintained over 2,500 pieces of equipment. Like many trucking companies of the era, ICX had a difficult time after deregulation, and 48 years of successful operation came to a screeching halt in 1984 when ICX shut their doors and became another fallen flag of the American highways.
Description: Roll back the clock to America’s early freight era with Gateway Transportation – Vintage Freight Hauling Co. 1896, featuring a classic distressed emblem, bold industrial lettering, and an old-school geometric badge reminiscent of historic trucking companies. This retro design captures the rugged spirit of long-haul transport, cross-country shipping routes, and hardworking Midwest logistics culture. Perfect for fans of vintage trucking, old transport logos, classic delivery companies, and nostalgic Americana industrial art.
Gateway Transportation – Vintage Freight Hauling Co. 1896 Socks
by El Aurassi
$14 $20
Description: Carolina Western Express was founded in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1972 by David Lee Bayne, Sr. Known as a pacesetter of the industry, Bayne equipped his fleet of red trucks with plenty of chrome and configured them with the largest engines available to ensure the weekly 5,000-mile coast-to-coast journeys were turned as quickly as possible. Carolina Western Express maintained a scheduled two-day transcontinental service from the Carolinas to California while also pioneering nationwide less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments.
Description: In 1946, investment banker Scribner Birlenbach decided that he wanted to get into the trucking business. He began his venture by purchasing a Los Angeles trucking company with 15 tractors and 22 trailers, calling it Transcon Lines, with a plan to turn it into a major transcontinental carrier. By 1962, Transcon had over 1,100 units covering over 14,000 route miles. In three decades time, Transcon had purchased 27 trucking companies, including Kramer-Consolidated Freight Lines in 1978, which made them a true coast-to-coast carrier. Transcon's work force was 3,829 people strong with 5,700 pieces of equipment and 117 terminals in 38 states as of 1981, but as the '80s marched on, Transcon's fortunes began to turn.
Description: Voted for the third consecutive time by the readers of USA Today as the nation’s “most scenic train,” the Cumbres & Toltec is a National Historic Landmark that moves – a completely authentic steam railroad ride through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and New Mexico. The nation’s most scenic train is particularly gorgeous in the fall as it steams past thousands of colorful aspen trees.
Description: Silver Fleet Motor Express (SFME) was founded in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1930. The company set up daily freight service from Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois, to half a dozen southern states. The 'Silver Fleet System' proved to be popular and SFME steadily grew its fleet to accommodate customer needs. Within a decade, SFME was operating over 100 power units and twice as many trailers with terminals across multiple states. Their clean rigs could be seen coming from miles away with their custom black and silver liveries and became a common sight in the regions they served.
Description: Cumbres and Toltec Narrow Gauge Railroad Chama New Mexico Yard | Digital Art | Wall Art | Street Photography
Cumbres and Toltec Narrow Gauge Railroad Chama New Mexico Yard Socks
by Gestalt Imagery
$14 $20
Description: Roadway Express, Inc. was founded in Akron, Ohio in December 1930. While Roadway began with an owner-operator model and primarily focused on truckload shipments, by the mid-'40s, it had shifted entirely to company-owned vehicles and mostly to less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping. Roadway became a publicly traded company in 1956, and in subsequent years, it expanded across the United States and by 1982 was operating over 500 terminals nationwide. By 2003, Roadway Express was the largest LTL carrier in the US, and it held that title until 2009 when it was purchased by a logistics holding company that would merge Roadway into its operations, ending Roadway's nearly 80-year legacy.
