Shopping for a new vehicle means examining the window sticker that always includes a destination charge to cover the cost of delivering the vehicle to the dealership. Originally printed in 1999, this book by the late Donald F. Wood (at the time Professor of Transportation at San Francisco State University) provides a marvelous visual history illustrating the creative solutions used for vehicle delivery from its earliest beginnings to 1998. As this book’s title and cover illustration suggest, its focus is on truck-based new-car carriers; however, there are numerous photographs depicting trucks, tractors, trailers, and military vehicles on carriers. In addition, photos feature railroads, ships, barges, and airplanes loaded with vehicles. Following the pattern established for the numerous Iconografix Photo Archive and Photo Album titles, this book includes brief captions to accompany each photograph. Thankfully, the photos are worth many words. While most of the photographs in this landscape-format, softbound book fill an entire page, nearly half of the pages feature two or three smaller-sized images. The book also offers a brief but informative three-page Introduction. This book will prove a treat for those tired of watching modern, graffiti-covered rail cars roll past with their cargo hidden from view. 

Book Review by Robert Gabrick