Traveling Billboards: Tractor-Trailers as Rolling Advertisements 1900–2010
Traveling Billboards: Tractor-Trailers as Rolling Advertisements 1900–2010
ITEM E555
By Ron Adams
There is no billboard more dynamic or memorable than an 80,000-pound tractor-trailer rolling down the American highway at 70 miles an hour! Since the early days of the motor truck industry, companies have plastered the sides of their trucks and trailers with free advertising for products. This practice has beautified the landscape for more than a century, and there is no end to the graphic creativity.
Organized chronologically, Traveling Billboards: Tractor-Trailers as Rolling Advertisements 1900–2010 features brands from giants in the transportation field including Freightliner, Kenworth, Mack, White-Freightliner, Brockway, Peterbilt, Diamond T, and more. Captions are complete with detailed information about the tractors, trailers, and companies promoting their services. If you or someone you know is interested in the history of big truck advertising and its evolution, Traveling Billboards is a must-buy!
About the Author
Ron Adams is a lifelong big truck enthusiast who has spent many years amassing an incredible archive of vintage truck photos. He has shared his image collection in more than a dozen books, including bestsellers such as Semi-Trucks of the 1950s, Semi-Trucks of the American West, Autocar Trucks of the 1960s, Freightliner Trucks 1937–1981 Photo Archive, and Kenworth Trucks of the 1950s. Adams lives in Lenhartsville, Pennsylvania.
Sftbd., 8.5”x11”, 198 pages, 409 Color and B&W photos.
Billboards! A blessing or a blight? Their presence along our federal highways has been regulated in the cause of scenic beauty since 1965 by the Highway Beautification Act in regard to number, size, location, and lighting, but Ron Adams encourages readers to cast their eyes onto the road for the “Traveling Billboards” that have been there all along. The notion that the tractors and trailers are billboards captivated me. This marvelous collection of black-and-white and color photographs demands a look at the advertising-based paint schemes and decals. Reading through the book, I realized I was looking at the trucks and trailers first, instead of noticing the tractor brands. Truck enthusiasts, long accustomed to seeking out a favorite marque will, of course, still enjoy the marvelous array that fills this book, including White, Kenworth, Mack, Federal, GMC, International, Autocar, and Diamond T. Content is divided into decades except for the periods from 1900 to 1929 and 1990 to 2010. The informative photo captions generally identify the truck and trailer manufacturers and the billboard’s “sponsor,” including beverage bottlers such as Blatz beer and Coca-Cola; trucking companies PIE and Navajo; movers like Mayflower and North American; petroleum producers Bardahl and Chevron; and food producers Farmer Bros. Coffee and Old El Paso.
Book Review by Robert Gabrick
