History:
- Fruehauf Trailer Co. was founded in 1918 by wagon maker August Fruehauf of Detroit, Michigan, and grew into the largest trailer manufacturer in the world.
- By 1960, Fruehauf operated 14 manufacturing plants and 80 sales and service branches across the United States, building dry van, open top, half side, refrigerated, flat, dump, pole, tank, and dry bulk trailers.
- During World War II, Fruehauf designed and built over 100 different trailer types for the U.S. military.
- Fruehauf began building stainless steel trailer bodies in 1939 after arranging to use the Edward G. Budd Company's "Shot Weld" process for welding stainless steel.
- In the 1950s, Fruehauf introduced the Dura Van, an all-steel trailer with corrugated sides painted to each customer's specification, along with a tandem-axle version of its stainless trailers as weight and length regulations relaxed.
- Fruehauf stainless steel trailers remain a favorite among vintage truck collectors today.
Road-Specific Info:
Roadway Express, Inc., of Akron, Ohio, operated throughout the Midwest and into the South. One of its restored Fruehauf trucks was displayed in front of the corporate offices for years.
General Features:
- Proprietary Fruehauf hinges and nose-mounted air and electrical connections hidden behind nose cover panels.
- Early SKF enclosed roller bearings.
- Built for trailer-on-flatcar (TOFC) "piggyback" service, with chain tie-downs, rub rails, and an ACF Model A screw-operated hitch.
