First Transcontinental Truck Delivery Reaches California
In June 1912 Teamsters from the Charles W Young Company in Philadelphia set out to make the first transcontinental shipment of goods in the US.
The truck is an Alco, built by the American Locomotive Company. It has a capacity of 3½ tons, is rated at 40 horsepower and is capable of an average speed of 12 mph. The weight of the chassis is 6,800 pounds; the body weight, 1,200 pounds. Platform measurements are 14 feet by 5 feet 6 inches. Top speed 30mph. These drivers had no gas stations, no roadside restaurants, no restrooms, no padded seats, no shocks on the truck and no real protection from the weather. They had breakdowns along the way and struggle over rough road and “no road” conditions. The route was ocean to ocean: Philadelphia to New York City, Albany, Syracuse and Buffalo; on to Cleveland and Toledo; through Indiana via South Bend; then Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. Denver was next, then Cheyenne, Salt Lake City, Reno, Sacramento and San Francisco.
On September 20, 1912 91 days after they started the first Transcontinental truck delivery arrived at San Francisco City Hall greeted by booming guns, a parade and reception for the crew. Tomorrow they will head to the Carlson-Currier Silk Mill to deliver their cargo.
The story of the 1st Transcontinental Delivery :http://town.blogs.petaluma360.com/11799/bringing-silk-soap-to-petaluma/