Do you know what a gearjammer is? How about Red Sovine? Ever seen the movie Convoy? Who was the Snowman? All of these are references to one of the most American professions ever: the truck driver. During the sxties and seventies, these men (and a few women) were celebrated on the silver screen and in song. If you want to see what their fabled life was like, then make a bid on this 1956 Diamond T cab-over-engine truck for sale on eBay in Fenton, Missouri. With bidding at a stupendously low $1,956, this may be your chance to experience the thrill of getting behind the wheel of one of these big trucks.
Everything on four wheels today is bigger and better. Even the lowliest car on a showroom floor would be considered loaded and luxurious compared to vehicles just a few decades ago. The same holds true for the behemouths commonly known as semi trucks. These commonly seen haulers can drag trailers with lengths and loads far longer and heavier than their counterparts a few decades in the past. Drivers are also treated to sleeper cabs, electonic gadgets, and car like features when rolling down the road.
The world of the long haul truck driver has evolved into a respected profession for thousands of Americans who use their gargantuan trucks and trailers to transport raw materials to factories and finished goods to market. The interstate highways are their stomping grounds, and it is impossible to make a trip without passing or being passed by these vital parts of life in America today.
The America that saw this truck in its heyday was quite different. It took decades for the interstate system to be built, and most travel took place on what we would now call secondary roads. Speeds were usually around 55-65 mph depending on how heavy the drivers foot was and the traffic conditions and the roads were often just two lanes wide. Cross country trips weren’t as common as they are now simply because it took so long to travel these roads. In many ways, the America of the fifties and sixties would be an alien world to the people of today.
Trucking was a tough job back in the day, and the industry was populated with individuals that were seemingly made of the same steel that their trucks were made of. Hours were long, made longer by the “Black Beauties” and other stimulant pills that some drivers took to stay on the road for hours on end. Hollywood and Nashville noticed these unsung heros and made movies and songs celebrating the culture that formed around the American trucker. The movies and songs kicked into overdrive in the sixties and seventies. Films such as “White Line Fever” and Smokey and the Bandit” joined the ballads of Red Sovine such as “Phantom 309” and “Teddy Bear” in making the truck driver as big a folk hero as John Henry. The CB craze only added diesel to the fire.
Today, there aren’t very many remnants of that era left for history buffs to peruse. You occasionally see an old semi trailer being used for storage behind a business or on a construction site. Compared to the trailers of today, these boxes on wheels don’t seem as big as they used to. The trucks of the era have largely vanished from the road. Most of them simply don’t have the gearing and horsepower to economically make trips on the interstate, and truckers of today deservedly demand all the luxuries that a modern truck can offer. Some of the early semi trucks didn’t even have power steering! Talk about tough!
The Diamond T cabover you see in the pictures and the ad was previously owned by a former president and board member of the American Truck Historical Society. It has been cosmetically restored and is powered by a six cylinder Cummins diesel that puts out 220 horsepower and 606 lb-ft of torque. It is backed up by a 10 speed transmission and is rated for 30,000 lbs. While it doesn’t clearly state in the ad, it appears that the truck runs and drives.
So, why would anyone want such a vehicle? First of all, a truck like this tells the story of America’s postwar prosperity and mobility better than any book could. Second, there are so few of these left the new owner would be the hit of any show that they entered. So many folks today had or have an older relative that made their living driving trucks like this. Even more people grew up in a world where truck drivers were a big part of popular culture. Preserving and sharing a truck like this would be doing a service to America. We have to know where we came from to understand the road ahead.
Have you ever gotten behind the wheel of a big truck? Do you have family members who made their living on the open road? Please tell us your story in the comments.
Excellent write-up Jeff. It is enlightening to contrast this 1956 Diamond T to the larger, more powerful, more luxurious conventional cab semi tractors of today; they are much different. I guess, like the many differences between a 1956 car and today’s cars (and pickups and SUV’s).
And, how tough of a job it must have been to drive a semi back in the day…. not that driving a semi is an easy job today.
But the drivers used to be more professional back then.
Mentioned a few times out of Highschool worked at a Shell service station. Worked nights and went to local college during the day. Have so many stories about that time. This one was a truck driver. Bill used to park his rig behind the station on weekends as he was on the road most of the week. He was quite the character, polite and always well dressed. Wore a shirt and slacks, rarely jeans. He drove trucks his whole life and talked about how the job had changed. The equipment was so much easier to handle while carrying bigger loads. Yes he mentioned the addition of power steering and air ride seats as comforts. The screaming sound a Detroit diesel would make. Had a fairly large scar across his one cheek result of a serious accident years before. Talked about that too. Long haul trucks have come a long way. But the road was his second home.
***************Long One Alert******************
Nope, can’t add a thing, EXCEPT, if you have to go to the bathroom, go now, I’m not stopping in the middle of THIS story( taking deep breath, making another cup),,,I was just thinking, by golly, haven’t seen a big truck in while, and a SUPER tip of the hat to Jeff. There will be 3 parts to this post,,
1st, the truck itself. I’m calling a foul on the year. Diamond T cabovers didn’t have 4 headlights until 1958, like all vehicles and was more of an early 60s thing. This truck was featured in Hemmings, not sure when, but an asking price of $30 grand, so someone taking a bath. The motor is a 220 Cummins, but painted Cat yellow,(?) 10 speed Road Ranger, and no P/S, that I see, called “Armstrong” for a reason. I remember this truck from when I was an ATHS member. I think it may be one of Del DeYoungs trucks at one time. This is a 931CN and was touted as having the tallest cab of the cabovers, drivers liked the view they gave. Diamond T was bought by White Motor in 1957,( C.A. Tilt died in ’56, and the family wanted out) but retained the Diamond T name until 1967, when they merged REO and Diamond T together for Diamond Reo. UPS used Diamond Reo cabovers, and the drivers didn’t want to give them up for that new Astro coming in, even though, the Astro was a good truck too. 1975 was the last “Diamond” anything, and I believe Volvo owns the name now. Diamond T/Reo was always a classy truck, right up there with Pete/KW. This truck will shake like a leaf on a tree, it’s why I’m so goofy and a back brace to this day. We’ve come a long ways in that regard.
2nd, someone asked me a while back what I did for a living. It’s pretty well known, I was a truck driver, 1978-2006. I,,am one of the remnants the author speaks of. I did it all, and no brag, just fact. I lived and worked through the times Hollywood glorified trucking, mostly made up, but entertaining. Real trucking, I found out, offered none of those perks. It may have had a exciting moment, followed by days where nothing happened. I drove straight trucks and pickups for jobs, but my 1st real tractor trailer job, I drove a ’75 Mack and pulled a 28 ft. dump trailer( see photo, I hope)The 1st month, I was involved in a pretty bad wreck, 10% my fault( for being there), but taught me a valuable lesson, my boss said, “this makes you an experienced truck driver, now you know what can happen”,,and for the next 34 years and 11 months, and over 3 million more miles, I didn’t as much as scratch a fender. I then ran the full gamut, lowly peon all the way to truck owner/operator. My zenith was a union bread hauling job, I foolishly quit after my divorce, another huge downside of trucking.
3rd, the future. We are in a terrible mess. When I started, my chauffeurs license test amounted to, “have you had a road test of any kind in the last 2 years”? I said, I took my motorcycle test last year, Good enough, he said, $8 bucks, NEXT! It was a wild time, with deregulation, anybody with a truck could haul anything. Previously, one had to apply to ICC for rights. Naturally, that ruffled a lot of feathers, and wasn’t for wimps. Plenty of confrontations, and with Hoffa “gone missing”( he’s in a 55 gallon drum in a landfill in NJ, I heard), didn’t help either. Drugs were a big problem for OTR drivers. I was mostly a local driver, home every night, so I didn’t need that, but it was out there. Something called a “toothpick” was a California “turn around”. I had a family and a real life, so that wasn’t for me. We can thank Nancy Reagan for her( failed) “War on Drugs”, and changed everything. Lost a lot of drivers because of that, and not all burnouts either. Drug testing is still mandatory, although, due to no drivers, many places are foregoing that. Hours of service(HOS) is probably the biggest farce to come along. Years ago, WE made that decision to run, not some machine telling us for how long. The biggest problem today, is OTR trucking. For many, it’s the 1st thing out of school, REQUIRED, btw, at over $5grand a pop, and often many find out it’s not for them. I read, 50% of new drivers quit in the 1st 6 months, and 25% of the remaining don’t make it a year. That has created a huge shortage in the pool of drivers, and many older drivers, like me, “pulled the pin” for good. What’s left are sub par drivers that are out of options, and sure, you can drive a truck, how hard could it be? Well, with modern trucks, more like rolling apartments with automatics,, yes, anyone can operate one, but are totally unprepared for the actual job, way more than just driving the truck, like the recruiter told them. Pay too, don’t you believe this 6 figure crap, as a new driver, maybe 60g’s, and a Walmart manager makes more. You put a new driver in a truck like this, be even more of a shortage.
The multi-car pileup, so prevalent today, with trucks all askew, happens for a reason. Trucks today are so refined, it’ hard to tell your speed, and a false sense of security. Also, drivers today are under a lot more pressure. Loads originated in San Antonio, don’t know what the weather is like in Ohio. These drivers have set appointments based on their available hours. The world just isn’t geared for 25mph, with the OBR( on board recorder) ticking away, they are compelled to keep the time frame, and over drive the truck. Everyone of those pileups are “too fast for conditions”. I wanted no part of that, and that’s not going to change, it’s the cost of a modern society.
In closing, I need another cup of joe, hope I didn’t bore you, I had a heck of a life BECAUSE of trucking. It wasn’t your normal job, and I made good friends FOR LIFE. Guys that would lend you their steer tire to make it( you had to bring it back), I don’t know what happened to that, but glad I was there.
I’m “10-10” and on the side,,,
Oh, one more thing, I know, but hear me out, some may notice I changed my “handle” from “retired” ( duh) to the year I joined BFs as a member. I’ve been around the “internet block” and haven’t found a site quite like this, this feature and all the memories , to me, is worth paying for. Non-members consider it, it’s not a lot, and conjures up yahoos like me.
Also, I had my moment in the sun several years ago, doing a post called “Ask a trucker anything” with another driver on Hemmings, and was a lot of fun. If anyone has any questions on trucking, or “how it was”, I’d be happy to answer and the TRUTH!.
When I moved to Colorado, ( 2018) the DMV asked if I wanted to keep my CDL active for $10. Otherwise, I’d have to start all over, can you imagine? 35 years and have to start all over? I told the guy, “look pal, I’ll stock soup cans at Walmart before I drive a truck again, just push the button”, and with that he ended 40 years of commercial driving almost to the day with no regrets.
Man, I bet you have some great stories to tell, Howard! I got my CDL last summer, but I drive a school bus. Want nothing to do with OTR driving, regardless of how much money you can make. I spent the vast majority of my adult life as a bench jeweler, got tired of it and tried a few different jobs that just weren’t what I was looking for, but I finally found a second career that I really enjoy. I get paid more driving a bus for less than a year than I did after almost 20 years creating jewelry, and I get paid holidays and summers and weekends off! Much happier nowadays.
….great read, thanks for sharing bits of your trucker’s life, with humor too.
Enjoyed your thread! Like you I started in 1979 and “semi-retired” in 2014! Over the road in a cab over 237 Mac, then after 3 month probation :graduated” to a 300 Mac cab over. They had hundreds of thousands of miles on them when I got them, but I thought it was fun, for the first 6 months. Then, only getting home 3 or 4 days a month began to wear on me and the marriage. So, landed a really good local job with a corrugated box company. Home every night and only occasional Saturday! Of course they decided to get rid of their company drivers. Another box company for another 14 years before they decided to close up shop. Then an LTL company for a bit before one final local box company (I knew the owners really well) before retiring. The last year or so driving we had GPS tracking on us. Didn’t like that and told them so! “Look”, I said, “I drink a lot of coffee and need to stop once in a while!” Their reason for tracking drivers wasn’t me! Like you, when renewing my driver’s license after retiring I was asked if I wanted to keep the CDL! NO THANK YOU! I’M DONE! Thanks again for you r story!
I drove a few R Model MACK’s many years ago and I loved them Howard. Chased a 26′ dump trailer around more times than I care to remember, lol. Thought I’d hit the lottery when the new Mack’s made it to our yard and they had power steering and A/C, I was overjoyed. Also spent a lot of time in cabover Internationals and Freightliners, the view from those rides were great. Oh man, talk about “high cotton”, air ride seats where a pleasure too. I really enjoyed the extremely abbreviated write-up my friend and thank you for jogging those memories out of my old head.
Lived on the road from 1977 to 1997 as an owner operator long haul trucker then spent 15 years hauling hazardous cargo until I retired. great write up but stirred alot of memories. Thank you
You certainly told it the way it really is!
Great stories Howard! I pulled a dump trailer for a while, pretty hairy at times. Glad you survived.
Hey Mike, who said I survived? Kidding, it was just another busy day at work. I did a lot of trucking in your area, I’m sure you’ve heard of A&H out of Footville? That was my ex brother in laws, father in law. THAT was a wild crowd! I’d have to say, the dump truck, maybe 30% of my jobs, was without question the most intense. Never tipped one over, but came close. The majority of my trucking was pulling a van trailer. I leased my old Pete to an outfit in Green Bay, and pulled RR trailers out of Chicago for couple years. I sold the truck 1993 when fuel went over $1.49/gal. I couldn’t imagine doing that today.
I drove a 78 Kenworth cab over, most other drivers were continuously trying to squeeze in on the right side of a right turn.
Ha, A&H out of Footville, or Toe town as we call it. They were a crazy bunch!
While I never drove one, I remember a lot of cabovers big rigs from my days as a driver/job foreman for Allied Van Lines. I started working for them in the late ’70s as a helper and a lot of the OTR drivers had cabovers. They were preferred by most drivers because the shorter cabs with small sleepers made it easier to get into the tighter/shorter driveways here in New England. I rode in a lot of them with drivers who would be considered “old school” today. A lot of them had International Harvesters because I assume they were somewhat cheaper than Macks or Petes. I always thought they had cheap interiors, but their drivers seemed to like them. I learned a lot about driving truck from those old timers. I learned there’s no substitute for experience, so I paid attention to them when they were willing to teach me something.
Like Howard, I gave up my CDL when I retired because I wouldn’t want to do anymore driving with the terrible truck drivers on the road now. Howard is correct in that there is a shortage of truck drivers today and because of that, it seems the standards are being lowered to get more butts in the seats to satisfy the demand resulting in drivers who never would have been given a CDL back in the day. There are some really dangerous morons driving big rigs today especially since a lot of the newer trucks are automatics and it doesn’t take a lot of skill to press a button as opposed to the skill required for a Road-Ranger or an Eaton shifter. Just look at a few episodes of the website “Bonehead truckers” and you’ll see what I mean. Shame on the mess! And watch out for those Swift operators!
Throughout my truck driving career of 40+ years, I mostly drove straight jobs, including tri-axle dumps, front loader garbage trucks as well as a variety of moving trucks. I never had an accident with a truck, nor did I ever get a ticket for a moving violation. I did get some defect tickets but that wasn’t on me, that was usually because I drove some pretty crappy old rigs like the ’78 DM Mack tri-axle dump truck I operated when I worked construction. Eventually, I had to give up moving furniture because of injuries. I was permanently, partially disabled when I was about 40. Moving furniture for almost 2 decades wore me out. That’s when I moved into driving dumps which I mostly enjoyed.
My last job, when I turned 60, was driving front loader garbage trucks. That was a job that required a lot of focus because the trucks were big, heavy (mine was 23 tons empty) and were terrible in the wet and especially in the snow. They were all mostly cabovers, because of the usually tight spots were had to get to so a conventional cab wasn’t an option. If you pay attention to where you see dumpsters, you’ll see what I mean. I had to get up at 2:00 am and start driving by 3:00 am and usually work until about 1:00 pm. The picture I’ve posted shows a model of a front loader, very similar to one I drove. Cabover Macks weren’t the smoothest trucks to drive either, in fact they rode pretty rough. When I asked our mechanic why they rode so rough, he replied “Two reasons; they’re cabovers and they’re Macks.” Fair enough. They went through front cab mounts on a regular basis, so you had to pester the mechanics to get them to install new ones fairly often. You had to go up the front ladder from time to time whenever something got hung up in the hopper or on the cab shield and you had to clean behind the blade on a regular basis, too. That was a particularly nasty job because garbage really stinks, especially the crap from restaurants. I remember the time I went back there to clean out behind the blade and saw a goat’s head staring back at me. Thought it was Satan for a minute………
Anyway, I’ve bloviated long enough but try to remember what Willie Nelson always said: “Mommas, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys, don’t let ’em pick guitars and drive them old trucks…………”
Like the Mack front loader I used to drive. Mack cabover, automatic transmission (no standard shifts because you hit “reverse” more than you hit “drive”), 23 tons empty, 60-gallon hydraulic oil tank needed for all the hydraulic functions, ineffective A/C when it actually worked and not very efficient heat in the winter despite having the engine in the cab with you.
Look what Jeff started, couple old truckers a “ratchet jawin”,,you mentioned “bed bugs” ( movers) as your 1st job. For a lot of drivers, there was no school, except the one I went to, the “school of hard knocks” ( been waiting a long time to use that) and if you had no exposure to any trucking, the only way in was a drivers helper. It was a 2 way street, the owner got to sleep, while you drove. The driving was just the tip of the iceberg there, and many “moved” on. Speaking of “Movin’ On”, that show, with SATB, convinced me that’s what I wanted to do, much to the old mans chagrin. Many moving companies used trucks just like this, fact is, with a sleeper, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what it was used for. In the 50s, not very many long distance shipments went by truck. Most were by rail and non-sleeper trucks delivered it locally. About the only ones that had sleepers, were tandem OTR produce haulers and movers. The 1st truck I rode in, the guy started with Mayflower.
Hopefully we get more stories, dads, weird uncles( like me), grandfathers, after the war, trucking was a natural for returning GIs.
When I started, ( mid 70s), the family farm was just beginning to fade. Kids were leaving the farm, and farms were faced with a “get bigger or fold”, and many farmers went to trucking. They were used to big machines and made EXCELLENT truck drivers. I learned a lot from those guys. Like I said, the industry lost a lot of good drivers because of drug testing, not because they were burnouts, they were proud folks, and just plumb refused to do that. Back then, it was a poor paying job, and wasn’t worth it.
I belong to a truckers site, called The Truckers Report, and keeps me on top of the industry. To be clear, we have still a LOT OF GREAT DRIVERS, I can’t overstate that enough. This wonderful machine brings every hiccup to our kitchen tables, it’s just not that way. On that site, some person posts a lot of mishaps, and being a refuse hauler( garbage is such an ugly word), you might appreciate this, they have such a hard time finding drivers, and garbage hauling has never been easier,,except for this,, :0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xqvKgtg9a0
Also, the author didn’t mention the purpose of a cabover, but covered everything else quite accurately. Back then, there were overall length laws, and household goods were usually light loads, and the shorter the truck, the longer the trailer. After length laws were abolished in the late 70s, cabovers fell out of favor for longer conventionals that rode better. I’ve posted this before, it was one of the songs I had to recite for my chauffeurs license( see above), it’s hoaky, but my point is, look at all the cabovers, and most IH. I don’t recall the National Guard, and a major blooper @ .43, ol’ C.W. ( who just died, btw) says a cabover Pete, clearly a Freightshaker and @ 2:08, good friends!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVifNkBrn7E
Better cut back on the coffee, Howard!
Just kidding, my friend. Keep up the good work.
Hi Boatman, I’M the guy that put Juan Valdez’ kids through college,, :)
If you live in California you may want to think twice about bidding on this. https://jalopnik.com/pre-2010-diesel-engines-banned-from-california-roads-1850001952
I’m not sure this is going to be exempt if it’s in a private collection, not used for hauling freight in revenue service, and driven on-road only occasionally.
Hi Bill, we talk about that on TTR. I believe it’s just commercial trucks and most companies don’t run older equipment anyway, HOWEVER,,,many times these half baked rules filter down into “regular” society, and eventually affect us all somehow. I think a “not for hire” on the door would still get you out of a jam, but I do think the days are numbered for these lifted 4x4s that spew fumes in your face, for some manly reason, will be history.
In California, you can get a historic vehicle plate. (cheap) Ok to drive on the road to shows, parades, cars & coffee, etc. No commercial use, no use for transportation, but there is almost always a show&shine or cruise night somewhere. Must have insurance of course. I have this on my 89 Ford C8000 ( 3208 Cat, 10 speed) extremely clean old survivor getting ready to sell. A word about Diamond T. I owned and drove a 1955 conventional cab ( 501 international gas engine, 4 bbl carb, 5 & 3 Clark boxes) towing a Vermeer TM700 tree mover, for about 35 years. Also had an early 70s Diamond Reo 5000 gallon water truck (335 Cummins, 15 speed). In my experience, the word on Diamond T is quality, maintain them and they’ll run forever
Good posts Howard.
I Learned to drive on the Screamin Jimmy Detroit Diesel.
My favorite are the Western Star rigs🌟
This cab over is very cool 😎 10 sp is plenty to work this little beauty around town.
Remember this quote i saw on the back of a Kenworth.
” trucking is a living, but it ain’t no life “
I was a tractor trailer driver for 26 years. The best quote I saw on the back of a rig was ” What was I thinking ” 😂😂😂
Hi Stan, my 1st truck on my own was a ’82 Western Star. At the time, I had a decent company job, Crystal Farms, they thought I had lost my marbles when I told them I was buying my own. The jury is still out on that one. It had a 350 Cummins, 10 speed, on Whites “Reyco” spring suspension. That didn’t cut it, and had the frame cut behind the sleeper and a Pete air ride grafted in. It completely changed the truck, and I made money with that truck. I bought the old Pete to replace the WS, another foolish mistake, but was a cool truck. The rail yards of Chicago was no place for the Pete, and rather than update, I got out. We could write volumes on the Detroit.
Beauty rig Howard, love the colors and paint. What a thrill for kids to go for a ride in a manual shift hwy tractor 👍
Thanks for sharing that.
Love it. My next truck is hopefully a cabover for all my tight moves in the mountains here on the western slope of Colorado. Been running my dump truck (84 Mack R model) trying to keep up with the quads. Working so far! Gotta start somewhere since I’m still young. Most of the old truckers respect me because I try so much harder and take jobs they Dont want to haha
Bobby, if you’re ever coming over the “hill” ( Monarch) across on 50,, give me a holler, I’ll buy you coffee at Macs supper club. I’d love to see the truck.
This one’s been making the auction rounds for a couple years now. I’m curious about the quad headlamps. They weren’t legal on passenger cars until 1958. Were they legal on heavy-duty trucks before then?
It was illegal for all vehicles prior to 1958 to have quad headlights, although, some pushed it, like Chrysler. I think this truck was restored by Del DeYoung in Wisconsin, and could have adapted the 4 headlights to the truck.
I work near Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. There are truck driving schools on pretty much every corner. Immigrants from third world countries come to earn their fame and fortune as long haul truck drivers. My company has multiple warehouses in the area. Most of our shunt drivers are fresh out of truck driving schools. When they get enough experience they move on to long haul trucking. I see a lot of women in the driver’s seat getting trained. There are a lot of husband and wife or brother and sister partnerships.
Spent my childhood summers with my old man in his ’72 White Freightliner, then his 82 KW cabovers I’ll always remember when he would hit a big bump and everything on the dog house would fly all over the damn place. To this day the best sleep I ever got was in the back of a rig while he was driving. I miss the old independent truck stops. Some good food and nice place to rest for a while compared to the chains we’re stuck with now.
Like Howard, I was a driver…two short periods, 1991 and 2011.
First go-round, I wound up driving the last major-market cabover…an International 10,000 series with a setback front axle. At the time, it was as luxurious as any trucker would want – with full carpeting, sound system, padded sleeper – but it had a huge doghouse, typical International wiring (which WOULD catch fire; only question was, when).
The steering question. When I got in, power steering in big rigs was almost unknown. We (CRST) didn’t have ANY units with power steering. We had Int’l cabovers; we had White cabovers and White conventionals, and a couple of old Astros, working their way to being auctioned off. It was all “armstrong” – except that it wasn’t. Steering was easy; you just had to get the idea that you had to wind that wheel a bit in a turn. No half-turn to get around any corners.
And we had some women drivers, and none of them were bothered by the lack of power steering. Oh, a few hated it when they went to cock their wheels for close maneuvering, with the truck stopped; but that was a no-no anyway. We were to be MOVING when setting the steering if at all possible, to avoid wear on the tires, the kingpins and steering linkage.
I rather liked the Internationals. Unusual for a truck, the shift lever (Eaton-Fuller nine-speed) was a very short lever on top of the doghouse. Flipping the cab up for maintenance, showed how it was done: The lever went onto a ball on a tube (reminiscent of the VW Beetle shift rod) that ran diagonally down and back, to the transmission, through a support channel. Drop the cab back on, and it just came back into place, no problems. Made for easy shifting, especially since the Fuller transmission was non-synchro.
The 2011 experience was entirely different, with Kenworth conventionals…fully decked out with airbags, walk-in double-bunk sleepers…and electronic logs. Power steering, of course. Automatic transmission hadn’t made it to that company, but I’m sure it’s there, now.
I preferred the old way.
Wish I had a use for this thing.
Peter from ‘Downunder’
According to Diamond T Tucks 1911-1966 Photo Archive. by Robert Garrick
Pages 108-111 depict this
Model and mention it was introduced in March 1959 as per the Commercial Car Journal. Hope that helps.
Made many trips to the chicago stockyards with my dad.Had many r-190 international tractors with wilson trailors.Then in 1960 bought his first diesel a cn 921 diamond t with 220 cummins ,10 speed roadranger.Thanks for the memmories LJD
Hi Charles, then you must be familiar with the “Stockyards 76” on Halsted Av. It was featured in an episode of The Fugitive, long gone now.
just spent $1500 for a williams wall heater in my dump. sorta depressed? saw this cabs pix gave me a rise! blew my wad on something i can’t have any fun with. alway’s been a Cummins lover and i’d get to sleep in the back!
Few of you have made my head spin from memories of trucking.
I got my start at birth as Dad owned a couple big rigs. Well sorta, as one was a two axle tractor, 4 banger Detroit pulling a two axle trailer.
I could drive truck at 15, but we were not in farming.
Cattle, and loads of hay. Sand and gravel, general freight.
Dad’s ICC number I don’t remember, but his Cal T number was a low 5 digit number.
We could anything except fuel in drums.
Interstates were an upcoming thing.
Hwys were U S 101, U S 60, US 91, US 395, US 99, US 66. Mostly 2 lane, speed limits at 45 sometimes.
Our family was in transportation in the 1800’s too.
Butterfield Stage.
Those old two lanes, towns spaced approximately 16 miles apart, were stage stops so horses, depending on terrain, could be swapped for fresh ones.
Trucking thru these towns had speed limits of 10-25 mph. A cafe, fuel, tire repair, mechanics.
We changed our own tires, manually with a breaker bar and a cheater pipe.
Carried wood chocks, and 4×4’s to drive on if outer tire needed changed.
In late 1963, my Dad bought 2 new GMC B cabs, each a Detroit 6 banger.
One a V6, the other a straight 6. Both were 218 hp, not even 220’s.
Funny, I don’t remember the trans specific.
I also drove a 1959 Emeryville, with 5 speed main and a 3 speed auxiliary with a deep under.
Also drove a 62 Pete narrow nose, that always was at 80,000.
It was a 245 Cat and married boxes, 4 and a 4.Twin screws.
Then a cabover, 64 KW with Air. Wow. Wait, on top of cab, not in grille.
Not as efficient. Would sleep the wife and our two children.
Cabovers, for some reason, let in the frozen air right on your knees. What pain. Your knees are inches from the ice.
Skipping the intermediate, I retired before the auto trans, thank God.
I know we were not fat.
I had a very different reason for not renewing my commercial license.
Commifornia had, or still has, if you get a speeding ticket in anything, especially a car, it would cost twice the penalty.
Since I had several muscle cars, I did not keep in retirement, the cdl.
This could be a book.
Guess I went off on a bit of a bender, the post, as expected, got lots of interest. I made sure I gave everyone who commented a thumbs up, you can see why I liked my job, most of the time.
For the record, it wasn’t all sunshine and smiles, it was a job of how well you dealt with problems. The probability was high, just because of all the variables. I guess that’s what made the job interesting, to me anyway. Break downs were a regular thing, and you had best carry some tools, there were no cell phones. Trucks were a lot simpler then, and you, or one of your comrades would usually get it going. Flat tires almost daily,,,tubeless changed everything there. THOSE stories could fill a book.
Lastly, ( running out of pics), I sold my Harley in 2005 and bought a ’85 Pete 359 day cab, 400 Cummins, 13 speed( 75% of all trucks I drove were Cummins), but never did anything with it. I was going to make a motorhome out of it, I saw a guy that mounted a “canned ham” on the back of a Pete conv., but I spent enough time in one, I didn’t want to spend my retirement in one. Had I gone the camper route, a Dodge Cummins and automatic would have been the way to go, but I just ran out of steam and sold the truck.
Thanks all for joining in.
In the late 60s I drove a Mack B61 Thermodyne. Got teased mercilessly for having the oldest looking cab on the road. I kind of liked the “Classic” look. Any comments Howard?
Hi Speedo, this is fun, makes an old crusty trucker feel pretty good, as we generally got no recognition whatsoever, except a middle finger, even though, I was hauling their groceries. The green Mack above, before I worked there, they had B models, or “Beepers” ,we called them. The R model was quite an improvement. By the mid 70s, B models were pretty tuckered out, although some kept them. If you like gliding down the interstate, there’s a good chance a B model Mack had something to do with it. I got teased in the R model too, but t’was all in good fun, and those same guys would stop at 10 below to help you, and visa versa.
I’m a man of means by no means , King of the road
I hauled steel in the early 80s. My first truck was an IH 4070 with a 318 Detroit diesel and 10 speed. Ran great until you come to a long hill, then you’re shifting down, and watching the big boys go by. My second truck had a 290 Cummins with a 13 speed fuller and power steering. Still a coe, but a whole different animal. I miss the good old days. All you needed was a chauffeur license and a little bit of good sense. can radios were a nice touch, made you feel like you were part of a special kind of people. Too bad the buroecrats had to spoil things.
One of my best childhood memories is my uncle letting me sit in the cab of his Jewel grocery store tractor whenever his route took him to Northwest Indiana from Melrose Park.
A good friend of mine has restored late ’50s Mack and Diamond T tractors they use on their farm in the fall to run grain trailers.
Hi Sam, I used to deliver to Jewel, gone now, I think, and right next door was Entenmanns,,aaaaagggh( drooling on keyboard.) They had a break room that was 2nd to none. They would bring all the rejects in and one of the perks of the job.
Many farmers still have their own old iron, and many times, they are only used twice a year, spring planting and fall harvest. A good place to see them is at a feed mill during those times.
I want to thank everyone again, you may notice my posting times( same tz as BFs), like FordGuy1972 sez, these were the hours I worked for most of my career. I’d have to get up at midnight, be to the “junkyard” by 1am, I had to be somewhere at 4am. Even 20 years later, that schedule is tough to break.
One final thing, no post like this would be complete without the mention of the CB radio. While the video above makes it seem kind of silly, the CB radio was the LIFE BLOOD of the trucker. Before cell phones, the information was priceless, and partly why I’m here typing this today. It, like the internet, has it downsides, but we all were doing the same thing in the middle of nowhere at unGodly hours, and it broke the monotony. Like my posts, sometimes I would be hoarse from talking all night. A working CB, one that could be removed,( cigarette lighter plug and vice grips antenna) was more important than good brakes. Again, these pileups so prevalent today, I RARELY remember any of that. If there was a problem up ahead, drivers coming the other way told us all about it and vice versa. Can’t get that with a cell phone, and this is the result.
Thanks to BFs and all who responded.
We drove before there where GPS’s. We had to use a map. These young drivers …. ” what’s a map ? “. Those were the days !! Like you said, all of us old truckers could write a book. The stories are endless. Well, ..Over and Out good buddy, catch you on the flip flop, I’m going through the chicken coop right now. hahaha All that CB lingo. Still got it !!!
Hi Big Al, I “went around” more scales than I went over. I wasn’t the only one either. We broke every rule that would bend,,not as unlawful people, just what it took to get the job done. I’ll admit, a GPS would have been nice, but for me, it was the Rand-McNally Atlas, Truckers Edition. It’s all I really needed, and travel with one to this day.
Howard A (since 2014)…you have given me a most enjoyable morning! I did a little trucking but didn’t like it because I LOVE driving and trucking caused me to not enjoy my passion. I got an assembly job in GM (loved it for 32.2 years) and any time I had off, I drove my own ‘cool’ cars and, later, drove for a few driveaway companies. As I gained trust (sadly, all I did was keep my word and was ‘respectful’, something that was lacking even back then), I was trusted with higher-end vehicles such as Ferraris, Porches etc.I then photographed and wrote about these journeys (still am!). The CB was most excellent as you describe). You have become a celebrity to Barn Finds as is “Sludgo” is to “Bring a Trailer’! I hope to meet both of you! Paul, CB handle: “Tired Highwayman”, XM42…ah, heck…I forget the last few numbers.
Ah…forgot, one of my personalized Ontario plates is “DRIFTN”. I usually have a liscence plate frame “just passing thru”. Most of my happy journeys are coast to coast in the US and Canada. I try to get off the interstates, use back roads, Mom and Pop local motels and eat in local restaurants. This always gives me the feeling of travelling in the 50’s.
Funny you should mention a ‘Challenger’! I bought a 2 year old ’70 RT Challenger convertible 383 auto in 1972. I drove it out west, to Vancouver, down the PCH and into Mexico. Traversed Mexico from Tijauna (stopping for Ox carts on their main highway) to Mexicali and back into the US. I did sell it a couple of years later. I had changed its original green colour to white because of the movie “Vanishing Point” and the auto to pistol-grip 4spd manual. I care about people and am totally transparent about any vehicles I sell. However, I don’t sell very often.
Ross Cam and Lever steering..haven’t seen that in years. Our old Ward Lafrance fire trucks had that. Easier to steer than you would think.
I started driving at 15 as soon as I got my driver’s lisence here in Maine, loading trailers up north (when we didn’t have any more) and meeting the big guys somewhere inside the state as I wasn’t old enough to haul across state lines.
Drove all through the seventies and eighties during what I called the golden years of trucking.
The Interstate system was largely complete, fuel stops were conveniently located, and trucks were fairly advanced compared to this old “T”, although both of the trucks that I owned had Armstrong power steering.
I preferred that because it gave you a better feel for the road, especially on snow and ice, a common occurrence up here.
My first OO truck was a 1965 I(nternational F2000D with a coffin bunk on it.
It sported a 6/71 Detroit inline 6 that with some major tweaking, would put out about 300 HP driven through an Eaton 13 speed Roadranger transmission to 38K lbs International rears with 4/11 gears and 22″ tires.
Top speed was about 80 but you had to be going downhill to make that.
Next was a 1970 K100 Kenworth cabover single bunk with, first, a 335 Cummins and then a 318 Detroit.
Other than the engines, it had about the same drivetrain.
Ergonomically, one of the most comfortable trucks I ever drove, and I drove a lot of ’em.
Ironically,I ended my owner operator career in the same old ’65 International.
I drove 20 years with only a couple of minor fender benders and estimate at least a million miles are on this old ass.
I’ve got stories far too long for this forum, and I’ve got stories that probably shouldn’t be told on any forum because I plead innocent until proven guilty. HA!
Here’s a little tune by Dick Curliss about a stretch of road I used to use when the cops were out on the “BIG road” I-95.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aFzfDv2hz0
Thanks to all the drivers who told their story, you guys made America great. This old girl is cool but what can you do with it? Maybe build a camper on the back and call it a motorhome and slip it through the Cal. DMV. A friend has an old dump truck with a Cummins, he is taking it to Utah to license it.
Well that’s been a really fun read from y’all !!! As a kid I grew up reading “T-Model Tommy” and another called something like “Gasoline Alley”, books from my local library (I recently got a copy of the former for old time sake). Recently I heard an interview by Terry Gross on “Fresh Air” with Finn Murphy about his book “The Long Haul – A Trucker’s Tales of Life on the Road” and bought a copy. His start in life was a bit different in that he came from an college educated family (unlike my own tool & diemaker machine shop family, me being the first to ever graduate college) and had also finished college. His folks weren’t too pleased when he decided to make trucking his life. He started off local and then went to OTR, but his was the moving van story, which he describes as being much different from other OTR trucking jobs. If you jockeys haven’t read it, I’d recommend doing so. A fun read, and only you’ll know how much truth is in it. I don’t but enjoyed it.
I loved reading all the reminiscing. My time as a driver was tamer and short. In the early 70’s I ran an IH straight truck, modified dump, delivering feed and fertilizer for a local Agway. It was a good job that ended when our first son was born. I found a ‘better job’. Not necessarily one I enjoyed more.
I started driving an over the road truck in 1960 as a 13 year old.
That same year on 66 Highway, Dad told me he was going to climb on top of a load of wooden pallets and take a little nap, for me to pull in the Westport Truck Stop. He did and I did.
On a later trip with his new G Model Mack Dad told me to go get 2 quarts of milk, I came back with 1/2 gallon. Dad sent me back say we need to cartons, Son. One to pee in.
Later still, we had bought some oranges and he put them at foot of the sleeper, Dad woke me up rummaging around, I got a sense we were still moving. He had pulled the throttle out, as the first cruise control. My belly was not big enough to hold the steering wheel while shifting a Quaderaplex using both hands. He told me more than once if I decided to drive a truck, he would break both my legs.
He had a driver quit because the new cab over did not have a place for his little people to play, bennies could warp your mind. BTW, all special forces are given amphetamines, like most things moderation is the key.
HI Guys,
This was fun reading thru these stories and comments. I started on the freight dock at Specter Freight in 1966 (just for a summer) the guys taught me how to back trailers into the dock and hook up doubles. Before I knew it I was on the street. AT age 21 got hired by Yellow Freight as the youngest driver to pull doubles. City and Road, ran turns from Toledo to Indy (Circle City) and back. What an Experience as it was all Slip Seat with every manufacturer, engine and trans combo. NEVER POWER STEERING and no air ride seats till late 70’s. Like someone else stated those were the “golden years” with Smokey and the Bandit. OH yea, The oil Embargo hit in early 70’s. That was when we ran in “convoys” and they wound the rubber band engines down to 58 mph (like watching paint dry). I parked my truck in the fuel lane in 1982 and opened my first golf driving range, just had great memories.
It was a treat reading all your comments, super entertaining and a glimpse into some great culture,,, Thanks for that! My apologies but I have to add my favourite trucking song by the great Lowell George and Little Feat, hope you enjoy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il9VFC6-Inw
Ha!
Great minds and all….I knew what that song was going to be.
Here’s another most don’t hear often by Lonesome George.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U-ermF-tQA
That KW cabover hauling the bottom dump is almost exactly the same paint scheme and year as the one I had.
I just wanted to pop in and say that I am very glad that you all like the story. I am getting a lot of enjoyment from reading all of the comments. Not every story I write resonates with the audience as well as this one has, so thank you to all of you.
I was never a trucker but was around a lot of truckers and big trucks in my youth due to my grandfather’s glass business. Hopefully I will get another chance to do a truck write up soon and will be able to tell a few stories from that neat time in my life.
Jeff
P.S. I forgot all about old school truck stops. Maybe next time.
Hi Jeff, thanks again for the post,,,all your posts, really. I realize you can’t do this everytime, but one thing is crystal clear, Barn Finds has quite an audience. I was nothing special, just doing my job, like all the other drivers, and yes, the forgotten truck stops, would be a great topic. So many great places, mom and pop, mostly, The Hill, The Lake Mills Oasis( that was near my home), the Stretch, The Moasis, best beef and mashed potatoes,,keep you going all day or night), cost? $3.95!
Thanks again to all who responded. “We got a long way to go, and a short time to get there”,,
Oh, oh, another show that was on when I was a kid, was “Cannonball”. A Canadian production, but the intro song always stayed with me,,CANNONBALL!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umvbqPUMoKg
Here’s a couple for your enjoyment:
https://bidnebraska.hibid.com/lot/131637449/1954-gmc-cannon-ball-750-truck/?cpage=3&q=&ref=catalog
https://bidnebraska.hibid.com/lot/131637450/1951-gmc-cannon-ball-diesel/?cpage=3&q=&ref=catalog
And a thousand other pieces of old iron that went to bid a while ago:
https://www.farmauction.net/auction/nebraska-truck-hoard/
Sounds amazingly similiar to my story but I drove airplanes for a living. From DC-3’s thru 747’s to the very over computerized airbus and pretty much everything in between. I wonder if the guys driving trucks in the 30’s or 40’s would be amazed at the luxury of a truck like this . Just as pilots flying airplanes now will in the future will tell the horror stories to the young pilots of actually having to manually land airlpanes .
I wonder if the guys who drove tractor trucks in the 30′ and 40’s would be amazed at the luxury and performance of this truck.and if the drivers of today will be telling the young guys in the future of how they used to actually have to steer their trucks.
California DMV will issue an Historic Vehicle plate. No commercial use, no daily driver. Good for driving to and from any event such a truck show, cruise, etc. and there is always one of those somewhere if you look. I have this plate on my 89 Ford C8000 2 axle tractor ( 3208 Cat, 10 speed). This is an exceptionally clean survivor which I am preparing to sell. About Diamond T trucks: I owned and drove a 1955 Diamond T conventional (501 International gas engine, 4bbl carb, 5 & 3 Clark boxes, pto winch and poles). Had this truck for about 35 years. Also had an early 70s Diamond Reo 5000 gallon water truck (335 Cummins, 15 speed, hydraulic pump) In my opinion Diamond T meant quality. Keep up maintenance, they’ll keep on truckin!
I started driving in 1980 1973 cabover International w/ 318 Detroit no power steering
a beast to get around in cramped lots. Progressed to U model Macks, then R model Macks no air ride, no cruise control. If lucky once in a while you might get one that had a working heater and the odds of a/c in the summer were not very good. I still drive and currently have a 2018 Kenworth 680 that has working a/c and heat and auto transmission. I often think about the old days and wonder why I put up with it, my body is paying the price today.
Back in the 80’s a truck driver won the lottery and they asked him what he was gonna do with the money. He said just keep on truckin until the money is gone.
Harold A comments on Monarch and Hhy 50 brought back a bunch of memories. Early 70’s I drove a cab over with quads for a couple years hauling modular houses from Loveland to the Gunnison valley. Had to come down Federal Blvd ( Denver) cause the point of the roofs were too tall to do the freeway. Monarch andTurkey Creek canyon always fun in winter, but worse in the summer when the campers were on the road. Most of my driving was in the oilfield, lots of pump trucks( Mack’s )(old KWs)( even some new R Mack’s )
I am long retired but I do CDL exams for beer $, agree with all your comments regarding the new breed of truckers. They are hard pressed to shift a 10, much less work a 4x5with Brownie. It was a fun time, enjoyed most of it.
This thing is too cool. And too tall for my garage.
I searched for Howard’s Hemmings column and here it i. I read every comment there too. This has been a really fun thread.
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2014/03/19/ask-a-trucker-anything
Howard mentioned the CB. I was driving west on I-90 between Buffalo and Cleveland at about 2 in the morning and two truckers came on discussing musical theater. I was so surprised, I asked if they were “Road Lice” or big rigs. I had taken the family to Phantom of the Opers at the Pantages Theater in Toronto and Les Miseerables in NYC so I put in my two cents worth. Unfortunately that got them talking about opera and I lost interest. The point is that truckers have varied interests just like everyone else and are not morons. Keep up the comments Howard and I don’t think anyone cares if it takes us an hour to read them!
Hi Speedo, yeah, that was unexpected. Dan Strohl, of Hemmings, contacted me and Graham, who I never met, but had a kindred connection about that piece. Several things have changed in the industry since I wrote that, but it was the past Dan was interested in. ( whispering,,,I think secretly, he always wanted to be a trucker) We covered a lot of ground there and thanks for taking the time. I miss trucking sometimes, but you know how memories go, you tend to remember the good and forget the not so good.
Interesting comment that all trucker’s aren’t low IQ morons, Speedo. I was educated in a private school in Ireland which has a much higher educational standard than here in the States. However, while I could have had a fairly good white-collar job, I liked a physical, outdoor job. Moving furniture is more of a physical job than a trucking job. A mover spends the majority of his time actually moving furniture than driving unless he’s doing long-haul. I did short-haul work (jobs within a 500-mile radius) and a good bit of local work. After I was permanently partially disabled (twice) and couldn’t move furniture anymore, I went into construction driving dump trucks and finally into driving garbage trucks. I even had a logging job driving skidders in the North Maine woods. For a while, I managed an antique shop in West Hartford, CT., and I managed a small country auction house for a couple of years. While I met a lot of truckers who didn’t have a good education and a few who were just dumba$$es, most were smart guys who were good at what they were doing and liked driving the big rigs.
As for CB radios, I never had one in a truck, but I had one or two in my cars. Back in the ’70s, having a CB radio was fun and entertaining. Truckers were mostly polite and off-color language wasn’t tolerated. Now, the CB airwaves are full of foul-mouthed d-bags where every second words seems to start with an “F” and the conversations are frequently off-color, to say the least. A lot of truckers today aren’t what I would consider professional grade either. Many are poorly trained and don’t drive/act in that I would consider a professional manner. Some are a downright embarrassment to the trucking profession. Check out the website “Bonehead truckers” if you want to see some examples of the flip-flop wearing morons driving trucks today. It’s enough to make you terrified of driving on the interstates so you don’t get killed by one of these galaxy-brains behind the wheel of big rigs today.
Hi FG, one could say, the internet has replaced the CB as far as rudeness. It wasn’t much different, hiding behind a screen or a microphone, it’s the anonymity that’s the attraction with no consequences. I can’t watch things like “Bonehead Truckers”, or any internet bashing, it’s horribly inaccurate. Per miles driven, we still have the safest drivers in the world, although, I’ll admit, it is depressing seeing those sites, even though, that stuff went on before, it’s just nobody had a camera in their pocket and brings it to our kitchen tables,, so you are going to see all the screwups. It just isn’t so. Modern schooling teaches many what to expect, something we did as trial and error. Can’t do that today, mistakes are costly, and some bozo probably has it on their phone.
Sitting here at the table reading your stories. A lot of memories come back to me drove for 30 years. Started with American Van Lines had to start somewhere watched and learned .Went on to freight for 12 years scared to death of crossing those scales not the weight but the condition of some of the truckes I drove. O bye the way what is power steering. Remember a delivery to a PX on an air force base up north walked over and looked at the inside of a few cabs painted in blue first time I had ever seen automatic and even had air conditioning. Well later went to work for local goverment driving snowplodes and street sweepers wife wanted me close to home so she could sleep at night gave me more time with the kid also, but hated the job.
Engine is painted Catapillar Yellow, should be Cummins beige or red.
Dave
Not real sure about Diamond T, but Kenworth painted all their engines white, and IH used red engine paint.
Quite frankly, the trucks I drove, I couldn’t tell you what color they originally were. Most leaked oil PROFUSELY, Detroits being the worst, but all were oily messes. It was not unusual to add a gallon of oil( or 2) at every fuel stop. I drove a milk truck ONCE, for a friend,, straight job, tri-axle, 318 Detroit, load of spring water from Waukesha, Wis. to Janesville, about 80 miles. The guy said, take some oil with you. Checked before I left, nothing on the stick, put 3 gallons in, and took 2 with me. Got to Waukesha, while they were loading the truck, checked the oil, again, nothing on the stick, put the 2 gallons in, still a gallon low, and watched the OP gauge all the way back. Oil was a lot cheaper then than a rebuild. The plus side, was the underside was coated with oil, so repairs were easier,and multiply that times a million trucks, that’s a lot of oil. ,
Ended:
Jan 30, 2023 13:45:11 PST
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