Join us as we celebrate the last 100 years of trucking innovation
When I first came on board with Commercial Carrier Journal last October, I received a phone call from a well-wisher who told me that I had impeccable timing. When I asked what he meant, he responded, “The industry has nowhere to go but up.” Having recently finished poring over the news in the last several years’ worth of CCJ back issues, it was hard to disagree with him.
When Commercial Car Journal launched in March 1911, horse power dominated local delivery. A January 1910 estimate put the number of commercial horse-drawn vehicles in New York City at 231,000 with only 783 motor vehicles registered.However, as we look ahead, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the trucking industry’s prospects as freight demand and capacity stabilize, the industry gains traction and our economy begins a slow and steady – albeit fragile – climb out of recession. As we emerge from the downturn, one thing is certain – trucking companies are operating smarter and leaner than before. The changes in the way they do business should make the entire industry stronger in the long run.
These are also exciting times here at CCJ. Our March 2011 issue will mark the magazine’s 100th anniversary. To celebrate our upcoming milestone and chronicle the changes in the trucking industry over the past century, we’re proud to announce a new special section, CCJ 100. Starting with next month’s issue and leading up to next March, we’ll bring you an integrated print and digital special section to celebrate the last 100 years of trucking.
From the cost justification of using commercial vehicles instead of horse-and-buggy delivery (one company advertisement from a 1915 issue touts its vehicles’ average of 50 miles a day and ability to displace six horses – with a $1,650 price tag), through two world wars, the development of the U.S. Interstate Highway System to the dawn of 2010 engine regulations and all points in between, we’re excited to bring you a decade-by-decade review of events and inventions that shaped the trucking industry into what it is today.
The shelves at our home office are lined with bound volumes dating back to the very first issues of CCJ (then called Commercial Car Journal). By making use of online digital archives, we will provide digital access to more than 100,000 pages of content, putting the last 100 years of CCJ at your fingertips and letting you read the news the way it happened.
Our retrospective won’t be a one-sided affair. We invite you to share your knowledge of trucking history – as well as your own company’s milestones – at our CCJ 100 website (tune in next month for more details). Join us each month as we begin the run-up to our centennial anniversary and look back over the last 100 years at the trucking industry’s proud heritage. As we rediscover what has made our industry so great, I look forward to being part of CCJ’s great tradition in the months and years to come as we continue to deliver information on how trucking companies and suppliers continue to innovate and adapt to changes in the marketplace. n
Jeff Crissey is Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal.
E-mail [email protected] or call (205) 248-1244.
