An article of mine in the October 2022 issue of Farm Collector focused on how loaded farm trucks were a “block in the road” due to their slow travel. An explanation is necessary to define the vehicles described. The large over-the-road trucks – basically semi-truck/trailer outfits – saw their situation change fairly rapidly as progress was made. Some of that carried over to the trucks used by agricultural America, but the change came slowly.
Due to the vast multitude of small operators, there was no central clearing-house of smaller truck issues. The fact that at least 50 state units had some control (and in some states, even smaller governmental units had some authority) produced little uniformity. Basically, theaveragefarmer was responsible for his truck when hauling products on the road.
Understanding the lingo
At this juncture in history, an additional definition of is necessary. At least through the 1950s, there were basically three types of vehicles: automobiles, pickups
