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Wilson Freight

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TomM

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Hi,

My father drove for a company called "Wilson Freight" in New Jersey back in the 1960's and I am wondering if Wilson Trucking is the same company. I don't recall too many details other than he was a member of Local 560 and retired in 1968.

Thanks
 
Wilson Freight we used to call "Dirty W" back in the day when most of the freight outfits had nicknames. They didn't last long after deregulation. Them, along with a hundred other good freight companies.
 
The dirty w

MY DAD DROVE FOR WILSON FREIGHT CO. FOR QUITE SOME TIME TILL THEY WENT BANKRUPT IN 80 THEY WHERE LOCATED 171 NORTH AVE E. ELIZABETH NJ .NEW ENGLAND MOTOR FREIGHT HAS THAT TERMINAL NOW AND A LOT OF OTHER OLD WILSON TERMINALS TO POPS IS RETIRED IN FLA. BUT HAS ALSHIMERS NOW NO MEMORIES :baby:IM ONLY 44 BUT WHERE DID ALL THE GOOD ONES GO THOUGHT I HAD A JOB WAITING WHEN I GOT OLD ENOUGPH FOR WILSON FREIGHT.CO AKA THE DIRTY W
 
just a coincidence both Wilson Trucking & Wilson Freight trucks are the same color. Miss seeing those Dirty W White Boss tractors with the white steering wheel and 45' ribbed trailers with Wilson on the sides running on the NJTP.

Will say that Wilson trucking does keep a clean looking fleet thou.
 
Unfortunately the only pictures I have are memories and those are fuzzy since I was only 5/6 years old. According to my mother father at one time worked out of a Wilson facility in Fairfield NJ. He started with Wilson in the early 1950's as an OTR driver but switched to local driving. I believe the only items my mother might still have are his safe driving award pins but I am not sure if they were given to him by Wilson or the Teamsters.
 
Tom, those pins would have come from Wilson, not the union. As far as the Dirty W name goes I assumed at the time that it was just the fact that their trucks looked like they never got a wash, but back then everybodies trucks looked like that, they were tools to do a job, not show pieces. Some looked worse than others, especially trucks with the exhaust underneath. Trucks back then blow thick clouds of black smoke and if you had an exhaust leak it didn't take long to turn the rear of the cab or whatever black with a coating of soot. Damn, I miss all those old companies.

Edit: Tom, you might want to check out the link below. The second pic down on the left, that's the classic Wilson truck I remember, click it to enlarge. A good and grimy White 9000 with a 40 footer with the tandems all the way back. I'd give anything to drive that truck today.
David Faust's Wilson Freight Corporation Collection
 
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TomM said:
Unfortunately the only pictures I have are memories and those are fuzzy since I was only 5/6 years old. According to my mother father at one time worked out of a Wilson facility in Fairfield NJ. He started with Wilson in the early 1950's as an OTR driver but switched to local driving. I believe the only items my mother might still have are his safe driving award pins but I am not sure if they were given to him by Wilson or the Teamsters.
Click to expand...

If you ever get a chance to take some pics of those awards, I am sure the people here would love to see stuff that old.
 
I worked in Romulus Mich. during the seventies. I watched the Wilson Freight terminal being built at the corner of Wick and Inkster roads. Now home to Holland Motor Freight.
 
Nice pictures.

I'll see if I can get some photos of those award pins. I never realized there was any interest with this stuff.

Would all drivers have been union members back then? I know my father was very proud to have been a member of Local 560. After reading about how they operated back then I am left wondering how he could still hold 560's leadership in such high regard.
 
Tom, just about all freight companies of that era were Teamsters. You really didn't have that manu truckload companies back then because you didn't have the mega-retailer warehouse operations like today. Plus, now we haul finished products made overseas while back then a lot of the freight was hauling nuts,bolts, and various parts to build things. Back then it coould take sometimes 60 shipments to fill a 40' trailer. As far as "how they operated" I assume you are talking about organized crime. Most of us never gave it much thought, trucking was a tough environment back then, you couldn't be thin skinned. Back then your boss would call you a sock cucker and you'd give it right back. The union provided good wages, good benefits, and protected you from being fired on a whim. One thing I can tell you about those times that is telling, just about every driver you ran into at a diner or whatever, no matter who he worked for, had a smile on his face, was friendly, ready to help you out if you needed it, and could tell you a bullcrap story that was so good you didn't care if it was true or not. So if 560 was skimming a little off the top back then, who cared, they took care of the drivers.
 
SuperCourse said:
Tom, just about all freight companies of that era were Teamsters. You really didn't have that manu truckload companies back then because you didn't have the mega-retailer warehouse operations like today. Plus, now we haul finished products made overseas while back then a lot of the freight was hauling nuts,bolts, and various parts to build things. Back then it coould take sometimes 60 shipments to fill a 40' trailer. As far as "how they operated" I assume you are talking about organized crime. Most of us never gave it much thought, trucking was a tough environment back then, you couldn't be thin skinned. Back then your boss would call you a sock cucker and you'd give it right back. The union provided good wages, good benefits, and protected you from being fired on a whim. One thing I can tell you about those times that is telling, just about every driver you ran into at a diner or whatever, no matter who he worked for, had a smile on his face, was friendly, ready to help you out if you needed it, and could tell you a bullcrap story that was so good you didn't care if it was true or not. So if 560 was skimming a little off the top back then, who cared, they took care of the drivers.
Click to expand...
I think if the Teamsters Union wants to get back into LTL trucking they will need outside help again.
 
I remember my dad starting out with Interstate and back then it was definitely a different breed of drivers compared to todays standard.
 
screwy louiey said:
I remember my dad starting out with Interstate and back then it was definitely a different breed of drivers compared to todays standard.
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SL, Interstate System, "Dollar Sign". Remember them well, with their longnose Louisville Fords. Another good company gone. Drivers were different for sure, they were crude, loud, and swore like truck drivers, drank a lot of coffee, smoked a lot of cigarettes, but they were for the most part a great bunch of guys that would keep you laughing. Some real characters. You'd stop in the diner and there would be 5 or 10 drivers sitting together joking, shooting the breeze, flirting with the waitresses, good times.
 
SuperCourse, thanks for the history lesson. I do not work in or around the trucking business so this is very informative.
 
TomM said:
SuperCourse, thanks for the history lesson. I do not work in or around the trucking business so this is very informative.
Click to expand...

No problem Tom. Don't be afraid to ask me about things from back in the day if you have any questions. I may not know the answer, but I won't let that stop me.
 
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