Online Haul Of Fame: Mclean Trucking
- Thread starter Jeff
- Start date
- Credits
- 245
Good story and pics Jeff. I can still remember a couple of Double Diamond linehaul drivers I used to run into, Mud Dobber and Butter Bean. When I was about 8 years old I used to ride along with my uncle Joe in an Autocar like that first picture. Look at the size of that rubber on the steering, no power steering, you had to have arms like a gorilla.
- Credits
- 245
In the early 70's I drove the day cab version of these Whites when I worked for a contract carrier for A&P Grocery Stores, they were a good truck, quiet and handled nice.
In the early 70's I drove the day cab version of these Whites when I worked for a contract carrier for A&P Grocery Stores, they were a good truck, quiet and handled nice.
Agree 100%, the 7400 was one of the best freight trucks I've driven.
McLean was our next door neighbor, in the late 50's they along with Akers Motor Lines ran DF 860 GMCs, with 5spd, 2 spd axles, 471 Detroits.
We ran same tractor with 671 Detroits and hydramatic trans, we gave those underpowered guys a hard time when our transmissions didn't fly apart.
I recall a McLean sleeper team pulling old Fancy Gap, one driver tied a rope to the bumper, walked in front with it across his shoulder, like he was pulling the truck.
Some one made a picture, it got on the front page of the Winston Salem paper, both drivers were fired.
The union put them both back to work.
- Credits
- 245
Compared to today, trucking was like the wild west back then. I remember seeing a Preston driver in Pa climbing a hill on a hot day, before we had AC, he was standing on the fuel tank reaching in through the window steering.