What a terrific experience to appear on Carol Cain's TV show, Michigan Matters. She had excellent questions and the conversation was lively. The experience was very enjoyable. Thank you! The 2 segments are available here: http://detroit.cbslocal.com/video/11237797-michigan-matters-fruehauf-fowler-shrine-seg-1/ http://detroit.cbslocal.com/video/11237796-michigan-matters-fruehauf-fowler-shrine-seg-2/
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We received a very nice write up in the Sierra Sun Times today promoting our fireside chat event this Sunday. Thank you! Here is the link Fruehauf, the first semi-truck manufacturer in the world, was founded right here in Detroit in 1914. To celebrate the company's centennial year, browse this selection of historical photos, and visit singingwheels.com for a complete history of the Fruehauf family and the internationally renowned company they created. To see the photos click on this link. Fruehauf Trailers are still going strong in the UK.... and still very much the market leader. We manufacture around 1000 trailers per year at our manufacturing plant in Grantham UK. We are fortunate to have a workforce that is passionate about the business and are proud of the Fruehauf name and all it stands for. Karl Spooner. Sales Manager Fruehauf UK To celebrate the centennial of August Fruehauf’s 1914 invention of the semi-trailer, the Fruehauf Trailer Historical Society has produced a book to tell the company's colorful history and that of the family behind it. Fruehauf's story is an integral part of North American transportation history in the last century. The pioneering company facilitated the growth of continental transportation as a viable alternative to rail and brought efficient transportation from the farmer's gate and the factory's loading dock. It came to dominate the trailer market. In 1997 Fruehauf was ranked 75th among the largest companies worldwide, but difficulties both internally and externally led to bankruptcy proceedings not long afterwards and the U.S. company was bought by Wabash National. Yet Fruehauf trailers are still being produced elsewhere in countries like France, Germany, Mexico, and New Zealand. To read the complete article click here. A special Thank you to Mr. Mark Dinan, an aviation enthusiast. He not only tracked down the actual planes owned by my father and Fruehauf and provided us with helpful information regarding the airplanes makes and models. I am touched that when Mr. Dinan was a young man he was introduced to flying and airplanes through the airplane fleet at Killarney and Walter Bellchambers who was one of my father's closest friends in the Killarney area. Mr. Dinan went onto have a career in aviation and is currently a pilot for a major air carrier. Conversely, Ernie Christophersen who is pictured in many of the photographs in the Killarney section featuring his accordion around his neck influenced my brother Randall. He became passionate about the piano and entertained many with his Boogie-Woogie style playing. We never know how we will affect the lives of others. The history of the Fruehauf Trailer Company goes all the way back to the very beginning of trucking. August Fruehauf, a blacksmith from Detroit, Michigan, can be credited for designing and building the first trailer in 1914. From humble beginnings, he and his company went on to revolutionize the trucking industry and become an integral part of the growth of America. A lyric in the song “Hello I’m A Truck” makes a very true statement when it says, “There’d be no truck drivers if it wasn’t for us trucks” – and those trucks are able to haul so much more freight because of the trailers that they pull! Introduction to an article by Kim Grimm of Ten Four Magazine A special Thank you to Mr. Mark Dinan, an aviation enthusiast. He not only tracked down the actual planes owned by my father and Fruehauf and provided us with helpful information regarding the airplanes makes and models. I am touched that when Mr. Dinan was a young man he was introduced to flying and airplanes through the airplane fleet at Killarney and Walter Bellchambers who was one of my father's closest friends in the Killarney area. Mr. Dinan went onto have a career in aviation and is currently a pilot for a major air carrier. Conversely, Ernie Christophersen who is pictured in many of the photographs in the Killarney section featuring his accordion around his neck influenced my brother Randall. He became passionate about the piano and entertained many with his Boogie-Woogie style playing. We never know how we will affect the lives of others. I just love this photo of my parents and brothers. It takes me back to happier days, in fact even before I was born. They are all gone now, and as the last member of my immediate family, I am left with boxes of souvenirs, momentos and photographs of the legacy of my father and his lifetime achievements. These are the feelings that motivate me to continue to chronicle the events of his lifetime and bring the story to light. Not only did he help to create a great American business, the impact on the nations prosperity through the benefits of trucking are profound. One of the pages I have created, this week, were to highlight some of the wonderful comments, which we have received from readers. I chose to create a page dedicated to the readers--"old Fruehauf'ers" as they have dubbed themselves. These comments mean the world to me and I'm sure my dad would have loved to read them. Dad was a "regular guy" and our house was filled with people from all walks of life. My mother, a beauty from Kentucky, wasn't exactly a sorority sister, and I think my dad appreciated her simple down-home Kentucky charm. When they were married he moved out of Grosse Pointe, the tony suburb where dad had lived with his first wife. They moved to the north-eastern county of Detroit, which was then country and offered the new couple a fresh start. They acquired a farm, rejecting the Grosse Pointe "society life". We were taught to value and appreciate all people. My mother's poor Kentucky relatives, our staff as well as the business colleagues and peers who were frequent visitors of my dads. Mostly I remember laughter, fun and conviviality at our house. Dad loved to sit around a card table playing cribbage with one of his closest friends, an Armenian dentist, named Kegham Chutjian. "Chuty" as he was called, was quick to laugh and you could see in his cherub face and twinkling eyes his affection for my dad and mom. Looking back on my unusual childhood, I appreciate the things that I was taught by both of my parents. My mother was generous and inclusive to everyone no matter their station in life. Holiday dinners and events always included those friends who had been recently widowed, divorced or could potentially be alone. We never knew who would emerge from the guest bedrooms in the mornings. Dad, who subscribed to those old German ethics of his dad, August Fruehauf, taught us about hard work, good sportsmanship and the value of friends. Also incredibly generous to staff, friends, charities and civic organizations, I saw first hand how he was respected and loved. He played fair and people knew this. His death at a young age was a great loss. |
The advancement of transportation accelerated the economic growth of all industries in the industrial booming United States. The Fruehauf Trailer Company contributed to the advancement of American industry.AuthorsRuth Ann Fruehauf and Darlene Norman have dedicated hard work, determination and intuition to bringing this project to life. This is the ongoing investigation and reporting of their efforts.
Click on the names above for biographical information on our authors. Archives
January 2018
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We are SocialAn organization dedicated to the preservation of the history of Fruehauf Trailer Company and the Fruehauf family legacy.
The society has created historical books and a traveling exhibit rich with Fruehauf memorabilia and archival materials. Our next book, “Fruehauf, the First Name in Transportation” an in-depth analysis of the company’s history will be published soon. |
Copyright © 2013 -20 by
Ruth A. Fruehauf and Darlene Norman. All rights reserved. |