Fruehauf Trailer Company Corporation History
The Family loses control
Bill Grace, Roy Fruehauf, Bob Rowan and other executives in the early 1960's
What was formerly Fruehauf Trailer Company no longer exists, destroyed by the very people entrusted with its care. The rise of a small family owned enterprise to a global behemoth is truly the American dream. Greed, pride and manipulative controls for power are the substance for a Shakespearian tragedy and became the reality for the Fruehauf Trailer Company in the 1960’s. The undoing of a great durable giant, destroyed by all too human vice turned the American dream into the American nightmare. Can wealth be passed from generation to generation? Can power struggles be averted when power is passed along? How can companies that had achieved such global success and recognition fall into obscurity as the result of mismanagement and failed leadership? How can a brother destroy everything he has worked towards in order to retaliate against a younger smarter sibling? These are the questions that will be explored set against the backdrop of the early American industrial age filled with glamor, style and panache of one of the most opulent and exciting eras in U.S. history. Many can relate to sibling rivalry, envy, pride and greed, and one can be fascinated to see the dark side of these vices that swallow up careers, lives and corporations. Oh how the great fall…
The brand name, Fruehauf Trailer Company is still recognized as one of quality, craftsmanship and dedication to excellence during its heyday.
The company fell out of family hands in 1964 and through years of mismanagement it was later bought by a competitor, Wabash Trailers in 1997.
The brand name, Fruehauf Trailer Company is still recognized as one of quality, craftsmanship and dedication to excellence during its heyday.
The company fell out of family hands in 1964 and through years of mismanagement it was later bought by a competitor, Wabash Trailers in 1997.
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Bill Grace, President of Fruehauf in 1964 fielding million-dollar orders for the piggy back systems
