As Black History Month comes to a close, FreightWaves celebrates some of the most important African American figures in the transportation industry.
This article from American Shipper’s archives gives a detailed look at “the business of disaster” in maritime in the 1980s, including marine salvage and issues surrounding liability.
American Shipper magazine has an extensive history of monthly printed issues. We’ve compiled a gallery of our favorite covers from the 1990s.
In the age of social media, rumors are rampant in the shipping industry. But this article from the archives of American Shipper examines how rumors also plagued logistics in the 1980s, pre-social media.
Amelia Earhart’s achievements go beyond aviation, and the pilot has done much more than she is given credit for. This museum gives insight into her impressive career and contributions to the industry and beyond.
Find out how more than 100 patriots pulled off dumping so much tea into Boston Harbor in this week’s episode of Tracks Through Time.
FreightWaves Classics aims to highlight the most interesting and sometimes unique stories throughout the history of transportation and freight. This year we found so many compelling stories; here are some of the most read from 2023.
Tracks Through Time spent all year sharing some of the most captivating stories in the history of logistics. See the favorites from the year here.
The shipper container was one of the biggest game changers for the ocean freight industry, and its origins come from a true inventor.
Filing documents electronically is the norm for businesses today. A 1982 article from American Shipper recalls when the industry first embraced this technology.
Choosing the perfect holiday tree for Rockefeller Plaza isn’t easy, but it’s a lot easier than getting it there.
The Wright brothers are famous for their contributions to the aviation industry, but one man is responsible for the engine that powered them.
The U.S. Postal Service has been in action for centuries. Throughout the years, it has adopted all kinds of methods of transportation to deliver the mail.
A flashback article from the archives of American Shipper highlights unique insurance claims.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has gotten bigger and bigger every year since 1924, but how can such a big logistics program be pulled off year after year? Brielle Jaekel and Mary O’Connell dive into how it has worked throughout the years.
Mail delivery by airplane started in 1918, if you can believe it. It was dangerous work but cut down delivery time by a day.
Take a look at some of the daring and interesting ways mail was delivered by air in the early 20th century.
American Shipper magazine has an extensive history of monthly printed issues, each with interesting cover designs. We’ve compiled a gallery of our favorite covers from the 1980s.
After World War I, veterans took up farming and provided food supplies and wheat to Western Australia. But when emus began to threaten that supply chain, another war broke out. The emus won.
In this chilling episode of Tracks Through Time, we delve into the never-solved 1995 disappearance of truck driver Devin Williams, who vanished without a trace in the heart of Arizona’s Tonto National Forest.
In 1965 a truck driver sacrificed himself to save others as his brakes failed on a steep hill while he was transporting bananas. The compelling story became the subject of a folk song by Harry Chapin almost 10 years later.
: In 1947, tragedy struck the port in Texas City, Texas, where a French ship carrying highly flammable fertilizer caught fire and caused devastation to the port town. But the lessons learned from the disaster likely saved lives in the years following, according to the latest episode of Tracks Through Time.
A dockworker strike in 1977 caused major losses to container lines at the time. Their response was to impose a 10% surcharge. But shippers did not take it lying down.
Transcontinental mail in the United States began on Sept. 15, 1858, when the Overland Mail Service began after it won a contract to connect St. Louis to the Pacific Coast by mail within 25 days.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association started out of necessity. Read more about the story of its beginning.
While there is debate over the actual founder of Labor Day, it cannot be denied that its history laid the groundwork for the better conditions for laborers today, even if we still have some room to grow.
Today’s refrigeration systems in transportation are extremely sophisticated, rooted in a history that reaches back nearly 150 years.
In 1976, an investigation into rate rebating and malpractice by carriers did not put a similar spotlight on freight forwarders. An article in American Shipper at the time questioned whether that was fair.
FreightWaves covers some of the most interesting stories of the history of transportation and freight.
A story from 1976 shows a battle between a shoe manufacturer and a shipper over what the former believed was an “unreasonable rate.” The company-versus-company drama exhibits the complexity of international trade.
The legend of Casey Jones remains alive today in music and pop culture. But the real story is about a serious crash and an act of heroism.
In March 1976, the Mississippi River was logjammed for eight straight days, causing massive shipping losses with an estimated 100 towboats and 900 barges stuck by the riverbank. The event spurred serious reform for operation on this vital route.
A story reported in the January 1976 issue of American Shipper tells of a prepaid shipment headed for Bordeaux, France, that ended up stuck in Jacksonville, Florida, causing the fertilizer cargo to rot.
This episode of Tracks Through Time takes a look at how a loophole kept a supply chain of ingredients for bootleg and bathtub gin legal during the Prohibition era.
snapshot of ports in 1991 reveals the importance of a new radio-frequency technology launch at the time, when a terminal in Honolulu first received the tech.
In an article published in 1992, American Shipper details the first use of barcodes for shipping Chrysler vehicles.
This episode of Tracks Through Time focuses on the crisis over the Suez Canal that put Egypt at odds with France, Britain and Israel. The story has surprising twists and unexpected secret motives. Find out how this shaped the future of shipping routes and globalization.
One route during the Han Dynasty connected Europe and Asia and was the start of trade and supply chains as we know them today.
Pricing in ocean shipping was done much differently in the 1970s compared to today. To simplify things, a group of executives created a game around the concept for workers to play.
One shipment of grapefruit to Japan threatened the future of the Florida citrus industry after Caribbean fruit fly larvae were discovered. Japan enacted an embargo on all Florida citrus to protect its own citrus groves in the southern islands. The embargo was lifted after Florida’s sector worked tirelessly to eradicate the larvae.
For truckers and 1970s country, the C.W. McCall hit “Convoy” shares a fun look into CB radio terminology.
The Pacific Railway Act of 1862 brought about the first transcontinental railroad. Check out the photographs and illustrations that depict what it was like to work on the railroad at the time.
The second part of this account of Revolutionary War naval hero John Paul Jones includes a dramatic battle on the seas and how Catherine the Great and Benjamin Franklin fit into the story.
In light of Gordon Lightfoot’s passing, FreightWaves Classics looks at the Edmund Fitzgerald tragedy, as well as whether Lightfoot’s song about the incident is historically accurate
Naval officer John Paul Jones’ story sounds like a scene from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” but the true story of the “Father of the American Navy” includes its share of amusing twists and turns.
While the Panama Canal has played a crucial role in maritime shipping, its construction was fraught with problems. This episode of Tracks Through Time takes a look back on the 119th anniversary of the start of construction.
In 1975, two identical ore/bulk/oil (O/B/O) ships underwent efficiency experiments. During one of these experiments, a new propeller concept broke midjourney, but the ship continued its duty with no changes in performance and the crew had no idea until it reached its destination.
The endless stories that make up the history of transportation and freight are chronicled in some of the most riveting nonfiction books, but they almost read like novels. Here are the five favorites for the FreightWaves Classics team.
American Shipper in May 1974 took a look at charges for the handling of freight, which were largely unrecorded if they existed at all before the Civil War.
Today, automation can mean launching a fleet of autonomous robots that can unload shipping containers without human intervention. In 1974, a remote-controlled “bow boat” was considered a major launch.
In 1977, news of the looming threat of a strike by a union of dockworkers was prevalent in the pages of American Shipper magazine. The publisher at the time ended the April issue that year with an opinion piece discussing the threat.
In 1975, American Shipper originally covered the launch of the “catamaran-tug,” which completed its maiden voyage to Port Everglades with a 42,000-ton cargo of gasoline for Shell Oil Co.
In 1990, Martin Scorsese directed acclaimed gangster flick “Goodfellas,” captivating audiences with the story of a famous heist. The movie was loosely based on the 1978 heist of a Lufthansa airplane’s cargo, and the true story is even more unbelievable than the script.
Daylight saving time was enacted on Feb. 9, 1942. Some believe the reasoning behind it is no longer relevant and the practice should be discontinued, but how did it start in the first place?
As the United States focuses on the disaster unfolding in Ohio after the Norfolk Southern train derailment, here is a look back at some of the worst train disasters in history. The incidents highlight the importance of safety and infrastructure.
The Pony Express lasted only one year and was a financial failure. So why are we still talking about it today?
Debuting in 1936, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile was created as a marketing device and to transport the company spokesman. The unique transportation method went on to symbolize the meat brand and 21st century Americana.
Imagine drowning in a flood of molasses that entombed you as it hardened. That’s what 21 people suffered in 1919 when the storage of molasses in Boston went awry.
From tragedy to unprecedented feats, the Golden Gate Bridge is an important part of American history in freight, transportation and architecture.
So much of the history of the United States can be traced back to Route 66, including major growth in the trucking industry.
Dec. 17 marked 119 years since the Wright brothers first successfully flew a man-powered airplane, paving the way for continuous innovation in the flying world.
