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Excerpt from:
Hauling Silk
A thumbnail sketch of Arrow
Carrier Corporation’s early days
by William J. Wright,
Pittsgrove, New Jersey
When we look at photos from
the very early days of trucking, they make us wonder how it was possible for
those trucks to cover long distances on a regular basis in order to deliver
goods. Certainly trucking then was fraught with difficulties we no longer have
to deal with today. But the basics of meeting a customer’s needs in a timely,
efficient, and economic manner have not changed.
During World War I, John E.
Ackerman was stationed near Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he became acquainted
with local silk manufacturers. He observed many problems with delayed, lost, or
damaged shipments that resulted in very dissatisfied shippers. Immediately after
his discharge from the army he lost no time in organizing a new company to
transport raw silk and finished silk products from New York City to the dyers,
finishers, and manufacturers located in Paterson, New Jersey.
By the spring of 1920, The
Arrow Carrier Corporation was furnishing daily service from New York City and
Paterson, New Jersey, to Phillipsburg, New Jersey; and Easton, Bethlehem, and
Allentown, Pennsylvania, hauling nothing but textiles for the silk industry.
Arrow’s officers were John Ackerman, President; James J. Buckley, Vice
President; and Robert F. Buckley, Secretary.
Within a few years, security
became a serious issue when the price of silk soared. In 1923 an Arrow truck was
hijacked...For the whole story, subscribe to Old Time Trucks® and read the
Aug04/Sep04 2004 issue.
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Hauling Silk
