American Truck Historical Society

American Truck Historical Society Incorporated in 1971, the American Truck Historical Society was formed to preserve the history of trucks, the trucking industry, and its pioneers. Zoe S. states.
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Since 1971, the American Truck Historical Society (ATHS) has been on a mission to preserve the rich history of trucks, the trucking industry, and its pioneers. In our early days, we merged with the United States Truck Historical Society to create a stronger, unified ATHS. This merger was quickly followed by official recognition from the American Trucking Association, cementing our role as the lead

ing authority in trucking history. Our first headquarters was in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, where we started with a simple newsletter that blossomed into our beloved magazine, Wheels of Time, in 1980. Under the leadership of Mr. Harris Saunders, Sr. (of Saunders Truck Leasing) in 1977, we moved our base to Birmingham, Alabama, and welcomed Mrs. James to manage our growing library, archives, and membership. In the early 2000s, we made another strategic move, relocating our headquarters to Kansas City, Missouri, to be more centrally located for our members across the United States. Every year since 1972, we've hosted an annual convention, and since 1980, this event has featured an antique truck show that's open to the public. What started with just 23 trucks has now grown into a spectacular showcase with over 1,000 vehicles, including fire apparatus, buses, RVs, military vehicles, and special interest vehicles. Today, ATHS has a global reach, with members in 23 countries and all 50 U.S. We also encourage the formation of local chapters, creating a vibrant community of truck enthusiasts dedicated to celebrating and preserving the history of the trucking industry. Join us as we honor the past and drive into the future!

You're hiking through the woods and stumble across two abandoned 1955 classics.Ford C600• Medium-duty cab-over; up to 19...
06/15/2026

You're hiking through the woods and stumble across two abandoned 1955 classics.

Ford C600
• Medium-duty cab-over; up to 19,000-lb GVWR
• Powered by Ford's 272-cubic-inch Y-block V8
• Ford's updated "Driverized Cab" design

Chevrolet 3100
• Half-ton pickup
• First-year Task Force styling
• Equipped with Chevrolet's 235-cubic-inch inline-six

You can only save one. Put your choice in the comments.
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Looking for your next project? Check out Backlot (tinyurl.com/backlotads) in Wheels of Time magazine for a wide range of trucks for sale.

Skip the tie this Father's Day. Give Dad a gift he'll enjoy all year: an American Truck Historical Society membership.Ge...
06/14/2026

Skip the tie this Father's Day. Give Dad a gift he'll enjoy all year: an American Truck Historical Society membership.

Get Dad connected to trucking history, Wheels of Time magazine, events, and a community of fellow enthusiasts.

Visit ATHS.org or call 816-891-9900 to get started.

06/14/2026

This truck might not be vintage, but what it represents certainly is.

Most of you remember the TourAmerica T600. When it rolled out in the mid-1990s, those red, white, and blue graphics were hard to miss. The T600 was already making a statement on aerodynamics. The paint scheme made sure nobody looked away.

Kenworth brought it back for America's 250th. The look is updated for current production but faithful to the original. It's available on the T680, W900L, W990, and T880 with sleepers.

Kenworth also donated a T680 with a 76-inch integral sleeper to the Freedom 250 initiative, which is running a fleet of Mobile Museums across the country this year. They're calling them Freedom Trucks. Interactive historical exhibits, schools and communities, all 50 states. A truck wearing those colors doing that work feels about right.

Happy Flag Day.

Today is National Sewing Machine Day. That might seem like an odd fit for a trucking page, but bear with us.Before White...
06/13/2026

Today is National Sewing Machine Day. That might seem like an odd fit for a trucking page, but bear with us.

Before White was building trucks, it was building sewing machines. Thomas H. White founded the White Sewing Machine Company in Cleveland in 1858. Decades later, his sons started tinkering with motor vehicles. Steam-powered automobiles led to a full automotive operation, and by 1906 the White Motor Car Company was its own business.

Commercial vehicles became the focus as demand grew. By the end of World War I, White had earned a serious reputation as a truck builder. The company supplied vehicles to the U.S. military in both World Wars and built a loyal following among fleet operators and independent truckers alike.

The White 3000 became one of the most recognizable cab-over designs of its era. Later models like the Road Commander and Road Boss carried that reputation into the long-haul market through the 1970s and beyond. White also grew through acquisition, absorbing Autocar, Diamond T, and Reo before eventually merging with Volvo in 1981 to form White-GMC.

Not many companies can claim sewing machines and trucks on the same resume. White can.

If you have a favorite White truck (or sewing machine) drop it in the comments.

Need a Father's Day gift? We've got you covered.But you don't have to shop for Dad to save—ALL ATHS hats are 25% off thr...
06/12/2026

Need a Father's Day gift? We've got you covered.

But you don't have to shop for Dad to save—ALL ATHS hats are 25% off through June 21!

Shop now: tinyurl.com/athshats

Friday Focus: 1962 Ford F-100For a lot of folks this was the first truck they drove, the one on the family farm, or the ...
06/12/2026

Friday Focus: 1962 Ford F-100

For a lot of folks this was the first truck they drove, the one on the family farm, or the shop truck at their first job. They were everywhere in the early 60s, and they're still one of the more affordable ways to get into the old truck hobby today.

The '62 was part of Ford's fourth generation F-Series. Buyers could get the 223 inline six or the 292 V8. These half ton pickups did real work on farms and small businesses all over the country, and plenty of them are still around.

One odd piece of history from those years was the integrated Styleside pickup. Collectors call it the "unibody" now, though Ford never did. From 1961 to 1963 the cab and bed on two wheel drive Stylesides were welded into one piece of sheet metal. It all still sat on a regular ladder frame. The design didn't stick, and Ford dropped it partway through 1963. That short run is part of why these trucks get attention today.

The '62 is simple to work on, parts are easy to find, and the looks have held up. That keeps it popular for restorations and custom builds.

How do you feel about the pickup's place in trucking history? Put your thoughts in the comments.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks is marking 130 years since the introduction of what is widely recognized as the world's first truck...
06/11/2026

Mercedes-Benz Trucks is marking 130 years since the introduction of what is widely recognized as the world's first truck—a vehicle that helped launch an entirely new era of freight transportation.

The milestone traces back to March 18, 1896, when Gottlieb Daimler received a patent for a purpose-built motor truck developed with chief engineer Wilhelm Maybach. Built in Cannstatt, Germany, the pioneering vehicle was powered by a rear-mounted two-cylinder "Phoenix" engine producing approximately 4 horsepower. Power reached the wheels through a belt transmission and chain drive, while iron-rimmed wooden wheels and wagon-style construction reflected the vehicle's horse-drawn ancestry.

While the first truck was built in Germany, the concept quickly spread around the world and helped inspire the development of the American truck industry. Within a generation, U.S. manufacturers such as Autocar, Mack, White, GMC, and International were building trucks designed for America's farms, factories, mines, and growing network of highways.

For ATHS members, the anniversary raises an interesting question: What do you consider the first truly successful American truck? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Your truck isn't the only thing worth protecting.As an ATHS member, you have access to affordable health coverage powere...
06/10/2026

Your truck isn't the only thing worth protecting.
As an ATHS member, you have access to affordable health coverage powered by Gallagher.
Learn more at ATHS.org or call 816-891-9900.

This week PepsiCo became the first major consumer goods company in the country to run a fleet of fully driverless delive...
06/10/2026

This week PepsiCo became the first major consumer goods company in the country to run a fleet of fully driverless delivery trucks. There are 41 of them, Isuzu-based box trucks hauling product in Arizona, Texas, and Arkansas. That's a long way from where Pepsi delivery started, with a horse-drawn wagon in New Bern, North Carolina.

For its first three decades Pepsi product moved by rail and wagon. The company franchised bottling early, around 280 local bottlers by 1910. Each one handled its own deliveries with whatever it could afford. In small territories that meant wagons well into the 1920s, while bigger operations were putting their first motor trucks on routes.

The fleet story really starts in the mid 1930s. After two bankruptcies, new ownership set up national franchise territories in 1935 and granted 94 new franchises in 1936 alone, riding the 12-ounce nickel bottle through the Depression. Every one of those bottlers needed route trucks. Most ran medium-duty straight trucks with side-bay beverage bodies. The design came straight from the work. A driver pulling cases at every stop, all day, needed bays he could reach from the ground instead of a bed he had to climb into.

Because the bottlers stayed independent, there was never one Pepsi fleet. A small Midwest bottler might run the same straight trucks for twenty years while a larger operation grew into tractors and beverage trailers. The paint matched. The iron underneath was whatever the local owner specced. PepsiCo didn't buy back most of its bottling network until 2010.

Pepsi was the launch customer for the Tesla Semi, taking the first production units of Tesla's Class 8 battery-electric tractor at the end of 2022 to work out of the Sacramento and Modesto plants. The trucks in this week's news run the short hauls between plants, warehouses, and stores, the same routes drivers have covered for ninety years.

Each route is mapped in advance and the trucks only run roads they know. Cameras, radar, and lidar handle the traffic, and repetition teaches them the rest. That's exactly how every route driver got good at the job, by running the same loop every day. Whatever you think of the new trucks, it was route drivers who built that business.

Address

10380 N Ambassador Drive
Kansas City, MO
64153

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

(816) 891-9900

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