Goodyear's
Wingfoot Express truck line celebrated its 90th birthday this week. In 1917, a five-ton Packard with a specially built, 10-ft.-high body established the first interstate trucking route with regular nonstop runs from the Akron tire factory to the company's tire fabric mill in Connecticut. One truck eventually blossomed into a fleet of trucks.
"Back then, we viewed truck drivers as heroes for making the perilous journeys that kept the flow of goods and raw materials moving. Our perception hasn't changed one bit," said Steve McClellan, v.p. of Goodyear commercial tire systems. A 1917 Packard Model E 3-ton truck - similar to the one used in the historic journey - will celebrate the trucking fleet's 90th anniversary this year with several stops at Wingfoot Commercial Tire Center locations.
"The Wingfoot Express always has been about the customer, and today, it symbolizes 90 years of delivering business solutions for our customers from the time the original tire is placed on a new truck and through its life cycle," McClellan added.
Wingfoot Commercial Tire Systems LLC (Fort Smith, Ark.), a subsidiary of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (Akron, Ohio), operates more than 173 commercial tire centers in North America. It is part of a national network of tire service centers that serve nationwide fleets as well as regional and local transport companies.
