The "fallen flags" of the tanker sector...

The mom & pop tanker place I started at is long gone, as is Matlack, Inc, my otr job.

And I know that Dana/Suttles, Trimac, KAG, etc, swallowed up several smaller outfits. But there's a few outfits that I used to see around all the time, that I haven't seen in years, and I'm curious what happened to them.

Manfredi Motor Transport- Used to see them mostly running chemicals out of ELF/Atochem out of Riverside, MI. Would occasionally meet up with them at certain receivers, too.

Central Transport of High Point, NC- The company name was written in white script on an inverted blue triangle, decaled to the tractor doors and the back of the trailer. Used to see them a lot loading corn syrup out of A.E. Staley in Baltimore, or sucrose out of Domino Sugar. They had a terminal on Bells Lane in Louisville, I-264 x3 IIRC, right down the street from Matlack.

Aero Transport- Truckload propane, mostly saw them in Michigan, but talked to their drivers and they said Aero bounced them all over. Had a terminal off I-94, somewhere up around Port Huron, MI.

Finally, a bonus local/regional carrier I just recalled...another Baltimore food grade hauler...

J. Rudy, or maybe J.R. Rudy, something like that. They drove white International 9400 sleeper conventionals. This was only a year or two after the new 9400s came out, so they looked pretty spiffy next to our worn out, 10-plus year old R model Macks. We used to see them every day, loading HFCS at ST Services on Frankfurst Avenue in Baltimore, then we'd see 'em again as we all lined up on the hill going to Pepsi Baltimore, or Coke Silver Spring.

Any info, drivers? Or feel free to mention a few tanks you miss seeing, and we can all raise a sample bottle of #2 sucrose, and drink to those gone before us....

 

I know, right? Remember when the CH Macks came out, so many oufits dumped their R models on the used market, the Rs were basically "buy one, get one free"? Truck Paper had 'em for about $3500 apiece most months. Just didn't have the cash. I'd like one for a project truck.

 

Quality Carriers snapped them up, I think.