Dart Transit - Super Singles, No Yard Move, No Personal Conveyance

Who did Dart buyout around the time 53ft trailers showed up used to have a sales jingle Dart Advantage pasted on there back door your correct.
Last i heard Dart was hooked up with Rihm motors out of Minneapolis.

 

OK. The only thing that may bother me is the fact that you had to buy gear for 400 bucks depending on what it is. I can understand preferences, but your post came off kind of diva-like. All you had to do was just go to work.

When the Vice President called you, the way you handled that wasn't a good idea. He might have been able to accommodate you. You made the cardinal mistake of doo-dooing where you eat, and in turn, you ended up eating #### before you even hauled a load. I have to admit, that's kind of impressive.

I always say it: Truck drivers die on the wrong hill more than anybody I know.

 

Too much time to think, that's what causes that dying on the wrong hill stuff. Sit there, mile after mile, working some little problem over in your brain until it becomes a huge problem and takes control of what's left of your life.
Most people get over that in junior high school. Some never do.

 

That's a good point, I never thought of it that way. I'm certainly guilty of working out little issues in my brain too, very seldom it's related to work. You're right though, I was much younger when I overthought things til it became an issue.

 

We've all done it. I used to be terrible about it but after a few bad outcomes that were mostly my fault I took a different path. Life is much easier now.
The people that don't get over it, that fuss and stew over every little thing, and make mountains out of mole hills aren't hard to find. They're the ones yelling about nothing.

 

Dart bought out Filmore Transport when Filmore quit running. As for the 53 foot trailers, Dart fought to get them legal across the states. Actually Dart built their own 53's way back when. Dart also has Highway Sales, the company that sells and leases trucks to Dart Owner ops. Dart's original terminal in St Paul was next door to Rihm Motors, the KW Dealer. Both have moved to different locations, although the last time I knew, Dart still used the location as a fuel stop.

 

Fleetline, from Texas?

 

Fleetline that's it , good call.

 

Dart bought fleetline in the mid 80s , they were Texas based and dart wanted the rights to haul intra state in Texas which was overseen by the Texas railroad commission, Texans on the railroad commission didn't like the idea of Yankees from Minnesota hauling intra state freight and wouldn't give dart authority to do so .
So dart just bought fleetline to solve the problem and had a terminal in Lancaster TX.
In the late 80s dart also bought allpoints distribution services based in Ohio along a couple other small outfits whom I can't remember.
Back then darts biggest customers were company's that manufactured food and beverage containers, paper products and other light bulky freight .
Not long after the fleetline purchase which was run under the fleetline name dart bought a bunch of 57ft vans to run Texas and surrounding areas , that didn't go to well after some of those trailers made it into states escaped into northern states and they got caught , 1 even made it to the Eagan mn terminal.
Not all at dart was bad back then and if you were willing to run the northeast you would make money there but the good ole boys club there definitely made the easiest money there and were home the most often .
I was not a member of that club and fought tooth and nail for what I got as most did.

 

It came to mind now.
In 89 dart bought a company called bigbee transportation, don't recall where they were out of but I think dart back then thought they would just buy up other beverage haulers and eliminate the competition...it didn't work .
With big bee they inherited a fleet of near new freightliner cabover single bunk stripped down flat roofs with L10 Cummins engines ...these got folded into hi way sales and they couldn't give them away .
I left about a year later .