Goodyear’s ‘Wingfoot Express’ Celebrates 90th Anniversary

AKRON, Ohio, – Goodyear’s pioneering interstate Wingfoot Express truck line celebrates its 90th birthday today.

On this day in 1917, a five-ton Packard with a 10-foot-high, specially-built 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. The one truck eventually blossomed into a fleet of trucks.

Steve McClellan, vice president of Goodyear commercial tire systems, said he appreciates the company’s history in trucking, but “is especially proud of our kinship with America’s truck drivers and have developed products around their needs.”

The tire company invented the first sleeper cab. Even today, the company has focused on improved driver comfort and steering response and fuel efficiency with a new line of Fuel Max Technology tires.

“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,” McClellan said.

Goodyear continues to recognize drivers for their heroic efforts with the North America Highway Hero awards, which also seek to raise the image of today’s truck driver.

“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,” he said.

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 before returning to its home in Fort Smith, Ark.