North
Carolina
Business
History
North Carolina became home to some of the country's largest truck transportation firms during the 20th century, as well as a few firms engaged in truck building. The industry had its roots in the 19th century and local wagon builders.
Cherryville
Carolina Freight (1934 - 1996) - C. Grier Beam (full history up soon on site)
Conover
Jerome Bolick Sons Company (1934 - 1978) - began manufacturing school bus bodies in 1934, switching to truck bodies in 1953. The firm ceased production in 1978.
Henderson
Corbitt Motor Truck Co. (1915 - 1952) - Richard J. Corbitt (1876 - 1955) founded the motor vehicle company after building his first car in 1907, according to reports. He had founded another business in 1899. The first truck was built in 1913. Finding an opportunity in truck production, by the 1920s, then firm was known as Corbitt Motor Truck Co. The firm produced 5-ton trucks, adding up to 15-ton trucks in the 1930s. Military and civilian trucks were produced during World War II. Volume production by the company ceased in 1952, when the then 76-year-old Richard Corbitt retired. An attempt was made in 1957 to revive the business with a build-on-order approach, but it was short-lived.
High Point
Thomas Built Buses ( - present) - Built bus bodies, as well as some trolley car bodies.
Wilson
Hackney Brothers (1854 - 1996) - Although it started as a wagon building business in 1854 and turned out about 200 buggies and 100 wagons a year by 1885. The firm began making truck bodies in 1910s, later expanding the company's product line to include ambulances, house trailers, hearses, portable storage rooms, temporary bleachers, car-top sleepers, and school buses. The company patented the first carbon dioxide-based refrigeration system in 1931. Refrigerated trucks became their most important product. It was sold in 1993 to Hackney & Sons located in Washington, NC. Then in 1997, TTI bought the entire Hackney firm and merged its operations with another subsidiary, Kidiron.
Please provide any additional information for this list to Ron Vinson.
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