What Really Killed McLean Trucking?

McLean Trucking rose from an underdog fleet of screaming four-cylinder Detroits to become one of the five largest trucking companies in America. Then the Double Diamond suffered the biggest trucking bankruptcy the country had ever seen. The familiar explanation points toward Malcolm McLean and the shipping container that transformed global freight. But Malcolm had surrendered the company three decades earlier, and the real strength behind McLean Trucking was not its tractors, terminals or famous name. It was a collection of federally protected operating rights that determined exactly where the company could haul and who was allowed to compete against it. When American trucking was deregulated, those valuable routes were opened to everyone. New ownership arrived, losses accelerated and McLean’s workers surrendered part of their own pay in an attempt to keep the carrier alive. What followed connected old GMC tractors, ICC regulation, the Motor Carrier Act of 1980 and two enormous transportation failures—one on the highway and another at sea. --------- We do not fully own the material compiled in this video. It belongs to individuals or organizations that deserve respect and consideration. This video was created under the Fair Use Law Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. "Fair use" is allowed for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, and research. It is transformative in nature, uses no more of the original than necessary, and has no negative effect on the market for the original work. #vintageamericanmachines #vintageengines