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September 1939. "Driver entering cab of truck which has just been cleaned and checked over in garage preparatory to next trip. Minneapolis, Minnesota." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
I hope the driver or his employer didn't pay much for the cleaning. Granted, the truck is far from new and shiny, but still.
The depicted tractor is the D-89-H model, possibly the first COE (cab over engine) in the history of Kenworth Trucks.
In addition to that truck, I bet that handsome driver gets "checked over" a lot when he's on the road.
It would be difficult to crawl in the back and take a nap in that tractor.
Apparently this company — Werner — is not related to the Werner Transportation company that exists today.
The 1930s Werner company is associated with the first refrigerated trailers. Harry Werner, who owned the company, prompted a golf buddy of his to build the first refrigerator units to mount to semitrailers. Which led to the formation of the Thermo-King company that still exists today.
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