America’s Products and the Trucks That Carry Them

Keep on truckin!

[From the PJ Mode Collection of Persuasive Maps at Cornell University] “This pictorial map of the U.S. shows major products in each state dependent on shipping by commercial trucking. Around the border are images of 32 vehicles, from the fire truck to the ice cream truck. It was produced in 1958, two years after authorization of the Interstate Highway System – which facilitated travel by larger trucks at higher speed – and at a time when federal weight limitations on trucks were under discussion. It is possible that this map was part of a lobbying campaign by its publisher, the Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. (For example, a note at the bottom right of the map states that “Any portion of this map may be reproduced editorially in newspapers and magazines” with attribution.)”

In addition to the fascinating variety of trucks comprising the border, numerous illustrations of agricultural products and industries across the United States highlight the ubiquitous need for an effective nationwide transportation network. How else would all these products, which in one way or another affected every American, get to their respective markets?

An excellent and engaging example of the corporate lobbying efforts that would influence much of American politics in the second half of the 20th century. The map was designed by the General Drafting Company of Convent Station, New Jersey and was published in 1958 by the Automobile Manufacturers’ Association of Detroit, Michigan.

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