Standard Forwarding: The Trucking Line That Died Over a Weekend

Ninety-one years of Midwest freight history ended over one weekend. Standard Forwarding survived the Depression, bankruptcy, recessions, and foreign ownership, then vanished almost overnight. Born in East Moline, Illinois, in the shadow of John Deere country, Standard Forwarding was the kind of regional LTL carrier that older drivers remember well: local terminals, familiar lanes, union freight, farm equipment parts, and a name that meant something across Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Minnesota. It was never the flashiest trucking company in America, but it was the kind that seemed built to last. Then came the final stretch — DHL ownership, a quiet sale, new leadership, fast expansion, shrinking driver numbers, and a parent company facing its own pressure. What looked on paper like a new chapter started to feel like something else entirely. When the memo finally came, drivers and the Teamsters said they were blindsided. The gates closed, the trucks stopped, and one of the old survivors of American freight was reduced to a name still hanging on the internet. --------- 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