Consolidated Freightways

Consolidated Freightways (CF) was an American multinational less-than-truckload (LTL) freight service and logistics company founded on April 1, 1929, in Portland, Oregon, and later relocated to Vancouver, Washington. Affectionately known as "CornFlakes", Consolidated Freightways was also the founder of the Freightliner line of heavy trucks, now owned by Daimler Trucks. At its height, the company possessed over 350 terminals, employing more than 15,000 truck drivers, dock workers, dispatchers and management. Consolidated Freightways was once the nation's number one long-haul trucking company and the 3rd largest-ever US bankruptcy filing, ceasing business in 2002.

Consolidated Freightways was founded on April 1, 1929 by Leland James in Portland, Oregon. Originally a single truck LTL operation, in the early days James combined four local short-haul carriers in the Portland area into a single carrier. At the beginning, the company primarily focused on the Portland area before expanding into the region.

James was an innovator focused on improving the product capacity of his truck and trailer combinations. Length laws were stringent in the 1930s, so if a company were to survive they had to be innovative. James purchased his custom power units from Freightways Manufacturing Company and helped to design the first Cab Over Engine (COE) power units used in the US. These COE power units were lightweight and short, allowing for an additional freight box mounted on the frame of the truck behind the cab for single trailer units. Shorter COE units without the frame-mounted freight box could haul longer than normal short trailers hitched as doubles. Both of these configurations allowed each combination to haul more freight than standard configurations.

These innovations in truck and trailer design and configuration led to CF founding Freightways Manufacturing in 1939. It was later re-branded as Freightliner Manufacturing. Over the subsequent years, CF acquired additional manufacturing companies including railroad equipment manufacturer Transicold Corporation and glass fiber product manufacturer Technic-Glas Corporation.

In the late 1930s, CF began serving the Northwest US region and down the West coast into California but by the late 1940s had routes as far east as Chicago. The company operated about 1,600 pieces of equipment by 1950 with revenues of US$24 million. The company went public in November 1951, opening on the New York Stock Exchange at $1.80.

Under strict regulation in the 1950s, CF grew primarily through acquiring smaller competitors, totaling 53 by the end of the decade. This was carried out under the leadership of CF president Jack Snead who took the position in 1955. By 1959, the company was the largest common carrier in the US with revenues of US$146 million and almost 11,000 employees. Its operations covered 34 states plus Canada and included 13,800 pieces of equipment.

Following a half-decade of expansion through acquisitions, most of which were not integrated with one another, the company's financials were unstable and it reported a US$2.7 million loss for 1960. This led to a change in leadership at CF with William White replacing Snead as president in 1960. Under White's leadership, CF underwent restructuring or sale of many of the company's subsidiaries, including a small parcel company, with the goal of restoring the company's focus and centralizing management.

These moves resulted in a turnaround in financial performance and by 1969 the company had US$451 million in revenue.