This 1948 black and white film was presented by The Highway Transportation Industries of America and produced by RKO Pathe, Inc. It is narrated by radio actor Dwight Weist and violinist Herman Fuchs supervised the music. The film opens with headlights on a dark street, and a spotlight on a “Horizons Unlimited” sign (:09-:32). A bird’s eye view is seen of an interstate with a tunnel (:58). The viewer passes a Howard Johnson’s (1:08). Passengers on a Greyhound Bus look happy (1:10-1:20). The bus pulls into a Texaco and stops at a restaurant (1:22-1:50). A young man washes the windshield of a Chevy Fleetmaster (1:56-2:10). People talk in front of Mac truck (2:13). Semi-trucks and busses drive on surfaced highways (2:25-2:25) and a Ford Model A post office truck delivers mail to country mailboxes (2:36-2:45). At 2:40 highway signs are seen for Route 66, California 7, Los Angeles, Akron and other cities and highways. Many 1940s vehicles drive by (3:02). The footage moves to the late 1890s (3:13). A team of horses struggles to pull a wagon through the snow (3:14-3:23) and a man works on a broken carriage wheel (3:24). Farm life included churning butter, pumping water, a cast iron stove to heat, and kerosene hurricane lamps (3:30-4:09). A 1907 Locomobile Type E Touring car needs repairs under the hood (4:23-4:38). Multiple early 1900s cars drive past (4:39-4:50), followed by 1940s cars, including a wood-sided Nash Ambassador Suburban (4:51-4:58). A 1948 Checker Taxi picks up a businessman (5:00-5:08). A woman hands a metal lunchbox into a car window (5:09). A large traffic jam is shown (5:18). A doctor arrives at a rural home (5:25-5:40). Vehicles from the 1940s include a school bus (5:42), a police car (5:52), a fire engine (6:01), and an ambulance (6:04). Men take golf bags out of a car (6:25). People purchase tickets at a bus station (6:33-6:48). Different busses are shown (6:49-7:15). Bus maintenance is performed (7:18-7:42). Factory lines of canned goods and eggs go into crates hammered shut for transport, loaded on trucks, and unloaded (7:44-8:15). Store windows showcase household goods, toys, and clothing (8:17-8:35). A pharmacist checks supplies (8:42). Esso and Amoco metal signs are seen (8:53). A tractor factory unloads steel plate rolls and engines with a forklife (8:55-9:54). Finished Metrac tractors are loaded (9:55-10:13). A grocery store is stocked with produce and eggs (10:15-10:54). A tricycle is delivered (10:55-11:15). A woman dials a rotary telephone (11:19). A fuel oil truck delivers (11:24), a moving van is unloaded (11:31), milk (11:36) and diapers (11:42) are delivered. Delivery trucks are loaded (12:02-12:14). American Airlines Flagship airplanes transport goods loaded into trucks (12:15), receive fuel (12:35), galley meals (12:51), and have mail loaded (13:01). Ships transport goods loaded into trucks (13:10) Sketched models of trucks from 1900 to 1947 are shown (13:18-13:50). Trucks include a mobile x-ray unit, cement mixer, insect sprayer, dump trucks, pineapple harvesters, and a rolling library (14:08-14:35). A semi cab hooks up to its trailer (14:50-15:03). Dispatchers are in action (15:05-15:45). A large wooden city model map is shown (16:46-16:55). Various roads with vehicles close the film.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com