A Gallery Of Vintage International Big Trucks Shot On The Go In The 1960’s

Ron Adams spent quite a bit of time standing on the side PA Rt. 22 (now I-78) in the 1960s shooting big trucks as they rolled by. International trucks were the biggest sellers back then, so there’s an outsized number of them in his collection. Let’s start with this “Emeryville” COE (Cab Over Engine), named after the Emeryville, CA factory where they were built. A 1964 Dodge is just about to pass it.

Here’s the oldest one, a K Model coal hauler. It was probably getting on to twenty years old at the time, but it looks very well kept up. The lack of an exhaust stack strongly suggests this is a gas engine truck. Rolling coal of a different sort.

This R Series diesel is hauling a refrigerated trailer, with the single cylinder gas engine up there running a fan over the ice inside, to keep things cool.

A burly RD, with a big nose.

Another RD, with big 24″ disc wheels, which were not common back then on East Coast trucks.

A Fleetstar, which used the pickup and Loadstar cab and was targeted at…fleet operators.

Another Fleetstar, hauling street sweepers, no less.

 

This tall boy COE is a C-405. It’s got a sleeper cab, although a none too generous-sized one.

This is a DCO Series and International’s first COE. This cab was used by several manufacturers, and was originally made out of fiberglass. But International ones were steel cabs.

Another Emeryville cab, which was just a DCO mounted higher over the engine. They were very common in the 60s and 70s.

This Emeryville is a long way from home, with its California plates and aluminum wheels. It’s almost certainly carrying fresh produce from California to New York or other points east, on an expedited basis thanks to its two-man crew.

I knew a couple of brothers in Iowa City in the early 70s that were making good money doing the same thing, hauling produce from CA to the Midwest and East Coast. They tried to talk me into getting into the business, and I toyed with it, but I wasn’t ready to be that tied down, despite being on the open road almost constantly.

One more Emeryville. This one is a bit different than the others; its headlights are mounted higher and further apart, and the bumper is higher. I don’t know how to account for that.

This is a pretty new CO-4000 Transtar, which replaced the Emeryville. It first came out in 1965, and was built in two series until 1981. Again, these were very common; it and the Freightliner were the two best selling COE’s in their time.

 

This is a rare M-42-CAE yard jockey heading to a dealer with a new Fleetstar and Loadstar in tow. It’s got “Super Single” tires on back; large singles, which are now very common are not exactly new.

 

In case you missed it, here’s an earlier gallery of trucks shot at this location.

And here’s a gallery of Freightliner COEs all shot at a rest stop in California in the ’60’s

Do check out our big truck and van archives – Lots of vintage trucks and histories