EAST TEXAS MOTOR FREIGHT 1970s GMC ASTRO 95 & Double Trailers 8x10 B&W Photo #1

Description

This photo is an excellent high quality 8” x 10” black & white glossy new photo reproduction of a 1970s GMC ASTRO 95 Road Tractor owned by EAST TEXAS MOTOR  FREIGHT pulling doubles.
This is photo #1 of 2 of the same ETMF GMC Astro 95 in different scenes. Buy both photos in your Shopping Cart at the same time, and get FREE Postage.
”SAMPLE” will not appear on your photo, it is only on the scanned image.
DESCRIPTION: This GMC Astro 95 owned by East Texas Motor Freight was one in a fleet of 80 or so bought in the early 1970s. The front bumper carries a number of various license plates, at least one of which is a 1974-75 P.U.C. plate. A cab roof airfoil with the ETMF initials is mounted on the Astro, as it pulls double freight trailers in a western desert location.
HISTORY OF EAST TEXAS MOTOR FREIGHT LINES:  Beginning operations in 1934 serving points from Dallas to Henderson, TX, ETMF soon was trucking into LA, MO, AK, and Chicago.  Over the next 35 years they enjoyed a phenomenal growth, acquiring some of the ‘big old names’ in trucking:  Gordons, Hemingway, Transamerican, and Eastern Express.  East Texas Motor Freight Lines (ETMF) was ranked #10 among the TOP 50 LTL CARRIERS in 1979, operating 125 terminals in 19 states, with over 3,000 employees.  Deregulation of the trucking industry in the 1980s had a disastrous effect on many LTL Carriers, and ETMF was no exception.  By 1982 ETMF had become the 5th largest motor carrier in the nation, when it was acquired by ABF Freight Systems ... another once proud motor carrier from the “Golden Age of Trucking” gone from the transportation world, but still fondly remembered by its many employees and families.
HISTORY OF THE GMC ASTRO 95: Replacing the old “crackerbox”, the new GMC ASTRO 95 was introduced in 1969. The Astro had many innovative features. The interior was designed for optimal convenience and comfort of the driver. The wide panoramic windshield provided excellent vision. Available as a 58” BBC day cab or an 86” BBC sleeper cab, the Astro could be ordered with Detroit Diesels 6 or 8-cylinders as well as Cummins. The ’95’ was dropped from the name in 1980. In the early 1980s a wider grille was introduced to provide more cooling for the larger engines of the day. By December 1986 the GM-Volvo-White merger was approved by the Justice Department. In 1987 sales for GMC medium and heavy trucks fell to 8th place. Production of the Astro continued through 1987, but as the merger officially took place in January 1988, production of the Astro stopped.
HISTORY OF GMC: With the acquisition of truck builders Rapid and Reliance in 1908, William Durant was preparing to establish the General Motors Truck Company in 1911. With manufacturing soon to be moved to Pontiac, MI, GMC only produced 372 units its first year, but quickly grew to producing over 10,000 trucks up to 15-ton capacity in 1931. In 1925 GM had purchased the Yellow Coach bus manufacturer in Chicago, continuing to produce interurban coaches until 1980, and transit buses until 1987. WWII was a huge effort for GMC, producing over 600,000 military vehicles. Always a popular selling heavy duty truck, in 1986 General Motors announced the discontinuance of heavy duty trucks in Pontiac, MI, selling the heavy duty line to Volvo White Truck Corp. in 1988, while continuing to produce lighter GMC trucks to this day. The legacy of the heavy GMC product line was discontinued in 1990. In 1997 the Volvo GM Heavy Truck Corp. name was discontinued with all models badged as Volvo or Autocar, with the Autocar name disappearing in 2000.
CONDITION: This outstanding black & white glossy photo is a newly reproduced photo from a vintage photo in my personal lifetime collection.  This photo has been printed on excellent quality HP PREMIUM PLUS GLOSSY PHOTO PAPER using HP 02 Vivera Inks, producing a professional quality photo that resists fading over 100 years ... the best money can buy.  This 8x10 photo has a white border around the photo.
For your information, the description and documentation of this photo will be loosely taped to the back side of this photo. I try to ad some “added value” to my photos by researching each one, adding some history and information that you may not know. If I get something incorrect, please let me know … thanks!
SHIPPING & HANDLING:  This item will be shipped via USPS FIRST CLASS MAIL - PACKAGE RATE (non-machinable) within the USA, including FREE USPS Tracking from USPS from my door to your mailbox. Your item will be mailed FLAT, carefully packed in a large 9x12 double envelope with a cardboard stiffener in the inner envelope ... the cardboard stiffener assures you it will arrive in excellent condition.
I can usually mail your photo within 24 hours of your payment thru PayPal, and sometimes on the same day. You will get an email confirmation from PayPal that postage has been purchased, with a tracking number from USPS to track your photo from my post office right to your mailbox.
PURCHASE 2 OR MORE ITEMS FROM MY SITE, AND SHIPPING WILL BE FREE.  I believe you must put your multiple items into your SHOPPING CART to receive my FREE SHIPPING and pay with a single payment.
If it does not work for you, please contact me and I can manually issue you an eBAY INVOICE with the FREE Shipping.
I will be adding a number of vintage truck and construction equipment photos/ads, listing an additional item or two almost daily.
I still have several file boxes and shelves full of items to sell.  Please check my auctions and store frequently to see what new items I have added.
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Rest assured, you get what is represented.  It may be ‘old school’, but I treat my customers like I would like to be treated myself.  Trucking and construction have been my life, and now in retirement I do this with a labor of love and enjoyment.
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Thank you for your interest in this item!