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Arab, Alabama has always been home to Arab Cartage & Express even
before the company formally entered into the trucking industry back in 1979.
Originally, Ludie and the late Irby Elrod, along with their two sons Don and
Bob, were engaged in the poultry, egg, and grain business. When the slumping
poultry & egg market left them with one truck and little to haul, they
began hauling whatever they could to make a living.
With the dispatch office being run out of the old Arab Grain &
Feed building and a tarpaulin for a maintain shop, they slowly gained more
loads of freight and were soon able to lease on more equipment from
owner-operators. With the first significant amount of freight being aluminum
products out of Scottsboro, Alabama, the business then relocated to its current
location in the mid 1980's. With this move came room to grow, and as the
freight slowly increase, so did their number of trucks. As lease operators
would move on to other jobs, Don & Bob would then purchase used equipment
to fill the void left behind. It was many years before they could afford a new
truck.
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The Expedite Division of Arab Cartage & Express
began by hauling the first load of freight, pressure molds from Arab to
McMinnville, Tennessee in the trunk of a 1978 Oldsmobile Delta 88. Eventually,
they began to haul 2 molds instead of 1, which outgrew the Delta 88 and called
for a 1 ton pickup truck instead. Now with a diversified fleet of Expedite
Trucks, from pickup trucks to cargo vans to straight trucks
and lift gates, the idea of shipping in a 1978 Oldsmobile seems far
fetched. But the principal of steady growth and customer service has been the
cornerstone of Arab Cartage & Express's ability to survive for over 20
years. Now with over 30 semi trucks, 90 trailers, and 26 Expedite units, Don
and Bob Elrod, along with their sons Russ and Ben Elrod, still believe that
customer service comes first. At this family owned and operated business, you
won't find any voice mail during business hours, only live people to talk to,
and weekends and holidays are no problem.
You can reach someone 24 hours
a day at Arab Cartage & Express. Hard work and dedication pulled this
company through the first 20 years, and it will work for the next 20 years as
well. |
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| The
front of the original post card won from an eBay auction. The post card was
originally written in 1956. |
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| The back
of the original post card. Shows the original letter sent back in 1956 from
what used to be Dickson's Truck Stop. |
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My how things have changed. Our trucking
terminal was actually built during the 1950's. Originally know as Dickson's
Truck Stop, this was a popular rest stop for weary travelers along U.S. Highway
231. This was a heavily traveled highway beginning near Chicago, Illinois and
running all the way to Panama City, Florida.
We won this postcard in
July 2003 on the eBay Auction site. The gentleman who listed it on eBay was
from Illinois. The people to whom the postcard was sent were from Illinois
also. If you will notice by the message written on the back of the postcard,
the couple was traveling to Panama City, Florida in August of 1956. They
stopped at the Dickson Motel, which is now our office building, and spent the
night. This postcard is now hanging in the exact room in our office from which
it was mailed 47 years ago. |
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| Even
though today this site is covered with semi trucks, you can still see the
buildings that used to be the Dickson's restaurant and gas station. The old
motel, which is now our office, is just off to the right of this
photo. |
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| This
building was once the restaurant for Dickson's Truck Stop, and is now our
maintenance and shop area. |
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