FreightWaves Classics

Today, automation can mean launching a fleet of autonomous robots that can unload shipping containers without human intervention. In 1974, a remote-controlled “bow boat” was considered a major launch.

The latest episode of Tracks Through Time looks at the disappearance of a giant British merchant ship and the long investigation.

In 1977, news of the looming threat of a strike by a union of dockworkers was prevalent in the pages of American Shipper magazine. The publisher at the time ended the April issue that year with an opinion piece discussing the threat.

In 1975, American Shipper originally covered the launch of the “catamaran-tug,” which completed its maiden voyage to Port Everglades with a 42,000-ton cargo of gasoline for Shell Oil Co.

American shipping magnate believed in efficiency and economies of scale in operating the world’s largest ships.

In 1990, Martin Scorsese directed acclaimed gangster flick “Goodfellas,” captivating audiences with the story of a famous heist. The movie was loosely based on the 1978 heist of a Lufthansa airplane’s cargo, and the true story is even more unbelievable than the script.

The legend of Casey Jones remains alive today in music and pop culture. But the real story is about a serious crash and an act of heroism.

View a collection of photos throughout the history of Love’s Travel Stops and the family to celebrate Tom Love’s life.

The first woman to command an American merchant ship did so when her husband was too sick to captain in 1856. She was 19 and four months pregnant.

Daylight saving time was enacted on Feb. 9, 1942. Some believe the reasoning behind it is no longer relevant and the practice should be discontinued, but how did it start in the first place?