Driving history: HTI's patriotic trailer honors America's 250th anniversary
Key takeaways
- The trailer displays a detailed timeline of American history, including key events such as the Revolutionary War, Civil War, moon landing, and 9/11.
- Designed for visibility at parades and events, the trailer aims to foster unity.
- The initiative reflects HTI's commitment to honoring military service and American history, extending beyond transportation to community engagement.
This year, America will celebrate its 250th year as a nation, and the party is already starting—even in the trucking industry.
One family-owned trucking company based in Findlay, Ohio, HTI Hall Trucking Express, will commemorate the nation’s 250th birthday with a rolling reminder of where the country started, where it’s been, and how far it’s come with a celebratory vinyl wrap on one of its trailers. The wrap depicts a timeline of U.S. history, accompanied by images of George Washington, scenes from past wars, and more.
About the fleet
HTI Hall Trucking Express is a reefer carrier based in Findlay, Ohio. The 40-year-old company is family-owned and operated. At one time, HTI had a fleet of more than 100 trucks, but as the founder, Jeff Hall, once said, “Bigger isn’t always better,” and the company now consists of a smaller fleet of 22 trucks and drivers and 62 reefer trailers.
The idea to wrap one of HTI’s trailers to commemorate America’s 250th birthday came from Taylor Ireland, a member of HTI’s operations team, in the fall of 2024. She attended Findlay’s historical museum with a group of local company leaders, where the museum director challenged them to find ways their respective companies could contribute to the town’s celebration of America’s Semiquincentennial.
“Within seconds, it hit me,” Ireland told FleetOwner. “I said, ‘I'm going to take the concept of our Military Tribute trailer, and instead of showcasing the branches of our military, I'm going to tell America's story in a timeline form on the trailer.”
HTI’s military trailers Ireland referred to are part of a small number of trailers with vinyl wrapping that display the different branches of the military. HTI has this trailer in its fleet to honor military members and their sacrifices.
“Our drivers take those [Military Tribute trailers] across the country, and people always recognize them: ‘Oh my gosh! These are so awesome. Thank you for what you've done and showcasing the branches of our military,’” Ireland said, relaying the reactions drivers get while out on the road.
The idea was easy to sell to HTI’s owner, Jeff Hall, who is a U.S. Army veteran and, as Ireland describes, a strong supporter of “anything red, white, and blue—anything patriotic for our country.”
After a few months of planning, Ireland engaged a local graphic artist to help with the project, and implementation took off from there.
The America 250 trailer tells America's story through key historical moments
The trailer depicts images of American history on both sides, and each side is different. “It tells the same story, but with different events,” Ireland said. While America’s history is considerably shorter than many other countries in the world, that didn’t make deciding upon which historical moments to memorialize on the trailer any easier, Ireland said.
To follow the official branding of America250 (the organization tasked with leading the charge on celebratory activities), the timeline on the HTI trailer begins at 1776. One side of the trailer showcases images of George Washington and images that depict the Revolutionary War. The other side depicts the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Moving across the timeline, the trailer showcases depictions of the Civil War, the Reconstruction Act, Women’s Suffrage, the Industrial Revolution, World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the Vietnam War, Martin Luther King Jr., the moon landing, 9/11, and the Washington Monument.
It was important to the company that the images remain "politically neutral,” Ireland said, given the country's divided political climate.
Ireland hopes that when people see the trailer, it will challenge them to find their own way of celebrating America 250, or it will move them in a way that will cause them to want to “come together,” she said.
The America 250 trailer takes U.S. history on the road across the Midwest and Northeast
Though HTI’s America 250 trailer will run operational routes throughout the year, Ireland has a bigger vision. In fact, the way the timeline on the trailer reads—from right to left on one side and left to right on the other—was designed specifically for parades, allowing spectators from both sides of the street to easily understand the timeline.
There are no parades on the America 250 trailer’s calendar (yet!); however, Ireland is laying the groundwork and getting the word out that the trailer will be available for special events. Just recently, the trailer was prominently featured at a local college’s Sunday Fun Day, where families and community members were able to take pictures with the trailer and learn the story behind it.
It’s worth noting that HTI’s America 250 does not feature the HTI logo. This was intentional.
“On the trailer, people did question, ‘Your logo is not on it?’ And I said, ‘Oh, you're right—but that's not the point.’” Ireland explained. “For us, if somebody wants to use [the trailer] or maybe take it somewhere, or whatever vision they might have with it, we're all for it! I mean, the goal is that it gets out there and does a little more than just haul food.”
Ireland mentioned the possibility of parking the trailer at schools, giving students a visual aid when America 250 is in their curricula. According to Ireland, the possibilities with this trailer are endless, and she’ll do whatever she can to make sure the trailer is seen and that she, as she put it, “does it justice.”
“My hope and prayer is that [the trailer] helps move people the way it's moved me and moved our company,” Ireland said. “In such a divided country we live in right now, the hope would be that maybe it could bring us together, even if it's just one person at a time.”
Because the trailer is a working trailer for HTI, those in the Midwest and Northeast parts of the U.S. have the best chance of seeing the America 250 trailer on the road en route to deliveries. Ireland has also created an Instagram account for the trailer, TheAmerica250Trailer, for those interested in following its journey throughout the year.
About the Author
Jade Brasher
Senior Editor Jade Brasher has covered vocational trucking and fleets since 2018. A graduate of The University of Alabama with a degree in journalism, Jade enjoys telling stories about the people behind the wheel and the intricate processes of the ever-evolving trucking industry.