Looking Back At Lee Way Motor Freight

Lee Way Motor Freight was founded by Robert “Whitt” Lee in 1934. He had gone into business for himself in 1914 with a horse and buggy, but created the trucking company in 1934 when he moved its location to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. By 1938, Lee Way Motor Freight covered lanes from Oklahoma City to the Texas panhandle and into New Mexico.

The U.S. Congress granted the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) the authority to regulate the trucking industry in 1935 with the passage of the Motor Carrier Act. Under the ICC, carriers’ were generally limited to existing routes; the easiest way to expand was to acquire another carrier and its operating authority for its routes.

Lee Way grew quickly, adding drivers and equipment. As it grew, the company also developed a reputation for safety, and in 1943, Lee Way Motor Freight received the American Trucking Association’s Safety Award for the best safety record for Class 5 common carriers operating 1.5 to 3 million miles annually… read more >