Early History

The tradition of hauling valuable cargo from one place to another can be traced deep in the Cassens bloodline. When Napoleon's army was defeated in the unsuccessful invasion of Russia in 1812, German farmers such as 20-year-old Hans H. Wilkening were employed by the French government to help carry wounded soldiers across Germany and back to France.

Going Clockwise from right, George Cassens, Albert Cassens, Louise Cassens, and Arnold Cassens

In 1918, when Hans H. Wilkening's grandson, George Cassens, had his first opportunity to get involved with automobiles, the 38-year-old jumped at the chance and became a subdealer for John Brandes Garage in Marine, Illinois, selling a few of the new Reo automobiles to friends around Edwardsville, Hamel, and Worden.

One of the Hudsons sold by George in the early 1920's

In 1920, George accepted the dealership for Hudson's Essex line of automobiles. His only start-up expense was a garage to work out of. In the 1920's, automobiles were still a luxury and such a new commodity on the American landscape that most people didn't know how to drive automobiles. George had to not only sell the automobiles, he had to teach the people how to drive. There were no oiled, gravel, or blacktop roads, just dirt. If you wanted to sell a car, you had to make a personal call to people's homes, or go out in the field where they worked and demonstrate the cars. In 1924, George started taking his teenage sons Arnold and Albert on sales calls.

In 1929, George sold 165 new Hudson-Essex automobiles. Because of the Stock Market Crash and the resulting depression, he only sold 3 in 1931.

To help get through the Depression, George and his sons entered the trucking business by hauling milk for the Pevely Dairy. In 1931-1932, they expanded their hauling to include corn, apples and potatoes.

Even though auto sales were slow, there was enough demand to warrant having some new cars on hand in the Hamel showroom.

In 1931, the automobile dealers had to get their own cars from the manufactures. Most automobiles were shipped from the assembly plants via the railroads and the dealers would get the automobiles from the railroads. This worked, but was very expensive for the dealers. George and his sons determined that they could save both time and money by having the automobiles shipped directly to them via trucks. Arnold and Albert rode a bus from Edwardsville to Detroit for $6, each carring a tow bar borrowed from a garage. When they got to Detroit, they slung the tow bars over their shoulders and caught the street car. For a nickel, they rode from the Statler Hotel way out to the Hudson plant on the corner of East Jefferson and Connors Avenue. They then walked about a half mile along Connors to Kercheval and stopped at John Fleming's filling station. They left the tow bars there and returned to the Hudson plant driveway and waited on a bench for their cars to come out. Then they drove the cars to John Fleming's and hooked them up.

On the first trip, the tow bars they had carried from Edwardsville did not fit. They walked back to the Hudson plant and cashed a check so they could buy two other tow bars that did fit. They were able to head back to Edwardsville with the four new Hudson-Essex cars.

In the winter of 1932, Dodge-Plymouth was looking for new Dodge dealers in the Edwardsville area. The Dodge representative heard about the Cassens and thought they might be interested. When the representative arrived at the house to talk, he wasn't let in. The Lindbergh baby had been kidnapped earlier that year and George's wife, Louise, was afraid this stranger might be a kidnapper and wouldn't let him in the house. After George straightened things out, they met with him a couple of times and decided to take the new dealership. The new Dodge-Plymouth agency opened in Edwardsville on June 22, 1933. It moved to a new location in 1996, but it is still in operation today.

George never lost his zest for over-the-road hauling. Soon after opening the Dodge-Plymouth agency, he ordered a new four-car transport trailer to bring his cars back from Detroit. The outfit consisted of a two-ton Dodge truck and a four-car auto trailer. The rig, built in September of 1933 was affectionately known as ``Old No. 1,'' and cost only $1,850.

George's son, Albert, spent a week in Detroit getting the first load ready. He bought bed sheets for $1 apiece and put them around the windshields to protect the glass from low-hanging limbs. This was done for about a year until concrete roads became more prevalent.

First load of vehicles arriving in Hamel, IL on September 24, 1933.

On September 22, 1933, Albert left Detroit with the first load of cars in transport for the Hamel and Edwardsville agencies. The load consisted of two Plymouths, a Dodge, and one Hudson Terraplane.

Unlike the railroads, trucks could deliver a load of automobiles straight to a dealer's place of business, reducing time, damages, and unloading costs for the automobile sellers. It was a major change in efficiency, and Cassens was in on the ground floor.

Incorporation

By 1935, the fleet had expanded to include six outfits to handle the growing transport business. To protect the family assets, Cassens Transport was incorporated on December 28, 1936.

In 1935, Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Motor Carrier Act to regulate the trucking industry. It granted rights based on where a company had been hauling prior to June 1, 1935. Since Cassens had been hauling from Detroit to St. Louis, they didn't think it would be any problem getting the authority to continue hauling this route. When they went to Chicago to testify before the new Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), they were very taken aback by all the people who were gathered there. There were representatives from the railroads and other trucking companies. It turns out Cassens Transport was the first auto hauling company to have an ICC hearing. Cassens received grandfathered rights to continue hauling from Detroit to St. Louis.

Cassens Transport is the only auto carrier mentioned in Volume 1 of the Interstate Commerce Commission Report, dated April 6, 1937. The landmark decision reads:

The examiner finds that applicants, since prior to June 1, 1935, have been in continuous bona fide operation as a common carrier by motor vehicle of automobiles, trucks, bodies, chassis, and unfinished automobiles and trucks, and by such means of conveyance of said commodities as the driving thereof under their own power and the towing thereof, by any customary method, from Detroit, Michigan, over the highways herein before specified in Michigan and Indiana to the Illinois State line and thence over irregular routes to points in Illinois on the south of the line described in the preceding paragraph, and to St. Louis, Mo., and the metropolitan area thereof, and that applicants are entitled to a certificate of public convenience of such operations. It is recommended that the appended order be entered.

World War II

By 1941, the fleet had grown to 35 outfits. When Detroit stopped making new cars during the war, Cassens' new car hauling revenue dropped - from $132,000 in 1941 to $58,000 in 1942. In 1943 it was $27,000 and by 1944, it was down to $2,400. Cassens sold their 35 trucks, but unlike most of their competitors, George and his sons did not sell all of their trailers. They stored most of the trailers on an empty lot they had recently purchased. Even though weeds grew 10 feet high through the trailers, they were safely stored.

When the war ended, Cassens went to Detroit and met with Dodge. They explained that they had 28 trailers, but no trucks. Trucks were very hard to come by, and Cassens told Dodge that if they would get them the trucks, they would haul their cars. Dodge agreed and Cassens Transport was back in business. Cassens cleaned up the trailers, painted them, and mounted them to the new Dodge trucks. By not selling the trailers, Cassens was able to gain quite an advantage over their competitors who had to wait for trailers.

Cassens Transport trailer #57 parked at the Hamel terminal in the mid-1940's. Gilbert Honnerkamp, driver.

In 1951, Cassens did over one million dollars in business. It was a new milestone for the company.

From August 21, 1954, until 1957, the Cassens Mercury Sales dealership replaced the family Hudson dealership in Hamel. Then, due to the demands of the growing transport business, the space was converted into the transport company home office, and no more cars were sold out of that building.

Carrier Retention

In 1957, Chrysler, who had purchased Dodge, was using 82 different automobile carriers and found dealing with that many haulers was cumbersome and inefficient. To remedy the situation, the automaker held a "Carrier Retention Meeting'' to advise its carriers which of them would be retained for services and which would be released. Cassens was one of the lucky few that were retained.

In 1959, Chrysler was preparing to open the new assembly plant in Fenton, Missouri. Cassens Transport got the business and was in place and ready to ship the first load of automobiles from the plant.

Albert Cassens, George Cassens, and Arnold Cassens at Chrismas Party in 1955.

Railroad Competition

In 1960, the railroads developed a way to fight back and began taking back much of the business they had lost to trucks. On June 10, 1960, the Frisco Railway introduced the ``tri-level'' railcar which could carry 12 to 15 automobiles on a single 85-foot railcar, compared with the six units a transport truck could carry.

Most of the long-distance traffic left Cassens and other trucking companies to go by rail. All that was left was short hauls of 200 miles or so out of St. Louis. Everything else went directly by rail.

The growth of Cassens Transport was seriously curtailed by the tri-levels. The annual sales volume dropped from about $4 million to $1.5 million, and the fleet dropped from 225 trucks to 75. However, there was enough business to keep the enterprise going. The company's good reputation for honesty and service helped to add new business during the difficult times.

In 1965, Chrysler was getting ready to open a new assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois. Cassens was able to convince them that they could handle the new plant and provide good service. Chrysler agreed and Cassens was selected to haul the new automobiles from the plant when it opened in September 1965. Cassens is still there hauling new automobiles from the plant.

Eventually the loss of volume to the tri-levels took its toll on Cassens Transport, and in 1967 the company closed its Detroit terminal and laid off 100 local employees.

Going International

Looking for any opportunity to increase its hauling volume in its battle with the railroad, Cassens Transport hauled its first load of international commerce on January 7, 1970 when they hauled a load of automobiles to the Canadian border. Though there were some labor disputes about Cassens hauling across the border, they were worked out and Cassens began hauling internationally.

Cassens Transport continued to show good growth until the end of the 70's. The years 1979 through 1984 were treacherous ones for Chrysler Corporation. Imports hurt business dramatically, it had to be bailed out by the U.S. government, and only extremely efficient and visionary leadership by Lee Iacocca saved the company from bankruptcy. The automaker's trials were felt by Cassens Transport, which had become the largest Chrysler direct truckaway carrier in the country.

In 1979 the transport company had shown revenue of $40 million, but by 1980 the figure had dropped to $31 million. In dramatic fashion, the fleet dropped from 365 trucks to 200.

Hauling for Others

In the stormy winter of 1979, Nissan cars shipped by train from the West Coast were stranded at the Naperville, Illinois, railhead. Nissan needed someone to get those cars from the railhead to its Midwestern dealers. They called Cassens, and Cassens Transport hauled its first imports out of Chicago that winter. About this time Cassens also began hauling Hondas out of Chicago. Hauling for Nissan and Honda gave Cassens Transport some important diversity. It was a significant change for Cassens Transport, because it gave provided exposure to other people and companies and let them see Cassens' capabilities.

On October 6, 1981, a holding company was formed that included all of the stock from the Cassens corporations formed to date.

Even though Cassens had been hauling for Nissan since 1979, when they opened their first U.S. assembly plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, in August 1983, Cassens was not invited to be its carrier. Due to increased volumes and mass releases, Nissan was soon asking for Cassens help in moving its products. It took 3 years, but Cassens did become a carrier for Nissan in 1986.

When Honda built its first plant in the U.S. in Marysville, Ohio, in September of 1983, its cars were hauled by Cassens Transport and several if its competitors. Due to rail competition and mergers, only Cassens Transport and one competitor remain.

In what appeared to be a promising development at the time, on September 5, 1984, Cassens Transport began hauling vehicles for Ford Motor Company from Louisville, Kentucky. The traffic ended after only three years.

Canada since 1970, Cassens did not open a terminal facility until 1986 when the Windsor, Ontario terminal became operational.

After half a century of significant (if not always steady) growth, Cassens Transport had outgrown the Hamel offices that George had built from the ground up. Three days after Christmas in 1986, the company moved into the Edwardsville building, located at 145 North Kansas.

Edwardsville employees outside main entrance of new office.

More Recent History

Between 1987 and 1990, Cassens Transport expanded its influence by hauling for various other automobile manufacturers, including American Motors in Kenosha, Wisconsin; Hyundai in Naperville, Illinois, and Muncie, Kansas; Mitsubishi and Chrysler in Normal, Illinois and General Motors in Chicago Heights, Illinois.

In 1991, Cassens started moving automobiles for Subaru from Lafayette, Indiana to Newark, Delaware. Since the trucks were ending up on the East Coast and coming back empty, Cassens contacted Chrysler about getting some backhauls from Newark. Chrysler assigned some traffic back towards the Detroit, Michigan area. This enabled Cassens to keep the trucks from coming back empty, and helped to expand the business even further.

Cassens Transport had already cemented a good working relationship with Nissan, and in April 1992, it began hauling inbound rail product at Sheffield Village, Ohio, for Ford. It had been five years, but Cassens was once again a carrier for Ford. When the plant started producing new vehicles, Cassens increased its responsibilities and service to both of the Ford/Nissan joint venture partners.

In 1994, Cassens was selected as the carrier from the Chrysler Sterling Heights, Michigan, assembly plant. This required the addition of 150 new trucks to service the business.

In 1999, Cassens continues its growth by adding two new shippers to its customer base by hauling for both Toyota from a terminal in Princeton, Indiana, and for Saturn from Wilmington, Delaware.

From its humble beginnings, Cassens Transport has achieved business prominence through a blend of energy, curiosity, determination, and honesty. However, the dominant attribute that has led the Cassens team from hauling milk in Hamel to transporting vehicles from automotive giants has been persistent hard work.

Most of this history is excerted from "Humble Beginnings - The History of Cassens Transport'' recounted by Albert Cassens in 1996.