The company's founder, August Charles Fruehauf (1868–1930), was born in
Fraser, Michigan, the son of Sophia and Charles Fruehauf. Fruehauf would call them "
semi-trailers", and his product proved popular. In 1918, he incorporated his business as the Fruehauf Trailer Company. To meet increasing defense contract work, the hub of the company's
ground handling/
ground support equipment (GHE/GSE) production was placed at its plant in
Delphos, Ohio. The company also provided the army with fuel tank semi-trailers and 12-ton semi-trailers. At its plant in
Fullerton, California (previously owned by Hanson Bros.) it manufactured
15-ton amphibious lighters and reusable metal shipping boxes for military purposes. Both Detroit and Fullerton branches of the company's military products division took part in the
U.S. space program, producing among the other things
Gemini practice recovery spacecraft. In 1959, the company, Roy Fruehauf,
Teamsters Union President
Dave Beck, and others were indicted on charges that the company had illegally lent $200,000 to Beck in 1954. The Teamsters had previously lent $1.5 million to Roy Fruehauf to finance a
proxy fight against his elder brother, Harvey, and Roy Fruehauf was alleged to have returned the favor by making the loan to Beck. As the Teamsters represented some Fruehauf employees, the loan was alleged to be an illegal gift or bribe, in violation of the
Labor-Management Relations Act of 1947. The
U.S. Supreme Court upheld the indictment in 1961, but subsequently, the case was dismissed. Following the death of August's sons, Harvey, Harry, and Roy Fruehauf, the Fruehauf family was no longer in charge by the mid-1960s. Resting on the laurels of the preceding decades, management would not make the tough and difficult personal sacrifices needed to withstand economic challenges. While the company eventually diversified and expanded its operations, financial issues resulted in the sell-off of company divisions in 1989. The truck trailer unit continued operation as Fruehauf Trailer Corporation. Fruehauf France or Nippon Fruehauf, with major global shipping lines and container leasing companies as customers. The company declared bankruptcy on October 7, 1996. An axle plant in Ohio was sold to Holland Hitch Company on February 18, 1997, and Fruehauf's United States manufacturing and sales business was sold to
Wabash National on March 17, 1997. Companies in France, Mexico, New Zealand, and Japan continued to operate under the Fruehauf name. In 2021, MV Commercial purchased Fruehauf in the UK from administration. It aimed to revive the brand and increase production by investing heavily in the business, which had been neglected for several years. In 2023, Fruehauf featured in the October issue of Bulk & Tipper magazine, with the article covering Fruehauf's acquisition by MV Commercial and the success of the takeover. ==Notes==