Fruehauf Corporation was an American corporation engaged in the manufacture and sale of truck trailers with headquarters located in Detroit, Michigan.[1], and bankrupted in 1997.
Founder August Charles Fruehauf (1868–1930), was a blacksmith and carriage builder in the Detroit area. In 1914, he built a boat trailer at the request of a merchant who subsequently asked Fruehauf to build additional trailers to haul lumber and wood products. Fruehauf called his product a "semi-trailer". In 1918, Fruehauf incorporated his trailer manufacturing business to form the Fruehauf Trailer Company.[2]
On February 28, 1947 the Fruehauf Corporation purchased the Carter Manufacturing Company. Carter was started in 1927 and based in Memphis, TN with another location in Birmingham, AL. The Carter Manufacturing Company was involved in the manufacturing of truck trailers. For ten years after the purchase all trailers made out the Memphis and Birmingham plants were called Fruehauf-Carter.
In late April 1997, Wabash National Corporation acquired the assets-in-bankruptcy of Fruehauf Trailer Corporation.[3][4]