Public Freightways Story

Public Freightways is a result of several mergers of small truck lines serving points in British Columbia's Lower Fraser Valley within 100 miles of Vancouver.

Public was unique in Canada's motor transport industry. It was employee owned. From a modest beginning, it has expanded gradually to provide scheduled line haul service between most points, covers the Pacific Province with contract or charter service.

Jim Vanderspek came to Canada from Holland in 1928, he joined his brother John in Princeton B.C. on August 30. From jobs hauling coal at Princeton, the brothers switched to lumber and then back to coal with their own trucks. This lasted six months until the mine folded. Moving to Vancouver, Jim bought broken beer bottles for resale to stucco manufacturers. Following two months at this, he became one of B.C.'s original "lease operators" driving for Union Transfer on a 75-25 percentage basis.

In 1932 he started a butter and egg route, buying the produce from Lower Fraser Valley farmers, selling it to retail outlets in Vancouver. Jim and his wife went to Red Deer Alberta in 1934 on a Christmas holiday and belated honeymoon, to investigate the possibilty of hauling foothills butter, eggs and cheese to the coast market. There was no Canadian route through the Rockies and could not haul through the United States. In the meantime an Interational-Harvester truck ordered for the operation has been delivered. On May 1st, 1934 Vanderspek's Transportation was born.

For the next nine years until gasoline and rubber rationing forced the suspension of service, the neatly painted and always attractive trucks maintained usually reliable schedules from Vancouver through the then treacherous Fraser and Thompson River canyons to Kamloops, Vernon and Kelowna.

After the war ended, Vanderspek promoted the merging of eight small trucking firms into Public Freightways Limited. Everyone was given equal shares in the new company. Mission City Freight, Winton's Transfer, Chilliwack Cartage, Lake Freightlines (Harry Black Sr.), Cloverdale Freight, Langley Freight, Black Motor Freight, Oliver Transfer, and Vanderspek Transport. On March 1st, 1951 Public Freightways was formed.

Expansion-minded Jim Vanderspek is a salesman's, salesman, Gordon Winton seen that service promised was delivered. Where the Dutchman would dream and scheme with the aid of a coffee shop paper napkin. Winton worried over equipment, supervised scheduling and maintance.

Dedicating the greatest part of his effort to attaining operational efficiency, Jim Vanderspeck strongly advocated the standardized equipment for Public Freightways fleet. That was quite a challenge when one considers the history of eight different companies and their equipment. Turning point came in 1955 with the formation of the Public Freightways Employees Association. This way the employees became share holders in PFL. Employees were payroll deducted for shares in the company. Vanderspeck got the working capital he needed to trade off his old rigs and invest then in a fleet of 55 new trucks.

By 1968 Public had 36 diesel-powered tractors. Thirty were tandems, all but four were Kenworth. All but one were Cummins Diesel powered. All are equipped with Jacobs engine brakes. Gasoline powered tractors numbered 22, all International Harvester. Gasoline powered trucks total 63, five of them GMC the balance International. Most of PFL's 60 Van's bear the Can-Car trademark. 12 have ThermoKing reefers. 35 flatdecks bear the Columbia Trailer emblem.

In 1972 Public Freightways and Johnson Terminals became one. Public closed its doors in 1989, due to the down turn in the economy and the small profit margin. The company decided to close while the going was still good.

Story by Hank Rabe

I kind of think that the Reo was superimposed on a picture of the highway, because is looks just a bit big for the roadway. So thinks the webmaster.

Thank you Geoff Danish for the correct location

I found your site and the photos of the International 4x4 Unistars brought back a memory from January 7, 1976. I was 19 at the time working for PFL on the dock. I wanted to drive so bad I had diesel smoke coming out of my ears.

One of Public's drivers lived across the back lane from me and on friday nights I would go with him up the canyon. He taught me to drive and quite often I would drive from Lytton into Lillooet.

So one January night we set off. My intention was to learn how to chain-up.we were heading back and had just cleared Hells Gate Tunnel when the driver lost control. His choices were over the edge or into the wall. He chose the wall. These photo's show what was left of the tractor, as you can see the chains are still hanging on the tanks. Both the driver and myself survived, although the driver broke his wrist. I haven't seen the driver in 28 years. I'm driving still and the smoke out my ears is starting to fade.

Good job on the website, I enjoyed it.

Ron McKercher