We all know the last twelve months have been a bumpy ride. Sadly, a lot of operations are no more, including lately one of the oldest.  Frame’s Motor Freight, which began in 1870 in the horse-and-wagon era, is shutting down.

Located in West Goshen Pennsylvania, Frame’s is, according to its website, “the oldest carrier in the nation.” That’s arguable but certainly it was the oldest in the state. As a regional carrier to the Eastern Seaboard, its vehicles hauled freight to and from the piers of Philadelphia, Baltimore, Newark and New York every day since the 1920s. Its routes extended from Maine to South Carolina.

Owner Robert “Bud” Temple said rising fuel and insurance rates contributed to the firm’s demise, although the tip-over came with the slide in the economy. “Most companies are experiencing the same thing." said the  77-year-old Temple, who took over the company from his father-in-law in 1955. “We were fine in 2007, then there was the downturn. The bigger guys could handle it but we, unfortunately, are not one of the big guys."

The business, which included a second terminal built in 1996 in Richmond, Virginia, had 65 tractors and 81 employees (down from 123 a few years back). Both facilities will be closed and the equipment sold. Some staff will continue until accounts are cleared.

About half of Frame’s employees are drivers, who will remain on payroll until they return to the terminals. “There are trucks still on the road as far away as Rocky Mountain, North Carolina.” said Temple. “We have to get them home.”

“It’s a sad thing,” said Steve Kane, president of Frame’s longtime West Goshen rival, A. Duie Pyle. “Virtually everyone in the freight business is fighting for survival. There are too many trucks, too little freight.”

This story was drawn from articles in Transport Topics , Landline Magazine , and the Delaware County Daily Times