They went Bankrupt in 80's during a slow time in trucking .
My Job was to sit in the dispatchers office keeping an eye on things . Then once an hour walk thru the terminal building checking for hazards and then thru the lot checking trucks where not leaking fluids etc and signs any one might be trying to break into trailers in the lot.
It was a very quiet job except for occasional voice coming over a Zenith line? they called it which was basically an open mike phone between all the terminals. If I had a problem and could not get hold local supervisor could pick up the phone and get one of the 24/7 dispatchers to get hold of the right people . Other than the occasional truck leaking cargo contents and a trailer sinking because it hydraulic lift was loose I rarely had to call any one .
That was till the weekend during summer 79 when the teamsters went on strike nation wide.
LTL was non union and stopped all its trucks I checked them in as they came in that weekend . Next to us was Yellow Freight lines a Union outfit . They had pickets who for most part where peaceful but they got out of hand the first weekend and good ole General Patton as he was known as a tough no nonsense Stowe Township cop came down and settled it. Good thing many truckers where injured and couple killed during this strike.
During the first weekend we still had trucks coming down into the Bottoms as its known who did not know the strike was called. The union guys stopped them advised them to pull there rigs over in one of the lots till things settled down. I heard some yelling that evening and they here arguing with a driver I said knock it off I had called Police and there on the way and since I was only 19 at time I was literally taking my life in hand but at over 6 foot and 225 pounds I could handle myself if I had to. The police arrived and they talked to the drivers the officer then came to my place and asked if the driver could leave his trailer on LTL's lot .It was then I had to use the all call phone told dispatchers what was going on and they said fine they can leave there trailers or trucks in the LTL lot till things blow over after the police officer asked if they could do so. . Some dropped there trailers in our lot some parked whole rig and just stayed in there rig 1st night then found motel rooms up the road after there dispatchers arraigned rides for them. At least in Pittsburgh it was fairly quiet but in other parts of country trucks where shot at a driver was killed and logs where left hanging low under overpasses to injure drivers and tire-jaks put on roads to deflate tires.
I was there several months till they lost the guard contract something frequent in the industry as every guard company tried to cut the others throat what they would provide guard service for . It still goes on to this day. I then worked several temporary assignments .Burns also lost the contract with Pepsi plant next to LTL and when they lost the contract one of the Burns supervisors gave me one of there No Trespassing signs they use to post on property's after he took it down The Yellow Freight terminal has also closed and the LTL terminal which sat empty for many years is now being run by Dayton Trucking. the trucking industry has seen more than its shares of bankruptcy mergers and acquisitions as well. many trucking company names now gone to history.
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| Old Abandoned Yellow Freight terminal |
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| Old LTL Terminal |
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