Getting There Is Half The Fun

This 1946 Dodge belongs to Stephen Carter of Ninety Six, South Carolina. A textile mill in Newberry, SC bought the Dodge new, and when the company was ready to retire the truck, an employee bought it to use on his farm. Eventually, Stephen’s father bought the truck and did a full restoration, adding the flatbed body. It is equipped with a 6-cylinder flat-head engine and an updraft carburetor (the breather is at the bottom of the carburetor, mounted on the side of the engine). The small doors on each side of the grille allow a driver to check the oil and do other limited tasks, but in order to reach the engine, the entire front has to come off. Trucking runs in the Carter family – beginning with Stephen’s grandfather – who started Carter Trucking in 1930, hauling green lumber slabs. Business grew until he lost his drivers to the draft during World War II. However, postwar business was good, and Stephen’s father joined the company in 1951, driving a 1946 Chevrolet. As before, the Carters hauled wood and then began hauling bricks, as well. The company continued to grow and, with Stephen and his brothers all driving, it now operates 18 tractors and 38 trailers. Another generation will soon join the business when Stephen’s son begins driving. Stephen loves his old trucks (he has several of them) and enjoys taking them to shows, as the trucks turn heads on the highway. He said, “Getting there and back with the old trucks is half the fun!”