DECEMBER 2004 WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO...

Fontana’s Fall is Racer’s Refuge

Story and Photo by Truck Historian/Author Stan Holtzman

(Click on image for larger photo)

Seen here in Fontana, CA is what appears to be a 1962 Kenworth, originally part of a pristine fleet of black beauties owned by Terry Kennedy. As trucks change owners, so does their condition, and what was once a “jewel” soon becomes a diamond-in-the-rough. J.J. Hernandez owned this KW and leased it on with S&H Truck Lines of South Gate, CA. At one time, in the late 1960s and into the 1970s, S&H was one of the largest haulers of steel and flatbed freight in all of California. They had their own equipment, as well as leasors, but sometime in the 1980s that all came to an end. What happened to this outfit? And since I’m asking questions, what did the two initials (S&H) stand for? I am told that the “H” was for Hopper - does anyone out there know? During Fontana’s boom time, Kaiser Steel had a giant facility there and steel haulers were all over town. That’s all gone (today it is the sight of California Speedway), and gone also are the days when steel haulers were a dime a dozen. For more information, visit my website at www.linerigs.com today.