The style and position of the vertical number tell me this trailer was once owned by Transport International Pool (TIP). It was sitting in a parking lot, probably relegated to storage duty by its present owner. The "55" of the number designates the type of trailer, in this case probably a 40-foot unit. The sloppy application of brown paint adds to my thinking this trailer is no longer a TIP trailer. Seen in a parking lot in Phoenix, Arizona.
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Many moons ago I worked for Transport International Pool (abbreviated “T.I.P.” or “TIP”), a company that leased highway trailers to trucking companies. It was part of Gelco Corporation. Wikipedia says it is now called GE Trailer Fleet Services.
When I went to work for T.I.P., I had never heard of it previously. Nor had I heard of the city in which it had its headquarters (Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania). All I knew about the trucking industry was that “trucks transport stuff.” My employment there was a great learning experience. Terms like “kingpin,” “landing gear,” “fifth wheel,” and “hub odometer" became meaningful, as did the names of companies with which T.I.P. did business.
The aspect of the job that I enjoyed most was parking trailers in our storage yard, which was great fun once I got the hang of turning the truck’s wheels in the opposite direction of where I wanted the trailer to go.
T.I.P.'s logo is almost identical to the "TIP" icon appearing in federal income tax booklets. Pictures appear here in chronological order.
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