This reminds me of "The Grapes of Wrath." Tom Joad manages to hitch a ride, even though the sign on the windshield says "No Riders". He then proceeds to scare the crap out of the driver by saying that he just got out of prison for homicide.

What a photo! That lighting slants right out of Double Indemnity. (So that's how you do italics in these comments! Dave, did you do the italics for me, or did I magically generate them, myself?)

I think it has a manual wiper. I believe that the lever that you see just in front of the driver at that top of the windshield is for moving the wiper, so the driver has to use both hands to drive the truck without power steering, but also use his right to shift gears as well as power the wiper.

[Um, no. This is 1943, and the wiper is pneumatic. - Dave]

I had never heard of pneumatic powered wipers until now. This site has some good pictures of what the driver would see of the mechanism. Probably much better than the vacuum powered wipers, which would slow down under acceleration, or mechanical (used in the '42 GP and '43 GPA a friend of mine owns). I learned something new!

Fruehof and Trailmobile trailers were the most common makes seen in upstate NY in the '50s. Tractors were by Mack, White, Brockway, Autocar, Reo, Diamond T, GMC and others. Diesels of any make were rare; Kenworths and Peterbilts even more so.

Very spartan equipped truck. Or was this to save rubber during the war years?

I can see John Phillips, but where are Bogart and Raft?

The first truck my father bought was a used EQ model Mack like the one in the photo. It was powered by a gas engine of about 450 cubic-inch displacement. He cut the sides off an open top freight trailer to make a flatbed and started hauling steel from the Allegheny Valley to western New York. Mostly Buffalo.

Reminds me of "They Drive By Night"

I see a Mack Tractor and a Fruehauf trailer but where is the SHORPY watermark?

[Scroll up. - Dave]

Got it. Nice job.

In 1918 the Fruehauf Trailers Company was born​. With this semi-trailer invention and many other innovations, the Fruehauf story is an integral part of North American transportation history.

The kingpins in the front suspension need to be greased regularly. These are the pivots that allow the wheels to turn left and right. I was taught to wipe off the excess grease so it doesn’t look like this mess. You can clearly see where a mechanic wiped the grease from his fingers on the inner sidewall of the left front tire.

Just look at those tires. I can imagine that truck grinding up the hills. The condition of the truck speaks to the skill this driver had to bring his load in safely.