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1954 Richard R. Riss, Sr. picture (Recovered from a 1954 Fruehauf Trailers Ad).

Richard R. Riss Sr.
CEO/President/Owner
Born: 19 May 1903
City/Town: Poplar Bluff, Missouri

1927 - Richard R. Riss, Sr.  founded his own truck company in Colorado.

1928 - Richard R. Riss, Sr. only having one truck began to haul fresh fruits and vegetables between Colorado and the Rio Grande Valley.

1929 - During the depression many of the trucking firms disappeared overnight.  Riss & Company, Inc. continued to move forward.

Early 1930's - Richard R. Riss Sr. decides to move the Riss & Company, Inc. Headquarters to Kansas City, Missouri from Colorado. He also opens his first terminal in that city.
 
Will soon have a location also in Oklahoma. Riss & Company, Inc. continued to expand their areas that they served. Routes where extended into Chicago, then to Boston on the East Coast and Dallas to the south.

1930's/1940's Personal Riss & Company, Inc. picture.

 
 
 1939 - 1945 Provides transporting for the U.S. Government during World War II.
 
  1945 - After the war Richard R. Riss, Sr. turned to building better service at lower rates. This meant investment in new rolling stock, terminal facilities, and personal.  Terminals would be built in various sections of the country. In Boston Richard R. Riss, Sr. built the largest privately own trucking terminal in the nation at that time. It was on a 14-acre tract of land and has facilities for handling more than 500 trucks.

 

1946 to unknown date (Possible mid 1950’s) - Richard R. Riss, Sr. builds terminals in the following cities: Philadelphia, Jersey City, Saint Louis, Oklahoma City, Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, Trenton, and Louisville. It should be noted that the Cleveland Terminal was over fifty acres in size. It also been said that a Riss & Company, Inc. truck passed through the Pennsylvania Turnpike on an average every thirteen minutes.

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 1948

1948 Corbitt Truck Photo.

1948 Corbitt Truck Photo
 
 1950's - Riss & Company, Inc also shipped explosives.

 
 1951 - This is the first documentation found that Riss & Company, Inc. used Owner/Driver's within the company. (1)

 
 1952 - Has 36,172 miles of road rights in 21 states. Has 34 terminals in the United States.
   

1953 Picture of the Riss Building.

 

Riss Building (Headquarters)

15 West 10th Street, Kansas City, Mo.
 

Picture: 1953 

 

Ohio Terminal Picture

Type: aerial view, Measures 16" x 20",Color: Sepia Toned B&W, Manufacture: Unknown, Date: 1954, 1955 Location:  Ohio

Not sure what location in Ohio:
I.E. Cincinnati or Cleveland

 

1950's Riss & Company, Inc. terminal picture.

 
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 1954 - Purchases 1,400 Fruehauf Trailers. Also purchases 500 GMC “Cannonball” tractors. From what I understand Riss & Company, Inc. had their engineer's work with GMC engineer's to design the GMC "Cannonball" rig that Riss & Company, Inc. is now using. With the new rigs Riss & Company, Inc. had two driver teams when driving over the road. Each taking turn sleeping.

1954- Riss & Company locations

 July 7, 1954 - The truck line is the fifth largest.

1954 GMC “Cannonball” tractor & Fruehauf “Car-A-Van” trailer.

1954 GMC “Cannonball” tractor & Fruehauf “Car-A-Van” trailer.

 
1955 - Purchases 500 GMC “Cannonball” tractors. Also purchases 500 "Road Rangers" Fuller transmissions.

 

January 1955 GMC/Riss ad.

 The terminal that is pictured in this 1955 GMC ad.

 Location: Kansas City, Missouri

 
"I lived in K.C. and remembered the sound from the old Cannon Ball GMC. And I remembered the terminal on the West side of the ASB Bridge in North Kansas City." (2)

 
 1956 - Riss & Company, Inc. had been shipping trailers by railroad and where shipping about 600 trailers per week. When did Riss & Company, Inc. started doing this is unknown. 

 
 1957 - The truck line is the third largest.

 
 1950's - 1960's It is common to see a Riss & Company, Inc. rig rolling down a major highway with it's red cab and the name RISS on the side of their trailer's.
 

Riss & Company, Inc. Logo.

  
 Date Unknown - From what I understand that Riss & Company, Inc. also had a fleet of flatbed trailers. 

 
 1964 - Robert B. Riss takes over company. Later he renames the company Riss International.

 
 1985 - Riss Building added to National Register of Historical Places - MISSOURI (MO), Jackson County.

 

Page Notes:

1) Owner/Driver is a driver that owns their own truck.

2) Credit: Jim Steele

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