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December 14, 1998 10:54 AM, EST

SEAFORD, Del.

he company doesn’t exist in its original form any more, having been swallowed up by a larger operation long ago. But many of the former employees of Service Trucking Co. still think of themselves as part of a family, if you get right down to it. And like many families, they like to hold a reunion now and then.

Back in the halcyon days, Service Trucking was a staunch Federalsburg, Md., business. It was the creation of Gilbert A. Banning, fondly remembered as an entrepreneur and innovator who used cutting-edge ideas to build his fledgling freight carrier into an extensive operation.

Just as important, he treated everyone in the company as though each were part of his family, instilling a life-long sense of belonging. That’s why the Service Trucking legacy lives on, if you ask the scores of folks who turned up this fall for the big “Old Time Truckers” get-together.

It was a grand celebration of everything that Gil Banning stood for.

“My dad worked in trucking when it was a rough business,” said Ed Banning, Gilbert’s son and longtime head of Trinity Transport in Bridgeville, Del. “Yet his approach with the employees was one of respect and concern. Everyone’s opinion counted. Today, we’d say those people were empowered.”

That is probably why Mr. Banning could confidently refer to Service Trucking as “the company that lives up to its name.”

Some 330 former workers, their spouses and families came from as far away as Florida and Oklahoma for the reunion at the end of September. They came to share memories and memorabilia from their days with Service Trucking. On display were old company uniforms, advertising from the era, model trucks and, of course, lots of photographs.

The attendance was testament to the loyalty that Mr. Banning cultivated. That loyalty was a two-way street. Twice he welcomed back an employee who had joined the military to fight, first in World War II and then in the Korean War.

In 1948, Service Trucking employees presented a plaque to Mr. Banning that read: “In recognition and appreciation of his thoughtfulness, generosity and concern in all matters affecting the welfare and security of those who work for him.”

Four decades later, former employee Asbury Evans organized the reunion to commemorate Mr. Banning and his works. Mr. Evans died before the event was held, but Cathleen Windsor and Ed Banning saw to it that his vision was brought to life. Ed’s son Jeff Banning, who is now president of Trinity Transport, was joined by Mike Hubbard, another Banning grandson and chief executive of Hab Nab Trucking, Seaford, in sponsoring the event.

Innovations marked Gil Banning’s path through trucking. He installed a fan in a trailer to blow air over a block of ice and keep the contents cool — and today he is remembered as a pioneer in refrigerated trucking.

The innovations didn’t stop there. According to a 1960 company brochure, Service Trucking had direct telephone connections to all terminals and the executive office, electronic accounting, radio-dispatched equipment, a safety program and an advisory counsel on tariffs — often before such things were standard in the industry.

Mr. Banning started driving a truck in 1931 at the age of 18. He bought his own truck three years later, and in 1935 he decided to go into business for himself. In 1942, he founded Service Trucking Co. By the 1950s, the company had over 500 pieces of equipment and 300 employees at 15 terminals in 10 states.

There was the Banning farm to look after, too. Truth be told, the trucking business was Gil’s main concern, while most of the farm chores were up to his wife Nora Mae and their six children — Shirley, Barbara, Gerald, Edward, Carole and Janet, in addition to Edward. But it wasn’t unusual to see the head of the clan dismounting a big-wheeled tractor at midnight during the crop season.

Still, by 1954, Mr. Banning was prominent enough in the industry to be featured in a series of ads for White Trucks in Transport Topics.

Civic responsibilities were also important to him. He was president of Federalsburg’s Board of Education for six years and served on the board of directors of the Union Methodist Church. He also was a member of the Rotary Club and the town board.

In 1962, he sold Service Trucking to the company’s officers and employees. They ran it until National Freight of Vineland, N.J., bought the company in 1966.

Mr. Banning died in 1979 but left a powerful impression on the people who worked for him. That is obvious in the fact that nearly 20 years after his passing, so many still think of themselves as part of his family.

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