Ford used to be a major player in the heavy-duty trucking game, holding a 15% share of the market by the mid-1970s. Come 1997, the story would be all over for Ford, as it exited the market for good, selling the entirety of its heavy-duty trucking operations to Freightliner.

The Blue Oval firm experienced both highs and lows while operating as a heavy-duty truck manufacturer, and during the '70s, it was certainly on a high. Ford had opened its Louisville plant in '69 to be a dedicated L-Series truck production site.

A wide array of styles, engine choices, and configurations ensured there was an L-Series truck for every trucker, and the approach worked. Ford boasted that it was at the forefront of truck-building in the U.S. at this time, producing models that were more innovative and user-friendly than ever before. It seemed as if the Blue Oval firm was poised for ever-increasing success in the sector. However, as the '70s rolled into the '80s, regulatory changes disrupted the entire industry.

Government intervention disrupted the trucking industry

The industry was turned upside down as the '80s dawned, with the introduction of the Motor Carrier Act of 1980. This act saw government price controls on shipping rates deregulated, and while it had the desired effect of trucking companies battling to offer more competitive pricing, the consequences for many of the names in the game were dire.

The New York Times detailed how more than 72 trucking companies stopped trading between '78 and '83, and that number exploded into the hundreds and eventually thousands as the '80s progressed. Prices were down, but companies were doing anything to survive, including slashing drivers' wages and holding onto their existing trucks for longer.

Ford heavy-duty competitor Kenworth managed to generate buzz once again with the introduction of its T600 in '85. The T600 was penned to be more aerodynamic than trucks of old, with this design to cut fuel consumption, reducing operating costs for owners.

Ford followed up with the AeroMax L9000 some 4 years later, and while it was indeed more efficient than previous Ford models, it only offered what Kenworth had already delivered to the market 4 years prior. Sales were slow, and by this point in time, Ford was holding onto just 10% of the U.S. market share, unable to seriously challenge its Kenworth and Peterbilt counterparts.

A last-ditch attempt falls flat for Ford

Ford spent $500 million on intense research and development to launch its updated AeroMax in '96. By all accounts, it was a superb offering, with a trucker-first approach designed to offer supreme operator comfort, for men and women of all sizes.

It was also lighter, making extensive use of composite materials to maximize efficiency. In typical Ford style, a smattering of configurations were available, with an eclectic mix of engines, transmissions, axles and fuel tanks for buyers to choose from.

On paper, it seems as if the Aeromax was poised for major success in the '90s, but it failed to capture the imagination and wallets of buyers. Ford's market share continued to dip below 10%, and the decision was made to shut the doors on Ford's semi-truck building operations. In 1997, that line of Ford's business was sold to one of the Daimler-owned semi-truck brands, Freightliner, for a fraction of what developing the new platform cost, just $200 million.

Ford repurposed the Louisville plant to focus on SUV production. The switch clearly worked; Ford sold a peak of 445,157 Explorer models in 2000, and employees at Louisville were spared from job cuts during company-wide restructuring in '02.