Founded in 1900, Great Dane made some of the first modern refrigerated trailers and today makes numerous lines of high-quality refrigerated, dry freight, and flatbed trailers and truck bodies.
Read More (Great Dane)Great Dane, which the company notes takes its name from the breed of dogs known for strength and stamina, began in Savannah, Georgia, in 1900. Originally known as Savannah Blowpipe Co., the manufacturer specialized in sheet metal blowpipe systems used in sawmills and furniture plants to collect dust. It wasn’t until years later when it began making light steel plate and structural steel products, changing its name in 1931 to The Steel Products Co. and focusing on building trailers for over-the-road freight hauling. In 1958, it became Great Dane Trailers, eventually dropping the Trailers portion as its product line expanded.
Great Dane is known for offering high-quality, American-made refrigerated, dry freight, and flatbed trailers and truck bodies for sale. It built some of the first modern refrigerated trailers, which used ice and a blower to keep items cool, and introduced its first mechanically refrigerated trailer in 1947. Developments such as ThermoGuard (a glass-reinforced thermoplastic that completely seals a reefer’s insulation) and PunctureGuard (a thermoplastic damage barrier) helped establish Great Dane as a leader in innovation. Through the years, Great Dane has acquired a number of other companies and divisions, including Arrow Trailers, the Timpte Super Seal reefer product line, Pines Trailer, and Johnson Refrigerated Truck Bodies.