Luella Bates, the first licensed female truck driver, shaking hands with Francis Hugo, New York state Secretary of State, in the Bronx, at the New York Auto Show, January 8, 1920.
Bates was the first of six female employees of the Four Wheel Drive Auto Co. chosen as test and demonstration drivers, and worked from 1918 to 1922. In January 1920, Bates drove a Model B to New York City, where she attended the New York Auto Show. During her stay, she met with Secretary of State of New York Francis Hugo and became the first female truck driver to receive a New York driver's license. Bates was such a hit in New York that Four Wheel Drive decided to use her skills even further. Later that year, they sent her on three transcontinental tours throughout the United States. The advertising scheme introduced the idea that the FWD truck was easy to steer, as evidenced by a woman driver. During her first tour, she represented Francis Hugo's Safety First Campaign.
Photo & info: Four Wheel Drive Auto Co./Wikimedia Commons
