Fruehauf developed semi-trailers for use in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. Developing more than 150 patents for military products alone, these were eventually introduced into commercial use. Among them were early versions of the shipping container used on some U.S. railroads and, after 1956, on the ships of Pan-Atlantic Steamship Co., the ship line controlled by container pioneer Malcom McLean and later known as Sea-Land. Fruehauf contributed to the creation of the American Trucking Association and was instrumental in the creation of the interstate highway system as advisors to President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
