1918 - The Company was incorporated as "Reliance Trailers and Truck Company." Reliance was now manufacturing its own types of trucks and a small line of trailers. Engines and gear trains were purchased directly from Mr. Ford. The Company would gear them down and build up a truck designed to place railroad cars around switching spots in various rail yards. In those days Northern California had no roads. All business traffic was by schooners that traveled up and down the coast. Sawmills moved their products from green chain to dry yard to pier by way of rails that extended to the end of piers. Reliance trucks pulled and placed the cars that carried the lumber and were sold primarily in Northern California but were delivered all over the Western Hemisphere as far west as the Dutch East Indies.

1921 - Bill Tice, Reliance's first salesman, was hired. A Californian, Bill retired in 1972 after over fifty years of Company service.

1925 - Reliance decided to manufacture only its own line of trailers, concentrating on the West Coast truck-trailer industry and Pacific rim area, including the Hawaiian islands.

1936 - Progress continued Carl Russ, who later helped run the Company, was hired as an assembler.

World War II Years - Reliance was taken over by the Federal Government for the manufacture of products necessary to the war effort. Mr. Russ ran two shifts for the duration. After the war, he was Manufacturing Manager) and Bill Tice (as Vice President of Sales) continued building trailers and other products, including buses and van bodies until the end of 1970. Reliance was at this time the largest van body builder in Northern California.

1958 - The Company franchised Don Ling as a distributor for the Redwood Highway area.

1965 - Control of Reliance passed to the founder's widow.

1969 - A new company, Redwood Reliance Trailer Manufacturing, was formed with the purchase of the Company's Manufacturing assets. Redwood Reliance took over January 1, 1970, with Mr. Ling serving as President.

1970 - Ken Gradek, the second employee of Redwood Reliance, started a sales and service outlet in Eureka.

1974 - The Company moved its headquarters from San Francisco to Cotati in April 1974, a number of Reliance's long-time employees came to help teach new employees the demands of quality and workmanship required by the Reliance reputation.

1975 This company was merged with Redwood Reliance Sales company to become a wholly owned subsidiary of Redwood Reliance. Mr. Gradek is the President of the Eureka Corporation.

1979 - Reliance started a sales and manufacturing company in Los Angeles, headed by Jack Pocock.

1983 - Superior Trailer Works, an old-line Los Angeles company, was purchased. The two Southern California operations were combined under the name Superior to manufacture the Superior line of trailers and to sell the Reliance product. Mr. Pocock continues as President.

1993 - Duke Yolo became the General Manager for Redwood Reliance Sales Company. He managed both the Eureka and Cotati branch, in addition to Redwood Empire Leasing, a full maintenance lease company which he and Brian Ling owned. The Cotati Sales Company relocated to Windsor, California..

1994 - Redwood Empire Peterbilt (Eureka Branch) and Redwood Empire Leasing were merged into Redwood Reliance Sales Company.

1996 - Duke Yolo and Brian Ling bought Redwood Reliance Sales Company from Don Ling.

1998 - Duke Yolo and Brian Ling bought Alloy Trailers in Spokane, Wa. They change the name to Reliance Trailer Mfg. LLC.

2003 - The Cotati manufacturing plant is consolidated to the Spokane location. The Windsor Peterbilt store and sales department are moved into the larger Cotati facility. Eureka location assumes the end dump manufacturing.

We believe our people are the main reason why Reliance continues to be quality, top-of-the-line truck trailer manufacturer in Northern California and Eastern Washington.