I don't know how important it was, no where as important as gambling in my opinion, or bootlegging in the very old days. I do know that a lot of hijackings were supposedly set ups, where a driver be in on it, letting them know where truck would be at certain time and either leaving it to take, or saying he was robbed. I agree with those saying it was a the lower end guys, probably associates who were in on it.
Bootlegging, and later gambling and shylocking, were each on a different level. They were the 3 most commonly run and widely utilized rackets across the entire country. So with that I agree there. They were in a category by themselves.
But for those who dabbled in hijacking (and many crews had guys who did), it was an important and extremely lucrative racket where they could earn big money quickly.
You gotta remember too that most of the names I mentioned, and their capo and soldier contemporaries, came up during that early era. So any hijackings they did related to grabbing the liquor trucks belonging to rivals, which I'd consider more an extension of 'bootlegging' rather than hijacking per se.
Hijacking didn't become big until after WWII, and by that time the fellas I mentioned were already in the 'drivers seats' as bosses and top guys. many had made their fortunes already as well. So these fellas were NOT hijackers per se. Although guys around them may have been.
In certain mob circles, to call a guy a 'truck hijacker' could actually be considered an insult of sorts. NOT everybody looked favorably upon the racket. There were plenty of guys who viewed it as a gruff, 'cafone' activity.
I have researched and written an extensive "Truck Hijacking Racket" expose that better explains how the racket came about, who dabbled in it, and who did not. The monies made, what got grabbed, by whom, and when.
I think those of you who read this thread who obviously have interest in this aspect of mob life will enjoy it.
