Jimmy Hoffa a result of Hoffa's work with other union leaders to consolidate local union trucker groups into regional sections, and then into a national body — work that Hoffa ultimately completed over a period of two decades — membership grew to 170,000 members by 1936. Three years later, there were 420,000. The number grew steadily during World War II and through the post-war boom to top a million members by 1951. The Teamsters organized truck drivers and warehousemen, first throughout the Midwest, then nationwide. Hoffa played a major role in the union's skillful use of "quickie strikes", secondary boycotts, and other
Jimmy Hoffa a case for his union leadership skills being of more value to the nation, by keeping freight running smoothly to assist the war effort. At the 1952 IBT convention in Los Angeles, Hoffa was selected as national vice-president by incoming president Dave Beck, successor to Daniel J. Tobin, who had been president since 1907. Hoffa had quelled an internal revolt against Tobin by securing Central States regional support for Beck at the convention. In exchange, Beck made Hoffa a vice-president. The IBT moved its headquarters from Indianapolis to Washington, D.C., taking over a large office building in the capital in