His selfless efforts on behalf of the good-roads movement led to the election of Telford as president of the Michigan Good Roads Federation for an unprecedented five terms. During four successive terms beginning in 1964, he played a key role in unifying the federation and putting the full weight of its member organizations behind a successful campaign to strengthen highway financing at every governmental level. Telford, a founder and president of the Michigan Equipment Dealers Association, was the first to introduce the crawler-type tractor for the construction and maintenance of roads. It was used in the upper Peninsula in 1922 for the first removal of snow from a Michigan road, starting a statewide winter maintenance program vital today to the year-round functioning of our transportation system.