9781422277102

In 1911, a Chicago area newspaper, the Inter Ocean , reported on a truck show at the Chicago Auditorium Building which was occurring the week after a popular car show. The writer compared the two by saying, “The most impressive feature of this week’s exhibitions is its bigness. Where last week stood dainty runabouts, and what even appeared then as huge touring and enclosed cars are gigantic trucks, capable seemingly of carrying the Coliseum and making nothing of it.” World War II changed everything. Before the war, the average person rarely traveled beyond twenty-five miles of the place where he or she was born. If someone was fortunate enough to have access to a vehicle, it was likely for strictly utilitarian purposes. Trucks got goods from the factory and the farm to the train. Cars got businessmen around the city. Out of necessity, lots of men and women learned how to drive during World War II, and lots more who knew how to

Soldiers used to driving Jeeps in WWII found pickup trucks easy to adapt to when they returned to civilian life.

drive got a lot more experienced at it. They also learned how to drive over many different types of terrain. In the United States military, the jeep was the primary mode of personal transport during World War II. When American soldiers returned to civilian life after the war, getting something to drive was on the forefront of their minds. Pickup trucks offered an increased level of freedom. Large pieces of furniture could be hauled home from the store. Driving dirt roads and off-road was easier. With each decade after the 1940s, pickup trucks became more and more popular. Pickup Trucks The first model pickup truck was the Ford Model TT in 1917. As its name suggests, the vehicle was a modified Ford Model T with a heavy-duty chassis and larger rear axle. In today’s pickup truck rating scheme, the Model TT would qualify as a one-ton pickup.

Before WWII, trucks like this 1930 Model A were mostly used for moving goods out of factories and farms.

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