Divco was a brand name of

delivery truck Delivery is the process of transporting goods from a source location to a predefined destination. Cargo (physical goods) is primarily delivered via roads and railroads on land, shipping lanes on the sea, and airline networks in the air. Cer ...

s built and marketed in the United States. Divco is an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

which stands for Detroit Industrial Vehicles COmpany. Divco became known for its multi-stop delivery trucks, particularly in use as home delivery vehicles by

dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...

producers. From 1926 until 1986, Divco produced trucks of various sizes and job descriptions.

History

The chief engineer of the Detroit Electric Vehicle Company, George Bacon, suggested using a gasoline engine for their line of delivery vehicles to overcome limits on their range and performance in cold weather. Because his bosses refused, Bacon left the company and with a group of investors, established the Detroit Industrial Vehicle Company in 1926. The first Divco "Model A" were boxy, practical vehicles. High organizational costs meant the company went through a reorganization in 1927. In 1928, a larger, more conventional "Model G" was introduced that evolved into the "Model S" that was manufactured into the 1930s. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

the company was bought out by

Continental Motors Company Continental Motors Company was an American manufacturer of internal combustion engines. The company produced engines as a supplier to many independent manufacturers of automobiles, tractors, trucks, and stationary equipment (such as pumps, gene ...

, which supplied most of the engines installed in Divco trucks, and then spun off from Continental in 1936 to be acquired by Twin Coach, thus becoming "Divco-Twin." A new design was introduced in 1937 featuring a welded all-steel van body and a snub-nosed hood, a model that was manufactured with almost no changes up to the end of the line in 1986. Along with the new "Model U", the company built a new production facility on the outskirts of Detroit. With most Divco trucks, controls allowed driving while standing, including throttle and brake mounted on the steering column. The early models were not refrigerated, with perishable loads such as milk crates loaded and then covered with ice — making the trucks prone to rust from the inside out. The company marketed to fleet buyers promoting their trucks as "a bigger value when you buy, produces more profit in your delivery operation, is worth more when you trade." In 1957, Divco merged with the

Wayne Works The Wayne Corporation was an American manufacturer of buses and other vehicles under the "Wayne" marque. The corporate headquarters were in Richmond, Indiana, in Wayne County, Indiana. During the middle 20th century, Wayne served as a leading ...

Richmond, Indiana Richmond is a city in eastern Wayne County, Indiana. Bordering the state of Ohio, it is the county seat of Wayne County and is part of the Dayton, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 36,812. Situa ...

, to form Divco-Wayne. During the Divco-Wayne era, some Divco trucks were modified with seats and windows from the Wayne Works to produce a Divco Dividend Bus. Very few of these units were built between 1959 and 1961. The truck manufacturing of Divco-Wayne continued to be through the Divco portion. Divco was spun off from the company in 1968, and production was moved from Detroit to Delaware, Ohio, in 1969. Production ended in 1986. Wayne continued manufacturing buses until bankruptcy and liquidation in 1992.

References

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External links

{{Commons category, Divco
Divco Club of America

Old Car and Truck Pictures - Divco
Defunct truck manufacturers of the United States Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1926 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1986 1926 establishments in Michigan 1986 disestablishments in Ohio Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Michigan Defunct manufacturing companies based in Ohio