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. Ce ...

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 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 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, gen ...

, which supplied most of the engines installed in Divco trucks, and then spun off from Continental in 1936 to be acquired by

Twin Coach Twin Coach was an American vehicle manufacturing company from 1927 to 1955, located in Kent, Ohio, and a maker of marine engines and airplane parts until the 1960s. It was formed by brothers Frank and William Fageol when they left the Fageol Mo ...

, 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 ...

in Richmond, Indiana, 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 Delaware is a city in and the county seat of Delaware County, Ohio, United States. Delaware was founded in 1808 and was incorporated in 1816. It is located near the center of Ohio, is about north of Columbus, and is part of the Columbus, 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