The Federal Motor Truck Company was an American truck manufacturer headquartered in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

. The company was founded in 1910 as Bailey Motor Truck Company by Martin L. Pulcher, who would later found the

Oakland Motor Car Company The Oakland Motor Car Company of Pontiac, Michigan, was an American automobile manufacturer and division of General Motors. Purchased by General Motors in 1909, the company continued to produce modestly priced automobiles until 1931 when the bra ...

, which launched the

Pontiac Pontiac may refer to: *Pontiac (automobile), a car brand *Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief Places and jurisdictions Canada *Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic D ...

GM companion brand, in 1926.

History

The company was founded in 1910, as the Bailey Motor Truck Company, but was later renamed to Federal. The company then opened a factory in Leavitt Street, near

Southwest Detroit Southwest Detroit is a neighborhood within Detroit. Clark Park is a popular park within the Hubbard Farms area of southwest Detroit (not to be confused with the similarly named Clark Park in Philadelphia). It is also well known for Mexicantown, De ...

. During the prosperous time of the company, around 700 people worked there, producing as many as 3,500 trucks annually. The main competitor of the company was

Diamond T The Diamond T Company was an American automobile and truck manufacturer. They produced commercial and military trucks. History The Diamond T Motor Car Company was founded in Chicago in 1905 by C. A. Tilt. Reportedly, the company name was creat ...

. The main provider of engines for the company were

Continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continent, the major landmasses of Earth * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' ( ...

, Waukesha, and

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

.> The company later producing some delivery trucks, with Willys-Knight engines, and these were marketed under the Federal Knight brand. Despite being an independent manufacturer, the company produced its own cabs, in both standard and deluxe versions. In 1942, the company bought the Stewart Motor Company. After the war, the company enjoyed high sales, and was bought by Fawick, although it was soon discovered, that the new buyers knew nothing about manufacturing complete trucks, and the company was sold to NAPCO, that closed down the company's factory in Detroit, and transferred the trucks' tooling in their own factories in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

.> Due to economic problems and the uncertainty of the future of the Federal brand, NAPCO retired the brand in 1959, with all operations ceasing in 1960.

Military trucks

Federal built its first U.S. military trucks in 1918, for the U.S. Air Force. More diverse military (tractor) trucks, including tank transporters, dump trucks, and heavy wreckers, were built for U.S. forces from 1933 through 1945. Federal produced over 10,000 trucks for the military.

Gallery

File:Henry Ford Museum August 2012 41 (1952 Federal 45M truck tractor with 1946 Fruehauf semi-trailer).jpg, 1952 Federal 45M tractor with 1946

Fruehauf Fruehauf Trailer Corporation, previously Fruehauf Trailer Company (1918–1963) and Fruehauf Corporation (1963–1989), was an American company engaged in the manufacture and sale of truck trailers, and other machinery and equipment, with headquar ...

semi-trailer (

Henry Ford Museum The Henry Ford (also known as the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village, and as the Edison Institute) is a history museum complex in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, United States. The museum collection contains ...

) File:1939 Federal Model 8 pickup (7651368432).jpg, A Federal light pickup truck File:G-692 Federal C-2 Wrecker pic2.JPG, WWII Federal G-692, 7½-ton, 6x6, military wrecker in the

Overloon War Museum The Overloon War Museum (''Dutch: Oorlogsmuseum Overloon'') is located in Overloon, Netherlands. The museum was opened on May 25, 1946, making it one of the oldest museums in Europe dedicated to the Second World War. The museum is located on ...

(Netherlands) File:1932 Federal Fuel Tanker (45174075131).jpg, A 1932 Federal truck File:USA Federal tractor unit.jpg, A Federal military truck

References

Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States American companies established in 1910 Companies with year of disestablishment missing Manufacturing companies based in Detroit {{truck-stub