The History of Pickup Trucks
The pickup truck very well can be considered the automobile industry's first customized vehicle. Since the inception of the automobile until the beginning of World War I, car owners customized their cars by cutting them up and installing cargo boxes in the rear for workhorse duty. Not until 1917, when Ford introduced the Model TT, was the true pickup born. Today, the pickup doubles as a laborer and family passenger vehicle.
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Ford Creates the Pickup
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Ford Motor Company recognized a niche market to produce a light-duty pickup truck with the Model TT. This vehicle was offered as a chassis, cowl and cab only. Buyers had to find their own cargo box. The first formal and complete pickup was introduced by Ford in 1925.
Chevrolet and Dodge
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Chevrolet began producing pickup trucks for General Motors in 1918 with a lightly powered four-cylinder engine. Dodge Bros. trucks, owned by John and Horace Dodge, had shipped trucks to the front lines where U.S. troops were fighting in France during World War I. The Dodge trucks demonstrated the durability and practicality of using light-duty work trucks.
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Depression Era Trucks
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Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, which owns Dodge, were the major suppliers of the light-duty truck. These vehicles were no-frills trucks engineered and designed simply to haul goods. Most were powered by inline four- or six-cylinder engines. Cabs featured few amenities.
The Postwar Era
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Not until after World War II did automakers pay more attention to cab comfort, body design and towing capacity. Chevrolet introduced is 1947-1955 Advance Design trucks that put a modern touch on trucks with an emphasis on driver comfort and safety with cabs offering larger dimensions. Dodge introduced its "Pilothouse cab" trucks in 1948. The cab in these trucks stood taller for better visibility.
The 1950s
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Ford introduced its 1953 Ford F-100 Series pickup that featured a sleeker cab and more aerodynamic front end. General Motors introduced its luxury Chevrolet Cameo and twin GMC Carryall that featured fiberglass cargo box paneling and a design that better integrated the cargo box into the cab for a seamless look from front to back. The Cameo and Carryall featured heavy use of chrome and passenger car-like amenities in the cab.
Fleetside Versus Stepside
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The typical pre-1960 truck featured a stepside cargo box in which the bed was placed inside the rear wheels and fenders protruded from the bed to cover the rear wheels. A small step was placed between the rear fender and cab to allow access inside the bed. Chevrolet helped revolutionize pickup styling by introducing its Fleetside models with its C/K Series, which debuted in 1960. Fleetside pickups featured the bed extending over the rear wheels with a slab-sided panel cargo box.
Today
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Chevrolet's C/K Series gave way to the Silverado in 1998 and now competes with the perennial top seller Ford F-150 pickup. The Silverado and its sibling, the GMC Sierra, are also offered as hybrids. Dodge has focused its attention on producing its Dodge Ram pickups with the Cummins diesel engine for superior towing power in addition to its Hemi V-8s.
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