Trucks in the 1920s: A Decade When Commercial Motor Transport Hit the Mainstream

Yes—trucks were already common in the 1920s, evolving rapidly from wartime workhorses into everyday tools of commerce. Following World War I, manufacturers scaled up production, technology matured, and improving roads—culminating in the creation of the U.S. Numbered Highway System in 1926—helped trucks move goods farther and faster. By the end of the decade, millions of trucks were registered in the United States alone, and comparable growth was visible across Europe and parts of Asia.

How We Got There: The Groundwork Before the 1920s

The idea of a motorized truck predates the 1920s by decades: Gottlieb Daimler built a practical motor truck in 1896, and American makers such as Mack (founded in 1900) and International Harvester were producing trucks in the 1910s. World War I proved their value in logistics, creating a base of experienced drivers, mechanics, and surplus vehicles that fed civilian markets once peace returned. The 1916 and 1921 U.S. federal highway laws began to hard-surface critical routes, setting the stage for intercity hauling.

What 1920s Trucks Were Like

Trucks of the 1920s were mostly gasoline-powered and built on robust ladder frames with solid axles and leaf springs. They were slower than modern vehicles—often cruising between 15 and 35 mph depending on load and gearing—but they were increasingly reliable, easier to drive, and better suited to paved roads than their predecessors.

Technologies That Defined the Decade

The following features and innovations became widespread or markedly improved during the 1920s, shaping how trucks performed and what jobs they could do.

• Pneumatic “balloon” tires replaced many solid-rubber tires, improving ride quality, speed, and payload capacity while reducing road damage.
• Enclosed cabs became more common; heaters and, later in the decade, safety glass improved comfort and safety.
• Braking advanced from rear-only mechanical systems to four-wheel brakes on many models, with hydraulic systems appearing and vacuum assist on heavier vehicles by the late 1920s.
• Engines were predominantly gasoline inline units—often L-head, with some overhead-valve designs—typically delivering a few dozen horsepower; multi-speed manual gearboxes improved hill-climbing and cruising.
• Body options standardized: stake and flatbed bodies, panel vans, tankers, and the emergence of hydraulic dump hoists broadened applications.
• Electric lighting and starting systems became the norm, enhancing usability in all conditions.
• Semi-trailers and improved fifth-wheel couplers matured, popularized by firms like Fruehauf, enabling heavier, more efficient tractor-trailer combinations.

Taken together, these advances made 1920s trucks more versatile and dependable, extending their reach from city streets to regional highways.

Where and How Trucks Were Used

As technology and roads improved, operators deployed trucks across an expanding set of tasks, from short urban routes to the first meaningful intercity hauls.

• Urban delivery: parcels, groceries, bakery and dairy routes (including electric delivery trucks for short-range, stop-and-go service).
• Agriculture: hauling produce, grain, and livestock between farms, markets, and railheads.
• Construction and mining: dump bodies and flatbeds transported aggregate, lumber, and machinery.
• Logging: specialized heavy-duty trucks moved timber from forests to mills where roads allowed.
• Municipal services: fire engines, refuse collection, street maintenance, and utility work.
• Intercity freight: a growing share of regional transport challenged railroads on speed and flexibility for certain loads.
• Surplus and remanufactured vehicles: ex-military trucks from WWI were refitted for civilian roles, especially early in the decade.

By the late 1920s, trucks had become indispensable across sectors, handling time-sensitive, local, and medium-distance jobs that rail struggled to serve as efficiently.

Key Makers and Models You’d Have Seen

Production scaled on both sides of the Atlantic, with manufacturers offering light, medium, and heavy-duty platforms tailored to specific industries.

• Ford (U.S.): Model TT (1917–1927) became a ubiquitous 1-ton workhorse; the Model AA (from 1927) brought stronger frames and higher payloads.
• Mack (U.S.): The AC “Bulldog,” famed since WWI, remained a heavy-duty staple throughout the decade.
• International Harvester (U.S.): Notably the Six-Speed Special (1928), geared for higher road speeds suited to improving highways.
• GMC and White Motor Company (U.S.): Offered a range of medium and heavy-duty trucks as fleets diversified.
• Leyland and Albion (U.K.): Municipal and commercial lorries were mainstays of British fleets; steam wagons from Sentinel and Foden also persisted into the decade.
• Renault and Berliet (France): Produced robust 3–5-ton trucks for domestic and colonial markets.
• Mercedes-Benz and Büssing-NAG (Germany): Built 2–5-ton lorries; European makers also experimented with early diesel power mid-decade, though gasoline still dominated.
• Fiat and OM (Italy): Supplied widely used medium-duty trucks across southern Europe.
• AMO (USSR): The AMO-F-15 (from 1924), based on a Fiat design, marked the start of Soviet civilian truck production.

These brands and models reflect a market that was becoming more specialized, with manufacturers matching chassis, engines, and bodies to the job at hand.

Infrastructure and the Rules of the Road

Policy and pavement mattered. In the United States, the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 funded a national system of primary roads, and in 1926 the U.S. Numbered Highway System—think U.S. Route 66—standardized intercity routes, enabling more reliable trucking schedules. States imposed weight, width, and speed limits, a patchwork that carriers had to navigate until broader federal oversight arrived in the 1930s. Similar dynamics played out in Europe as countries rebuilt and expanded road networks after WWI.

The Global Picture

While the U.S. saw explosive growth, the 1920s were transformative worldwide, with distinct regional characteristics shaped by industry, policy, and terrain.

• Europe: Strong domestic makers in the U.K., France, Germany, and Italy; early trials of diesel power began mid-1920s but scaled later.
• Soviet Union: Industrialization push launched local production (e.g., AMO-F-15) and set the stage for 1930s expansion.
• Japan: Firms that later became Hino and Isuzu developed light lorries, often influenced by British designs, for urban delivery.
• Commonwealth and colonies: Trucks extended supply chains where rail was sparse, especially in mining and agriculture.

Despite different starting points, most markets followed a similar arc: from military and municipal use to widespread commercial adoption as roads improved and parts supply chains matured.

What Came Next

The 1930s accelerated trends set in the 1920s: broader adoption of diesel in Europe, more powerful gasoline engines in the U.S., better brakes, synchronized gearboxes, and stronger, standardized semi-trailer systems. Regulatory frameworks tightened, and long-haul trucking expanded as road networks thickened.

Summary

Trucks didn’t just exist in the 1920s—they were pivotal to the decade’s logistics revolution. Postwar manufacturing capacity, maturing technology (from pneumatic tires to enclosed cabs and improved brakes), and rapidly improving highways turned trucks into everyday commercial tools. From Ford’s Model TT and Mack’s AC to Renault and Mercedes-Benz lorries, fleets grew across the U.S., Europe, and beyond, laying the groundwork for modern road freight. In short, by the end of the 1920s, trucking was not a novelty—it was an essential part of the economy.

Were there trucks in the 1920s?

New Truck Tech Advancements
In general, the 1920s were the real beginning of the trucking industry. The introduction of the more efficient diesel engine, which is 25-40 percent more efficient than gas engines.

What was a common car in the 1920s?

By 1924, approximately ten thousand Ford Motor Company dealerships operated throughout the United States. Ford’s method of assembly line production and stable wages for workers made the Model T a popular car. By 1927, fifteen million Ford cars were sold throughout the country.

When were trucks first used?

Trucks started in 1896 when German engineer Gottlieb Daimler built the world’s first motorized truck, a converted horse-drawn wagon with a rear-mounted gasoline engine. The first American pickup truck, a factory production model, came from the Ford Motor Company in 1925. 
The First Truck (1896)

• Inventor: Gottlieb Daimler, a German engineer. 
• Vehicle: A horse-drawn cart that he modified by adding a four horsepower, two-cylinder gasoline engine to the rear. 
• Features: This early truck was essentially a motorized wagon, a new application for Daimler’s high-speed internal combustion engine, which he also used to invent the motorcycle and motorized trolley car. 

Early American Trucks

• Homemade Trucks: Opens in new tabHomemade pickup trucks began appearing in America around the same time as the first trucks in Europe. 
• First Production Truck: Opens in new tabThe first factory-built pickup truck was the Ford Model T Runabout in 1925, according to Akins Ford. 
• Industry Growth: Opens in new tabBy the 1920s and 1930s, other manufacturers like Chevrolet, Dodge, and Toyota also began producing pickup trucks. 

What year was the first truck ever made?

Trucks were invented in 1896 when Gottlieb Daimler built the world’s first truck, the Daimler Motor-Lastwagen, to carry cargo and replace horse-drawn wagons. This early vehicle was essentially a cart with an engine and featured a belt drive system to power the rear wheels.
 
Here are some additional details about the first truck:

• Inventor: Gottlieb Daimler, a German automotive pioneer. 
• Year: 1896. 
• Purpose: To transport heavy objects, emulating the function of horse-drawn wagons. 
• Design: It was a pragmatic design that looked like a cart with an engine. 
• Engine: A 4-horsepower, 2-cylinder Phoenix engine was located at the rear, connected to the rear axle via a belt drive. 
• Key features: It had helical springs to protect the engine and a chain-driven front axle for steering.