The oldest truck brands: who built the first working haulers—and which names still survive

The earliest truck brands include Daimler/Mercedes‑Benz (first truck in 1896), Tatra (1898–1899), Autocar (1899), Renault (1900), Mack (company 1900; early trucks in the 1900s), GMC/Rapid (1901/1912), Scania (1902), FIAT’s industrial lineage now Iveco (1903), Saurer (1903, now defunct), International (1914), MAN (1915), and Isuzu (1918). These names—some still on grilles today, others absorbed or retired—trace the birth of commercial road transport from the 1890s to the early 20th century.

How “oldest” is measured

Historians typically date truck brands by the year a company first produced a purpose-built motor truck (not just cars or steam wagons), then consider whether that name or its direct lineage continues. Because many early makers merged or rebranded, this overview notes both first-truck dates and today’s ownership or brand status to reflect continuity as accurately as possible.

The oldest truck brands still operating

This list highlights manufacturers with the earliest roots in truck building that continue to produce trucks today, either under the original name or a direct corporate descendant. Each entry includes the first known truck year and current corporate status as of 2025.

1. Daimler/Mercedes‑Benz (Germany) — 1896: Gottlieb Daimler built the first recognized motor truck in 1896 under Daimler‑Motoren‑Gesellschaft; today the lineage lives on as Mercedes‑Benz Trucks within Daimler Truck AG.
2. Tatra (Czech Republic; then Austria‑Hungary) — 1898–1899: As NW (Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau), the company built early trucks before adopting the Tatra name; Tatra Trucks still builds heavy off‑road vehicles.
3. Autocar (United States) — 1899: Produced its first motor truck in 1899; now a vocational heavy‑duty specialist and widely cited as America’s oldest continually operating truck brand.
4. Renault (France) — 1900: Louis Renault’s firm delivered early light delivery vehicles around 1900; today’s Renault Trucks is part of Volvo Group but retains the Renault brand.
5. Mack (United States) — 1900s: The company was founded in 1900 and produced early commercial vehicles in the decade; the “Mack” truck name became prominent in the 1910s. Mack Trucks operates globally within Volvo Group.
6. GMC (United States) — 1901/1912: Originated with Rapid Motor Vehicle Company (1901), consolidated into General Motors Truck Company; “GMC” name has been in use since 1912 under General Motors.
7. Scania (Sweden) — 1902: Built its first truck in 1902; merged with Vabis in 1911. Scania remains a global heavy‑truck maker within Traton Group (Volkswagen).
8. FIAT industrial lineage/Iveco (Italy) — 1903: FIAT built its first truck in 1903; in 1975, FIAT’s commercial‑vehicle arm merged with others to form Iveco. Iveco is now part of the Iveco Group (spun off in 2022).
9. International (United States) — 1914: International Harvester began building trucks in the 1900s; “International” became the core truck brand by 1914. Today it’s Navistar’s flagship marque within Traton Group.
10. MAN (Germany) — 1915: Produced its first truck around 1915 (including licensed designs with Saurer); MAN Truck & Bus operates under Traton Group.
11. Isuzu (Japan) — 1918: Origins trace to Tokyo Ishikawajima’s 1918 truck; the Isuzu name arrived in the 1930s. Today Isuzu is a leading global maker of light and medium‑duty trucks.
12. Volvo (Sweden) — 1928: Launched its first truck a year after the company’s founding; Volvo Trucks remains a core brand of Volvo Group.

Taken together, these brands show that the truck industry’s foundational players emerged between the 1890s and the late 1910s, with present‑day corporate families (Volvo Group, Traton Group, Daimler Truck, Iveco Group, GM) carrying many of the original nameplates forward.

Pioneers that shaped trucking but no longer exist as independent brands

Many early innovators built influential trucks yet were later merged, absorbed, or wound down. The following names often appear in early truck histories, even if their badges are no longer common—or have shifted to niche uses.

• De Dion‑Bouton (France) — 1898: Among the earliest to sell motorized trucks; the firm ceased operations in the early 1930s.
• Thornycroft (United Kingdom) — late 1890s/early 1900s: Began with steam vans in the 1890s and petrol trucks by 1902; truck production ended in 1977 after integration into British Leyland.
• Albion (Scotland, UK) — 1899: A stalwart of early British trucks; absorbed into Leyland, with the brand retired in the 1970s.
• Berliet (France) — 1899: A major early French truck maker; folded into Renault’s commercial‑vehicle empire in the 1970s.
• Saurer (Switzerland) — 1903: Renowned for durable heavy trucks; the brand disappeared in the 1980s after mergers and restructurings.
• Büssing (Germany) — 1903: A German heavy‑truck pioneer; acquired by MAN in 1971, ending the Büssing brand.
• Magirus (Germany) — 1903: Known for fire engines and trucks; now survives mainly as Iveco Magirus in firefighting equipment.
• Foden (United Kingdom) — 1901 (steam): Early steam trucks and later diesels; brand ceased in 2006 under PACCAR.
• Leyland Motors (United Kingdom) — 1896: Rooted in the Lancashire Steam Motor Co.; the Leyland truck brand was phased out in the 1990s, though its legacy persists via PACCAR’s Leyland Trucks (manufacturing DAF models) and India’s Ashok Leyland.
• Latil (France) — 1898: Early 4×4 tractors and trucks; merged into Saviem in the 1950s, later part of Renault Trucks.

Although these badges are largely gone from modern showrooms, their engineering ideas—frame layouts, driveline concepts, and duty‑cycle specialization—set patterns still seen in today’s rigs.

What the timeline shows

Three threads define the oldest truck brands. First, Germany and France incubated the very first internal‑combustion trucks (Daimler/Mercedes‑Benz, De Dion‑Bouton, Renault), closely followed by Central Europe (Tatra) and the UK’s steam tradition (Leyland, Thornycroft). Second, North American names (Autocar, GMC, Mack, International) industrialized truck building for vast domestic markets from the 1900s onward. Third, by the 1910s–1920s, Scandinavia (Scania, Volvo) and later Japan (Isuzu) consolidated into globally significant makers. Today’s big groups—Daimler Truck, Volvo Group, and Traton—bundle many of those earliest lineages under a few umbrellas.

Summary

The oldest truck brands reach back to the dawn of motor transport: Daimler/Mercedes‑Benz (1896) and Tatra (1898–1899) in Europe; Autocar (1899), GMC/Rapid (1901/1912), Mack (1900s), and International (1914) in the United States; Renault (1900), Scania (1902), and FIAT’s lineage now under Iveco (1903) in Europe; and Isuzu (1918) in Japan. Some pioneers—Saurer, Thornycroft, Berliet, Albion, Foden, and Latil—no longer stand alone, but their DNA persists across the modern truck industry.

What is the oldest truck brand?

The oldest truck brand is Autocar, founded in 1897, and is North America’s oldest vehicle brand, debuting America’s first commercially available truck in 1899. While other early manufacturers like Tatra also built trucks in the late 1890s, Autocar’s claim to being the oldest surviving brand is supported by its continuous production of purpose-built vehicles since its inception.
 
Autocar’s Origin and Legacy

• 1897: Louis Semple Clark creates “Autocar No. 1,” the brand’s first tricycle, powered by a single-cylinder gasoline engine. 
• 1899: Autocar introduces the first commercially available truck in America, designed for package delivery with a payload of 700 pounds. 
• Historical Significance: Autocar is recognized as North America’s oldest truck brand and is the only manufacturer dedicated to severe-duty vocational trucks. 

Other Notable Early Truck Makers

• Tatra: Opens in new tabThis Czech company also manufactured early trucks, with the first one built in 1898. 
• Daimler: Opens in new tabGerman engineer Gottlieb Daimler was a pioneer in the trucking industry, and the Daimler Motor Lastwagen Wikipedia page discusses his early contributions. 

Conclusion
Although other brands like Tatra were established in the same era, Autocar holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating brand for trucks in North America and the oldest vehicle nameplate in the United States.

What was the first brand of truck?

Daimler Motor-Lastwagen
The Daimler Motor-Lastwagen is the world’s first truck, manufactured in the year 1896 by Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft and designed by Gottlieb Daimler.

What were the truck brands in the 50s?

The three most popular brands of the time, Chevrolet, Ford, and Dodge, were leading the charge in this new era of trucks. The trucks of the 1950s had a very distinct and unique look.

Did Kenworth or Peterbilt come first?

The Company entered the heavy-duty truck market in 1945 with its first major acquisition, Kenworth Motor Truck Company of Seattle. Pacific Car and Foundry greatly expanded its heavy-duty truck capability with the purchase of Peterbilt Motors Company in 1958.