What Is a Carryall Truck?

A carryall truck is an early, truck-based, enclosed utility vehicle built to “carry all” passengers and cargo—essentially a forerunner of today’s full-size SUV. The term, popularized in the 1930s and 1940s by models like the Chevrolet “Carryall Suburban” and the WWII-era Dodge WC-53 Carryall, describes a wagon-style body mounted on a light truck chassis with multiple rows of seats and substantial cargo room. While the term is now mostly historical, its vehicles laid the groundwork for the modern SUV segment.

Origins and Evolution

The word “carryall” predates automobiles, originally describing a horse-drawn carriage designed to haul people and goods. Automakers adopted the term in the 1930s to market enclosed, truck-based wagons that could do double duty for families, tradespeople, and fleets. Chevrolet’s 1935 “Carryall Suburban” helped define the format: a body-on-frame platform with an all-steel, windowed body and removable seating. During World War II, Dodge fielded the WC-53 Carryall as a rugged, 4×4 troop-and-cargo carrier. Postwar, the concept evolved into civilian family haulers such as the Chevrolet/GMC Suburban and International Harvester’s Travelall—vehicles that, decades later, would be recognized as the ancestors of modern SUVs.

Key Characteristics

The vehicles marketed or recognized as carryalls shared a set of practical, truck-derived features that distinguished them from sedans, wagons, and open-bed pickups. Below are the typical traits you would find in a carryall truck.

• Body-on-frame construction: built on a light- or 3/4-ton truck chassis for durability and load capacity.
• Enclosed, windowed steel body: wagon-like profile with multiple side windows and weatherproof cargo space.
• Flexible seating: benches or removable seats to accommodate several passengers or maximize cargo room.
• Rear access: either double “barn” doors or a two-piece liftgate/tailgate configuration, depending on model and year.
• Two-door early layouts, later four-door: early carryalls often had two long doors; later versions added rear doors for easier access.
• High payload and towing: greater hauling capability than car-based wagons; many offered heavy-duty springs and axles.
• 4×4 availability: especially on military and off-road-oriented models, enabling rugged, all-terrain use.
• Commercial and family roles: popular with utilities, government fleets, ranchers, and large families.
• Distinct from panel trucks: unlike panel vans with solid sides, carryalls had rear seating and side windows for passengers.

Taken together, these attributes made carryalls uniquely versatile in their era, bridging the gap between commercial trucks and family transportation long before “SUV” became a mainstream term.

Notable Models and Milestones

Several vehicles either used the carryall name directly or embodied the concept so completely that they’re considered part of the lineage. The models below highlight the category’s development and legacy.

• 1935 Chevrolet “Carryall Suburban”: A pioneering, windowed, all-steel wagon on a half-ton chassis; the Suburban nameplate would endure for decades.
• Early GMC Suburbans: Sister models to Chevrolet’s, helping popularize the truck-based family hauler format.
• 1940s Dodge WC-53 Carryall: A 3/4-ton, 4×4 military vehicle used for troop transport and gear—rugged and influential in off-road design.
• International Harvester Travelall (1953–1975): Not labeled “carryall” but conceptually similar, offering spacious, truck-based wagons that competed directly with Suburbans.
• Postwar Suburbans (1950s–1970s): Continued refinement from two-door to more family-friendly configurations, cementing the formula that modern SUVs would follow.

These vehicles established the template for durability, utility, and passenger capacity that later full-size SUVs—such as the Chevrolet Suburban, Ford Expedition, and others—would adopt and expand.

How the Term Is Used Today

While “carryall” is rarely used in current showroom marketing, the idea remains embedded in today’s SUV market. Here’s how the term generally surfaces now.

• Historical reference: Used by enthusiasts, restorers, and historians to describe early truck-based wagons.
• Collector market: WWII Dodge WC-53s and early Suburban “carryalls” are sought after for restoration and overland builds.
• Aftermarket and niche usage: Some parts sellers and off-road communities still use “carryall” informally for vintage-style utility builds.
• Regional meanings: In some northern regions, “carryall” can also refer to a cargo sled—distinct from the automotive term.

In modern parlance, the closest mainstream equivalent to a carryall truck is a body-on-frame, full-size SUV or a truck-based wagon designed for both hauling and people-moving.

How a Carryall Differs from Related Vehicles

Because “carryall” overlaps with other body styles, it’s helpful to understand where it fits among similar vehicles.

• Panel truck: Enclosed, truck-based body with solid sides and no rear seating—primarily for cargo, unlike passenger-capable carryalls.
• Station wagon (car-based): Built on passenger-car platforms with lower ride height and lighter-duty components than carryalls.
• Pickup with camper shell: Retains a separate, open bed under a removable canopy; carryalls have a unified, windowed body with integrated seating.
• Modern SUV: Conceptually the successor; many retain body-on-frame construction and towing capacity reminiscent of classic carryalls.

These distinctions clarify why carryalls are best seen as the missing link between early commercial trucks and today’s versatile SUVs.

Summary

A carryall truck is a truck-based, enclosed utility vehicle designed to transport both passengers and cargo—most famously exemplified by the Chevrolet “Carryall Suburban” of the 1930s and the WWII-era Dodge WC-53. Characterized by body-on-frame construction, a windowed wagon body, flexible seating, and robust hauling capability, carryalls prefigured modern full-size SUVs. The term is now largely historical, but the concept lives on in today’s truck-based family and fleet vehicles.