# Divco > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Divco > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Divco.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divco > Source revision: 1355887285 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Defunct American motor vehicle manufacturer Divco badge Divco [delivery truck](/source/Delivery_truck) Divco Twin 1938 in Napa, California Divco Motor Truck (1925) Divco Prototype (1925) Divco (1927) Divco Model B (1930) Divco Model G (1930) [1] Divco advertisement (1930) **Divco** was a brand name of [delivery trucks](/source/Delivery_truck) built and marketed in the United States. Divco is an [acronym](/source/Acronym) which stands for **D**etroit **I**ndustrial **V**ehicles **CO**mpany. Divco became known for its [multi-stop delivery trucks](/source/Multi-stop_truck), particularly in use as home delivery vehicles by [dairy](/source/Dairy) producers. From 1926 until 1986, Divco produced trucks of various sizes and job descriptions.[2] ## History The chief engineer of the [Detroit Electric Vehicle Company](/source/Detroit_Electric), George Bacon, suggested using a gasoline engine for their line of delivery vehicles to overcome limits on their range and performance in cold weather.[3] Because his bosses refused, Bacon left the company and with a group of investors, established the Detroit Industrial Vehicle Company in 1926.[3] The first Divco "Model A" were boxy, practical vehicles. High organizational costs meant the company went through a reorganization in 1927.[3] In 1928, a larger, more conventional "Model G" was introduced that evolved into the "Model S" that was manufactured into the 1930s.[3] During the [Great Depression](/source/Great_Depression_in_the_United_States) the company was bought out by [Continental Motors Company](/source/Continental_Motors_Company), which supplied most of the engines installed in Divco trucks, and then spun off from Continental in 1936 to be acquired by [Twin Coach](/source/Twin_Coach), thus becoming "Divco-Twin."[3] A new design was introduced in 1937 featuring a welded all-steel van body and a snub-nosed hood, a model that was manufactured with almost no changes up to the end of the line in 1986.[4] Along with the new "Model U", the company built a new production facility on the outskirts of Detroit.[5] With most Divco trucks, controls allowed driving while standing, including throttle and brake mounted on the steering column.[2] The early models were not refrigerated, with perishable loads such as milk crates loaded and then covered with ice — making the trucks prone to rust from the inside out.[2] The company marketed to fleet buyers promoting their trucks as "a bigger value when you buy, produces more profit in your delivery operation, is worth more when you trade."[6] In 1957, Divco merged with the [Wayne Works](/source/Wayne_Corporation) in [Richmond, Indiana](/source/Richmond%2C_Indiana), to form Divco-Wayne. During the Divco-Wayne era, some Divco trucks were modified with seats and windows from the Wayne Works to produce a Divco Dividend Bus. Very few of these units were built between 1959 and 1961. The truck manufacturing of Divco-Wayne continued to be through the Divco portion. Divco was spun off from the company in 1968, and production was moved from Detroit to [Delaware, Ohio](/source/Delaware%2C_Ohio), in 1969.[4] Production ended in 1986. Wayne continued manufacturing buses until bankruptcy and liquidation in 1992. Year Production Model 1926 [7] ~ 25 Model A 1927 1928 Model G Model H 1933 203 1934 1,070 1935 1,661 Model S 1939 Twin Model U 1941 [8] 2,799 more than 10,376 have been produced from 1926-1941 1947 [9] 6,342 1948 6,492 1949 [10] 3,555 1950 4,807 1951 4,377 1952 2,882 1953 3,044 1954 2,959 1955 3,839 1956 3,570 1957 2,871 1958 2,919 1959 3,796 1960 3,573 Dividend 1967 926 1968 300, 306 1970 ~ 282 1985 ~ 60 1986 206 ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Divco Model G"](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112112119588&seq=132&q1=Divco). The Milk dealer v.19 O-S(1929-1930). 1929-10-01. Retrieved 2026-05-24. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Caldwell_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Caldwell_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Caldwell_2-2) Caldwell, Dave (November 26, 2006). ["Delivery Trucks That Do a Stand-Up Act"](https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/automobiles/collectibles/26DIVCO.html?_r=0). *The New York Times*. Retrieved March 8, 2016. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-CarLustBlog_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-CarLustBlog_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-CarLustBlog_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-CarLustBlog_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-CarLustBlog_3-4) ["Divco "Snub Nose" Milk Trucks"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160309040654/http://www.carlustblog.com/2014/04/divco-snub-nose-milk-trucks.html). *Car Lust Blog*. April 9, 2014. Archived from [the original](http://www.carlustblog.com/2014/04/divco-snub-nose-milk-trucks.html) on March 9, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-hist_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-hist_4-1) ["A Divco History"](http://www.divco.org/history/). *Divco Club of America*. Retrieved March 8, 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Divco"](https://books.google.com/books?id=oJB6AAAAMAAJ&q=Divco). *Michigan History Magazine*. **82**: 6–13. 1998. Retrieved March 8, 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Route-designed Divco"](https://books.google.com/books?id=PsswAQAAMAAJ&q=Divco). *The Milk Dealer*. **50**: 51, 57. 1961. Retrieved March 8, 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Divco-Trucks"](https://www.ajlambert.com/denny/stry_dh.pdf) (PDF). ajlambert. 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2026-05-23. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Divco-Trucks p.14"](https://autohistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/AHR034.pdf) (PDF). autohistory. 1999-03-01. Retrieved 2026-05-23. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Divco-Trucks"](https://archive.org/details/sim_motor-truck-facts_1959/page/n4/mode/1up). Motor Truck Facts 1959. 1959-01-01. Retrieved 2026-05-23. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Divco-Trucks"](https://archive.org/details/sim_motor-truck-facts_1961/page/n9/mode/1up). Motor Truck Facts 1961. 1961-01-01. Retrieved 2026-05-23. - ["DIVCO"](http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/d/divco/divco.htm). *Coachbuilt.com*. 2014. - "Divco Trucks". *Automobile Quarterly*. **37** (4). 1998. - Ebert, Robert R.; Rienzo, John S. (1997). *DIVCO: A History of the Truck and Company*. Antique Power. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780966075113](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780966075113). ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Divco](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Divco). - [Divco Club of America](http://www.divco.org/) - [archived copy of Divco picture page](https://web.archive.org/web/20170420063829/http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Divco/) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Divco](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divco) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divco?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.