What's In A Name? "Light Commercial Trucks", or is it?

[1930-Pickup]

In some recent discussions about A/AA trucks it seemed there was some confusion about which truck came equipped which way...and so on. I realized that not everyone called a specific type of truck by the same name or same classification, and this complicated things further.

For example, some refer to them simply as 'Trucks', some use the term 'Commercial', others distinguish further as 'Light Commercial' and 'Heavy Commercial'. To complicate matters, some don't consider the Model A based truck models as trucks at all, leaving the term 'trucks' for AA models only.

I took a quick look at a couple of publications. One page of the 1995 edition of the Model A Judging Standards refers to 'Light Commercial' and 'Heavy Commercial', while a circa 1931 sales brochure refers to 'Light Delivery Cars'.

Here is the question I'm putting to the Model A/AA community, what is the accepted terminology for describing/categorizing trucks?

'Heavy Commercial Trucks' and 'Light Commercial Trucks'?
or
'Commercial Trucks' and 'Light Delivery Cars'?
or
Something else?

[Steve Plucker]

Great question 1930-Pickup!

Hope we can get it right or it will be like other Model A terminology: Open Cab Pickup or Roadster Pickup...400A or A400 (Convertible Sedan)

Pluck

[barnstuf]

In my experience of working from Ford Motor Company "Price Parts Lists" the basic terms used are Passenger, Commercial and Truck.

Passenger is an obvious category

Commercial is light trucks on the passenger chassis.

Truck is the truck on the larger chassis. (AA)

In the V8 years Ford Parts Lists added COE for Cab Over Engine truck.

Getting into various Model names is a different question but Ford Motor Company data contains the names that I would consider official. For example Pickups are listed as Closed or Open.

Anyone interested in this subject will find the official Ford designations in the parts books available from vendors.

[Y-Blockhead]

Just the other day me and a friend were looking at a passenger car price list from 1930? and I noted it didn't list his Station Wagon (Woodie). He said because it was considered a commercial vehicle, not a passenger vehicle. I never heard that before.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by Y-Blockhead

Just the other day me and a friend were looking at a passenger car price list from 1930? and I noted it didn't list his Station Wagon (Woodie). He said because it was considered a commercial vehicle, not a passenger vehicle. I never heard that before.

Yes, it was considered a commercial vehicle, and the name "station wagon" was given to it because it was used to carry passengers and their luggage from the train station to the hotels. At least that's what I've read, and it sure sounds logical.

[Y-Blockhead]

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Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

Yes, it was considered a commercial vehicle, and the name "station wagon" was given to it because it was used to carry passengers and their luggage from the train station to the hotels. At least that's what I've read, and it sure sounds logical.

Yes, that's the same thing he said. Sounds good to me.

[1930-Pickup]

No wonder there's confusion, even Ford wasn't consistent.

"Light Delivery Cars"
"Light Commercial Cars"

For a company as large as Ford was in 1931, their Marketing department was pretty weak.

[CHuDWah]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

Yes, it was considered a commercial vehicle, and the name "station wagon" was given to it because it was used to carry passengers and their luggage from the train station to the hotels. At least that's what I've read, and it sure sounds logical.

And in the Model T era, the body style was called a depot hack. Depot of course is another term for station - hack is short for hackney, which originally was a horse drawn vehicle for hire.

[CHuDWah]

Originally Posted by 1930-Pickup

No wonder there's confusion, even Ford wasn't consistent.

"Light Delivery Cars"
"Light Commercial Cars"

For a company as large as Ford was in 1931, their Marketing department was pretty weak.

Seems the only consistency was light meant on the 103.5" wheelbase and they were called cars, not trucks. I think that's the distinction - anything on the short wheelbase is a car. Although I call a pickup a truck, anything with one rear door is a delivery, two rear doors is a panel, and the station wagon is a passenger vehicle - and I'm inconsistent because the 255-A is a delivery even though it has two rear doors.

[Gary WA]

As per Benson Research Center My 1930 Deluxe Delivery was used by "The Henry Ford Museum",Audio Visual Department in Greenfield Village, Michigan. 1930 "Deluxe Delivery" was the Official designation for the Ford Vehicle: while "Sedan Delivery" was the designation given to this type of truck by the General Automotive Industry. Has matching Frame and Engine numbers. Also stated as a" Light Commercial Deluxe Delivery 130B" by the Research Center.

[1930-Pickup]

One heck of a nice truck Gary WA!

[Gary WA]

Originally Posted by 1930-Pickup

One heck of a nice truck Gary WA!

Thanks