Federal Motor Trucks

Federal Motor Trucks is a heavy automobile company that was founded in Detroit, Michigan in 1910.

Details
Federal was originally founded as Bailey Motor Co. in 1910 by Martin L. Pulcher, who went on to also found Oakland Motor Car Company. Martin changed its name to Federal Motor Trucks quickly on. The company's last U.S. vehicle was made in 1959, after a gradual decline throughout the 50's, spanning a total of 49 years. Federal was one of the very few car companies to make it through the Great Depression, alongside its main competitor, Diamond T, who also collapsed in the mid-60's.

Federal offered one of the widest ranges of vehicles, ranging from the 1/2 ton pickup to a eight-ton model.

Strategy
After a few years of competing alongside Diamond T, Federal decided to take a different approach that most other companies of the time, by making vehicles that aren't very stylish or fancy, but just reliable, a strategy also seen with Ford's Model T, which quickly earned them the name of the Ol' Reliable. The strategy is the main reason Federal managed to hold on for so long.

1910's
During this time, Federal was getting on its feet, much like other companies of the time. 1910-1913, only 100 vehicles were made, a few of which still exist today. In 1914, Federal made a production line, which vastly improved the number of vehicles they made. To the right, you can see an old advertisement, which has the oldest known form of logo, simply being FEDERAL, with a bar going through it, which persisted throughout the company's lifespan, taking on slightly different forms, but with the same principles in mind.

The first Motor Trucks were chain-driven, which was replaced with a worm gear in 1916.

1920's
Many things happened in this decade for Federal, introducing the Federal Knight, along with the Big Six in 1928. A new rear axle was introduced in the early 20's, but the worm-drive persisted in the heavier models throughout the 20's. Federal sold about 3,000 to 5,000 vehicles per year, dwindling in the later 20's. Other Federal Motor Trucks memorobilia can be found in the 20's on occasion, and more commonly in the later decades, but are very rarely found in the 1910's, due to the lack of manufacturing back then. In this decade, Federal took it's not-so-shiny path down the reliable road.

1930's
The Great Depression hit in 1929, and through 1930 to 1934, making Federal Truck sales dwindle to just 1,500 a year. However, the company was much better off than dozens of other car manufactuerers, and survived through it. In 1934, the U.S. Army ordered 400 Q9 models, which was worth over a million dollars, which greatly helped the company to get back on its feet once again, as every company was. Another 213 Civilian 2 1/2 Ton models were orders in 1936, outfitted for military use. Federal Motor Trucks is one of the rare examples that offered a full range of vehicles, from 3/4 ton vehicles all the way up to 7 1/2 and 8 ton models. In the late 1930's, Federal got into Motor Homes(known as 'Motohome') just long enough to get out of it, with only a few examples being built. Federal Motor Trucks later came out with their version of the trailer house, known as the 'Motomart'.

1940's
The 1940's was similar and very different to the 1930's, with Federal getting more orders for their robust trucks during WWII, and back on their feet. 1944 was the biggest year of sales for the entire company, being 39% more then 1943's and adding up to a whopping $34,000,000 dollars. Federal's plant was bursting at the seams, with the entire space being needed for wartime production. It didn't last, and declining sales pushed a 50% cut in workers. The 1940's went pretty well for Federal overall, but not for much longer. There was a milk delievery van produced for a short period of time, but this was dropped shortly after in favor of the larger truck models.

1950's
The 1950's is the last and concluding decade for the Federal Motor Trucks Company, as Federal was bought out by Fawick Corporation in 1952. Military purchases were still very prevalent, however, and Federal continued on as a Division. Federal had become a international company as well, exporting trucks to Canada, Central America, Scandinavia, Australia, and the Middle East(before it was unstable). Federal also got into the bus world, providing 29 to 45 seat buses with staightforward, easy to build frames. In 1954, Federal was sold to Napco Industries, which tried to revive the now-dead exporting business. Business started going south, however, in the late 1950's when the Big Three wanted a portion of the truck market. Federal introduced the Styleliner, which was priced slightly higher than the Big Three's trucks, but had a much wider array of features, becoming the very opposite of the original intent. In 1954, truck production was moved to Minneapolis and Turkey, which discontinued the Styleliner, but some preexisting series were continued. In 1959, all production ceased in the U.S., and halted in Turkey in 1961 with the last Federal Bus.

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1910-1919

1920-1929

1930-1939

1940-1949

1950-1959

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Memorabilia