MTFCA Forum

I didn’t realize UPS has been around since the 20’s until I saw this. Wonder what make the other ones are.

Could be Walker electric trucks

UPS has been around since 1907.

They actually started using Model Ts in 1913.

I hear UPS and Fedex are going to merge and their going to call it FED UP

Now that’s a good one Jay!
If the other delivery trucks in the photos are electric I guess it’s that eras version of EV’s ? But I don’t think they were used to long. But is it what goes around comes back around?
Makes you wonder.

UPS delivers all over the world. In the 1990's we took a trip to Europe and saw some of their trucks in Germany. There were also Woolworth stores there! And we saw McDonalds in many of the cities The only place in Germany where we got our menu and service in English was a Chinese Restaurant. I asked them how they learned English and they said they were from Hong Kong!
Norm

UPS Any color you want as long as it's brown.

Forward thinking people began working toward self propelled vehicles before 1800. It took most of a hundred years just to figure out what some of the possibilities were. For half a century, steam was the only really viable means to power and propel a vehicle, and dozens of vehicles were built over many years. Most were more like tractors than cars, one resembled a riverboat on wheels and could carry dozens of people at one time. The "Times Standard" automobile race in November 1895 is usually credited with being the first automobile race in the USA. Want a surprise? Google "THE GREAT RACE OF 1878" !
The first attempt at building an electric car was also around the the time of the 1870s. The "car" wasn't very practical. Decent storage batteries hadn't been invented yet.
Internal combustion engines were still in early forms, Otto was building stationary engines in the 1870s, Daimler wanted to design smaller engines for transportation. However Benz is generally credited with the first practical prototype "gasoline" (by any other name?) powered automobile. Ironically, Benz and Daimler were working on very similar ideas only miles apart, with Benz beating Daimler to the punch by only a couple months in 1886, both largely unaware of the other's progress.

Steam? Gasoline? Or electric? Which was going to work best for automotive power? Amongst engineers, the battle raged throughout the 1890s and first decade of the twentieth century. Steam had been around the longest, and proven its abilities. Gasoline/internal combustion was showing a better power efficiency, but was still crude and difficult to work with. However, it was the electric car that was running to the forefront with the development of practical batteries. Big cities, places like New York and Chicago, electric taxicabs and delivery trucks were being built and put into service by the thousands! The big cities had (they thought?) abundant supplies of electricity for local charging stations. The cabs and the trucks were easy to drive by people with no automotive background. The short distances and area of use made them practical, and they required very little maintenance beyond keeping the batteries charged.
By the end of the 1890s, it was looking like the electric automobile was going to be the way of the future. But two things got in the way.
One, continuing development of the gasoline engine and other required mechanics was making them better, faster, and more easy to work with. And two, the practical limitations of the electric car were just beginning to be seen.

The first decade of the twentieth century saw many thousands of electric cars and trucks being manufactured and sold all over the country. However, most of them remained in the larger cities. The limited range of electrics was not a problem in large cities, delivery drivers found the trucks easy to operate, and without the difficulty in starting the gasoline engine, the electric was ready to move in mere seconds once a delivery was made.

Electric trucks were a common sight in larger cities well into the mid 1910s, and both electric and gasoline/electric hybrid trucks continued to be used for local delivery work though the 1930s in many areas.

UPS started in Seattle as American Service in 1907

UPS came to the Cleveland Ohio area when they bought Cleveland delivery in the early 1950's. I started with them in the early 80's as a mechanic at the Middleburg Hts. hub. Actually had the chance to have old number 1 in my bay it was the 1913 package car, also had the opportunity to go over the "new" Model A package car. I did retire after 30 yrs. service and in retirement unfortunately ,or not, have the Model T addiction. By the way, number 1 had a starter engine in it at the time a replacement of course. One of the other makes they used were by a company called Feagel , pronounced Fajel.