White Motor Company
Encyclopedia
White Motor Company was an American
automobile
and truck
manufacturer
from 1900 until 1980. The company also produced bicycle
s, roller skates, automatic lathe
s, and sewing machines. Before World War II
, the company was based in Cleveland, Ohio
.
About 1898, Thomas H. White purchased a Locomobile steam car and found the only thing reliable about its boiler was its unreliability. His son, Rollin, set out to improve on its design. Rollin White developed a form of water tube steam generator which consisted of a series of stacked coils with two novel features: the first, and most fundamental, was that the coils were all joined at the top of the unit, which allowed water to flow through only when pumped, allowing control of the steam generation; the second was pulling steam from the lowest coil, closest to the fire, which allowed for the control of steam temperature. This second point was critical because the White steamer operated with superheated steam
to take advantage of steam's unique properties at higher temperatures.
, to allow the use of a corner in one of his sewing machine buildings to build a complete automobile.
White's brother Windsor, who was a management talent, joined the business venture, followed by their brother Walter, who became instrumental in the sales, promotion and distribution of the product. The first group of fifty cars was completed in October 1900, but none were offered to the public until April 1901 so the design could be thoroughly tested. Since the cars were being offered by the automobile department of the sewing machine company, White could not afford to diminish the reputation of the parent company by the introduction of a new and untested product. The White steamer was a success from the very beginning as a result of this careful approach.
It became necessary in 1905 to separate the automobile department from its parent company to accommodate the growth of the business and to physically separate them, as a fire in the paint department of one could ruin both operations.
In 1909, president-elect William Howard Taft
selected a 40 hp White Model M 7-seat tourer
as the first official automobile of the President of the United States. This generated favorable press for the new White Motor Company.
design for the "gas car", showing a chassis at an English auto show in December 1908.
White was successful with their heavy machines, which saw service around the world during World War I
. White remained in the truck industry for decades.
Today, only about 150 White steam car
s are known to remain from the 10,000 or so made. White produced more steam cars than any other maker, even the more famous Stanley.
White Motor Company ended car production after World War I and began producing trucks. The company soon sold 10 percent of all trucks made in the United States, and White trucks and buses became known for quality. Although White produced all sizes of trucks from light delivery to semi, the decision was made after World War II to produce only large trucks. White acquired several truck companies during this time: Sterling
, Autocar
, Diamond T
, and REO
. White also agreed to sell Consolidated Freightways
trucks through its own dealers. White produced trucks under the Autocar nameplate following its acquisition. Diamond T and REO Motor Car Company
became the Diamond REO division, which was discontinued in the 1970s.
A White semi performed a major role in the 1949 James Cagney
film, "White Heat
". This era was probably the peak of White Motor market penetration, with the substantial gasoline engined tractors moving a large part of the tractor trailer market.
White designed and (with other companies) produced the M3 Scout Car
, the standard United States Army
reconnaissance vehicle at the start of World War II. White also built the later M2
and M3
half-track
s.
In the 1970s, White started the Western Star
division to sell trucks on the west coast.
s of the western United States. The distinctive vehicles, with roll-back canvas convertible tops, were the product of noted industrial designer Alexis de Sakhnoffsky
, and originally operated in seven National Parks. Today, Glacier National Park operates 33 of their original 35 buses, where they are referred to as "Red Jammers
", and 8 (of an original 98) have been restored for renewed service in Yellowstone National Park
. Glacier National Park
's 33 buses were refurbished by Ford Motor Company
in 2000-2002, while Yellowstone National Park
's eight buses were refurbished by the Transglobal Company of Livonia, Michigan in 2007. Glacier has kept one bus in original condition. Yellowstone has five White buses in original condition, two model 706's and three older units as well. In addition, Gettysburg National Battlefield operates two of Yellowstone's original buses.
During the time brothers Walter and Windsor White ran the company, it was a nice place to work. The company had a library
branch, a store which sold necessities at a low cost, sports teams, and concerts by orchestra
s and jazz
bands, as well as musical performances by the workers, many of whom were immigrants from Slovenia
and Poland
. The company also had picnic
s at Euclid Beach Park
. People wanted to work at White, and sons followed their fathers. Executives visited the plant often.
After Walter White died from a traffic accident, management changed and so did the firm's culture. Employees started one of the country's first automobile union
s. The Great Depression
caused a drop in sales, forcing White to merge with Studebaker
. However, White soon became independent again.
In 1935, Robert Fager Black became president, but workers were still unhappy, and they went on strike
. Black tried talking to the workers who were striking, and he even got baseball
equipment for them and let them play while on strike, so they would have something to do. The workers soon realized the old White was back and went back to work.
Black learned people's names, visited the plant frequently, and asked customers if they were happy with what they purchased. Anyone could visit his office.
Black brought the company back to where it had once been by World War II, during which the company supplied the military with much of its equipment. When husbands went to serve, wives took their jobs, and the work force totaled over 4000. Black provided the services the company had at one time, and he also made sure employees could get to work with carpool
s.
Black retired in 1956, still beloved by employees.
. From the 1950s until 1975, White Motors distributed Freightliner
trucks under an agreement with Freightliner's parent, Consolidated Freightways Inc. White manufactured trucks under its own brands—White, Autocar, and Western Star—as well, leading to the company becoming known as the "Big Four" through to the mid-1970s. The Sterling nameplate, unused by White as long as the company owned it, went to Freightliner after the companies' split; it is currently used by Freightliner's parent company, the Daimler Group.
Sales dropped during the 1960s, and White tried merging with White Consolidated Industries, the company that once made sewing machines; the federal government blocked this deal. The company opened plants in Virginia
and Utah
, since they did not have unions, but this did not help. Semon E. "Bunkie" Knudsen, former president of Ford Motor Company
, made the company successful for a time, but the decline continued. Later, the federal government approved a merger with White Consolidated, which feared being hurt by White Motor's troubles. Mergers with Daimler
and Renault
were also considered.
By 1980, White was insolvent. Volvo AB
acquired the U.S. assets of the company in 1981, while two energy-related companies based in Calgary, Alberta
, Bow Valley Resource Services, and NovaCorp, an Alberta corporation, purchased the Canadian assets, including the Kelowna
, British Columbia
, plant, and the Western Star nameplate and product range.
Volvo produced trucks as White and Autocar through the 1980s, while Western Star continued independently in Canada
and the United States
, although Volvo-White–produced high cab over engine
models were purchased and rebadged Western Star for sale in the Canadian market through the early 1990s.
Volvo purchased GMC
's heavy truck business in 1987 and merged it with White, creating the White-GMC brand. Western Star was sold to Australia
n entrepreneur Terry Peabody in 1990. Subsequently, Western Star was resold by Peabody to DaimlerChrysler AG
and merged with its Freightliner subsidiary. Volvo dropped any reference to White, and is now Volvo Trucks North America. Autocar remained a part of Volvo until 2000, when the trademark was withdrawn from the market, and was subsequently sold to Grand Vehicle Works together with the Xpeditor low cab forward
heavy duty product, which remains in production to this day under the Autocar badge, the last vestige of what was once America's leading commercial vehicle producer.
A former White subsidiary, White Farm Equipment
, produced farm tractors until 2001. As of 2006, the only products made under the White name is a series of corn planters (made by AGCO
) and garden tractors (made by MTD Products
).
More information about White Motor Company can be found in Oliver Heritage Magazine
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
and truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
manufacturer
Automotive industry
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
from 1900 until 1980. The company also produced bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
s, roller skates, automatic lathe
Lathe (metal)
A metal lathe or metalworking lathe is a large class of lathes designed for precisely machining relatively hard materials. They were originally designed to machine metals; however, with the advent of plastics and other materials, and with their inherent versatility, they are used in a wide range of...
s, and sewing machines. Before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the company was based in Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
History
Superheated steam
Superheated steam is steam at a temperature higher than water's boiling point. If saturated steam is heated at constant pressure, its temperature will also remain constant as the steam quality increases towards 100% Dry Saturated Steam. Continued heat input will then generate superheated steam...
to take advantage of steam's unique properties at higher temperatures.
White steamer
Rollin H. White patented his new design and offered it to, among others, Locomobile. Finally, he persuaded his father, founder of the White Sewing Machine CompanyWhite Sewing Machine Company
White Sewing Machine Company was a sewing machine company founded in 1858 in Templeton, Massachusetts by Thomas H. White and based in Cleveland, Ohio since 1866. Founded as the White Manufacturing Company it took the White Sewing Machine Company name when it was incorporated in 1876.The company...
, to allow the use of a corner in one of his sewing machine buildings to build a complete automobile.
White's brother Windsor, who was a management talent, joined the business venture, followed by their brother Walter, who became instrumental in the sales, promotion and distribution of the product. The first group of fifty cars was completed in October 1900, but none were offered to the public until April 1901 so the design could be thoroughly tested. Since the cars were being offered by the automobile department of the sewing machine company, White could not afford to diminish the reputation of the parent company by the introduction of a new and untested product. The White steamer was a success from the very beginning as a result of this careful approach.
It became necessary in 1905 to separate the automobile department from its parent company to accommodate the growth of the business and to physically separate them, as a fire in the paint department of one could ruin both operations.
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
selected a 40 hp White Model M 7-seat tourer
Touring car
A touring car, or tourer, is an open car seating five or more. Touring cars may have two or four doors. Often, the belt line is lowered in the front doors to give the car a more sportive character. They were often fitted with a folding roof and side curtains. Engines on early models were either in...
as the first official automobile of the President of the United States. This generated favorable press for the new White Motor Company.
Gasoline models
The growth of the White companies' manufacturing facility was considerable. This meant, among other things, they had to pay particular attention to the marketplace as inefficient manufacturing and/or a slacking in sales would be magnified by costs. As the White steamer was an excellent automobile, it was also a unique technology, and this made it vulnerable in a market that was accepting the internal combustion engine as the standard. In response to this, White canvassed existing gas manufacturers and licensed the rights to the DelahayeDelahaye
Delahaye automobile manufacturing company was started by Emile Delahaye in 1894, in Tours, France. His first cars were belt-driven, with single- or twin-cylinder engines. In 1900, Delahaye left the company.-History:...
design for the "gas car", showing a chassis at an English auto show in December 1908.
White tractors
White built their last steam cars for the 1910 model year, though they continued to show them in their catalogues as late as 1912. Rollin at that time became more interested in agricultural tractors, and developed some designs for tractors derived from standard White truck parts. When the White Company was not interested in producing tractors, Rollin set out to develop his own designs and, with brother Clarence, eventually founded Cleveland Motor Plow, which later became Cletrac tractor. In the early 1920s, Rollin briefly produced the Rollin car to diversify the tractor company, but found it could not compete in cost versus price against much larger manufacturers.White was successful with their heavy machines, which saw service around the world during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. White remained in the truck industry for decades.
Today, only about 150 White steam car
Steam car
A steam car is a light car powered by a steam engine.Steam locomotives, steam engines capable of propelling themselves along either road or rails, developed around one hundred years earlier than internal combustion engine cars although their weight restricted them to agricultural and heavy haulage...
s are known to remain from the 10,000 or so made. White produced more steam cars than any other maker, even the more famous Stanley.
Truck manufacturing
Sterling Trucks
Sterling Trucks, a manufacturer of heavy duty trucks, was a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America, based in Portland, Oregon, United States, a member of the Daimler AG Truck Group. It was originally the heavy truck division of Ford Motor Company, but was purchased and rebranded in 1997....
, Autocar
Autocar Company
The Autocar Company is a Hagerstown, Indiana specialist manufacturer of cabover vocational trucks, mainly for refuse applications. Started in 1899 in Ardmore, Pennsylvania as a manufacturer of Brass Era automobiles, and from 1907, trucks. The last cars were produced in 1912, but the company...
, Diamond T
Diamond T
The Diamond T was an American automobile manufactured in Chicago from 1905 until 1911 by the Diamond T Motor Car Company. It was a powerful touring car . The company later became known for its trucks...
, and REO
REO Motor Car Company
The REO Motor Car Company was a Lansing, Michigan based company that produced automobiles and trucks from 1905 to 1975. At one point the company also manufactured buses on its truck platforms.REO was initiated by Ransom E. Olds during August 1904...
. White also agreed to sell Consolidated Freightways
Consolidated Freightways
Consolidated Freightways , based in Washington State was the 3rd biggest trucking company in the US. In the 1930s they started their own truck manufacturing operation, Freightliner, now part of Daimler AG. In 1989, Consolidated Freightways purchased Emery Worldwide...
trucks through its own dealers. White produced trucks under the Autocar nameplate following its acquisition. Diamond T and REO Motor Car Company
REO Motor Car Company
The REO Motor Car Company was a Lansing, Michigan based company that produced automobiles and trucks from 1905 to 1975. At one point the company also manufactured buses on its truck platforms.REO was initiated by Ransom E. Olds during August 1904...
became the Diamond REO division, which was discontinued in the 1970s.
A White semi performed a major role in the 1949 James Cagney
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
film, "White Heat
White Heat
White Heat may refer to:In film:* White Heat , a British film directed by Thomas Bentley* White Heat , an American film* White Heat, a 1949 film starring James CagneyIn music:...
". This era was probably the peak of White Motor market penetration, with the substantial gasoline engined tractors moving a large part of the tractor trailer market.
White designed and (with other companies) produced the M3 Scout Car
M3 Scout Car
The M3 Scout Car was an armored car in U.S. service during World War II. It was also known as the White Scout Car, after its manufacturer, the White Motor Company. It was used in various roles including patrol, scouting, command vehicle, ambulance and gun tractor.-History:Design of the vehicle...
, the standard United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
reconnaissance vehicle at the start of World War II. White also built the later M2
M2 Half Track Car
The M-2 Half Track was an armored vehicle used by the United States during World War II.-History:The half-track design had been evaluated by the US Ordnance department using Citroën-Kégresse vehicles...
and M3
M3 Half-track
The Carrier, Personnel Half-track M3 was an armored vehicle used by the United States, the British Empire and the other Allies during World War II and the Cold War. Nearly 43,000 were produced, and supplied to the U.S...
half-track
Half-track
A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels on the front for steering, and caterpillar tracks on the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. The purpose of this combination is to produce a vehicle with the cross-country capabilities of a tank and the handling...
s.
In the 1970s, White started the Western Star
Western Star Trucks
Western Star Trucks is a Fort Mill, South Carolina, United States based manufacturer of Class 8 commercial trucks and a subsidiary of the German Daimler AG.-History:...
division to sell trucks on the west coast.
White buses
In the 1930s, White produced 500 of their small Model 706 buses specifically designed to carry passengers through the major National ParkNational park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
s of the western United States. The distinctive vehicles, with roll-back canvas convertible tops, were the product of noted industrial designer Alexis de Sakhnoffsky
Alexis de Sakhnoffsky
Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky was a Russian-American industrial designer, known principally for his Streamline-style automotive designs. Born in Moscow in 1901, Sakhnoffsky emigrated to Switzerland in 1919 and by the 1920s had become a well-known designer of European sports cars...
, and originally operated in seven National Parks. Today, Glacier National Park operates 33 of their original 35 buses, where they are referred to as "Red Jammers
Red Jammers
Red Jammers are buses used at Glacier National Park in the United States to transport park visitors. While the buses are called reds , the bus drivers are called jammers because of the sound the gears made when shifting on the steep roads of the park...
", and 8 (of an original 98) have been restored for renewed service in Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
. Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park may refer to:*Glacier National Park in British Columbia, Canada*Glacier National Park in Montana, USA-See also:*Glacier Bay National Park, in Alaska, USA*Los Glaciares National Park, in Argentina...
's 33 buses were refurbished by Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
in 2000-2002, while Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
's eight buses were refurbished by the Transglobal Company of Livonia, Michigan in 2007. Glacier has kept one bus in original condition. Yellowstone has five White buses in original condition, two model 706's and three older units as well. In addition, Gettysburg National Battlefield operates two of Yellowstone's original buses.
Company culture
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
branch, a store which sold necessities at a low cost, sports teams, and concerts by orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
s and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
bands, as well as musical performances by the workers, many of whom were immigrants from Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. The company also had picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
s at Euclid Beach Park
Euclid Beach Park
Euclid Beach Park was a popular amusement park located on the shores of Lake Erie in the Collinwood neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio....
. People wanted to work at White, and sons followed their fathers. Executives visited the plant often.
After Walter White died from a traffic accident, management changed and so did the firm's culture. Employees started one of the country's first automobile union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s. The Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
caused a drop in sales, forcing White to merge with Studebaker
Studebaker
Studebaker Corporation was a United States wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 under the name of the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the company was originally a producer of wagons for farmers, miners, and the...
. However, White soon became independent again.
In 1935, Robert Fager Black became president, but workers were still unhappy, and they went on strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
. Black tried talking to the workers who were striking, and he even got baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
equipment for them and let them play while on strike, so they would have something to do. The workers soon realized the old White was back and went back to work.
Black learned people's names, visited the plant frequently, and asked customers if they were happy with what they purchased. Anyone could visit his office.
Black brought the company back to where it had once been by World War II, during which the company supplied the military with much of its equipment. When husbands went to serve, wives took their jobs, and the work force totaled over 4000. Black provided the services the company had at one time, and he also made sure employees could get to work with carpool
Carpool
Carpooling , is the sharing of car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car....
s.
Black retired in 1956, still beloved by employees.
Demise
In 1953, White purchased the Autocar CompanyAutocar Company
The Autocar Company is a Hagerstown, Indiana specialist manufacturer of cabover vocational trucks, mainly for refuse applications. Started in 1899 in Ardmore, Pennsylvania as a manufacturer of Brass Era automobiles, and from 1907, trucks. The last cars were produced in 1912, but the company...
. From the 1950s until 1975, White Motors distributed Freightliner
Freightliner Trucks
Freightliner Trucks is an American manufacturer of heavy duty trucks, chassis and semi-trailer trucks in the United States. The company was founded as Freightliner Inc in 1942 and is now a division of Daimler Trucks North America, a subsidiary of the German Daimler AG...
trucks under an agreement with Freightliner's parent, Consolidated Freightways Inc. White manufactured trucks under its own brands—White, Autocar, and Western Star—as well, leading to the company becoming known as the "Big Four" through to the mid-1970s. The Sterling nameplate, unused by White as long as the company owned it, went to Freightliner after the companies' split; it is currently used by Freightliner's parent company, the Daimler Group.
Sales dropped during the 1960s, and White tried merging with White Consolidated Industries, the company that once made sewing machines; the federal government blocked this deal. The company opened plants in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, since they did not have unions, but this did not help. Semon E. "Bunkie" Knudsen, former president of Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, made the company successful for a time, but the decline continued. Later, the federal government approved a merger with White Consolidated, which feared being hurt by White Motor's troubles. Mergers with Daimler
Daimler-Benz
Daimler-Benz AG was a German manufacturer of automobiles, motor vehicles, and internal combustion engines; founded in 1926. An Agreement of Mutual Interest - which was valid until year 2000 - was signed on 1 May 1924 between Karl Benz's Benz & Cie., and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, which had...
and Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
were also considered.
By 1980, White was insolvent. Volvo AB
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
acquired the U.S. assets of the company in 1981, while two energy-related companies based in Calgary, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Bow Valley Resource Services, and NovaCorp, an Alberta corporation, purchased the Canadian assets, including the Kelowna
Kelowna, British Columbia
Kelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley, in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. Its name derives from a Okanagan language term for "grizzly bear"...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, plant, and the Western Star nameplate and product range.
Volvo produced trucks as White and Autocar through the 1980s, while Western Star continued independently in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, although Volvo-White–produced high cab over engine
Cab forward
The term cab forward refers to various rail and road vehicle designs which place the driver's compartment substantially farther towards the front than is common practice.- Rail locomotives :...
models were purchased and rebadged Western Star for sale in the Canadian market through the early 1990s.
Volvo purchased GMC
GMC (General Motors division)
GMC is a manufacturer of trucks, vans, military vehicles, and SUVs marketed in North America and the Middle East by General Motors Company. In January 2007, GMC was GM's second-largest-selling North American vehicle division after Chevrolet, ahead of Pontiac....
's heavy truck business in 1987 and merged it with White, creating the White-GMC brand. Western Star was sold to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n entrepreneur Terry Peabody in 1990. Subsequently, Western Star was resold by Peabody to DaimlerChrysler AG
DaimlerChrysler
Daimler AG is a German car corporation. By unit sales, it is the thirteenth-largest car manufacturer and second-largest truck manufacturer in the world. In addition to automobiles, Daimler manufactures buses and provides financial services through its Daimler Financial Services arm...
and merged with its Freightliner subsidiary. Volvo dropped any reference to White, and is now Volvo Trucks North America. Autocar remained a part of Volvo until 2000, when the trademark was withdrawn from the market, and was subsequently sold to Grand Vehicle Works together with the Xpeditor low cab forward
Cab forward
The term cab forward refers to various rail and road vehicle designs which place the driver's compartment substantially farther towards the front than is common practice.- Rail locomotives :...
heavy duty product, which remains in production to this day under the Autocar badge, the last vestige of what was once America's leading commercial vehicle producer.
A former White subsidiary, White Farm Equipment
White Farm Equipment
White Farm Equipment is a brand of agricultural machinery, now discontinued except for planter, and owned by AGCO.-History:In 1960, the White Motor Company entered the agriculture market with the purchase of the Oliver Farm Equipment Company. In 1962, White acquired the Cockshutt Farm Equipment...
, produced farm tractors until 2001. As of 2006, the only products made under the White name is a series of corn planters (made by AGCO
AGCO
AGCO is an agricultural equipment manufacturer based in Duluth, Georgia, USA. As a leading global manufacturer of agricultural equipment, AGCO offers a full line of tractors, combines, hay tools, sprayers, forage and tillage equipment, which are distributed through more than 2,700 independent...
) and garden tractors (made by MTD Products
MTD Products
MTD Products is a manufacturer of outdoor power equipment for the mass market. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, the company began in 1932 and is a family-owned, private company. It originated as a tool and die maker...
).
More information about White Motor Company can be found in Oliver Heritage Magazine
Oliver Heritage Magazine
- About the Magazine :Oliver Heritage Magazine is directed toward collectors of Oliver, White, and Cletrac. Oliver Heritage covers the history of the people and the machines of the Oliver family of companies...
.
Products
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Western Star Western Star may refer to:* Western Star Trucks* Western Star * Western Star ButterNewspapers* The Western Star * The Western Star * The Western Star... Freightliner Trucks Freightliner Trucks is an American manufacturer of heavy duty trucks, chassis and semi-trailer trucks in the United States. The company was founded as Freightliner Inc in 1942 and is now a division of Daimler Trucks North America, a subsidiary of the German Daimler AG... Autocar Company The Autocar Company is a Hagerstown, Indiana specialist manufacturer of cabover vocational trucks, mainly for refuse applications. Started in 1899 in Ardmore, Pennsylvania as a manufacturer of Brass Era automobiles, and from 1907, trucks. The last cars were produced in 1912, but the company... |
See also
- List of automobile manufacturers
- White armored carWhite armored carThe White armored car was a series of armored cars developed by the White Motor Company in Cleveland, Ohio from 1915.-Models:* White No.1 4x2 armored car built in 1915...
- White Farm EquipmentWhite Farm EquipmentWhite Farm Equipment is a brand of agricultural machinery, now discontinued except for planter, and owned by AGCO.-History:In 1960, the White Motor Company entered the agriculture market with the purchase of the Oliver Farm Equipment Company. In 1962, White acquired the Cockshutt Farm Equipment...
- White Sewing Machine CompanyWhite Sewing Machine CompanyWhite Sewing Machine Company was a sewing machine company founded in 1858 in Templeton, Massachusetts by Thomas H. White and based in Cleveland, Ohio since 1866. Founded as the White Manufacturing Company it took the White Sewing Machine Company name when it was incorporated in 1876.The company...
- White-WestinghouseWhite-WestinghouseWhite-Westinghouse is an American home appliance brand currently used under license by trademark owner CBS Corporation. It was created in 1975 when White Consolidated Industries bought the Westinghouse Electric Corporation's appliance unit...
External links
- White Truck Pictures - Barraclou.com
- White Truck Pictures - Hank's Truck Pictures
- 1945 advertisement for White Buses
- Cletrac and Oliver Tractors