The name Hudson is more commonly associated with cars, but the Hudson Motor Company also produced trucks, going back as far as 1914, through to post-World War 2.

The early Hudson trucks were privately manufactured, and based on the car chassis of the pre-World War 1 era Hudson cars. They were generally purpose-built, for such tasks a Hudson dealer service trucks, ambulances, fire department vehicles and the like.

Hudson themselves “seriously” entered the truck market, with badged versions, in 1929. Its first model was based on the Hudson Essex car chassis, and was called the Dover, and was available in two body types, panel delivery and pickup.

In the early 1930 the name Dover was changed to Essex, and from 1934 to 1937, the badge name changed around, from Terraplane, to Hudson-Terraplane, to simply Hudson.

In 1937 the three-quarter ton Terraplane Big Boy was released, having a longer wheelbase than previous models, and available in initially 19 models, down to 8 models in 1941. The year 1937 also saw the release of a vehicle that was part car, part truck, called the utility coupe. The utility coupe was produced until 1942.

By 1942, and with the US at war, production was down to just the two pickup trucks, a 116 inch wheelbase model, and the 128 inch wheelbase Big Boy. Indeed World War 2 saw production stop, with Hudson then only producing the three-quarter ton Big Boy, though no longer carried that name.

This model was produced until 1947 with little change, and although sales weren’t bad, Hudson exited the truck business in 1947.