Dover (truck)
Dover was a make of trucks, owned by the Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan. Hudson announced the Dover brand in July 1929 as "Dover, built by Hudson Motors."
When introduced, Dover trucks were available as a "Screenside Express", Canopy Express, Open Flatbed, Panel Delivery and Cab and Chassis. Prices ranged between $595 and $895. Bodies for the trucks were built by Hercules of Evansville, Indiana.
The largest purchaser of Dover Trucks was the United States Postal Service which put the vehicles into service for mail transport and delivery vehicles. The Dover was a durable vehicle; USPS reported using some of the vehicles well into the 1950s.
The Dover was pulled from the market in either 1930 or 1931, with Hudson's production records being unspecific. The number of survivor vehicles is very limited; the one known restored mail truck was last known to be owned by a private collector in Michigan.
A fully restored U.S. mail truck (possibly the vehicle alluded to in the previous paragraph) can currently be seen at Hostetler's Hudson Museum in Shipshewana, Indiana, which opened in October, 2007. The museum contains 48 restored or original Hudson vehicles built between 1909 and 1956. Information on the museum can be found at http://www.hostetlershudsons.com/ .
References
- Gunnell, John, Editor (1993). The Standard Catalog of American Motors 1902 - 1987. Kraus Publications. ISBN 978-0-87341-232-2.