From the mid-20th Century, home delivery of retail goods became common across the developed world. Perishable products such as milk, eggs, fruit and vegetables were delivered weekly or even daily to customers by local farms and suppliers.
As well as delivering to order (such as the daily milk round), grocers, bakers, fishmongers and others would drive their vans from place to place (to a regular schedule), park up and sell before moving on to the next destination.
It was the Ford Model T that first brought the delivery van within the reach of high street businesses (the American Messenger Company in Seattle, Washington, founded by James Casey, started using its first Model T delivery car in 1913), followed by the purpose built light vans, after 1945. The first generation of compact vans appeared in the US in the 1960s, borrowing their design from the Volkswagen Bus. They were called ‘step vans’ because a deliveryman could step-up into one via low van steps built under the doors. It became a standard truck type widely used by delivery services, courier companies and parcel post.
The growth in private car ownership, coupled with the advent of the supermarket and out-of-town retail shopping centers, saw a decline in use of the van for home delivery services during the last quarter of the 20th century. However, the past decade has seen a resurgence in use as the massive growth of online shopping has reinstated the delivery van in its pivotal position at the end of the retail distribution chain.
Contribution to Retail History
While the delivery truck has always been a critical component in the retail distribution process, skyrocketing e-commerce sales have put further emphasis on the importance of the delivery van. The development of electric vehicles, self-driving autonomous trucks, and drones will impact the future of traditional delivery and revolutionize the distribution process for greater efficiency, better on time performance and a more environmentally friendly method.