The company acquired its first delivery car, a Model T Ford, in 1913. In 1926, the company introduced a new van for parcel delivery that bears a striking resemblance to thepresent fleet of delivery vehicles. In 1922, the United Parcel Service acquired a company in Los Angeles with an innovative practice at the time known as “common carrier” service, making it one of the few companies at the time to offer such a service. The service incorporated many of the features and operating principles of the company’s retail store delivery service with features not then offered by many other private carriers, or even the parcel post. According to the company’s official website, this common carrier service included automatic daily pickup calls, acceptance of checks made out to the shipper in payment of C.O.D.s, additional delivery attempts, automatic return of undeliverables, and streamlined documentation with weekly billing. “Perhaps the most key feature was that UPS was able to provide its extensive service at rates comparable to those of parcel post,” the website says. In March, 1926, CCJ captured a photo of the latest UPS truck put in service in Los Angeles for its common carrier service. The van was built by the Crown Motor Carriage Co. of Los Angeles.
The United Parcel Service has always been known for innovations in package handling, including its delivery equipment.
CCJ Digital Magazine
