The Moreland Motor Truck Company started in Los Angeles in 1911. Moreland was an innovative company that produced 70% of its trucks on-site, they introduced the "Gasifier" in the early 1900s, which allowed gas engines to run on petroleum distillates, similar to
kerosene. The trucks came with a one-year warranty, much better than the standard 90 day warranty of most truck companies at the time. In 1917 Watt L. Moreland was planning to move his business to
Alhambra, California. When
Burbank city officials heard about this news they offered Moreland of land free of cost, located on the corner of San Fernando Blvd. and Alameda Ave. The city of Burbank raised $25,000 to pay for the land, buildings were constructed and the truck company moved in, after which Moreland trucks carried the "Made in Burbank" label. The
factory was still surrounded by acres of farms. Along with
Kenworth,
Kleiber, and
Fageol, Moreland helped build the image of the "Western Truck". Early models consisted of 1 1/2, 3, 3 1/2, and 5 ton sizes, with larger models featuring chain drive and driver-over-engine cabs.
Hercules and
Continental engines were paired with
Brown-Lipe-Chapin transmissions. The 6 ton model was the largest in production by 1924, and in that same year they created a 6-wheeler double-decker bus chassis with a 6-cylinder Continental engine, Westinghouse air brakes, Lockheed hydraulics, and a 60-passenger body. Due to the projected cost (and the assumed low sales volume), the bus was not produced, but the 6-wheeler concept continued on in 1925 with the TX6 truck. Powered by a Continental 14H engine, it featured an equalizing rocker bogie designed by Moreland which pivoted from the middle of semi-elliptic springs. The TX6 was 10-ton rated and sold for around $7,000, with a 6-ton version introduced later that year. The 6-wheeler vehicles led to increased sales both in the
United States and from other countries in
Central America and
South America as well as the
Philippines and
Australia. Moreland also made trailers, commercial bodywork, smaller trucks such as the 4-wheeler Ace (3,800 lb, Continental engine) and the 4-ton Californian (Hercules engine). In 1929 the company had its best production year with almost 1,000 trucks, buses, and trailers delivered but less than 40 per year were sold by the mid-30s. Fageol and Moreland entered into talks of a merger in 1931 but nothing ever became of this. Moreland started to focus more on trailers and body work, with later trucks all being custom built. After 1941 the company became a parts & service corporation. ==References==