World’s First Truck Built by Daimler with Rear-Mounted Engine

The global automotive world is paying the highest tribute to Daimler Trucks as the company celebrates its 130th anniversary.

This long journey is not just a number, but a history of transformation in the transportation industry that began with a revolutionary vision. One of the greatest talents of the inventor, Gottlieb Daimler, was his ability to find new uses for the engines he created.

After successfully producing the motorcycle, the motorized trolley, and the motorized fire engine, he finally took the inevitable next step by creating the world’s first truck in 1896.

Born from a spirit of pragmatism, the world’s first truck initially looked like a horse-drawn cart fitted with an engine. Its power unit was known as the Phoenix engine — a 2-cylinder engine producing 4 hp that was originally developed for a car.

This engine, with a displacement of 1.06 liters (1,006 cc), was mounted at the rear of the vehicle. Daimler connected the engine to the rear axle using a belt-drive system.

Since the cargo vehicle still used very rigid hard iron wheels, Daimler installed two helical springs to protect the engine, which was highly sensitive to vibrations.

Interestingly, the technology featured in this 1896 truck was remarkably visionary for its time. The steering system was driven by a chain on the front axle supported by leaf springs, while the driver sat in a front seat similar to that of a horse-drawn carriage.

In terms of fuel efficiency, the truck was claimed to consume around 6 liters of gasoline per 100 km. Its power transmission mechanism already anticipated the planetary axle technology that is still commonly used in trucks today.

Additionally, the drive belt transmitted power to a transversely mounted axle, with both ends equipped with pinion gears that engaged with internal teeth on the rear wheels.

The evolution of this truck moved quickly. Just two years later, in 1898, Gottlieb Daimler together with Wilhelm Maybach began moving the Phoenix 2-cylinder engine under the driver’s seat and shifting the 4-speed belt transmission to the front.

Not long after, in the same year, the truck design began to find its true identity, distinguishing it from passenger cars. The engine was moved entirely to the very front, positioned directly above the front axle — a layout that became the foundation of the modern truck as we know it today.

This step paved the way for increased power output of up to ten horsepower and greater payload capacity. Technical breakthroughs also touched vital engine aspects, where the hot-tube ignition system began to be abandoned.

In its place, Daimler adopted Bosch’s magneto ignition system to ignite the air-fuel mixture in the 2.2-liter engine cylinders. The cooling system and radiator also received an entirely new design.

Before being released to the public, this 5-ton truck had to undergo extensive customer trials at a brick factory for several months to ensure its durability and to fix any shortcomings that appeared during daily operations.

This success enabled Daimler Trucks to expand into international markets. It is claimed to have started with its first buyer from England, one of the world’s major centers of industrialization.

Although steam vehicles still dominated at the time, the repeal of the Red Flag Act in 1896 gave Daimler’s internal combustion engine the opportunity to prove its superiority.

In Paris, the truck also drew significant attention at an automotive exhibition in the Tuileries Gardens, where Daimler’s wife, Lina, proudly noted how popular the truck was among the crowds.

Through the innovation that began 130 years ago, Daimler did not merely create a vehicle — it laid the foundation for the entire global logistics and distribution system we know today.