Walter Motor Truck Company

The Walter Motor Truck Company was an American truck manufacturer specializing in heavy duty all wheel drive trucks. The company also built fire apparatus being particularly well known for its aircraft crash trucks.

History
William Walter built his first automobile in 1898 and established the Walter Automobile Company in 1906. The Walter Automobile Company would go out of business in 1909.

William Walter decided that the large truck market offered more opportunity so in 1911 he established the Walter Motor Truck Company in New York City, New York. The company would offer trucks in the 1 1/2 ton to 7 ton class. In 1914 Walter would begin to offer four wheel drive trucks. In 1923 the company relocated to Long Island, New York.

Walter would establish a Canadian sales and service division in 1932. The Canadian division would begin to manufacture trucks in 1957 and in 1968 became an independent company Walter Motor Trucks of Canada Ltd, then in 1980 it briefly became Walter Canada Inc, and then Walter Canada Ltd.

In 1957 Walter moved to a larger facility in Voorhees, New York.

The Walter Motor Truck Company went out of business in 1980. In an unusual twist one time subsidiary Walter Canada Inc. would purchase the company, becoming Walter Canada Ltd. A U.S. subsidiary Walter Equipment USA was then established in Guilderland Center, New York. In 1985 Walter Canada Ltd went out of business and Walter Equipment USA was sold becoming the Walter Truck Corporation. The Walter Truck Corporation was sold to fire apparatus manufacturer KME in 1997.

Walter Fire Apparatus
The Walter Automobile Company built a combination chemical hose unit on a large touring car chassis in 1908.

The Walter Motor Truck Company entered the fire apparatus market in 1929 when the company received a contract to build a fleet tractors for the FDNY. These tractors were used to motorize horse drawn aerial ladder and water towers. During the 1930s the company would receive more orders for fire apparatus including tractors, hose wagons and pumpers.

Walter would build its first crash truck in 1944. In 1949 Walter in association with the Maxim Motor Company built several crash trucks for the New York Port Authority. Sales to other large airports would follow. In California the Yankee Motor Body Company had been building crash trucks on Walter chassis since the mid 1950s. This led to a partnership between the two companies and the creation of the Yankee-Walter Corporation established to market crash trucks Yankee built on Walter chassis. This partnership would last until Yankee went out of business in 1972.

Walter began to manufacture its own series of crash trucks in 1959 which continued until the company was purchased by KME in 1997. Walter would be very successful in this market providing large crash trucks to airports around the world. It would also receive many military contracts for crash trucks.