75 years of DAF Trucks in a single day

November 15, 2024

It is exactly 75 years since DAF Trucks built its first truck! ARJAN VELTHOVEN celebrates the anniversary by driving one of the company’s trucks from “back then” and one from “today”.

DAF’s history is well known, but let’s recap briefly. The foundation of the company was laid in 1928 and in its early years, Eindhoven knew the company as “Van Doorne’s Machinefabriek” (Van Doorne’s Machine Factory).

When brothers Hub and Wim van Doorne launched trailers in the early 1930s, the first contours of DAF as we know it started to become visible. Unlike the norm, the chassis were welded instead of riveted, making them significantly lighter than usual. This innovation led to great success, and the factory shifted focus to become Van Doorne’s Aanhangwagenfabriek, or simply, DAF.

During Europe’s post-war reconstruction, the demand for transport skyrocketed. DAF responded quickly, setting up a production line for trailers and semi-trailers, while simultaneously preparing to manufacture trucks. By 1949, the A30 was unveiled: a three-tonne truck sporting a grille distinguished by seven chrome stripes, mainly intended for the domestic market. Just a few months later, the first model rolled off the assembly line, soon followed by the five-tonne A50 and six-tonne A60 for heavier-duty work. At this stage, all trucks left the line as a chassis with an engine and grille only; coachbuilders were responsible for building the cabs.

Let’s pause the historical account for a moment and fast forward to 2024… We arrive at DAF Trucks in Eindhoven on a fine morning, but it doesn’t feel like 2024! Instead, it feels like we’ve stepped back into 1949, as right in front of us stands one of those iconic seven-stripe models. It’s a DAF A50 – not, in fact, from 1949, but rather 1955. This particular vehicle was delivered by DAF Trucks to the Veldhoven council in June 1955. According to the invoice, the truck was specified as an A1300P390 and came equipped with “a DAF luxury cab in primer”. The total price? 16,200 guilders (The Dutch guilder was replaced by the euro; 16,200 guilders would convert to about €7,353.24 – or around R141,646, depending on the exchange rate).

A beautiful, unique “luxury” drive

The red DAF A50 now belongs to Joop van de Wateren, who shares fascinating and detailed stories about “his” DAF. He allows us, albeit somewhat reluctantly at first, to take the wheel for a scenic drive through the Brabant countryside. His hesitation is understandable – driving a truck from “back then” is truly special. The A50, with a wheelbase of 3.9m, features a six-cylinder Perkins diesel engine, which generates 83hp. Its four-speed gearbox has synchromesh but is, of course, manual. The DAF has vacuum brakes, so pressing the brake pedal a few times to build pressure is necessary and soon becomes second nature.

This gives us a unique driving experience. The Perkins engine sits between Joop and us, making its presence loudly known. It’s happiest around
2,400r/min, so we try to keep it there. Shifting gears takes a bit of getting used to; the four-speed H-pattern gear stick is quite far back, making it tricky to find the right gear, and early attempts are met with quite a bit of grinding (and a furrowed brow from Joop). As we get further along, we start to understand the DAF better and appreciate its driveline. The large steering wheel obviously has no power steering, so navigating roundabouts requires some serious muscle. Joop watches with a smile.

As mentioned earlier, the DAF has a “luxury cab,” which means, among other things, that the cab’s rear wall is upholstered, there’s a side mirror on the right, and sun visors have been fitted above the windscreen. It also has a 120-litre fuel tank. Air conditioning is of course absent, so on this summer’s day with the added heat from the Perkins engine, we’re grateful for the open windows. As we drive, our respect for the drivers of that era grows immensely. Driving a truck back then was hard work, so we don’t mind too much when… flash… we’re back in 2024.

Back to the future

We stand in front of our second vehicle, a DAF XD 410 FA 4×2 distribution truck. This vehicle is equipped with the latest driveline and all the comfort and technological gadgets you could wish for. It’s literally the same truck we drove earlier on our test route – but what an improvement! The interior is wonderfully quiet, and the truck is almost autonomous.

As Harald Seidel, president of DAF Trucks, so rightly notes: “Hub and Wim van Doorne would hardly believe their eyes if they could see the products in 2024. At the same time, they would be able to confirm with no shortage of satisfaction that our trucks are genuine DAFs: innovative, high-quality, and developed to provide maximum efficiency, maximum driver comfort, and unparalleled safety. They would be very proud – just as proud as I am of our past, our present, and our plans for the future.”

Modern technology takes a lot of the work off the driver’s hands, which lets the mind wander a bit. As I drive down the road in the XD, I wonder how DAF trucks might look in another 75 years, at the turn of the next century. Will everything be electric and autonomous? Will drivers still be needed? Will there even be trucks on our roads at all?

Who knows. But, as the DAF slogan proudly states: “Start the Future!”

Arjan Velthoven is editor in chief of Bestelauto and TTM.nl, which is where the original version of this article first appeared. He also represents the Netherlands on the International Truck of the Year Jury and the International Van of the Year Jury.