American Truck Brands: How America's Big 3 Truck Brands Stack Up

American Truck Brands: How America's Big 3 Truck Brands Stack Up

For over a century, it’s been tough to match the consistency of Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge/Ram in the truck segment.

As firmly entrenched in American culture as baseball and hot dogs, the popularity of the pickup truck shows no sign of waning, even as the electrified era looms large. In fact, the heavy-duty truck market size is projected to double in value between now and 2032 to over $100 billion.

Looking at the best truck brands, Detroit’s Big Three – Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge/Ram – continue to dominate market share. It all started with the Ford Model TT in 1917, but Chevy and Dodge weren’t far behind. Here, we’ll look at the humble truck beginnings of Detroit’s Big Three and how they became the default pickups of choice for so many Americans.

Although the Ford Model TT of 1917 is considered the first pickup truck to be manufactured in America, the history of the body style goes back even further than this. The Daimler Motor-Lastwagen was designed by Gottlieb Daimler in 1896. Its 1.06-liter two-cylinder four-stroke engine made a paltry four horsepower, but its payload of 3,306 pounds and open bed was the rudimentary blueprint for the workhorses that would follow in years and decades to come.

After those humble beginnings, the pickup truck continued to be developed. Based on the Model T, the Model TT arrived in 1917 with a longer wheelbase and heavier frame; Ford celebrated 100 years of truck history in 2017. The TT was sold as a chassis, with the buyer needing to supply the body. From 1924, the pickup came with a body straight from the factory. The 1925 Model T Roadster was instrumental in establishing Americans’ love for pickups, with around 135,000 Model T pickups sold.

Of course, Ford wasn’t the only automaker developing trucks in those early days. The first Chevrolet and GMC trucks arrived before 1920 in response to the Model TT. The Chevrolet Series 490 cars launched in 1915 were very successful, and this led to the 1918 Chevy Series 490 Light Delivery chassis cowl that was based on the passenger car. Another pickup, the one-ton Chevy Model T shared with GMC, was not based on the 490.

Dodge, meanwhile, began building trucks with the Graham brothers in the mid-1920s. Dodge’s first four-wheel-drive truck arrived in 1934 at the request of the US Army, while dedicated truck frames appeared from the manufacturer that decade, too.

The post-war F-Series was introduced in 1948 and its dedicated truck frame was a departure from the car-based platforms Ford pickups had used previously. Gradually, the F-Series became less utilitarian, adding features like armrests, sun visors, and improved ventilation systems. This helped broaden the usage of pickups beyond merely workhorses. This aspect is important, as manufacturers realized they could sell trucks to people who actually needed them and those who merely gravitated towards the image of a pickup, without actually needing a hard-working vehicle; a recent study by Axios indicates that only 7% of F-150 drivers frequently use their trucks for towing, with shopping and running errands being the key use for these vehicles.

From early on, the F-Series already had V8 engine options. Many variations of the truck were available, including the popular F-1 with its 6.5-foot bed.

The second-gen F-Series went into production in 1952, with the vehicle’s nomenclature changing to a three-digit number, starting at F-100, which has been maintained to today. Later, the second-gen model received a wraparound windshield like its Chevy rival, plus a wraparound rear window could be equipped.

Production of the third-gen F-Series started in 1957, with a redesign that included a clamshell hood.

The AK Series of pickups started production in 1941, alongside GMC versions of the pickup. Whereas the Chevys had vertical grille bars, the GMC trucks had horizontal ones to set them apart. These trucks also looked far more distinct from Chevy passenger cars, which up until then more closely resembled pickups.

Later that decade, when the war ended, manufacturers were able to turn their attention to civilian vehicles, having prioritized the manufacturing of military equipment and heavy-duty vehicles.

The Chevrolet Advance Design series arrived with much more modern designs and made Chevy number one in truck sales going into the 1950s. The retro craze of the 2000s referenced models from the Advance Design era, including the unusual Chevy SSR that arrived in 2003.

In 1955, the Chevy Task Force arrived to replace the Advance Design. Power steering, power brakes, and V8 engines became available for the first time, and it introduced the first wraparound windshield in the truck industry.

The W-Series was the primary model line of Dodge trucks in the 1940s, also known as Dodge Job-Rated trucks. There was a plethora of variants to choose from, including six payload classes, as Dodge sought to offer a truck for any job.

The Dodge Power Wagon was an important arrival in the mid-1940s as a 4WD medium-duty pickup. Crucially, a civilian version followed, known as the “flat fender” Power Wagon. It set the tone for many modern 4WD pickups that followed and was the first truck of its kind from a major automaker.

The B-Series Dodge trucks arrived in the late 1940s with features like a “pilot-house” cab that improved visibility. The wraparound windshield arrived in 1955 on the C-Series, which was also newly available with a two-speed PowerFlite automatic transmission. Like Ford and GM, Dodge adopted the standard numbering scheme to distinguish different categories of pickups from each other.

The fourth generation of the F-Series arrived early in the 1960s with a wider, lower cab. The hood line, window sill, and bed sides were now the same height, reflecting continued refinements to pickups, and Ford switched back to just two headlights.

The four-door Crew Cab was one of the important introductions in this period, as was a new independent Twin I-Beam suspension that replaced the cruder straight-axle in front. A new V8 also saw the F-Series surpass 200 horsepower for the first time.

In 1966, the fifth-gen F-Series arrived with more modern styling, a bigger cab, factory-installed air conditioning, and a new 302 Windsor V8 engine option. This preceded the sixth-gen F-Series – called the “dentside Ford” – and the F-150 arrived in 1975. Two years later, the F-Series became the best-selling truck in the United States.

The Chevrolet C/K Series was manufactured from 1960 alongside GMC-badged pickups. This was the first generation of GM trucks developed on a dedicated truck platform, over 10 years after Ford did the same for the first F-Series. The use of an independent front suspension was also a significant departure for light trucks up until that stage.

In 1967, the second-gen C/K, also known as the Action Line, was introduced. This generation saw the first use of an AM/FM radio in Chevy pickups. Inline-sixes and small-block V8s were part of the engine lineup, and the first large-block V8 became available in any light-duty truck from GM.

Concluding the 1970s was the third-gen C/K, also known as the Rounded Line generation. This gen saw GM introduce the four-door crew cab body style. GM made a diesel engine available in 1978, becoming the first major American automaker to offer such an engine in a light-duty pickup.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Dodge sold the D-Series line of pickup trucks. In fact, the D-Series was produced well into the 1990s. Dodge was ahead of its main rivals in that it introduced a four-door crew cab for 1963, becoming the first of the three brands to have a two-row factory-produced truck. Second- and third-gen D-Series pickups followed, with the latter having more rounded lines, an independent front suspension, and high use of galvanized steel in their construction, making them especially resistant to corrosion.

Like its rivals, Dodge offered many special editions of the D-Series, including the Warlock and Macho Power Wagon. For 1978 models, the first diesel-powered Dodge pickup arrived.

Ford kicked off this decade by completely redesigning the F-Series for the first time since the mid-1960s for the seventh-gen model. Nicknamed “bullnose,” the classic Ford Blue Oval grille emblem adorned the F-Series for the very first time. Standard and SuperCab variants were available initially, with the Crew Cab following. Visible bare sheetmetal in the cabin was replaced with less utilitarian trim compared to previous F-Series models. Under the skin, there were many engine choices, including the first F-Series engine to feature computerized engine controls.

Rear anti-lock brakes appeared as standard on the eighth-gen F-Series that arrived in the second half of the 1980s, along with more aerodynamic styling. With this gen, Ford became the first truck manufacturer with a fully non-carbureted engine lineup.

The ninth-gen F-Series saw the return of the Flareside bed, a standard driver’s airbag on F-150s and F-250s, and new options like remote keyless entry and a compact disc player. Ford trailed GM for combined truck sales for much of this period, but that changed in 1996. The iconic SVT Lightning appeared in this generation, making a stout 240 hp and with many modifications to its suspension.

The tenth-gen F-Series arrived for the 1997 model year, the first complete redesign since 1979, and the focus was on the popular F-150. In 1999, the SVT Lightning received a 5.4-liter supercharged V8 making 360 hp, delivering incredible performance for a pickup with a 0-60 time of just over five seconds.

The energy crisis in 1979 prompted GM to update the third-gen C/K early in the 1980s with a more aerodynamic body after wind tunnel testing, and the manufacturer also found ways to lower the truck’s weight.

The fourth-gen C/K went into production late in 1986, and for the first time, all C/K trucks received standard power steering for 1988. Buyers could specify leather-trimmed seats for the first time in the 1990s as pickups continued becoming more and more car-like.

This Chevy generation featured the last use of the Silverado name as a trim. In 1999, the Chevrolet Silverado became the standard name for the entire truck line from Chevrolet, and that has remained the case until today.

A major rebrand for Dodge pickups took place early in the 1980s. Following the discontinuation of the D-Series, the first Dodge Ram trucks were introduced in 1980. The use of ‘Power Ram’ indicated a model with four-wheel drive. As with its rivals, Dodge began introducing technologies like ABS brakes and computer-controlled fuel injection.

Because the first Dodge Ram pickups looked like a facelift of the older D-Series, they didn’t sell as well as Ford and Chevy rivals through much of the 1980s. The absence of a big-block V8 engine option was another issue for the Dodge Ram.

The second-gen Dodge Ram was a different story altogether. Introduced in 1993, it had far more modern styling with a prominent grille, and it was featured as the hero car in the blockbuster action film Twister. Sales improved substantially in the mid-1990s, with the pickup regularly topping 400,000 sales annually.

The four-door quad cab arrived in 1998, the first extended cab pickup with four doors.

By the time the 21st century rolled around, Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge/Ram had firmly established their stranglehold on the American truck market. Decades of producing reliable, hardworking pickups garnered loyal followings among each brand, even as the likes of Toyota entered the conversation with the full-size Tundra.

The last major branding change came from Dodge Ram. Ram became a separate marque from Dodge in 2010, with the trucks now simply referred to as the Ram 1500 or 2500, depending on whether they were light- or super-duty variants.

Today, the top 3 best-selling model lines in the USA are the Ford F-Series, Chevrolet Silverado, and Ram Pickup. It’s a pecking order we’ve become familiar with, and while Ford remains top dog, all three truck brands make up a substantial share of sales in the USA.

There are many other great trucks in the USA from outside the Big Three. Honda makes one of the best daily drivers in the Ridgeline, the Jeep Gladiator is a superb off-roader, and few would argue with the reliability reputation of the Toyota Tacoma and Tundra. But it’s the completeness of the Big Three’s lineups, along with impenetrable brand loyalty, that have kept them in the lead.

The best truck brand could be judged by many criteria, but it’s hard to argue with raw sales data. Based on 2023’s sales in the United States, these are the leading truck brands and models:

With over 750,000 F-Series trucks sold, the F-Series was on top for a 47th consecutive year in 2023 as the best-selling truck, as well as the best-selling individual model in the USA. That number was up by 15% year-on-year and saw Ford outsell the second-placed Chevrolet Silverado lineup by around 200,000 trucks. The F-150 Lightning sold 24,165 units on its own, a 54.7% increase, while the F-150 Hybrid was the best-selling full-size hybrid pickup.

A clear second place goes to the Chevy Silverado range, with numbers including the light-duty 1500 and heavy-duty 2500 and 3500. GM said it was the top-selling truck manufacturer, but that would include pickups from GMC and Hummer, too. As a singular brand, Ford remains on top. The Silverado 1500 made up the lion’s share of sales at 354,774 units, a 9.3% increase over the previous year.

Unlike its rivals, the Ram Pickup’s sales declined over the course of 2023 to 444,296 units, down by 5%. This was still enough to snatch the final spot on the podium for the best-selling overall models in the USA last year. However, the Ram is held back a bit by an aging engine lineup, towing that can’t match the best, and the absence of basic single-cab variations. The Ram pickup’s 2023 sales include the older 1500 Classic, and that does come in a Regular Cab configuration.

The GMC Sierra is a close relation to the Silverado and it also had a strong 2023, with almost 300,000 units sold for an increase of 22.4%. 189,288 of those were for the light-duty version. These good numbers are likely a result of a substantial facelift for the 2022 model year. With a good maximum towing capacity and an ultra-luxurious range-topper, the Sierra is a very good truck.

Although the Tundra is well behind other full-size pickups on the sales charts, the trusty Tacoma is the opposite in the midsize segment. It sold almost 235,000 units, more than many much newer rivals (an all-new Tacoma only arrived for the 2024 model year). Buyers loved the outgoing Tacoma for its incredible reliability and strong resale value. The Tacoma sold almost twice as many units as the Tundra (125,185) last year.

With brand loyalty a key indicator of success in the truck segment, we can’t see the Big Three being easily usurped from their lofty positions at the top of the pile, even heading into the electric era. The F-150 Lightning is already here and will do battle with the Chevrolet Silverado EV and Ram 1500 REV. The major disruptor is the Tesla Cybertruck, but it’s too early to be certain of the impact it will have on the truck segment. In the Super Duty segment, gas-powered models remain unsurpassed, as there are still limits when it comes to how much a large truck can tow and haul.

Times change, but America’s love for home-grown pickups is one of the few constants in the automotive landscape.