PACCAR's origins trace back to February 6, 1905, when William Pigott Sr., an Irish immigrant and experienced pig iron salesman, founded the Seattle Car Manufacturing Company in West Seattle, Washington, with an initial investment of $10,000. Pigott had previously been co-owner of a steel rolling company in Colorado and saw Seattle as a potential steel town comparable to Pittsburgh. The company's early products were horse- and oxen-drawn logging trucks—sets of wheels placed under each end of a log—specifically designed for the dense, hilly forests of the Pacific Northwest. The firm also manufactured structural steel, creating "the columns and girders that went into many a Seattle landmark building." Around the same time, the company became the exclusive Pacific Northwest representative for Climax logging locomotives, low-speed engines designed for operation on uneven rail beds and steep grades typical of logging railroads. The early years were not without hardship. In August 1907, a devastating fire destroyed the company's Duwamish facility. In the same year, a bank panic led to numerous cancelled orders. Pigott responded by constructing a larger factory in Renton, Washington, by 1909, establishing what would become the oldest continually operating business in that city. In 1917, Seattle Car Manufacturing Company merged with its competitor, Twohy Brothers of Portland, Oregon, to form the Pacific Car and Foundry Company—a name the company would retain for the next 55 years. The merger consolidated the company's position as the leading manufacturer of railcars and logging equipment in the Pacific Northwest. In 1924, William Pigott sold control of the company to American Car and Foundry Company, a larger railcar manufacturer based in the eastern United States. The company continued to operate as a subsidiary, but growth stagnated under absentee ownership. The turning point came in 1934, when Paul Pigott—William's son—acquired a major interest in the company from American Car. Under Paul Pigott's leadership, the company expanded its product line and introduced the Carco line of power winches for use on crawler tractors in the logging industry. This product line later became the basis for PACCAR's Winch Division, which included the Braden, Carco, and Gearmatic brands until the division was sold in October 2024. The company's entry into the heavy-duty truck market came in 1945, when Pacific Car and Foundry acquired Kenworth Motor Truck Company of Seattle. Kenworth had been founded in 1923 by Harry Kent and Edgar Worthington, and by 1945 it was a respected manufacturer of heavy-duty trucks for the logging and construction industries. The acquisition cost $1.0 million and gave Pacific Car and Foundry its first major presence in the truck manufacturing business. The timing was fortuitous: the post-World War II economic boom created massive demand for trucks to support the growing U.S. highway system and freight industry. In 1958, Pacific Car and Foundry made its second transformative acquisition, purchasing Peterbilt Motors Company for $3.6 million. Peterbilt had been founded in 1939 by T.A. Peterman, a lumber entrepreneur who built custom trucks for his logging operations in Oakland, California. Peterbilt's reputation for quality and customization complemented Kenworth's strength in the Pacific Northwest, giving Pacific Car and Foundry a national truck manufacturing footprint. That same year, the company acquired Dart Truck Company, entering the mining vehicle market. The 1960s marked PACCAR's international expansion. In 1960, Kenworth entered Mexico through a 49% participation in Kenworth Mexicana S.A. de C.V. In 1966, PACCAR established a Kenworth truck assembly plant near Melbourne, Australia. In 1967, the Dynacraft division was formed to provide belts, hoses, adapters, and other accessories for Kenworth and Peterbilt truck plants. In 1969, 28 acres of land were purchased at Bayswater, 30 kilometers east of Melbourne, for Kenworth Australia's expanded operations. The 1970s brought diversification and growth. In 1972, the company changed its name from Pacific Car and Foundry Company to PACCAR Inc, reflecting its evolution from a regional steel fabricator into a diversified international manufacturing company. The Structural Steel Division fabricated steel for the Space Needle for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, the Grand Coulee Dam's third powerhouse, and New York City's World Trade Center. In 1975, PACCAR entered the European truck market with the acquisition of Foden Trucks, a British manufacturer, though this venture was not successful and was eventually divested. The true European breakthrough came in 1996, when PACCAR acquired DAF Trucks N.V. of Eindhoven, Netherlands, for approximately $500 million. DAF had been founded in 1928 by Hub van Doorne and was one of Europe's leading truck manufacturers, with a strong reputation for fuel efficiency and driver comfort. The acquisition transformed PACCAR from a North American truck maker into a global player, giving it a manufacturing footprint in Europe and access to the EU market. In 1998, PACCAR acquired Leyland Trucks in the UK, further strengthening its European operations. The 2000s and 2010s were defined by vertical integration and technology investment. In 2009-2013, PACCAR introduced and scaled the PACCAR MX engine family in North America, replacing Cummins engines in many Kenworth and Peterbilt models and capturing the engine profit margin. In 2017, PACCAR opened a Silicon Valley Innovation Center in Sunnyvale, California, to develop autonomous driving, connectivity, and electric vehicle technology. In 2019, the company invested $500+ million in a new state-of-the-art truck manufacturing facility in Denton, Texas, replacing the aging Dallas plant. The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2021 tested PACCAR's resilience. The company managed semiconductor shortages, supply chain disruptions, and volatile demand while maintaining profitability. The post-pandemic freight boom of 2022-2023 drove record truck orders and pricing, with FY2023 revenue reaching $35.13 billion and net income hitting $4.60 billion. The cyclical correction of 2024—revenue declining 4.2% to $33.66 billion—demonstrated PACCAR's ability to maintain profitability even as the market normalized. In 2024, PACCAR sold its industrial winch business, exiting a non-core product line to focus on trucks, parts, and financial services. The company also launched Amplify Cell Technologies, a battery manufacturing joint venture, and opened a new parts distribution center in Massbach, Germany. The leadership transition from Mark Pigott (Executive Chairman, 1997-2019) to Preston Feight (CEO, 2019-present) has maintained the company's focus on premium quality, financial discipline, and long-term investment. Feight, a 30-year PACCAR veteran who previously led Kenworth, has guided the company through the pandemic, the record 2023 year, and the 2024 cyclical correction with the same capital allocation discipline that has produced 86 consecutive years of profit.