1972 Chevy C-40 with Hackney Reefer Body

         Delivery of milk started in the early part of the 1900s with the use of horse and buggy and no means of refrigeration at all to customers in the city and close to the dairy. This truck is an example of the delivery process that took place in the next 50 to 60 years.
         This truck is a combination of the modern truck chassis by Chevrolet known as a “Flat Face Cowl” chassis. This contained the front fenders, hood, dash and complete power train of a regular C-40 Chevrolet. That chassis was then mated with a refrigerated body by Hackney (or other competitor companies) that was designed to fit onto the “Flat Face Cowl”. The body included the side doors and windshield. When set on the chassis it made a complete operational delivery truck.
         These refrigerated truck bodies usually had three inches of insulation on the sides and 4 inches on the ceiling and floor area. The sliding doors in the driver area were designed to be easily opened and closed in a sliding manner. The refrigeration of these bodies was by a compressor that you plugged in at night and it ran to freeze “cold hold plates” that acted as large ice cubes during the day to keep the milk products cold when operating the door openings properly during delivery.
         This size body was used for delivery in the rural and suburban areas to homes, small stores and/or schools. These trucks were available as “Stand & Drive” Trucks until 1968 when it was declared unsafe to drive while standing up.