Nottingham Co-op Smiths Milk Float 339 DTV

2-tonners were generally the largest post-war battery electric road vehicles and required twin rear wheels to handle the heavier loads. Not many dairies could justify more than a few, if any at all, as delivery rounds were not big enough. To be truly effective, these big trucks needed a crew of two serving high density housing. Two notable purchasers in the Midlands were the co-operative societies in Walsall and Nottingham which bought over 50 and over 100 respectively from Smiths Electric Vehicles in the 1950s and 1960s.

Bus bodybuilder Northern Coachbuilders (NCB) diversified into battery-electric vehicles in 1945. The new range was successful and a separate company, Smiths Electric Vehicles, was formed in 1949. Its 2-ton model was introduced in 1952 and built for around 20 years.

Nottingham Co-op bought many with Smiths' cabs but around half, including 339 DTV here, were supplied as chassis and bodied in NCS's own large workshops. Its distinctive design included extensive use of glass fibre reinforced plastic, then a new material. It is interesting that the milkmen of both operators favoured cab doors, this was unusual at the time because of the amount of stops they had to make. Nottingham Co-op had a big territory and 339 DTV spent most of its life based at Skegness.

Preservation

339 DTV was acquired in 1992 and, to relieve pressure on our own workshop, Greater Nottingham Co-operative Society repaired and repainted it at minimal cost before delivery to us.