Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle By Brenda Williams At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

The commercial utility cargo vehicle was a response by the United States military to the Humvee and the Gama Goats as a more cost effective vehicle available to transport goods, equipment and troops. There are five vehicle configurations for each vehicle that include cargo, utility, shelter carrier, ambulance and chassis. The Chrysler Corporation’s Dodge Division manufactured the vehicles in the late 1970s and early 1980s and then General Motors manufactured the trucks in the late 1980s. The trucks, just like all other military vehicles, is painted with camouflage pertinent to where the vehicle is being used and some, but not all of them, have a little bit of armor.

These vehicles have been produced as pickup trucks, SUVs and larger cargo trucks. These vehicles have made their way into the lure of vehicle collectors and a lot of them are still on the roads today. They are owned either by former military servicemen or owned by a civilian that just has a love affair for the truck itself. Some of them are still painted in their original camouflage and some have been painted over and over again by many different owners. The commercial utility cargo vehicle can be driven on normal, everyday roadways but has enough power and agility to be driven off road, like a Jeep, Humvee or other high powered truck.

The commercial utility cargo vehicle has been used in Vietnam, the Gulf War, the Iraq War and the War on Terrorism in Afghanistan. They have also been used for special operations involving National Guardsmen during natural disaster recovery efforts. These trucks, because they are designed to fight through tough terrain like all pickup trucks, can navigate through flood waters, terrain covered in debris and downed trees. Commercial utility cargo vehicles have been a big help to the military and other armed services in the United States since production and distribution of the vehicle began a couple of decades back.

The majority of the commercial utility cargo vehicles manufactured are named and numbered beginning with the letter ‘M’ and the numbers begin and end in the 800s. The trucks also come in two wheel and four wheel drive capabilities.

Here is a list of the trucks:
Four wheel drives
• M880 - Basic Dodge 4x4 Pickup truck Model.
• M881 - M880 fitted with additional 60-amp 24-volt generator.
• M882 - M881 fitted with communications equipment.
• M883 - M881 fitted with slide-in shelter kit.
• M884 - M880 fitted with 100-amp 24-volt generator and slide-in shelter kit with tie-downs.
• M885 - M880 fitted with slide-in shelter kit with tie-downs.
• M886 - Ambulance model based on M880.
• M887 - Maintenance body based on M880.
• M888 - Telephone maintenance body based on M880.
Two wheel drives
• M890 - 4x2-wheel drive version of the M880.
• M891 - M890 fitted with additional 60-amp 24-volt generator.
• M892 - M890 fitted with additional 60-amp 24-volt generator and communications kit.
• M893 - 2-wheel drive ambulance version.
General Motors began manufacturing these trucks in the late 1980s and continues to manufacture them today.

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