DAF started in 1928 as a small welding and forging workshop in Eindhoven. Its three letters first stood for a trailer factory, then, from 1949, for an automobile factory.
- Country
-
Netherlands - Active
- Since 1928
- Founded by
- Hub van Doorne and Wim van Doorne
- Website
- Official website ↗
A forge next to a brewery
On 1 April 1928, Hub van Doorne opened a small workshop in Eindhoven. No trucks, no cars. Just welding and forging jobs for local firms, Philips among them, from a modest building at Tongelresestraat 27, right next to the Valk brewery where Hub had once worked.
He wasn’t alone for long. His brother Wim joined him, and the two split the work neatly: Hub handled the engineering, Wim the business side. DAF itself credits both Van Doorne brothers with founding the company.
Three letters, two meanings
The name came from trailers. In 1932 the brothers started building them and the business became Van Doorne’s Aanhangwagen Fabriek, Dutch for Van Doorne’s Trailer Factory. Shortened to DAF, the initials became the brand.
Then came the clever part. When the first DAF truck rolled out in 1949, the company was renamed Van Doorne’s Automobiel Fabriek, the Automobile Factory. The A changed its meaning, but the three letters stayed exactly the same. Handy, if you’ve already painted them on everything.
What the DAF badge says
There’s no hidden animal or secret symbol here. The DAF logo is the name itself: the three capital letters D, A and F, the initials of the company’s Dutch name.
What makes the badge interesting is its story rather than its shape. The letters have meant two different things over the years, first a trailer factory and then an automobile factory, without ever needing a redesign to keep up. DAF hasn’t published a detailed timeline of how the lettering itself has been drawn over the decades, so we won’t guess at one.
Trailers, trucks and a gearbox with no gears
Most people know DAF for trucks. Fewer remember that the company also built cars, with one clever invention inside. The Variomatic was a continuously variable transmission, and in 1958 DAF began building passenger cars that used it.
Landmark DAFs, decade by decade
- 1949: A-30. According to PACCAR, the first truck DAF ever built, and the reason the A in DAF came to mean Automobiel.
- 1958: DAF 600. DAF’s first passenger car, built to use the Variomatic continuously variable transmission.
- 1962: 2600 series. One of the trucks DAF singles out as a milestone in its own history.
- 1997: 95XF. A milestone on DAF’s own timeline, and the XF name is still part of the range today.
- 2002: LF. Named International Truck of the Year 2002.
- 2007: XF105. Won International Truck of the Year 2007.
- 2018: XF and CF. The new versions of both ranges won International Truck of the Year 2018.
The car adventure ended in 1975, when DAF sold its passenger car division to Volvo and the DAF 66 became the Volvo 66. The trucks carried on. In November 1996 DAF was acquired by the American truck maker PACCAR, and it is still based in Eindhoven. For another European truck badge, see Scania. If you’re curious about the old car badges of the era, our page on classic car logos is a good next stop.
Frequently asked questions
What does DAF stand for?
Originally Van Doorne’s Aanhangwagen Fabriek, or Van Doorne’s Trailer Factory, from 1932. In 1949, when the first truck was built, it became Van Doorne’s Automobiel Fabriek, the Automobile Factory.
What does the DAF logo show?
The three capital letters D, A and F, the initials of the company’s Dutch name. The logo is the name rather than a picture or symbol.
Did DAF make cars?
Yes. The first DAF passenger car, the DAF 600, appeared in 1958 with the Variomatic transmission. The car division was sold to Volvo in 1975.
Who owns DAF today?
DAF Trucks has been part of PACCAR since November 1996.
From Tongelresestraat 27 to PACCAR: the DAF file
- Founded
- 1928
- Founder
- Hub van Doorne and Wim van Doorne
- Country
- Netherlands
- Headquarters
- Eindhoven, Netherlands
- Parent company
- PACCAR
- Current emblem
- The capital letters DAF, the initials of the company's Dutch name
- Known for
- Heavy trucks and the Variomatic cars
- Website
- Official website ↗
