Formed on March 13, 1931, the Marmon-Herrington Company, Inc., was the continuation of the truck division of the Marmon Motor Car Company, formerly known as . Production took place in a separate part of the plant at York Street and Kentucky Avenue.
Partners in the company were Walter Marmon, Colonel Arthur W. Herrington, and F. E. Moskovics. After some patent and financial controversy, Moskovics released his interest, and the company reorganized in December 1931. The company specialized in the manufacture, assembly, and sale of heavy-duty, all-wheel-drive trucks. Because of their off-road capabilities, the trucks were of particular use in the construction of Middle East oil pipelines.
In 1935, Marmon-Herrington began converting Ford 1.5 ton, V-8 trucks to all-wheel drive. In 1937, the company purchased and moved into the former Duesenberg Company plant on West Washington and Harding streets. During World War II, Marmon-Herrington produced trucks and armored vehicles such as half-tracks and light tanks for the United States and its allies. These vehicles were especially effective in desert warfare. At its peak during World War II, the company employed 1,500 workers.
After the war, the company added a line of on-road vehicles that included a Delivr-All, designed for house-to-house delivery, trolleybuses, and transit buses. In 1960, an HDT (highway tractor) was added to the line. A. H. Roop acquired the company in July 1963 and moved its operations out of Indianapolis to Denton, Texas.
When the Pritzker family acquired the Marmon-Herrington company among several others in the 1960s, it changed the name to Marmon Holdings, Inc., to reflect the prestige associated with the Marmon name.
In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway purchased the holdings company, eventually known simply as the Marmon Group, and Marmon-Herrington. Marmon-Herrington’s headquarters are in Louisville, Kentucky.
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