Product Description

Autocar Company (founded 1897 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania by Louis S. Clarke; relocated to Ardmore Pennsylvania 1900; U.S. heavy-truck manufacturer specializing in severe-service vocational trucks — cement mixers, refuse packers, dump trucks; acquired by White Motor Corporation 1953; Autocar production moved from Ardmore to Exton PA under White; acquired by Volvo 1981 as part of the White Motor acquisition; sold to Grand Vehicle Works Holdings 2001 and today produced as an independent brand) is one of the oldest surviving U.S. motor-vehicle nameplates.

Diamond T Motor Car Company (founded 1905 in Chicago Illinois by Charles A. Tilt; heavy-truck manufacturer; acquired by White Motor 1958) and Reo Motor Car Company / Reo Motor Truck Company (founded 1905 in Lansing Michigan by Ransom E. Olds after his exit from Oldsmobile; heavy-truck manufacturer; acquired by White Motor 1957) were both consolidated by White in the late 1950s. In 1967 White merged the two brands to form Diamond REO Trucks Inc., headquartered at the Reo plant in Lansing MI. Diamond REO filed Chapter 11 in 1975; a successor Diamond REO operation continued small-scale severe-service truck production in Harrisburg PA into the 1990s.

Product-vector pathways Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation:

  • Asbestos brake linings on Autocar, Diamond T, Reo, and Diamond REO heavy-truck brake shoes supplied by Bendix, Raybestos, Abex, Rockwell, and other OEM friction manufacturers
  • Asbestos clutch facings on Autocar and Diamond REO driveline components
  • Asbestos gaskets and packing on Cummins, Detroit Diesel, Caterpillar, and other diesel engines installed as OEM prime movers in Autocar and Diamond REO heavy trucks
  • Asbestos exhaust manifold gaskets, heat shields, and exhaust insulation on Autocar and Diamond REO exhaust systems
  • Asbestos insulation in Autocar and Diamond REO cab-heater and firewall installations

Premises-vector pathways at Autocar and Diamond REO manufacturing plants:

  • Ardmore PA — historic Autocar plant (in operation as an Autocar facility 1900-1954)
  • Exton PA — White-era Autocar heavy-truck assembly
  • Chicago IL — Diamond T assembly (25th and Rockwell)
  • Lansing MI — Reo Motor Truck plant / Diamond REO headquarters (South Washington Avenue)
  • Harrisburg PA — successor Diamond REO operation

At each site Plaintiffs alleged extensive asbestos pipe covering on plant steam and process piping, asbestos refractory in heat-treat furnaces and paint-bake ovens, asbestos block insulation on plant boilers, asbestos gaskets and packing at process equipment, and asbestos electrical insulation on plant motor and switchgear systems.

Autocar Trucks, Diamond T, Reo, and Diamond REO (and their successors in liability, including White Motor Corporation and Volvo Trucks North America) have been named as Manufacturer Defendants and Premises Defendants in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation.

Workers Exposed

  • UAW Local members at Autocar Ardmore/Exton PA, Diamond T Chicago IL, and Reo / Diamond REO Lansing MI plants
  • Truck mechanics servicing Autocar, Diamond T, Reo, and Diamond REO brake linings, clutches, engines, and exhaust systems
  • Brake mechanics working Autocar and Diamond REO severe-service brake systems
  • Diesel mechanics servicing Cummins, Detroit Diesel, and Caterpillar engines in Autocar and Diamond REO trucks
  • Insulators (HFIAW Local members) on Autocar and Diamond REO construction and turnaround crews
  • Construction-trade workforces on Autocar and Diamond REO capital projects

If You Worked With Autocar or Diamond REO Trucks or at an Autocar/Diamond REO Plant

If you worked with Autocar, Diamond T, Reo, or Diamond REO heavy-truck brake linings, clutches, engines, or exhaust systems during the asbestos era — or worked at an Autocar (Ardmore/Exton PA), Diamond T (Chicago IL), or Reo / Diamond REO (Lansing MI) manufacturing plant — as an employee or as a dispatched contractor trade worker — and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related illness, you may have legal rights.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956