Oshkosh Logo: Meaning, History and Evolution

The Oshkosh logo is a black hexagonal O symbol followed by the name OSHKOSH in bold capitals. Oshkosh Corporation, formerly Oshkosh Truck, is an American builder of specialty trucks, military vehicles, truck bodies and access equipment, based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Oshkosh Logo

The Oshkosh emblem is a dark, angular O made of hexagonal facets with a narrow slot cut through its centre. It stands to the left of the name, and the word OSHKOSH follows in heavy, wide black capitals on a plain white background. The design is flat and black and white, so the Oshkosh symbol and the wordmark work together as one compact Oshkosh badge. This page offers the Oshkosh logo PNG with a transparent background, so the black mark can be placed on light or coloured layouts, and the Oshkosh truck logo reads clearly at small sizes.

Oshkosh Logo History

The Oshkosh logo history has two versions. The old Oshkosh logo was a wordmark of heavy black capitals with an orange block and a white slot set into the middle of the name, with a registered mark below it. It was in use until 2019.

The new Oshkosh logo replaced it in July 2019. The orange block was dropped, and the company moved to the black hexagonal O symbol beside a lighter, wider wordmark. It is the version shown on this page.

Oshkosh History

Oshkosh was founded in 1917 as the Wisconsin Duplex Auto Company, created to build a severe-duty four-wheel-drive truck. The first prototype, known as “Old Betsy”, is still owned by the company, still runs and appears in demonstrations and parades. The first mass-produced truck was the 2-ton Model A, with seven built in 1918. The Model TR of 1933 was the first rubber-tired earthmover ever built, and the 50-50 of 1955 was the first truck made specifically for hauling concrete.

Military work grew from 1976, when the company won a U.S. Army contract for 744 M911 heavy equipment transporters. Oshkosh Defense is now the sole supplier of medium and heavy tactical trucks to the U.S. Army and Marines, and built around 40,000 Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles by August 2021. In 2015 it was awarded the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle contract, and in 2021 the U.S. Postal Service’s Next Generation Delivery Vehicle contract.

The corporation also owns Pierce Manufacturing, a fire apparatus maker in Appleton, Wisconsin, and JLG Industries, which makes aerial lifts, boom lifts, scissor lifts and telehandlers. It is organized in four business groups: access equipment, defense, fire and emergency, and commercial.