sentences:  When fitted with its own crane, the cargo variant was designated M877 Cargo Truck with Material Handling Crane.In the mid-1950s, the US military were looking for a new, extreme off-road, tactical truck series, with substantially increased load-carrying capacity.According to a May 2006 article in Classic Military Vehicle magazine, the United States Armor Board began evaluating and testing commercially available, large, wheeled, articulated-steering, earth-moving equipment for potential tactical application in 1956 / 1957.