for ten years (1903–1913), the dodge brothers' business was a ford motor company supplier, and dodge worked as vice president of the ford company. he left ford in 1913, and in 1914 he and horace formed dodge brothers to develop their own line of automobiles. they began building motor trucks for the united states military during the arms buildup for world war i, and in october 1917 they produced their first commercial car. at war's end, their company produced and marketed both cars and trucks.