When WWII broke out the British War Office contracted Bedford to produce a 3 ton 4X4 general service truck. In February 1940 the prototype of the QL series was ready with full production beginning in March 1940 at their Vauxhall factory in Luton. As the war progressed there was a need for various types of 3 ton trucks. Bedford devised trucks for troop carrying, fire tenders, communications, tankers, Bofors gun tractor and several others applications. Between 1940 and 1945 there were approximately 52,250 QL trucks produced.

The aircraft refueling truck was built on the widely used 4X4 Bedford QL chassis. The refueling variant made its debut in 1941 and was still in service well into the 1950’s. The truck came equipped with 2 booms and long hoses that could be swung to reach the aircraft. The only drawback was it only had a 950 gallon tank and was suited for smaller airfields with a limited number of aircraft to tend. The blue and yellow paint scheme is post WWII.