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.

This resulted in development contracts for 4x4 all-terrain vehicles of various weight classes being awarded to Clark Equipment, Le Tourneau-Westinghouse, and Caterpillar Tractor Company.

[4] The Caterpillar design did well in testing, and in 1960, the company was awarded a multimillion-dollar contract for developing eight 8-short-ton (7.3 t) cargo trucks, delivered in 1961 and 1962, as well as two 10-short-ton (9.1 t) wreckers and two 2,500-US-gallon (9,500 L; 2,100 imp gal) tankers in 1962.

[4] Not only did the Caterpillar offer extreme off-road ability, including 20° longitudinal articulation and 30° side-slopes, it was also fully amphibious, using the wheels for propulsion in the water.

The rear cargo-bed tailgate and drop-side doors, that allowed rapid discharge of cargo, had watertight seals to preserve the unit's swimming capability.

In the US's involvement in the Vietnam War, the Goer developed a reputation of being able to go where other trucks could not, and it was one of the preferred resupply vehicles after the pre-production units' introduction in 1966.

Also, its oversize dimensions proved generally awkward, so in the 1980s it was replaced by the Oshkosh Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck series, that combined good on-road behavior with adequate off-road performance.