In 1981, AB Volvo purchased the assets of White Trucks and established Volvo White Truck Corporation in Greensboro, North Carolina. [7] As part of the acquisition, Volvo bought the White, Autocar and inactive Sterling brands; The Canadian Western Star truck brand has grown into an independent company. Alongside White's truck assets, Volvo acquired a nationwide distribution network (White was Freightliner's distributor until 1977). Before purchasing, White's products included White Road Boss conventional, White Road Commander 2 (COE), Road Xpeditor 2 (low COE), Autocar A series (heavy duty aluminum tractors), Autocar DC series (heavy duty / heavy duty), Autocar Construcktor 2 (heavy duty / Heavy duty with White cab) and Western Star conventional / COE trucks. White also ran factories in Utah, Ohio, and Virginia.

Following the 1981 acquisition, Volvo renewed the designs of the White and Autocar product lines. In 1982, the White Integrated Travers was launched, which seamlessly combines the sleeper and passenger cabin. In 1983, the Road Boss was replaced by White Conventional; While retaining the same cabin, the hood line was lowered with a redesigned grille. In 1985, the Integral Tall Sleeper was developed as a raised-roof version of the Integral Sleeper (America's "Globetrotter" sleeper). In 1987, a lowered body line, composite headlights (White 'Aero' shared with Volvo 240) were introduced and a flush mounted grille. In 1988, WG was introduced, marking the return of the short hood. The Autocar DK heavy-duty line was launched in 1983 and is complemented by the highly acclaimed Autocar AT64F long-haul tractor. In 1988, the DK was replaced by Autocar ACL and ACM models. While the AC series trucks were robust and reliable, they contained a number of Volvo components and, according to some Autocar loyalists, pointed to the dilution of the Autocar brand.