On 3 December 1942, the 470^th Quartermaster Truck Regiment was activated at Camp McCain, Mississippi. On 3 November 1943, the 3^rd Battalion was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 157^th Quartermaster Battalion, Mobile. It participated in the campaigns of Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. The battalion was inactivated in France on 25 June 1946.

On 2 August 1946, the unit was redesignated as the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 126^th Transportation Truck Battalion and allotted to the National Guard of West Virginia. With the outbreak of the Korean War, the battalion headquarters was activated at Fort Pickett, Virginia, on 11 September 1950. The battalion participated in Exercise Southern Pines in 1951 and Longhorn in 1952 then Snowstorm in 1953.

On 15 August 1952, HHC, 48^th Transportation Highway Group was activated at Fort Eustis and provided command and control for the 4th Transportation Battalion and the two new truck battalions at Fort Eustis along with the 502^nd Traffic Regulating Group. The 6th Truck Battalion was activated on 15 August 1952 and the 126^th Truck Battalion moved to Fort Eustis from Fort Pickett, Virginia, on 1 December 1952. The 48^th Transportation Group (Truck) supported the Transportation Training Command.

On 16 September 1954, the 48^th Group made plans to attach the 17^th Medium Truck, 597^th Medium Truck, 652^nd Medium Truck, 523^rd Light Truck and the 557^th Heavy Lift Companies to the 126^th Battalion. The Group headquarters believed that this would balance the number of companies in the three truck battalions. The 126^th Battalion provided command and control for the following companies:

• 165^th Transportation Company
• 523^rd Transportation Company (Light Truck)
• 557^th Transportation Company (Heavy Lift)
• 597^th Transportation Company (Medium Truck)
• 652^nd Transportation Company (Medium Truck)

With the end of the Korean War, the 126^th Battalion prepared for release from active duty and in 1954, it transferred the 523^rd and 557^th Truck Companies to the 4^th Battalion and the 165^th Truck Company to the 6^th Battalion. The 652^nd Truck Company departed to support Operation SUNEC ’54 in Greenland. The 126^th Battalion was reduced to only a headquarters company. However, on 9 February 1955, the 126^th Battalion was released from active duty and returned to the West Virginia National Guard. All its personnel and equipment was transferred to the 522^nd Transportation Battalion, which was activated on the same day. The 652^nd Truck Company was also released from active duty on 10 March and the active duty personnel and equipment were transferred to the newly activated 126^th Transportation Company. The 165^th Truck Company was also released from active duty later that year.