diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index e99bbd848..e9cbc4c3b 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ env:
     - VERILATOR_NUM_JOBS=$(echo `nproc` + 1 | bc)
     - VERILATOR_CONFIG_FLAGS="--enable-maintainer-mode --enable-longtests"
     - VERILATOR_AUTHOR_SITE=1
-    - OBJCACHE=ccache
 
 cache:
   directories:
diff --git a/Changes b/Changes
index 9ab756798..14321ad0e 100644
--- a/Changes
+++ b/Changes
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ The contributors that suggested a given feature are shown in []. Thanks!
 
 **    Add simplistic class support with many restrictions, see manual, #377.
 
+**    Configuring with ccache present now defaults to using it; see OBJCACHE.
+
 ****  Support $ferror, and $fflush without arguments, #1638.
 
 
diff --git a/bin/verilator b/bin/verilator
index e1545e98b..2c544eeb0 100755
--- a/bin/verilator
+++ b/bin/verilator
@@ -1080,7 +1080,8 @@ design --output-split 20000 resulted in splitting into approximately
 one-minute-compile chunks.
 
 Typically when using this, make with VM_PARALLEL_BUILDS=1 (set for you if
-using the default makefiles), and use I<ccache>.
+using the default makefiles), and use I<ccache> (set for you if present at
+configure time).
 
 =item --output-split-cfuncs I<statements>
 
@@ -2125,9 +2126,10 @@ needed at simulation runtime.
 =item OBJCACHE
 
 Optionally specifies a caching or distribution program to place in front of
-all runs of the C++ Compiler.  For example, "objcache --read --write", or
-"ccache".  If using distcc or icecc/icecream, they would generally be run
-under either objcache or ccache; see the documentation for those programs.
+all runs of the C++ compiler.  For example, "ccache".  If using distcc or
+icecc/icecream, they would generally be run under cache; see the
+documentation for those programs.  If OBJCACHE is not set, and at configure
+time ccache was present, ccache will be used as a default.
 
 =item SYSTEMC
 
@@ -5136,9 +5138,9 @@ now relatively old GCC 3.0 to 3.3 being horrible.
 
 Compile in parallel on many machines and use caching; see the web for the
 ccache, distcc and icecream packages. ccache will skip GCC runs between
-identical source builds, even across different users.  You can use the
-OBJCACHE environment variable to use these CC wrappers. Also see the
---output-split option.
+identical source builds, even across different users.  If ccache was
+installed when Verilator was built it is used, or see OBJCACHE environment
+variable to override this. Also see the --output-split option.
 
 To reduce the compile time of classes that use a Verilated module (e.g. a
 top CPP file) you may wish to add /*verilator no_inline_module*/ to your
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 0db24735d..fd93c6580 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -159,6 +159,12 @@ if test "x$YACC" = "x" ; then
    AC_MSG_ERROR([Cannot find "bison" in your PATH, please install it])
 fi
 
+AC_CHECK_PROG(OBJCACHE,ccache,ccache)
+if test "x$OBJCACHE" != "x" ; then
+  objcache_version=$($OBJCACHE --version | head -1)
+  AC_MSG_RESULT([objcache is $OBJCACHE --version = $objcache_version])
+fi
+
 # Checks for libraries.
 
 # Checks for typedefs, structures
diff --git a/include/verilated.mk.in b/include/verilated.mk.in
index 47e3f61a9..f1fee71dc 100644
--- a/include/verilated.mk.in
+++ b/include/verilated.mk.in
@@ -12,8 +12,9 @@
 PERL = @PERL@
 CXX = @CXX@
 LINK = @CXX@
-AR     = ar
+AR = ar
 RANLIB = ranlib
+OBJCACHE ?= @OBJCACHE@
 
 CFG_WITH_CCWARN = @CFG_WITH_CCWARN@
 CFG_WITH_LONGTESTS = @CFG_WITH_LONGTESTS@
diff --git a/src/Makefile_obj.in b/src/Makefile_obj.in
index 4b0d83dd2..f35bb2103 100644
--- a/src/Makefile_obj.in
+++ b/src/Makefile_obj.in
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ LEX = @LEX@
 LFLAGS = -d
 PERL = @PERL@
 YACC = @YACC@
+OBJCACHE ?= @OBJCACHE@
 
 prefix = @prefix@