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Freightliner


Trucking

Freightliner
Vehicle Marque

Topic Navigation
Official Site: FreightlinerTrucks.com
Wikipedia: Freightliner Trucks

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History
Photographs
Documents
Article Index
Headquarters:  Portland, Oregon, USA

A manufacturer of large trucks since 1942. Previously owned by White, the trucks were branded White Freightliner until 1975 when the company was sold. Currently a division of Daimler AG.

Vehicle names used by Freightliner throughout its history include: 108SD, 114SD, B2, Business Class M2, Columbia, Coronado, EconicSD, MT45, S2, and Sprinter.

Dealerships include:
Truck City (Gary, Indiana)

History

The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Freightliner Trucks page on 8 July 2017, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Freightliner Trucks is an American truck manufacturer and a division of Daimler Trucks North America. The division is known mainly for the heavy duty class 8 diesel trucks it offers, as well as class 5-7 trucks.

In the 1930s, Consolidated Freightways (CF) decided to produce their own truck line from reconstructed Fageols, after finding most heavy trucks lacked sufficient power to climb the steep mountain grades in the western United States. The trucks were branded "Freightliners", with the first units produced in Consolidated Freightways' maintenance facility in Salt Lake City around 1942. After production was interrupted during WW II, manufacturing began again, in CF's home of Portland, Oregon. In 1949, the first truck sold outside of Consolidated Freightways went to forklift manufacturer Hyster, also based in Portland. Today, that truck is in the Smithsonian collection in Washington, D.C.

Lacking distribution capability, and seeking higher volume to reduce production costs, CF entered into an agreement in 1951 to sell their trucks through the White Motor Company, of Cleveland, Ohio, and their dealer network in the US and Canada. This relationship endured for the next quarter century, and the co-branded "White Freightliner" cab-over-engine models (COE) became a familiar sight on highways across the continent.

Manufacturing began in Burnaby, British Columbia, in 1961, to reduce the duty penalty on the complete vehicles sold in Canada. Assembly plants in Indianapolis and Chino, California complemented the main plant on Swan Island in Portland, serving the US market. In 1969, a new assembly plant was opened on North Basin St., which was then converted to parts production.

White Motor Company became troubled in the 1970s. Expansion into appliances and agricultural equipment consumed capital without producing a return, and the relationship with Consolidated Freightways became frayed. In 1974, the distribution agreement was terminated, and Freightliner Corp. began life as a freestanding manufacturer and distributor. Many of the first dealers were from the White Motor Co. network, but some entrepreneurs also signed up to represent the trucks without the White Motor Co. franchise as a complement.

At the same time, the company introduced its first conventional model, an adaptation of the high COE mainstay product. High COEs accounted for well over 50% of the US market in those days, owing to overall length regulations that limited the bumper-to-taillight dimension of a semitrailer unit to 55 ft on interstate highways. Conventionals were popular on western roads due to more convenient ingress/egress, better ride, and easier access to the engine for servicing.

In 1979, a new plant in Mount Holly, North Carolina and a parts manufacturing plant in Gastonia, North Carolina, were constructed, both in the Charlotte metropolitan area. Volumes continued to increase.

The year 1979 marked a consequential event in the evolution of Freightliner, and of the whole trucking and truck manufacturing industries. President Carter signed bills into law deregulating transport both on the ground and in the skies. Deregulation changed the economics of trucking, and removed the protective shield of regulated carriage that protected carriers allowing much needed competition.

Three years later, the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 relaxed weight and length standards and imposed a new excise tax on heavy trucks and the tires they use. No longer was the overall length of semitrailer combinations restricted; rather, only the trailer was specified, to be not greater than 53 ft in length. Individual states retained more restrictive overall length laws, but fundamentally, the rules had changed forever.

Consolidated Freightways, a traditional, unionized carrier that flourished in the era before deregulation, realized it was in a fight for its life. In May 1981, it sold its truck manufacturing business and the Freightliner brand to Daimler-Benz, allowing it to concentrate its management attention and financial resources on its traditional trucking business. Around this time, the Chino and Indianapolis plants were closed permanently. Consolidated Freightways continued carrier business until 2002, when it ceased operation on Labor Day weekend.

In 1985 Freightliner introduced a new Medium Conventional series (FLC), using the passenger portion of the cabin from the then recently introduced Mercedes-Benz LK. Mercedes cabins gradually became used for a number of Freightliner trucks. In 1989, Freightliner acquired a standing plant in Cleveland, North Carolina, near Statesville, that had been producing transit buses for German manufacturer MAN.


Photographs

UPS Truck Subject:  Freightliner UPS Truck
Photographer:  Bill Crittenden
Date:  2011

View photo of UPS Truck - 274KB
Officemax Truck Subject:  Freightliner Officemax Truck
Photographer:  Bill Crittenden
Date:  2011

View photo of Officemax Truck - 390KB
Officemax Truck Subject:  Freightliner Officemax Truck
Photographer:  Bill Crittenden
Date:  2011

View photo of Officemax Truck - 381KB
Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package Subject:  Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package
Source:  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

View photo of Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package - 5.5MB
Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package Subject:  Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package
Source:  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

View photo of Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package - 4.4MB
Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package Subject:  Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package
Source:  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

View photo of Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package - 4.5MB
Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package Subject:  Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package
Source:  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

View photo of Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package - 4.6MB
Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package Subject:  Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package
Source:  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

View photo of Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package - 251KB
Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package Subject:  Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package
Source:  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

View photo of Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package - 276KB
Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package Subject:  Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package
Source:  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

View photo of Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package - 393KB
Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package Subject:  Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package
Source:  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

View photo of Walmart Freightliner Truck with Aerodynamic Package - 328KB
Walmart Freightliner Grease-Fueled Truck Subject:  Walmart Freightliner Grease-Fueled Truck
Source:  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

View photo of Walmart Freightliner Grease-Fueled Truck - 369KB
Walmart Freightliner Grease-Fueled Truck Subject:  Walmart Freightliner Grease-Fueled Truck
Source:  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

View photo of Walmart Freightliner Grease-Fueled Truck - 600KB
Walmart Freightliner Grease-Fueled Truck Subject:  Walmart Freightliner Grease-Fueled Truck
Source:  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

View photo of Walmart Freightliner Grease-Fueled Truck - 417KB
Walmart Freightliner Grease-Fueled Truck Subject:  Walmart Freightliner Grease-Fueled Truck
Source:  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

View photo of Walmart Freightliner Grease-Fueled Truck - 736KB
Walmart Freightliner Hybrid Assist Truck Subject:  Walmart Freightliner Hybrid Assist Truck
Source:  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

View photo of Walmart Freightliner Hybrid Assist Truck - 299KB
Walmart Freightliner Hybrid Assist Truck Subject:  Walmart Freightliner Hybrid Assist Truck
Source:  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

View photo of Walmart Freightliner Hybrid Assist Truck - 297KB
Walmart Freightliner Hybrid Assist Truck Subject:  Walmart Freightliner Hybrid Assist Truck
Source:  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

View photo of Walmart Freightliner Hybrid Assist Truck - 374KB
Your Sister's Tomato Freightliner at 2017 Truck Off Woodstock Subject:  Your Sister's Tomato Freightliner
Photographer:  Bill Crittenden
Event:  2017 Truck Off Woodstock
View photo of Your Sister's Tomato Freightliner at 2017 Truck Off Woodstock - 2.4MB
Your Sister's Tomato Freightliner at 2017 Truck Off Woodstock Subject:  Your Sister's Tomato Freightliner
Photographer:  Bill Crittenden
Event:  2017 Truck Off Woodstock
View photo of Your Sister's Tomato Freightliner at 2017 Truck Off Woodstock - 2.7MB


Documents

DateDocument Name & DetailsDocuments
17 June 1975NHTSA Recall 75V119000
1967-1975 Freightliner
Service Brakes, Air:Controls
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Recall Page - 1 page
1 September 2011Defect Information Report FL-611, Cummins V-Band Clamp RecallFrom: Nasser Zamani, Daimler Trucks North America
To: Dan Smith, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA Recall 11V474000

PDF
- 88KB - 3 pages
1 September 2011NHTSA Recall 11V474000
2011-2012 FCCC MC, 2011-2012 FCCC MT45, 2011-2012 FCCC MT55, 2011-2012 FCCC S2, 2011-2012 FCCC XBR, 2011-2012 FCCC XBS, 2011-2012 FCCC XCL, 2011-2012 FCCC XCM, 2011-2012 FCCC XCR, 2011-2012 FCCC XCS, 2011-2012 Freightliner Business Class M2, 2011-2012 Freightliner Coronado, 2011-2012 Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner, 2011-2012 Thomas Built MVP-EF

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Recall Page - 1 page
16 September 2011V-Band Clamp Assembly/Cummins
From: Ric Willard, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
To: Nasser Zamani, Daimler Trucks North America
NHTSA Recall 11V474000

PDF
- 27KB - 3 pages
20 September 2011Defect Information Report FL-611, Cummins V-Band Clamp RecallFrom: Nasser Zamani, Daimler Trucks North America
To: Dan Smith, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA Recall 11V474000

PDF
- 509KB - 4 pages
19 October 2011Defect Information Report - Supplemental Report No. 1 11V-474, FL-611, Non-School Bus, (Cummins C1154) Cummins Aftertreatment V-Band ClampsFrom: Nasser Zamani, Daimler Trucks North America
To: Dan Smith, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA Recall 11V474000

PDF
- 455KB - 11 pages


Article Index

DateArticleAuthor/Source
5 March 1998FREIGHTLINER TO DONATE TRUCK CAB, GIVING BOOST TO SIMULATOR SAFETY STUDIESNHTSA
22 January 2010Former Freightliner Employee Sentenced to Federal Prison Restitution Ordered to be Paid to Daimler Trucks North America LLCU.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Oregon
13 December 20133 Things to Look For When Shopping For Freightliner Truck PartsRobert Corter
26 January 2016Women In Trucking Association Announces Continued Gold Level Partnership with Freightliner TrucksWomen In Trucking Association, Inc.
20 June 2016D&D Instruments Introduces New Remanufactured Instrument Cluster ProgramD&D Instruments
7 November 2016Daimler Trucks North America, Receipt of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential NoncomplianceFederal Register: NHTSA (Jeffrey M. Giuseppe)
7 April 2017Daimler Trucks North America, Grant of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential NoncomplianceFederal Register: NHTSA (Jeffrey M. Giuseppe)
20 July 2017Daimler Trucks North America, LLC, Grant of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential NoncomplianceFederal Register: NHTSA (Jeffrey M. Giuseppe)





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