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From: Alberta
read this
read this and maybe it will help with the Ford owns Cummins crap out their
The history of the Freightliner brand begins in 1929. That was the year that Leland James, a young trucker from Portland, Oregon, opened his own freight hauling company. It didn't take long for James and his Consolidated Freight Lines to prosper. James worked hard and was always on the lookout for new ways to boost business and increase profits. Trouble was, truck manufacturers of the day didn't share his enthusiasm for innovation. When James asked for lighter trucks that could carry more payload and stay within the 60-foot length in many western states, his suppliers ignored him.
So James adapted and began customizing stock trucks to fit his requirements. By the mid-1930s, Consolidated mechanics were experimenting with aluminum in brake shoes, suspension hanger brackets and pulleys for reefer trailers. The ideas worked well and Consolidated began building truck and trailer bodies from the new lightweight metal. James also began experimenting with blunt-nosed, cab-over-engine designs. By shortening the tractor, James could expand the trailer and carry more payload. In 1937, James put the first COE design into fleet service -- a Fageol Truck and Coach Company chassis with a custom-designed Consolidated Freight Lines cab. The design - while not the sleekest on the road -- proved successful and Consolidated went on to build 20 of these trucks through the end of the decade.
1940: Expanding Operations
In 1940, James changed the name of his company to Consolidated Freightways. The same year Consolidated and five other western carriers launched Freightways Manufacturing Company, Inc., to build trucks for their combined fleet. Freightways opened a plant in Salt Lake City, Utah, and began producing James' COEs with heat-treated alloy steel frames and noses, and lightweight aluminum skins and trailer bodies.
At first, James really didn't care to be in the truck-building business. His original intent was to make enough trucks to prove to the established manufacturers that his ideas held merit and convince them to manufacture the trucks he wanted. At one point, Freightways even gave its proprietary parts to another manufacturer to assemble. But Consolidated Freightways regarded the workmanship of these trucks inferior to the Freightways trucks.
"The decision was made that we could do it better," said Tom Taylor, executive vice president of Freightways at the time. "That's really how we got into the manufacturing business, although that was never the original intent. It was to prove some ideas, prove that it could be done."
The Freightliner name, first hyphenated as "Freight-Liner," appeared in 1940, painted into the coat-hanger-shaped recess at the top of the aluminum radiator that protruded from the truck nose. The following year the name was changed to Freightliner and the year after that, the company officially changed its name to Freightliner Corporation.
The war years were hard on the fledgling Freightliner Corporation. Materials and parts were hard to come by. The Salt Lake City plant switched from producing trucks to making airplane parts and hatches for ships. In 1944, the Utah plant shut down entirely, and truck production and maintenance moved to the Consolidated Freightways headquarters in Portland.
In 1947, Freightliner resumed production in Portland with Ken Self as production manager and Lester Kassebaum, a vice president at Consolidated Freightways, serving as President. Kassebaum remained at the helm until 1951 when Tom Taylor, Freightliner's first leader, resumed his role as CEO.
^top
A Pioneer in Aluminum Use
The post-war years were an economic boom time, and Freightliner prospered. It continued its tradition of innovation, pioneering the use of aluminum alloys, perfected during the war years, in cabs, axle housings, brake drums, cross members, wheels, radiators, and frame rails.
From the beginning, Freightliners had been built to supply Consolidated Freightways with a better truck, but in 1948 James was convinced that the product was good enough for the open market. The first outside sale came that year to Vince Graziano, a produce hauler in Portland. The truck was an all-aluminum, bubble-nosed Model 800. Graziano was so impressed that he later ordered five more Freightliners. His penchant for Freightliners never waned and he would eventually go on to purchase thousands of the trucks as vice president of purchasing for Consolidated Freightways.
Custom-Built Trucks Lead Growth
In 1950, the Hyster Company of Portland ordered the first Freightliner sleeper cab tractor. The transcontinental COE design was equipped with a 10-speed transmission and a short 19.5-in. driveline - the shortest available at the time. It allowed Hyster to pull a 35-ft. trailer through states with a 45-ft. overall length restriction. The cab was equipped with an adjustable Bostrom seat and had a recording tachometer and electric sanders for traction on slick roads. The original truck was repurchased by Freightliner in 1976 and restored. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1977 for its Museum of History and Technology as an example of Freightliner's pioneering contributions to truck design and technology.
These early purchases solidified Freightliner's reputation as a quality "custom" truck manufacturer. By 1950, the company was building over 100 trucks a year. Their success made Taylor and Self realize that with the right sales support, the company was ripe for expansion.
In 1951, Freightliner entered into an agreement with the White Motor Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio, to market and service Freightliners across the country. The move proved to be a good one. By 1960 sales of Freightliners reached 1000 units. The company was building on its reputation for engineering innovation and custom manufacturing, yet it remained relatively small in comparison to its counterparts in the business.
^top
First Conventional Model Debuts
In 1973, Freightliner introduced its first conventional truck. It was a difficult period for the transportation industry. Fuel prices soared and truck sales suffered substantially. In 1975, Freightliner ended its relationship with White and began building its own dealer network. Again, the move proved to be the right decision. Three years later, in 1978, Freightliner opened its first East Coast manufacturing operation - a parts plant in Gastonia, North Carolina. It would be the first of several plants to open in North Carolina - making Freightliner a true national corporation.
Daimler Benz Acquires Company
By the start of the 1980s, Freightliner was making waves in the trucking industry. The ripples caught the attention of Daimler-Benz AG. The company was trying to market Mercedes-Benz trucks in the U.S. with little headway. In 1981, Daimler-Benz purchased Freightliner from Consolidated Freightways. Daimler provided Freightliner the engineering resources it needed to grow and Freightliner provided Daimler the reputation in the market it needed to grow in the U.S.
End of Century Brings Rapid Growth
Within a decade, in 1992, Freightliner had captured the #1 market share position for Class 8 trucks. The 1990s also saw tremendous growth and product expansion for the company. In 1995, Freightliner purchased its first non-traditional truck company, American LaFrance, makers of fire trucks and emergency vehicles. It also entered specialized custom chassis markets with the establishment of Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation in Gaffney, South Carolina, the same year.
Over the next five years, Freightliner proceeded to acquire an ever more diversified portfolio: Ford Motor Company's heavy truck business in 1997 (later rebranded Sterling); bus maker Thomas Built Buses in 1998; and Western Star trucks in 2000.
Today, the Freightliner Group is the leading commercial vehicle maker in North America. Volume in 2002 exceeded 111,000 vehicles and its products were shipped to 30 countries.
© Freightliner LLC Privacy Statement, Legal Notices and Terms
Freightliner LLC is a DaimlerChrysler company.
The history of the Freightliner brand begins in 1929. That was the year that Leland James, a young trucker from Portland, Oregon, opened his own freight hauling company. It didn't take long for James and his Consolidated Freight Lines to prosper. James worked hard and was always on the lookout for new ways to boost business and increase profits. Trouble was, truck manufacturers of the day didn't share his enthusiasm for innovation. When James asked for lighter trucks that could carry more payload and stay within the 60-foot length in many western states, his suppliers ignored him.
So James adapted and began customizing stock trucks to fit his requirements. By the mid-1930s, Consolidated mechanics were experimenting with aluminum in brake shoes, suspension hanger brackets and pulleys for reefer trailers. The ideas worked well and Consolidated began building truck and trailer bodies from the new lightweight metal. James also began experimenting with blunt-nosed, cab-over-engine designs. By shortening the tractor, James could expand the trailer and carry more payload. In 1937, James put the first COE design into fleet service -- a Fageol Truck and Coach Company chassis with a custom-designed Consolidated Freight Lines cab. The design - while not the sleekest on the road -- proved successful and Consolidated went on to build 20 of these trucks through the end of the decade.
1940: Expanding Operations
In 1940, James changed the name of his company to Consolidated Freightways. The same year Consolidated and five other western carriers launched Freightways Manufacturing Company, Inc., to build trucks for their combined fleet. Freightways opened a plant in Salt Lake City, Utah, and began producing James' COEs with heat-treated alloy steel frames and noses, and lightweight aluminum skins and trailer bodies.
At first, James really didn't care to be in the truck-building business. His original intent was to make enough trucks to prove to the established manufacturers that his ideas held merit and convince them to manufacture the trucks he wanted. At one point, Freightways even gave its proprietary parts to another manufacturer to assemble. But Consolidated Freightways regarded the workmanship of these trucks inferior to the Freightways trucks.
"The decision was made that we could do it better," said Tom Taylor, executive vice president of Freightways at the time. "That's really how we got into the manufacturing business, although that was never the original intent. It was to prove some ideas, prove that it could be done."
The Freightliner name, first hyphenated as "Freight-Liner," appeared in 1940, painted into the coat-hanger-shaped recess at the top of the aluminum radiator that protruded from the truck nose. The following year the name was changed to Freightliner and the year after that, the company officially changed its name to Freightliner Corporation.
The war years were hard on the fledgling Freightliner Corporation. Materials and parts were hard to come by. The Salt Lake City plant switched from producing trucks to making airplane parts and hatches for ships. In 1944, the Utah plant shut down entirely, and truck production and maintenance moved to the Consolidated Freightways headquarters in Portland.
In 1947, Freightliner resumed production in Portland with Ken Self as production manager and Lester Kassebaum, a vice president at Consolidated Freightways, serving as President. Kassebaum remained at the helm until 1951 when Tom Taylor, Freightliner's first leader, resumed his role as CEO.
^top
A Pioneer in Aluminum Use
The post-war years were an economic boom time, and Freightliner prospered. It continued its tradition of innovation, pioneering the use of aluminum alloys, perfected during the war years, in cabs, axle housings, brake drums, cross members, wheels, radiators, and frame rails.
From the beginning, Freightliners had been built to supply Consolidated Freightways with a better truck, but in 1948 James was convinced that the product was good enough for the open market. The first outside sale came that year to Vince Graziano, a produce hauler in Portland. The truck was an all-aluminum, bubble-nosed Model 800. Graziano was so impressed that he later ordered five more Freightliners. His penchant for Freightliners never waned and he would eventually go on to purchase thousands of the trucks as vice president of purchasing for Consolidated Freightways.
Custom-Built Trucks Lead Growth
In 1950, the Hyster Company of Portland ordered the first Freightliner sleeper cab tractor. The transcontinental COE design was equipped with a 10-speed transmission and a short 19.5-in. driveline - the shortest available at the time. It allowed Hyster to pull a 35-ft. trailer through states with a 45-ft. overall length restriction. The cab was equipped with an adjustable Bostrom seat and had a recording tachometer and electric sanders for traction on slick roads. The original truck was repurchased by Freightliner in 1976 and restored. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1977 for its Museum of History and Technology as an example of Freightliner's pioneering contributions to truck design and technology.
These early purchases solidified Freightliner's reputation as a quality "custom" truck manufacturer. By 1950, the company was building over 100 trucks a year. Their success made Taylor and Self realize that with the right sales support, the company was ripe for expansion.
In 1951, Freightliner entered into an agreement with the White Motor Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio, to market and service Freightliners across the country. The move proved to be a good one. By 1960 sales of Freightliners reached 1000 units. The company was building on its reputation for engineering innovation and custom manufacturing, yet it remained relatively small in comparison to its counterparts in the business.
^top
First Conventional Model Debuts
In 1973, Freightliner introduced its first conventional truck. It was a difficult period for the transportation industry. Fuel prices soared and truck sales suffered substantially. In 1975, Freightliner ended its relationship with White and began building its own dealer network. Again, the move proved to be the right decision. Three years later, in 1978, Freightliner opened its first East Coast manufacturing operation - a parts plant in Gastonia, North Carolina. It would be the first of several plants to open in North Carolina - making Freightliner a true national corporation.
Daimler Benz Acquires Company
By the start of the 1980s, Freightliner was making waves in the trucking industry. The ripples caught the attention of Daimler-Benz AG. The company was trying to market Mercedes-Benz trucks in the U.S. with little headway. In 1981, Daimler-Benz purchased Freightliner from Consolidated Freightways. Daimler provided Freightliner the engineering resources it needed to grow and Freightliner provided Daimler the reputation in the market it needed to grow in the U.S.
End of Century Brings Rapid Growth
Within a decade, in 1992, Freightliner had captured the #1 market share position for Class 8 trucks. The 1990s also saw tremendous growth and product expansion for the company. In 1995, Freightliner purchased its first non-traditional truck company, American LaFrance, makers of fire trucks and emergency vehicles. It also entered specialized custom chassis markets with the establishment of Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation in Gaffney, South Carolina, the same year.
Over the next five years, Freightliner proceeded to acquire an ever more diversified portfolio: Ford Motor Company's heavy truck business in 1997 (later rebranded Sterling); bus maker Thomas Built Buses in 1998; and Western Star trucks in 2000.
Today, the Freightliner Group is the leading commercial vehicle maker in North America. Volume in 2002 exceeded 111,000 vehicles and its products were shipped to 30 countries.
© Freightliner LLC Privacy Statement, Legal Notices and Terms
Freightliner LLC is a DaimlerChrysler company.
Adminstrator-ess
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 22,594
Likes: 19
From: New Holland, PA
Interesting stuff. I never knew that Freightshaker was related to the Corn Flakes trucking company. I gotta say that as the Sterling/Ford has become more of a Frieghtliner product, build quality has slipped. We have 3 Sterlings in the fleet at work, a '99(I've driven it several times), a '00 (used to be mine), and an '01 (mine). The '99 and '00 are quiet inside and have never had any cab troubles. My '01 is noisy by comparison, leaks water from the windshield and passenger door, and the HVAC system has failed several times. The two older trucks have many parts with Ford logos, the new one has mostly Freightliner stamps. I think we're going to buy baby KW's from here on out, the propane division got two last year, they've been great and the price was way better than Sterling. It's a shame because the Sterling/Ford is the most driver friendly cab in a medium duty truck. 
Not sure how any of this relates to Ford owning Cummins, but I'm sure Hoss will chime in on Monday and explain.
Not sure how any of this relates to Ford owning Cummins, but I'm sure Hoss will chime in on Monday and explain.
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Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 958
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From: Alberta
the only relationship between Ford, Dodge or Cummins is thrue Diamler, I had another article on Diamler but cant seem to find it, it was talking about Cummins and ford. I am still looking for it.
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