Freightliner Trucks are American truck manufacturers and divisions of Daimler Trucks North America. The division is known primarily for the heavyweight of the 8 diesel trucks it offers, as well as the 5-7 class trucks.
Video Freightliner Trucks
History
Initial years
In the 1930s, Consolidated Freightways (CF) decided to produce their own truck lanes from the reconstructed Fageols, having found the majority of heavy truck power shortages to climb steep mountains in the western United States. The trucks were branded "Freightliners", with the first unit manufactured at the Freightways Consolidation treatment facility in Salt Lake City circa 1942. After production was interrupted during World War II, manufacturing resumed, at the Portland CF, Oregon home. In 1949, the first truck sold outside Consolidated Freightways came to the Hyster forklift manufacturer, also based in Portland. Today, the truck is in the Smithsonian collection in Washington, D.C.
Lacking distribution capabilities, and looking for higher volumes to reduce production costs, CF entered into agreement in 1951 to sell their trucks through White Motor Company, Cleveland, Ohio, and their dealer networks in the US and Canada. This relationship lasted for the next quarter of a century, and the co-branded cabin-over-engine model "White Freightliner" became a familiar sight on the highways across the continent.
1960s
Manufacturing began in Burnaby, British Columbia, in 1961, to reduce liability penalties on complete vehicles sold in Canada. The assembly plants in Indianapolis and Chino, California complete the main plant at Swan Island in Portland, serving the US market. In 1969, a new assembly plant was opened in North Basin St., which was later transformed into production.
1970s
The White Motor Company became problematic in the 1970s. Expansion into agricultural equipment and equipment spends capital without making a profit, and the relationship with Freightways Consolidation becomes obsolete. In 1974, distribution agreements were terminated, and Freightliner Corp. started life as a freestanding manufacturer and distributor. Many of the first dealers came from the White Motor Co. network, but some entrepreneurs also signed up to represent the franchise of the White Motor Co. franchise. as a complement.
At the same time, the company introduced its first conventional model, the adaptation of a high-profile COE product. High COE accounted for more than 50% of the US market at that time, due to the overall length regulation that limits the rear-bumper-to-rear dimensions of a 55 ft semitrailer unit on interstate highways. Conventional is popular in western roads because it is more convenient in/out, up better, and easier access to machines for service.
In 1979, a new plant in Mount Holly, North Carolina and parts manufacturing plant in Gastonia, North Carolina, was built, both in the metropolitan area of ​​Charlotte. Volume continues to increase.
The year 1979 marked a consequential event in the evolution of Freightliner, and the entire truck and trucking industry. President Carter signed a bill that deregulated transport both on land and in the sky. Deregulation transforms the trucking economy and removes regulated train systems that protect operators, instead of allowing more competition.
1980s: Daimler-Benz takes over
Three years later, the Surface Transport Help Act of 1982 loosened the weight and length standards and imposed a new excise tax on large trucks and tires they used. No longer is the overall length of the restricted semitrailer combination; instead, only the specified trailer, no more than 53Ã, ft in length. Each country maintains a stricter overall law of length, but basically, rules have changed forever.
The consolidation of Freightways, the bearer, the traditional trade union that developed in an era before deregulation, realized it in the struggle for his life. In May 1981, the company sold its Freightliner and Freightliner manufacturing business to Daimler-Benz, enabling it to focus its management and financial resources on its traditional trucking business. Around this time, the Chino and Indianapolis plants were permanently closed. Consolidated Freightways continued its freight business until 2002, when it ceased operations on Labor Day weekend.
In 1985 Freightliner introduced the new Interventional Medium (FLD112) series, using a cabin passenger portion of the recently introduced Mercedes-Benz LK. Mercedes cabins are gradually being used for a number of Freightliner trucks. In 1989, Freightliner acquired a stand-alone plant in Cleveland, North Carolina, near Statesville, which has been producing transit buses for the German MAN manufacturer.
1990s
In 1991, after years of poor sales, Daimler's parent company ended sales of Mercedes-Benz medium-sized trucks in North America. In their place, Freightliner enters the middle duty truck segment (Class 5-7) with FL-Series Business Class. The conventional version of the streamlined FLC, divides many cabin components with the Mercedes-Benz LKN cabover, which is adapted for conventional use. The first all-new entry in the mid-duty market in more than a decade, the FL-Series met with success.
Another obvious slump in industrial wealth requires drastic action to restore Freightliner to financial health, and Dr. Dieter Zetsche, now chairman of the Daimler Management Board, was sent to lead the project as CEO. Burnaby assembly plant closed, replaced by new facility at St. Thomas, Ontario. Corporate cost reduction programs restore profitability when the market recovers.
Significantly, production also began in Santiago Tianguistenco, Mexico, about 30 miles (48 km) outside of Mexico City, in a factory owned by Daimler-Benz. At that time, the factory also produced buses, medium-duty trucks designed by Brazil, and a compact Mercedes-Benz passenger car.
The 1990s was a busy era for truck manufacturers in general, and especially for Freightliners, under the leadership of Flamboyan James L. Hebe, a former Kenworth sales executive who joined the company in 1989. Over the decade Freightliner made many acquisitions for more continue. diversify itself:
1995 - Oshkosh Custom Chassis in Gaffney, South Carolina becomes a Freightliner Custom Chassis, which produces the foundations for walk-in vans used by companies such as UPS to deliver packages and Cintas for a uniform laundry service; diesel recreation vehicles; conventional school buses; and shuttle bus. The Oshkosh and Freightliner partnerships have been disbanded, and Oshkosh is no longer affiliated with Freightliner.
1996 - American LaFrance, a 130-year-old fire manufacturer, was bought; it was Mr.'s first employer Hebe. LaFrance falls on hard times and nearly dies at the time of the acquisition.
1997 - Sterling Trucks, a subdivision, was created when Freightliner acquired the right product for Ford Louisville/AeroMax Class 8 newly designed trucks from Ford Motor Company along with North American production rights to Ford Cargo. Aimed primarily as a vocational truck, the Sterling product line borrows its name from the original White Motor Company brand; it is placed between Freightliner and Western Star in the Daimler product line.
1998 - Thomas Built Buses, from High Point, North Carolina, was acquired; it is a manufacturer of all classes of school bus bodies, and chassis controls forward.
2000-2007
2000 - Western Star Trucks, Inc., successor to White Motor Co. Canada, and assembly plants in Kelowna, British Columbia, and Ladson, South Carolina were acquired.
2000 - Detroit Diesel Corp., Redford, Michigan, former subsidiary of General Motors has been revived by Roger Penske and appeals to DaimlerChrysler as the entry point for North American heavy duty diesel industry. The company was actually purchased by another unit of DaimlerChrysler, but the operation was gradually integrated into Freightliner.
Throughout this era, a small number of fire and rescue equipment manufacturers were acquired and rolled out to the American LaFrance entity.
In 2001, the company was filled with used trucks that could not be sold because of a business decision questioned by Jim Hebe, and the company was saddled with a number of poorly performing operations when the core business, still Freightliner over-trucking on the highway, recession. Former Freightliner CFO Rainer Schmueckle was sent by DaimlerChrysler to once again change the company. The Western Star Kelowna plant is closed, as the Thomasbuilt facility in Woodstock, Ontario and parts manufacturing at the old Portland plant are discontinued. The production of LaFrance America was consolidated at the former Western Star plant in Ladson, South Carolina, but attempts to integrate special emergency vehicles into companies accounted for high volume production capacity proved unworkable, and American LaFrance was sold in 2005 to private equity funds.
2007-present
On April 2, 2007, the Local Automotive Workers' Striking Committee (UAW) Local 3520 called for a strike at the Freightliner Trucks assembly plant in Cleveland, North Carolina. The strike lasted only one day, but because the UAW declared an unofficial strike, it was considered a wild cat strike, resulting in the dismissal of 700 employees. Almost all of these lengths allow return to work, six remain discontinued for about a week, but five remain discontinued.
Also in 2007, Freightliner laid off 800 US workers from the Portland, Oregon plant, relocating manufacturing jobs to a new millions of dollars plant in Mexico. However, plans to close the plant were completely canceled in September 2009, and remain open to producing Western Star military and truck vehicles. 230 more Portland workers were dismissed in 2013.
After DaimlerChrysler sold the Chrysler division and changed its name to Daimler AG in 2007, the company announced Freightliner LLC would be renamed Daimler Trucks North America, LLC on January 7, 2008.
Currently, Freightliner remains active in heavy duty trucks, and in commercial vehicles in grades 5 to 8 in North America. It leads the chassis of the Diesel Class recreational vehicle and the walk-in van market. {Citation needed | date = February 2007}} The Freightliner badges also adorn the Sprinter, a Class 2 van manufactured by Mercedes-Benz in Europe and marketed through Freightliner dealerships. Previously, it was also available through the Chrysler dealership as a Dodge-brand offer, prior to the sale of Chrysler to Fiat.
Tesla Motors supplies the battery pack for Freightliner's Custom Chassis Electric Van.
On January 12, 2012, Daimler Trucks North America announced plans to employ 1,200 shift-two workers by the end of the year at its plant in Cleveland, the largest US truck manufacturer, with nearly 500 employees. Most of them were people who were dismissed when the second shift was dropped in 2009. The reason is the increasing demand for Cascadia trucks, which is twice as much as will be done in October 2012. A quarter of the factory output, which also includes Freightliner Columbia and Argosy, went to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. By September only 550 workers had returned to the factory, and 173 had not remembered losing their seniority.
In 2009, Daimler Trucks, Mount Holly in North America, the North Carolina plant started making natural gas trucks. The company makes 700 such trucks by 2012, with an increasing number by 2013 when the company announces the Cleveland plant will start making Cascadia with Cummins Westport natural gas engines.
On August 22, 2014, the Cleveland plant made Daimler Trucks North America 3 million trucks, Cascadia Evolution, the first to use Detroit powertrain to be introduced in January 2015. The factory has 2600 employees, and the company has 8,000 employees in North Carolina. Also in 2014, the Cleveland plant begins to hire more employees. In October 750 out of the 1100 people needed had been hired.
After adding 1,100 workers, the Cleveland plant reached 2900 by June 2015, with 140 to 150 trucks made daily, including natural gas trucks. Agility Fuel Systems, a supplier to Cleveland, added $ 7.5 million to regional factories and offices in Salisbury. Also by 2015, the Cleveland plant plans a $ 38 million logistics center, which will not add to the work.
In early 2016, Freightliner announced 936 workers would be laid off in Cleveland. On February 15, 2016, Daimler Trucks North America announced 550 other workers would be laid off in Cleveland, leaving 1,600 workers, plus 700 workers at Mt. Holly, which will have 1450 workers, is effective starting on February 19, 2016. In October 2017, the Cleveland plant has nearly 1,500 employees making five Freightliner models and three Western Star models.
In March 2018, it was announced the Cleveland plant would add a "significant" amount of new jobs due to increased demand for larger trucks.
Maps Freightliner Trucks
Model
See also
- List of companies based in Oregon
- Mercedes-Benz Actros
- Mercedes-Benz Zetros
- Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation
- Western Star Truck
References
External links
Media related to Freightliner truck on Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments