Daimler Trucks North America was built on a concept as relevant today as it was when the company was founded more than 60 years ago: Build a better vehicle. That challenge has been the driving force behind the company since its inception.

In the late 1930s, Leland James, president of Portland, Oregon-based trucking company Consolidated Freightways (CF), sought a lighter, more durable truck that could haul more payload and bring in more revenue for his company. When he approached truck manufacturers with his idea of building truck components with lightweight aluminum instead of steel, he was met with resistance and skepticism. At the time, aluminum was not widely used in industrial applications, so James decided to hire a group of engineers and build the vehicles himself.

Featuring a cab-over-engine design, James' trucks were not only lighter, but more durable and easier to handle than other trucks of the era. These new trucks quickly became popular with CF's drivers, and in 1940 James helped establish Freightways Manufacturing Company in Salt Lake City to produce the vehicles. In 1942, the manufacturing company changed its name to Freightliner Corporation, thus giving birth to the company that would become North America's leading heavy-duty vehicle manufacturer. With the onset of World War II, and shortages of aluminum and manpower, operations were converted to wartime production of ship and aircraft parts.

After the war, Freightliner Corporation resumed truck-building operations in 1947 by opening a manufacturing facility in Portland, Oregon. The postwar economy boomed, and in 1950 the Hyster Company of Portland became the first private carrier to order a Freightliner. Word of this new "Western truck" quickly spread, and soon Freightliner was making vehicles for other carriers. Freightliner became well known for its trucks, made to customers' specifications. Production volumes grew from 116 vehicles per year in 1950 to 931 in 1960 and 6,206 in 1970.

In 1981, Daimler-Benz AG, one of the world's premier automotive companies and world-renowned builder of heavy-duty commercial vehicles, purchased Freightliner from Consolidated Freightways. In the next decade, vehicle sales more than doubled. With its vast technological resources, Daimler-Benz helped Freightliner reach the top of the North American heavy-duty truck market by 1992.

The 1990s marked a decade of acquisitions and significant growth. 1995 saw the purchase of Oshkosh Corporation's chassis division to found the Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation. Also in 1995, Freightliner acquired firefighting/emergency vehicle manufacturer American LaFrance. In 1997 it purchased the heavy truck division of Ford Motor Company and soon after launched the Sterling brand. Continuing its acquisition of complementary products, in 1998, as a member of the newly formed DaimlerChrysler, Freightliner acquired school bus manufacturer Thomas Built Buses. Further growth and diversification continued with the purchase of Western Star Trucks in 2000 and the launch of the North American Unimog in 2003.

In 2007, Sterling celebrated its 10th year as a brand while Western Star celebrated its 40th. Also in 2007, Daimler sold the majority interest in Chrysler to Cerberus Capital Management, L.P., a private-equity company based in New York. This sale allowed Daimler to again focus on the premium vehicle segments represented by the Mercedes Car Group and the Truck Group in addition to the important and related Financial Services activities.

Today, Daimler Trucks North America is the leading commercial vehicle manufacturer in North America. Its portfolio of distinctive brands serves a multitude of industries and commercial vehicle applications. Through its affiliated companies like Detroit Diesel, the company also is a leading provider of heavy- and medium-duty diesel engines.

As Daimler Trucks North America moves through its seventh decade in business, it remains committed to the values on which it was founded: innovation, quality and an unwavering dedication to meeting customers' needs.