James had nothing to do but to improve the existing trucks in his own fleet and adapt them to market needs. The engineers of Consolidated Freight Lines had been experimenting with the use of aluminum in the production of car parts: brake rods, suspension units and inner liners of vans (used as refrigerators) since the mid-30s. It was James who first came up with the idea of equipping the floor of the van with corrugated aluminum sheets with air ducts. This innovation made it possible to keep low temperatures longer and also ensured good air circulation inside the body. James also credited the COE body design (the cab is placed over the engine and does not protrude forward). Using this type of body was economically advantageous, because the shorter version of the cab allowed longer trailers to be built to hold larger loads. In 1937, the Fareon Truck and Coach Company added new cabover models to their fleets. Thanks to the new concept, the trucks quickly gained popularity, and by the end of the 1940s Consolidated was producing 40 more trucks. In 1950 Freightliner received an order from Hyster to produce a truck with a sleeper compartment. It was decided to use well-proven version of the COE truck. The truck was equipped with a 10-speed transmission with 19.5'' driveline. In order to adapt it for long-distance hauling, the cab was fitted with an adjustable Bostrom seat, a tachometer to record readings, and a device to put sand under the wheels in case of frost and poor traction.
In 1950, the company produced about a hundred cars a year. After signing a dealership agreement with the White Motor Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio, the company manages to reach 1,000 cars by 1960.
Toward the end of the 20th century, the company managed to take the first position in the U.S. market in sales of heavy duty trucks. In 1995, the company was acquired by American LaFrance, which specialized in the production of fire trucks and ambulances.
Over the next five years, the company made several other major investments: in 1997, an entire medium-duty truck division was bought from Ford and renamed to the Sterling brand; in 1998, bus manufacturer Thomas Built Buses was acquired, and in 2000, Western Star, a truck manufacturer. At present Freightliner is the largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in North America. The sales volume in 2000 was more than 151 000 vehicles. Do not forget to use Freightliner VIN decoder in order to avoid potential problems when buying a used car.
VIN Examples
2014 MERCEDES-BENZ TRACTOCAMION
2014 RENAULT KANGOO
2014 KEEWAY MATRIX 50
2014 MERCEDES-BENZ 311CDI
2014 PEUGEOT PART COMBIESP
2014 OPEL COMBO-C VAN
2014 SEAT IBIZA 1.4 - 3P
2014 A.U.S.A. D 150 RMA DUMPER
2014 PEUGEOT 405 EMBASSY DT
2014 CITROEN C 15 D
2014 RENAULT MEGANE
2014 JOHN DEERE 6920
2014 VOLVO XC70
2014 CITROEN ZX 1.9 D AVANTAGE
2014 HYUNDAI ATOS PRIME
2014 MERCEDES-BENZ E320CDI
2014 INDOX AUTOP 3 ALCCI
2014 OPEL KADETT 1.8I GSI
2014 AUDI AUDI A4 1.8 5V.
2014 CITROEN C4
2014 SEAT IBIZA 1 3
2014 SEAT TOLEDO 1.8 INY
2014 RENAULT MEGANE
2014 JEEP CHEROKEE
2014 RENAULT MEGANE 1.9 D
2014 FORD FOCUS
2014 RENAULT MEGANE