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 PEUGEOT 106 LONG BEACH
2014 MERCEDES-BENZ 250 D
2014 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 1.9 TDI GT
2014 PEUGEOT 406
2014 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT
2014 NISSAN N L-60.09 REFRIGERANTE
2014 HUMMER HUMMER H3
2014 FORD ESCORT/ORION 1.8TD
2014 CITROEN C5
2014 CITROEN C4 5P N2 12E STT SSP
2014 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 1.9
2014 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 1.9 TDI 5V
2014 FORD ESCORT/ORION 1.6
2014 BMW 318CI M
2014 CITROEN XSARA PICASSO 1.6
2014 RENAULT R. CLIO
2014 MERCEDES-BENZ ML270CDI
2014 RENAULT LAGUNA 1.8
2014 BMW 318 D
2014 PEUGEOT 4007 SPORTPK HDI
2014 SUZUKI UH125
2014 RENAULT R 19 1,4
2014 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 1.9 TDI 5V
2014 OPEL OMEGA
2014 RENAULT MEGANE SCENIC
2014 PEUGEOT 106 SPORT 1.4
2014 NISSAN ALMERA 4P 1.5