Re: Correct me, Howard

[Howard R Pletcher <n9ads@xxxxxxxx>]

Correct you---gladly!

Actually your info is pretty much correct.  Freightliner is controlled by
Daimler and Freightliner purchased the Ford HD truck line when Ford
decided to get out of the business.  Sterling was an old truck name that
disappeared into the White Motor Co. back in the 1950's.  Freightliner
could use the Ford name on the trucks for a limited time after the
purchase and they then purchased the Sterling name to apply to the Ford
lineup (Is anyone else reminded of a Superman uniform when seeing the big
"S" on the front of the trucks?)

Here is the list of brands that are controlled by Daimler/Freightliner at
this time, as best I can keep track of it:

Freightliner
Sprinter Vans
Sterling (Ford)
Western Star
Mercedes Benz
Detroit Diesel
American LaFrance
Thomas Bus
?% of Mitsubishi
10% of Hyundai

Howard

On Tue, 10 Jun 2003 22:31:43 -0700 John Hofstetter <hofs@domain.elided>
writes:
> On Tuesday, June 10, 2003, at 08:54  AM, mark stegmann wrote:
> 
> > Thomas,
> > A couple years back Ford sold their big truck line.
> > They are now called Sterling. I want to say Mercedes
> > owns it, but I might be wrong.
> 
> Sterling was in production before it acquired the Ford truck line.  
> But 
> Sterling was acquired by Daimler in order to help them control even 
> more of the truck market.  Daimler with its Freightliner domination 
> of 
> about 50% of the truck market in the US, not to mention its other 
> truck 
> offerings, was in a good position to make life difficult if not 
> impossible for International and Pacar.  I see a lot of fire trucks, 
> 
> small buses, and small school buses now with the Frieghtliner name 
> on 
> them.
> 
> I would guess that the California Department of Forestry is the 
> largest 
> purchaser of fire trucks in the US.  They, for many many years, only 
> 
> bought Internationals, partly because they were great trucks, but 
> also 
> that allowed them to consolidate their maintenance and repair of the 
> 
> fire trucks.
> 
> Unfortunately, in my opinion and in the opinion of the CDF guys that 
> I 
> know, the state bowed to pressure and now gets a variety of trucks, 
> including Freightliners.
> 
> California Highway Patrol used to use only Dodges, but now have all 
> kinds of makes of cars.  Totally irrelevant, Mark, but I felt like 
> saying it.
> 
> John