Quiz time

Truck Shop

Well-known member
What was the first year Freightliner produced a Conventional? After a few guesses I will post the answer with photos and info.

Truck Shop
 

Steve Frazier

Founder
Staff member
You got my curiosity up and I did some snooping on Wiki. I won't post my findings but Freightliners of that era certainly were handsome trucks in both forms, COE and conventional. I've been a huge fan of heavy trucks as long as I can remember and could identify any brand of truck on our trips to Grandma's on the newly built interstates. The Freightliner cabovers were one of my favorites, they had a majestic look to them. I'll comment more as this thread progresses.
 

Truck Shop

Well-known member
I already posted the answer on HEF but I will post it here too.

1974 is correct for the first year of regular production. But Freightliner built from 1960 through 1965 fifteen test models that were sold to the public. The one in the photos is
a 1960 and the second one built. Freightliner built 2 in 1960, 2 in 1961 and the rest from 62 to 65. This one was bought in Jan 61 and still has the original owner. He told me
that only one other is left and it is restored, he saw it at the Brooks Or. truck show some years back. The fiberglass hood and cab parts were made by a boat manufacture in
Portland. 250 Cummins with 4x4 trans, it originally came with top drop or worm drives. Those were changed in the late 60's. It came from the factory with the Mercury
sleeper. And it has a early exhaust brake. He showed me the insurance card to it. Serial # was five digit as is the ICC # Slightly ugly and very tired looking. Note the front
frame horn mounted steering box, unusual. Plus it has early center point steering.

Truck Shop

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Steve Frazier

Founder
Staff member
I came up with '74 as my answer too. Interesting story on the prototypes.

Those first regular production models were stout trucks, looks like it was the same cab as the cabover with a hood out front. I also read that Daimler/Benz bought the the company and I think that must be when the trucks became less rugged. The company I drove for rented a couple in the late 80s or early 90s over the holidays and they were junk in my opinion, very flimsy. In fact I remember one of the trucks, less than a year old, had one of the interior panels fall off while we had it. And RATTLE????? Learned real quick why they were called FreightShakers!!
 

Oxbow

Well-known member
Does anybody know the story behind why they went from White Freightliner to just Freightliner? I don't remember, but it must coincide with seeing White trucks as well. A corparate split I imagine.
 

Steve Frazier

Founder
Staff member
It actually went full circle. Freightliner started out as an independent brand but made an agreement with White Motors to use their dealer network to increase their market share. Then when White Motors began to have financial problems, Freightliner severed the relationship and became an independent brand again.
 

Truck Shop

Well-known member
I came up with '74 as my answer too. Interesting story on the prototypes.

Those first regular production models were stout trucks, looks like it was the same cab as the cabover with a hood out front. I also read that Daimler/Benz bought the the company and I think that must be when the trucks became less rugged. The company I drove for rented a couple in the late 80s or early 90s over the holidays and they were junk in my opinion, very flimsy. In fact I remember one of the trucks, less than a year old, had one of the interior panels fall off while we had it. And RATTLE????? Learned real quick why they were called FreightShakers!!
Freightliner built trucks to be light which gave into other areas such as strength. The problem with most of the COE's was the rivets above the grill would get loose and
the dog house would develop cracks. All we have are Freightliners where I work and most any thing Freightliner has built recently have real good cabs and are very quite.

Truck Shop
 

Truck Shop

Well-known member
Does anybody know the story behind why they went from White Freightliner to just Freightliner? I don't remember, but it must coincide with seeing White trucks as well. A corparate split I imagine.
White took over sales and service in 1951. And later on Freightliner went back on their own till Dameler got mixed up in it. That's why I find this truck so odd. At that time
White should have been included in the name plate or badge.

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rzucker

Well-known member
White took over sales and service in 1951. And later on Freightliner went back on their own till Dameler got mixed up in it. That's why I find this truck so odd. At that time
White should have been included in the name plate or badge.

Truck Shop
I'm kinda revisiting a few threads today, and I'm thinking White was left off the nameplate because White wasn't putting any money into Freightliner's R&D work.
 

Steve Frazier

Founder
Staff member
I have a question for you all, was Autocar ever affiliated with White Motors? The cabs and dash look identical in the trucks from the 70s, and the White Construcktor looked an awful lot like an Autocar.
 

Truck Shop

Well-known member
I have a question for you all, was Autocar ever affiliated with White Motors? The cabs and dash look identical in the trucks from the 70s, and the White Construcktor looked an awful lot like an Autocar.
White owned Autocar for several years, 60's thru the early 80's. Then Volvo got their mitt's on it because they bought White. You can still buy a new Autocar
so long as all you want to haul is garbage. Autocar is the oldest truck brand still being built. The cab was built in Kelowna, BC. and used buy Diamond T,
Western Star, White, Hayes and Autocar and a few others.

Truck Shop
 

rzucker

Well-known member
White owned Autocar for several years, 60's thru the early 80's. Then Volvo got their mitt's on it because they bought White. You can still buy a new Autocar
so long as all you want to haul is garbage. Autocar is the oldest truck brand still being built. The cab was built in Kelowna, BC. and used buy Diamond T,
Western Star, White, Hayes and Autocar and a few others.

Truck Shop
IIRC there was actually 2 versions of that cab White used in the 60's, a taller version for the west coast long haulers and a shorter, possibly slightly narrower version for the east coast. I may just be full of it though, But I think Frieghtliner did the same with their cabovers in the 60's and 70's.
 

Truck Shop

Well-known member
It's been said west coast truck drivers are taller than east coast drivers, but In all my years I have never seen a taller Kelowna made cab nor Freightliner. And checking
through many books there is also nothing said about it.;) I would like to see one.

Truck Shop
 

Truck Shop

Well-known member
I'm kinda revisiting a few threads today, and I'm thinking White was left off the nameplate because White wasn't putting any money into Freightliner's R&D work.
White was more of a partnership with Freightliner and had thrown in a pile of money to get Freightliner off the ground. White had the controlling interest until
Freightliner wanted to split the sheets. But your probably right about the R&D, that's how companies get into a pissing match.

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rzucker

Well-known member
It's been said west coast truck drivers are taller than east coast drivers, but In all my years I have never seen a taller Kelowna made cab nor Freightliner. And checking
through many books there is also nothing said about it.;) I would like to see one.

Truck Shop
The reason I mentioned the west/east coast differences was an article in the "Wheels of Time" ATHS magazine years back discussing the Edgecomb? steel company's stainless steel Autocars. IIRC it was mentioned there was a size difference in the cabs. And I have seen 2 1974 White Frieghtliners side by side that were obviously different sized cabs, one was a day cab with single headlights and the other was a sleeper cab with dual headlights, the day cab had a plain flat narrow grille and was a bit lower in height than the other. The east/west thing was the explanation I got from the owner of both trucks. I would love to get a chance to go back and actually measure them.
 

Truck Shop

Well-known member
RZ are you talking Conventional or COE. The odd bird for the COE was a Powerliner. If it was a Conventional, there were some built with a narrower hood and grill
early on, mainly for Consolidated and Lee & Estees had some I think. But I don't remember the cabs being different.

Truck Shop
 
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