After Daimler Trucks North America shuttered its Sterling brand, much speculation followed regarding the fate of the company’s Western Star brand. If the linehaul and distribution applications served by the Sterling brand could be more effectively addressed from within the company’s flagship Freightliner brand, than why not do the same with the vocational applications served by the Western Star brand?

The short answer is that Western Star’s reputation in hard-working vocational applications such as logging, oilfield service and construction was just too strong to walk away from. Conversely, while Freightliner has built a strong image in on-highway applications, it never achieved much traction in the vocational side of the business.

Reputations aside, there also was a fairly clear delineation between the product lines of the two divisions. Apart from one limited-volume model, virtually all Freightliner models are designed with slick, aerodynamic cabs and hoods to help squeeze out every last fraction of a mile per gallon at highway speeds. Most Western Star models, on the other hand, were designed with “traditional” form factor (narrower cabs, flat two-piece windshields, large squared-off hoods) to efficiently survive in the more physically demanding vocational applications.

Still though, the cyclicality of the vocational market caused some concern about the life expectancy of Western Star as a separate brand in the Daimler Trucks stable.

During a recent industry meeting, executives from Daimler Trucks North America committed to continue supporting the Western Star brand, and plan to optimize its offerings to attract a larger share of the traditional-cab truck market.

Of particular interest to beverage is the company’s plan to expand its presence in the distribution market.

Coincidently, the company’s expansion into this segment is well-timed, as more and more distribution fleets are shifting to tractor-trailer configurations because of the ongoing SKU explosion.

While there are many fine examples of aerodynamic trucks, and a good selection of traditional-cab trucks available, Western Star engineers feel an aerodynamic traditional truck has yet to be done correctly, so a key goal is to bring the best of both worlds, aero-slick and work-tough, to distribution fleet operators.

From Beverage World February 15, 2010