Sterling Trucks
Encyclopedia
Sterling Trucks, a manufacturer of heavy duty truck
s, was a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America, based in Portland, Oregon
, United States, a member of the Daimler AG Truck Group. It was originally the heavy truck division of Ford Motor Company
, but was purchased and rebranded in 1997. Headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, its conventional trucks were built in St. Thomas, Ontario
. Sterling-brand trucks were sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand.
On October 14, 2008, Daimler announced a plan to discontinue the Sterling product line in an effort to consolidate its North American truck manufacturing a operation under the Freightliner
and Western Star
brands. The company stopped taking orders for new trucks in January 2009, the St. Thomas manufacturing plant closed in March 2009, and the Portland, Oregon, plant was closed in June, 2010.
The Sterling name was originally used by an independent truck manufacturer, bought by the White Motor Co
. ca. 1953. It was retired two years later. Although technically the property of the White Motor Co., and conveyed to its successor, Volvo-White Motor Co., which evolved into Volvo Trucks
North America, the trademark had lain dormant so long that there were no grounds for objection when Daimler-Benz
subsidiary Freightliner—whose trucks were distributed by White from the 1950s through 1975—resurrected it to supplant the Ford blue oval on their HN80 ("AeroMax") family of trucks after the purchase.
Sterling built class 8 tractors, as well as a range of medium and heavy duty cab/chassis vehicles. With bodies added by third-party upfitters/body builders, these cab/chassis vehicles were used for freight distribution as well as heavy vocational uses, such as construction, snow plowing and refuse collection.
In the last few years of operation, the company also marketed light medium-duty cab/chassis vehicles manufactured by Mitsubishi Fuso (Sterling 360 models) and Dodge (Sterling Bullet models). These were typically outfitted with bodies suitable for use as lighter vocational trucks — those designed to perform jobs other than straight freight hauling — including fire trucks, garbage trucks, dump truck
s, concrete mixer
s, tanker trucks, school bus
es, and snowplow
s.
While production and sales of Sterling vehicles will wind down, support for parts and repair of vehicles will continue at authorized dealers and shops.
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
s, was a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America, based in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, United States, a member of the Daimler AG Truck Group. It was originally the heavy truck division of Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, but was purchased and rebranded in 1997. Headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, its conventional trucks were built in St. Thomas, Ontario
St. Thomas, Ontario
St. Thomas is a city in southern , Ontario, Canada. It is the seat for Elgin County and gained its city charter on March 4, 1881.-History:...
. Sterling-brand trucks were sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand.
On October 14, 2008, Daimler announced a plan to discontinue the Sterling product line in an effort to consolidate its North American truck manufacturing a operation under the Freightliner
Freightliner Trucks
Freightliner Trucks is an American manufacturer of heavy duty trucks, chassis and semi-trailer trucks in the United States. The company was founded as Freightliner Inc in 1942 and is now a division of Daimler Trucks North America, a subsidiary of the German Daimler AG...
and Western Star
Western Star Trucks
Western Star Trucks is a Fort Mill, South Carolina, United States based manufacturer of Class 8 commercial trucks and a subsidiary of the German Daimler AG.-History:...
brands. The company stopped taking orders for new trucks in January 2009, the St. Thomas manufacturing plant closed in March 2009, and the Portland, Oregon, plant was closed in June, 2010.
The Sterling name was originally used by an independent truck manufacturer, bought by the White Motor Co
White Motor Company
White Motor Company was an American automobile and truck manufacturer from 1900 until 1980. The company also produced bicycles, roller skates, automatic lathes, and sewing machines. Before World War II, the company was based in Cleveland, Ohio.-History:...
. ca. 1953. It was retired two years later. Although technically the property of the White Motor Co., and conveyed to its successor, Volvo-White Motor Co., which evolved into Volvo Trucks
Volvo Trucks
Volvo Trucks is a global truck manufacturer based in Sweden, owned by Volvo Group - AB Volvo it is the world's second largest heavy-duty truck brand....
North America, the trademark had lain dormant so long that there were no grounds for objection when Daimler-Benz
Daimler-Benz
Daimler-Benz AG was a German manufacturer of automobiles, motor vehicles, and internal combustion engines; founded in 1926. An Agreement of Mutual Interest - which was valid until year 2000 - was signed on 1 May 1924 between Karl Benz's Benz & Cie., and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, which had...
subsidiary Freightliner—whose trucks were distributed by White from the 1950s through 1975—resurrected it to supplant the Ford blue oval on their HN80 ("AeroMax") family of trucks after the purchase.
Sterling built class 8 tractors, as well as a range of medium and heavy duty cab/chassis vehicles. With bodies added by third-party upfitters/body builders, these cab/chassis vehicles were used for freight distribution as well as heavy vocational uses, such as construction, snow plowing and refuse collection.
In the last few years of operation, the company also marketed light medium-duty cab/chassis vehicles manufactured by Mitsubishi Fuso (Sterling 360 models) and Dodge (Sterling Bullet models). These were typically outfitted with bodies suitable for use as lighter vocational trucks — those designed to perform jobs other than straight freight hauling — including fire trucks, garbage trucks, dump truck
Dump truck
A dump truck is a truck used for transporting loose material for construction. A typical dump truck is equipped with a hydraulically operated open-box bed hinged at the rear, the front of which can be lifted up to allow the contents to be deposited on the ground behind the truck at the site of...
s, concrete mixer
Concrete mixer
A concrete mixer is a device that homogeneously combines cement, aggregate such as sand or gravel, and water to form concrete. A typical concrete mixer uses a revolving drum to mix the components...
s, tanker trucks, school bus
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
es, and snowplow
Snowplow
A snowplow is a device intended for mounting on a vehicle, used for removing snow and ice from outdoor surfaces, typically those serving transportation purposes...
s.
While production and sales of Sterling vehicles will wind down, support for parts and repair of vehicles will continue at authorized dealers and shops.
Models
- Sterling 360Mitsubishi Fuso CanterThe Mitsubishi Fuso Canter is a line of light-duty commercial vehicle by Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation. The range is currently marketed in Japan, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and a number of other Asian countries...
- a rebadged Mitsubishi FusoMitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, Inc.Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, Inc. , Logan Township, New Jersey, United States, imports and markets Class 3 through Class 5 diesel-powered, medium-duty cabover trucks through more than 200 dealer locations in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico...
medium duty cabover sold as the Fuso FE model in the U.S. and Canada and the Fuso Canter in Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand- A-Line - set back
- Acterra - used a Ford LNT 9000 body
- BulletSterling BulletThe Sterling Bullet was a light-duty vocational pickup-truck.Sterling, who worked with Dodge in development of the chassis cab model, decided to have their own version of the Dodge Ram called the Sterling Bullet with a unique grille. Sterling was a division of Freightliner LLC which, like Dodge,...
- a cab/chassis model based on the third generation Dodge RamDodge RamThe Dodge Ram is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by the Chrysler Group LLC. As of late 2010, it has been sold under the Ram Trucks brand. Previously, Ram was part of the Dodge lineup of light trucks...
4500/5500 platform - L-Line - set back, set forward