Who Owns Freightliner Trucks And Where Are They Made?

If there's one semi-truck brand you'll likely see on the road, it's Freightliner. According to Statista, it's the most common Class 8 truck in the United States in 2024, with roughly 36% of the total market share. This extensive presence no longer comes as a surprise considering that Freightliner trucks are fuel efficient, cheap to maintain, and hold up pretty well even after racking up thousands of miles.

But even if you don't notice how common Freightliners are on the road, chances are you're still familiar with the brand. It is, after all, widely associated with the popular Transformers franchise. The semi-truck that inspired the original Optimus Prime is possibly a Freightliner, particularly the 1980 FL86 model. While this isn't a confirmed fact, it's generally accepted among fans.

With such popularity and cultural footprint, it's only natural to wonder about the company behind it. Who owns Freightliner, and where are the trucks manufactured?

Freightliner Trucks is owned by the Germany-based Daimler Truck Holding AG, specifically under its Daimler Truck North America (DNTA) division. But long before Daimler took over, the firm was actually part of Consolidated Freightways Trucking Company in the United States. In fact, Freightliner was established in the 1940s specifically to solve the operational needs of Consolidated Freightways (CF). 

Back then, most commercial trucks were made of heavy steel, but CF's founder and then president, Leland James, wanted a lighter alternative for the CF fleet. He believed aluminum would be a better material for the chassis. Unfortunately, existing truck manufacturers weren't too keen on this idea. So when nobody agreed on building his aluminum trucks, James founded his own manufacturing business instead. This became Freightliner. 

The business was initially named Freightways Manufacturing Company but was renamed Freightliner Corporation in 1942. During World War II, it expanded its operations to aircraft components and ships and then returned to truck manufacturing postwar. From here on out, the business boomed, becoming one of the most popular semi-truck brands in America. Soon enough, it attracted the attention of Daimler-Benz AG, also a heavy-duty commercial vehicle manufacturer. Daimler-Benz acquired Freightliner in 1981. 

After a divestiture in 2007, the parent company was changed to Daimler AG. Daimler Truck Holding AG, Freightliner's current owner, was originally part of this bigger Daimler Group until it became an independent publicly traded firm in December 2021. As of December 2024, Daimler Truck is largely owned by various institutional investors at 44.81%, followed by Mercedes-Benz Group AG with a 30.01% stake.

Freightliner Trucks are made in several factories in the United States and Mexico. Leading this pack is the production plant located in Freightliner's city of origin, Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1969 on Swan Island, the site is where the brand's electric models eCascadia and eM2 are manufactured.

Another US facility is in Mount Holly, North Carolina. It started operating in 1979 and is now responsible for the production of the medium-duty Business Class M2/SD lineup. Additionally, the site pushes out e-coated cabs for Western Star trucks, another truck brand under the Daimler group. As of April 2025, 800,000 trucks have already been made at this Mount Holly factory.

Also in North Carolina, some 50 miles away from Mount Holly, is the Cleveland facility. It's considered the biggest of Freightliner's factories in the United States. When the company bought it out in 1989, it was first a manufacturing hub for the Medium Conventional models. It now makes the popular Class 8 Cascadia (one of the semi trucks running a Cummins engine), along with Freightliner's other Class 8 trucks. In the last quarter of 2022, the facility handed over its 800,000th unit to its long-time customer, Old Dominion Freight Line.

Then, there's the plant in Redford Township, Michigan, which has been producing the transmissions, heavy-duty engines, and axles for Freightliner and Daimler's other nameplates since 1938.

Meanwhile, in Mexico, Freightliner only has two manufacturing sites for Freightliner Trucks. The Santiago Tianguistenco plant, established in 1969, makes models like the Freightliner Plus series. The Saltillo location, which has been operating since 2009, is dedicated to variants like the Cascadia.