David Kolman 5 14 Color 59281bd9d2eec

Kolman’s Komments: 50 Years of Legendary Awesomeness

June 12, 2017
A milestone for Western Star Trucks.

This year is the 50th anniversary of Western Star Trucks. The company touts its vehicles as “Serious Trucks for Serious Truckers.”

Company officials are commemorating the milestone with a “50 Years of Legendary Awesomeness” celebration – events that celebrate the past and what made Western Star what it is today, and look ahead to the company’s future

As part of this, Western Star recently held a 2017 Product Showcase in Phoenix, AZ. Select members of the truck trade press – including yours truly – were invited to visit with top Western Star executives and learn about new products and developments. You can read about these at: VehicleServicePros.com/20859904.

Positioned as a premium brand within the Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) family, Western Star manufactures premium Class 8 commercial vehicles built to spec for highway, vocational and off-road use.

DTNA produces and markets Class 5 through 8 vehicles. IT is a Daimler company, the world's leading commercial vehicle manufacturer.

Truckin’

We select members of the truck trade press had an opportunity to drive vocational Western Stars on a dirt course, and for those that have a valid CDL, like yours truly, we got to go trucking out on the highway.

Vocational trucks included a 4900 XD OFFROAD dump truck, 4700SF mixer, 4700SB water truck and 4900 XD OFFROAD hi-reach truck. On-highway tractors with fully loaded trailers were a 5700 XE sleeper and a 4900SF day cab with an 18-speed transmission. (When’s the last time you had an opportunity to do that much “gear jamming?” Great fun.)

In case you’re wondering, I put each and every one of those trucks to the test. All sweet and powerful rides.

The Future

Looking ahead at the next 50 years, Kelley Platt, Western Star’s president and chief diversity officer, says going forward the emphasis is on “quality improvements, greater engineering responsiveness, the right new products and evolving the dealer network, so it becomes even more customer focused and committed.”

Western Star vocational trucks are engineered and built to last, she explains, because vocational bodies are considerably more expensive than the cab and chassis, and these trucks users want to be able to use their bodies for a long time – frequently 10 years or more. “Our reliability makes it a good value proposition for the customer,” says Platt.

Rest assured, Western Star will continue to evolve, adds Peter Arrigoni, the company’s vice president of sales. That means “spending a lot of time in the field and gaining knowledge that can be used to grow market share with new products and services.”

The Past

Western Star’s history dates back to 1967 when it began building heavy duty logging and oilfield trucks in Canada. It was headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.

Since then, the company has built on that heritage, combining it with DTNA’s expertise in technology and innovation to create “some of the industry’s most durable and dependable Class 8 trucks,” notes Platt.

All Western Stars are built in the U.S. in Portland, OR, and Cleveland, NC.

At the conclusion of the 1990s, Western Star had established itself as a premier vocational and over-the-road heavy truck manufacturer. In 2000, the company was purchased by Daimler Trucks North America.

Two years later, Western Star production was moved to a new, state-of-the-art plant in Portland, OR.

About the Author

David A. Kolman | Contributor - Fleet Maintenance

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