For 15 years, Freightliner has been delivering trucks to Schneider National. On Oct. 15, the newest tractor in the Schneider fleet was delivered personally by Freightliner representatives.
The occasion was delivery of the 25,000th Freightliner truck to Schneider. Schneider took possession of the truck during a ceremony in Green Bay, WI.
“Today we are pleased to congratulate Schneider for their achievement welcoming their 25,000th truck,” said Mark Lampert, senior vice president, Daimler Trucks North America, parent company to Freightliner. “Freightliner and Schneider have a long history of collaboration based on a commitment to delivering innovations that are built to last.”
The relationship between Schneider and Freightliner began when the carrier sought to convert its fleet from cabover models to more aerodynamic offerings.
“Freightliner continues to be our provider of choice because of their consistent performance,” said Rob Reich, vice president of maintenance and driver recruitment for Schneider. “Our decision to buy from Freightliner 15 years ago was driven by the need to work with a manufacturer that was as committed to innovation, driver comfort, safety and fuel economy as we are.”
The 25,000th truck is a one-of-a-kind Cascadia painted in the company’s trademark orange color with special decals celebrating the milestone.
“When the order for the 25,000th truck came in, we knew it was important to come to Green Bay and say thank you, in person, to everyone in the organization,” said Len Copeland, national account executive, Freightliner Trucks. “This Freightliner was built with pride especially for Schneider, and I can tell you it’s had the orange glove treatment all the way down the assembly line.”
Daimler Trucks North America’s Steve Mignardi, director of national accounts, as well as Schneider’s president and CEO Chris Lofgren and hundreds of Schneider associates attended the event.
“Thank you for this new addition to our fleet, for the 24,999 previous trucks that have rolled off your production lines and for a tremendous track record of collaboration,” Lofgren said during the ceremony. “Your carefully crafted tractors have literally powered our company for the last 15 years, enabling us to exceed both driver and customer expectations.
Michael Darras, a 23-year Schneider veteran with 3.3 million safe miles and more than 20 consecutive years without a preventable accident, will drive the new truck.
“The first thing I thought when I saw the truck was, ‘wow,’” said Darras.“You can tell it got extra special treatment in production! It has so much more chrome than the other trucks I’ve had. I can already tell that it drives great and is very quiet.”
The truck is a fully equipped Cascadia Evolution with Detroit DD15 engine and the just-released Detroit DT-12 automated transmission. It is also equipped with the OnGuard collision mitigation system, roll-stability control, full six-sensor (all wheel end) anti-lock braking system, predictive cruise control, a standard horn pad control system to keep the drivers’ hands on the steering wheel and an Espar non-idling in-cab heater.
