Western Star Trucks – Wikipedia

American truck manufacturer

Western Star Trucks Sales, Inc. is an American truck manufacturer headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and a subsidiary of Daimler Truck North America, which is in turn a wholly owned subsidiary of the Germany-based Daimler Truck.

History[edit]

A 1997 “heritage”-style Western Star 4900

In 1967 White Motor Company started the Western Star division as White Western Star with a new plant at Kelowna, British Columbia, sharing headquarters with White in Cleveland, Ohio. White Western Star trucks in that era typically used cabs from its sister company, Autocar. Western Star production was moved to Ogden, Utah, but the brand was not included in the 1981 sale of White’s truck business to Volvo, instead being sold to Bow Valley Resources and Nova Corporation, each owning 50%.^[1][2][3]

In 1991, Western Star Trucks was purchased by the owners of the Western Star Australian subsidiary, Terry Peabody and Bob Shand.^[1] Western Star Trucks acquired the bus manufacturer Ontario Bus Industries (renamed Orion Bus Industries) in 1995. ERF trucks was purchased by Western Star in 1996.^[4][5] It was sold in 2000 to MAN.^[6]

In 2000, Western Star was purchased by DaimlerChrysler, becoming part of the Freightliner Trucks division.^[2][7][8]

In 2002, Western Star production was moved to a plant in Portland, Oregon.^[9] 4700, 4800, 4900 and 6900 model trucks are still manufactured in the Portland Truck Plant. In May 2015, the Daimler Trucks North America plant in Cleveland, North Carolina, began to build 4700 and 4900 models, as well as assemble all new semi tractor 5700XE models.^[10]

More recently, Western Star MBT 40 trucks operated for bauxite mining in Guinea.^{[citation needed]}

Current Models[edit]

In 2022 Western Star announced and released the X Series of trucks to market, replacing the then current “Constellation” Series which had been in production since 1998/99. The new X series of Western Star trucks includes; 47X, 48X (Australia only), 49X and 57X.

47X[edit]

The Western Star 47X is the entry level truck offered by Western Star its primary purpose is for vocational work loads such as Dump Truck or Cement Mixer and is offered with either a Cummins L9 or Detroit Diesel DD13 engine.^[11]

48X[edit]

The Western Star 48X is an Australian exclusive model that is mainly used for line-haul with b double trailers. The 48X also has an option to be configured as a dump truck. Detroit Diesel’s DD13 and DD16 engines are offered for this model.^[12]

49X[edit]

The Western Star 49X is the “TOUGHEST OF THE TOUGH” model currently on offer by Western Star. The primary use for the 49X are road trains and heavy loads and is offered with a DD16 engine at 500 or 600 HP.^[13]

57X[edit]

The Western Star 57X is a on highway truck, while similar in design to the 5700XE and Freightliner Cascadia it has had numerous upgrades. It is offered with Detroit Diesel’s DD13, DD15 and DD16 engines in capacities up to 600 HP ^[14]

Previous Models[edit]

Western Star previously offered the following models:

• The 4700 Series is Western Star’s entry-level model and is available in truck and tractor applications, both with a 110-inch (2,790 mm) BBC. In vocational applications, its engineering helps reduce upfitting time and costs for body builders, and can be outfitted for virtually any vocational application. For on-highway use, the 4700 is available in a daycab and with 40″ sleeper configuration and is primarily used in short haul applications.
• The 4800 Series offers more powerful engine options than the 4700 and features a 109-inch (2,770 mm) BBC. Western Star provides the truck as a bare chassis and cab, which can be fitted with a dump body, mixer, tank, crane, or other structure by a bodybuilding company as desired by the customer. The factory-installed twin steer option is also popular on this model for dump and mixer applications. Tractor versions are also available.
  
• The 4900 Series features a 123-inch (3,120 mm) BBC. This is a multi-use truck/tractor which is targeted at a variety of industries. The truck can be built as a tractor with fifth wheel, bare chassis for a bodybuilder to outfit, or a lowered-cab model (Low Max) for auto hauling. The 4900 is available in five configurations including Extreme Duty and Twin Steer.
• The 5700XE launched in 2015 and is currently designed only for on-highway applications. The truck features a 126-inch (3,200 mm) BBC, and a set back front axle position. It can be specified as a daycab or as a sleeper. Optimus Prime transforms into this vehicle in the Transformers films Age of Extinction and The Last Knight.
• The 6900 Series is the highest capacity model built by Western Star and is designed for off-highway vocations including logging, mining, and other similar applications. Available in Extreme Duty and Twin Steer configurations (XD and TS), each features a 141-inch (3,580 mm) BBC and can be recognized both by its size as well as by its flat, squared front fenders.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]