a vehicle manufacturing company . for other uses see western star . western star trucks sales inc. type subsidiary industry automotive founded cleveland ohio united states 1967 headquarters portland oregon united states key people martin daum president ceo j rgen kritschgau cfo finance and control roger m. nielsen coo kelley platt general manager president products trucks owner daimler trucks north america website westernstarstrucks.com western star trucks sales inc. commonly designated western star is an american truck manufacturer headquartered in portland oregon united states and a subsidiary of daimler trucks north america in turn a wholly owned subsidiary of the german daimler ag . contents 1 history 2 models 2.1 model information 3 in popular media 4 see also 5 references 6 external links history edit 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 . by 1980 white was insolvent despite importing semon e. bunkie knudsen son of general motors legend semon knudsen and president of ford motor company in 1969 70 . volvo ab acquired the u.s. assets of the company while two energy related companies based in calgary alberta bow valley resource services and nova an alberta corp. purchased the canadian assets including the kelowna british columbia plant and the westernstar nameplate and product range . a 1997 heritage style western star in 1990 western star trucks was purchased by australian businessman terrence terry peabody who turned around the company s fortunes over the next 10 years and in 2000 sold it to daimlerchrysler where it became part of the freightliner trucks division . in 2002 western star production was moved to a plant in portland oregon . 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 . 1 models edit western star produces a range of class 8 commercial vehicles for both highway and off road use . western star specializes in trucks tailored to customer specifications . every western star is built with the same heavy duty all steel cab and offers several sleeper box sizes with chassis lengths of up to 486 inches depending on model . five interior packages are available and sleepers can be trimmed to specifications . engines transmissions axles suspensions and brakes are available in a number of configurations . engines used include caterpillar cummins and detroit diesel . western star also produces right hand drive trucks for the australian new zealand and south african markets . western star 4700sb set back axle though styled in a conventional fashion and often used in off road applications western star trucks are also available with anti lock brakes traction and stability control and other modern safety features in order to remain competitive and meet dot regulations . model information edit 2012 western star 6900 xd western star currently has five model families 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 . its internal code name was zodiac . 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 only in a daycab 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 is the most common western star model and 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 is western star s newest model and first truly aerodynamic truck . the xe stands for extreme efficiency . launched in 2015 it is currently designed only for on highway applications . the truck features a 126 inch 3 200 mm bbc a set back front axle position and is the first western star to ride on a daimler trucks north america corporate chassis . it can be specified as a daycab or as a sleeper . 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 . canadian forces lsvw light truck western star sold a lightly altered version of the white high cabover as the western star cabover in the 1980s and early 1990s . they also produced a licensed version of the iveco vm 90 for the canadian forces during the 1990s called the lsvw . western star produces trucks for the united states military although they are rebadged as freightliners . in popular media edit western star 5700 phantom custom as optimus prime a western star 5700 phantom custom is used as the new disguise for optimus prime in age of extinction a western star 4800 is used as the green goblin truck in maximum overdrive a western star 4900sf tow truck is used as the decepticon onslaught in the last knight see also edit united states portal trucks portal companies portal freightliner trucks references edit http ar2015.daimler.com divisions daimler trucks external links edit wikimedia commons has media related to western star vehicles . western star official website australian western star trucks star nation official western star trucks fan site v t e daimler ag divisions and subsidiaries cars current mercedes benz mercedes amg mercedes maybach smart trucks and vans current bharatbenz freightliner manufacturing commercial vehicles master motors 80 % mercedes benz mitsubishi fuso truck and bus 85 % western star defunct american lafrance sterling trucks buses current bharatbenz freightliner manufacturing commercial vehicles master motors mercedes benz mitsubishi fuso truck and bus setra evobus thomas defunct orion motorsport mercedes amg petronas f1 team mercedes amg high performance powertrains other alliance truck parts car2go daimler financial services mercedes benz bank detroit diesel mercedes benz india mercedes benz mexico shareholdings and joint ventures automotive fuel cell cooperation 50.1 % beijing benz 50 % denza 50 % tognum ag 50 % fujian benz 50 % here 33 % eads 22.41 % kamaz 10 % mv agusta 25 % tesla motors 10 % tata motors 7 % aston martin 5 % predecessors benz & company 1883 1926 daimler motoren gesellschaft ag 1890 1926 daimler benz ag 1926 98 daimlerchrysler ag 1998 2007 technologies active cylinder control bluetec people wolfgang bernhard karlfried nordmann andreas renschler hans scherenberg j rgen e. schrempp karl wilfert joachim zahn dieter zetsche other daimlerchrysler mitsubishi alliance beiben truck category commons links to related articles v t e trucking industry in the united states regulated by the federal motor carrier safety administration economy of the united states regulations commercial driver s license hours of service federal bridge gross weight formula electronic on board recorder motor carrier safety rating motor carrier act of 1980 international registration plan national network manufacturers truck manufacturers am general american lafrance autocar bering bremach brockway chevrolet ccc caterpillar cnh industrial diamond reo dina f650 pickups freightliner ford gmc hayes hino isuzu marmon herrington mercedes benz international kenworth mack mitsubishi fuso nissan oshkosh peterbilt ram trucks sterling smith spartan tiger truck toyota ud trucks via volvo ward lafrance western star white engine manufacturers caterpillar cummins detroit diesel mack maxxforce mercedes benz paccar volvo trailer manufacturers fontaine fruehauf trailer corporation hyundai translead lufkin trailers utility trailer manufacturing company vanguard wabash national wilson motor carriers truckload carriers celadon con way truckload covenant england crst ffe transportation j. b. hunt knight landstar system pam transport patriot transportation prime roehl transport schneider swift usa truck werner less than truckload ltl abf con way freight estes express lines fedex freight new england motor freight old dominion freight line pitt ohio express r l carriers saia southeastern ups freight yrcw third party logistics providers access america transport c. h. robinson worldwide casestack freightquote ryder total quality logistics xpo logistics national parcel carriers dhl express fedex ups united states postal service regional parcel carriers lasership ontrac moving companies allied atlas bekins gentle giant moving company global interstate mayflower national north american pods shleppers moving & storage strong college students two men and a truck united wheaton truck stops bowlin travel centers dixie travel plaza iowa 80 love s pilot flying j road ranger roady s t a & petro town pump people reginald denny jimmy hoffa fred smith john b. hunt kelly reno iyman faris larry walters keith jesperson organizations international brotherhood of teamsters owner operator independent drivers association dial a truck american trucking associations national private truck council fj management smartway transport partnership american moving & storage association glossary glossary of the american trucking industry popular culture film black dog breakdown convoy duel f.i.s.t. the gang s all here joy ride maximum overdrive over the top smokey and the bandit series they drive by night white line fever trucker television b. j. and the bear ice road truckers movin on trick my truck american loggers american trucker music convoy papa loved mama six days on the road teddy bear phantom 309 giddyup go the white knight east bound and down roll on eighteen wheeler drivin my life away eighteen wheels and a dozen roses girl on the billboard a tombstone every mile roll on big mama sweet home alabama radio road dog trucking dave nemo red eye bill mack dale sommers other the rolling memorial citizens band radio note defunct companies are shown in italics v t e automotive industry in the united states automotive industry economy of the united states transportation in the united states american vehicle manufacturers list agco challenger tractor massey ferguson allied specialty vehicles champion bus collins eldorado national e one fleetwood goshen coach holiday rambler laymor wheeled coach am general american expedition vehicles american growler amp electric vehicles anteros coachworks arcimoto armour group inc. atk motorcycles aurica motors autocar blue bird boulder electric vehicle brammo brunton stalker caterpillar fca us chrysler dodge jeep ram cnh industrial case ce case ih commuter cars cushman cycle scoot delorean chenowth racing products eagle bus environmental performance vehicles equus elio motors faraday future ford lincoln svt general dynamics land systems general motors buick cadillac chevrolet gmc gillig glaval bus greentech harley davidson hdt global hennessey hme john deere karma automotive legacy local motors lockheed martin lingenfelter lenco industries mack trucks millennium luxury coaches morgan olson mosler automotive motoczysz motor coach industries myers motors navistar international ic bus international nissan commercial vehicles north american bus industries oka oshkosh pierce paccar kenworth peterbilt panoz phoenix motorcars polaris industries global electric motorcars indian victory saleen shelby american ssc north america starcraft bus superformance tesla motors textron marine & land systems trans tech transtar racing ultimaster via motors visionary vehicles wheego electric cars zap zimmer motorcars foreign vehicle manufacturers with us operations ab volvo usa bmw us manufacturing company byd auto america changan usa daimler north america daimler trucks north america