Freightliner VIN Decoder & VIN Check — Models, Recalls, Specs, MPG & Safety
“Run Smart”
Freightliner Trucks is an American truck manufacturer headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler Truck (formerly Daimler-Benz's commercial-vehicle division, spun off as Daimler Truck Holding AG in 2021). Founded in 1942 by Leland James as the Consolidated Freightways manufacturing arm, Freightliner became the largest heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America by 1978 and has held that position since.
Freightliner produces Class 5-8 commercial trucks including the Cascadia long-haul tractor, the M2 medium-duty straight truck, the eCascadia battery-electric Class 8 tractor (production launched 2022) and the eM2 electric medium-duty truck. The Cascadia, in production since 2007, has approximately 30-35% market share of new Class 8 truck sales in the United States. Freightliner's Mount Holly, North Carolina and Cleveland, North Carolina plants produce most US-market trucks.
Freightliner's parent Daimler Truck trades on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as DTG. Recall data for every Freightliner VIN sold in the US is reported to NHTSA. ForCar.org decodes any Freightliner VIN to surface trim, factory options, open recalls and original delivery price.
Freightliner at a glance
- Founded
- 1942
- Founder
- Leland James (Consolidated Freightways)
- Headquarters
- Portland, Oregon, USA
- Parent
- Daimler Truck (since 1981)
- US Class 8 share
- ~30-35% (largest)
- Iconic model
- Cascadia (since 2007)
- First electric Class 8
- eCascadia (2022)
- Sister brand
- Western Star (also Daimler Truck)
- Basic warranty
- 2 years / 250,000 miles
- Engine warranty
- 5 years / 500,000-750,000 miles
Decode any Freightliner VIN
Enter a 17-character VIN below to retrieve the trim, factory options, original window-sticker MSRP and any open NHTSA recall affecting that specific vehicle. ForCar.org pulls the same dataset that Freightliner dealers use to notify owners of safety recalls.
VIN Decoder
Signature Freightliner technology
Freightliner heritage
Leland James founded Freightways Inc. (later Consolidated Freightways) in 1929 as a trucking company. James launched Freightways Manufacturing Co. in 1942 to build trucks for his own fleet, addressing wartime steel shortages and weight restrictions on West Coast roads. The aluminum-cab COE (cab-over-engine) trucks Freightliner built in the 1940s established the brand as a lightweight specialist. Daimler-Benz acquired Freightliner from Consolidated Freightways in 1981.
Market position
Freightliner dominates the North American Class 8 long-haul tractor segment with approximately 30-35% market share, competing primarily against Volvo Trucks, Kenworth, Peterbilt, Mack, International (Navistar) and Western Star (a Daimler sister brand). The Cascadia is the most-deployed Class 8 truck in modern US fleet operations. Freightliner's eCascadia battery-electric Class 8 launched in 2022 and competes with Volvo VNR Electric, Tesla Semi and Kenworth T680E in the early electric long-haul segment.
New-vehicle warranty
FREIGHTLINER VIN Decoder — Free VIN Check Video Guide
Watch our quick FREIGHTLINER VIN decoder walkthrough. Learn how to decode any FREIGHTLINER VIN number to get full vehicle history, recall alerts, specifications, fuel economy (MPG), safety ratings, and known problems — completely free on ForCar.org.
All Freightliner models (124)
Frequently asked questions
When was Freightliner founded and by whom?
Freightliner was founded in 1942 by Leland James and is headquartered in Portland, USA.
Where is the VIN on a Freightliner vehicle?
The 17-character VIN appears in four standard locations: dashboard at the windshield base (driver side), driver-side door jamb sticker, the engine bay (firewall or engine block stamping), and the vehicle's title, registration and insurance documents.
How many Freightliner models can ForCar.org decode?
ForCar.org indexes 124 Freightliner nameplates. Any 17-character Freightliner VIN is decoded against the NHTSA dataset to return trim, factory options, open recalls and original window-sticker MSRP.
What is the Freightliner warranty?
Basic: 2 years / 250,000 miles (varies by configuration). Powertrain: 5 years / 500,000-750,000 miles (engine warranty).
How to check Freightliner recalls by VIN?
Enter your VIN in the decoder above. ForCar.org queries NHTSA's open-recall dataset for that specific VIN and returns any safety recalls or Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) that affect your vehicle.
Disambiguation: This page covers Freightliner Trucks (Daimler Truck subsidiary) — not Freight Liner intermodal services or Consolidated Freightways (the now-defunct trucking company that originally owned Freightliner).
← All brands