CarBrandLogos archive · Freightliner · 2007

FreightlinerCascadia

The most common truck in an American mirror, and the aerodynamics show why.

Photo: Pierre André Leclercq · CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

A defining chapter in Freightliner history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Freightliner Cascadia, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

Freightliner's replacement for the Century and Columbia arrived in 2007 with fuel economy as its organising principle. Its shape came out of wind tunnel work, with a raked hood, close-fitting chassis fairings, aerodynamic mirrors and sealed panel gaps, and the case made to fleets was straightforward: a percentage point of fuel saved across a thousand trucks pays for a lot of trucks.

14th St 8th Av td 23 · Tdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Design and engineering

The powertrain became steadily more in-house as Daimler consolidated. Detroit DD13, DD15 and DD16 engines pair with the Detroit DT12 automated manual gearbox, though Cummins power and Eaton manual, AutoShift and UltraShift boxes remained available. Later versions added predictive cruise control that reads terrain from map data and a substantial suite of driver assistance systems.

Freightliner e Cascadia 4x2 · Bill Beers · CC0

In production

It has been the best-selling Class 8 truck in North America for years and has become Daimler's platform for whatever comes next: the battery-electric eCascadia, and an autonomous development version used in public-road testing. Built at Cleveland, North Carolina, and in Mexico, it remains in production.

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

2007–present

Engine

Detroit DD13/15/16, Cummins ISX15 EPA

Body

Conventional

Technical specification

The Cascadia, in detail.

Production: 2007–present
Class: Tractor unit
Body style: Conventional
Engine: Detroit DD13/15/16, Cummins ISX15 EPA
Transmission: Detroit DT12 (automated manual) ; Eaton Corporation; Eaton Fuller 8, 9, 10, 13, 15 and 18 speed (manual) ; Eaton AutoShift 10, 13 or 18 speed (automated manual) ; Eaton UltraShift Plus 10, 13, 18 speed (automated manual)
Assembly: United States: Cleveland, North Carolina ; Mexico: Santiago Tianguistenco
Manufacturer: Daimler Trucks North America