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STERLING TRUCKS
Sterling Trucks
Sterling Trucks, formally Sterling Trucks Corporation, is an American truck manufacturer with a varied history. While Sterling Trucks are no longer in production, a used Sterling semi truck is still a great option due to its solid construction. Handshake often has sterling trucks for sale, continuing the legacy of this truck manufacturer.
Sterling Semi Truck Models
The Sterling name was applied to Class 8 tractors, medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Many of these Sterling trucks served as a continuation of the Ford L-Series, and a rebadged version of the Ford Louisville/Aeromax product line.
Sterling 360
The Sterling 360 was a rebadged Mitsubishi Fuso Canter. The 360 Sterling truck was often outfitted to be a light duty vocation truck, serving as a fire truck, garbage truck, dump truck, concrete mixer, tanker truck, or snowplow.
Sterling Bullet
Manufactured between 2007 and 2009, the Sterling Bullet was a rebadged Dodge Ram. The Bullet is a medium- to heavy-duty class 4 or 5 truck and has a gross weight of 16,500 lb (7,500 kg) for the Class 4 model and 19,500 lb (8,800 kg) for the Class 5. The chassis for the Bullet was designed for use with a variety of truck configurations, including dump, contractor, towing, and box trucks. The Bullet is a rugged, reliable, and relatively fuel-efficient truck.
Sterling Acterra
The Sterling Acterra is a heavy-duty truck that used a Dodge chassis – either a Cummins 5.7 liter turbocharged diesel engine or a Hemi V8. The Acterra used a Ford LNT cab rather than a Dodge cab to better suit Sterling’s design aesthetics.
Ground Breaking Technology
The Sterling name may not have been around long enough into the 21st century to fully experience electric and hybrid trucks, and technology features including backup and side cameras, lane assist, fleet tracking and assistance, and electronic logging devices (ELDs), but the company did have some important innovations during its time. These innovations included a tilt-cab introduced during the initial run of Sterling trucks in the 1930s. Early Sterling Trucks had chassis that were bolted, not riveted like most other manufacturers. These early 1920s chassis also used timber inlays to reduce shock and frame distortion. Unfortunately, Sterling was never around long enough to make big impacts and advance in trucking technology of the 21st century.
Modern Sterling Truck History
The White Motor Company, which also sold Freightliner Trucks under a deal with Consolidated Freightways, discontinued production of Sterling trucks, and the name and trademark went unused for decades.
The latter half of the 20th century saw multiple mergers and acquisitions within the trucking industry. Volvo acquired most of the United States assets of the White Motor Company. Volvo and General Motors merged their heavy-duty truck divisions. Around the same time Consolidated Freightways sold its truck manufacturing business and the Freightliner brand to Daimler-Benz (now the Mercedes-Benz Group). Throughout all these mergers, consolidations, and acquisitions in the trucking industry, the Sterling name sat dormant, and no Sterling semi trucks were produced. Until 1997 when Freightliner acquired the truck-producing division of the Ford Motor Company. Freightliner, who had a partnership with White Motor Company (now owned by Volo) during the mid-twentieth century, aimed to rebrand the Ford heavy-duty trucks under the Sterling name, and Volvo did not object.
In 1997, after a 44-year hiatus, Sterling Trucks were back and Sterling trucks were for sale again. However, a decade later, the Sterling name was retired once again. In 2008, amid a global economic crisis, and a struggle to meet sales goals, parent company Daimler Trucks North America discontinued Sterling truck models. Daimler aimed to consolidate trucking operations under Freightliner and Western Star. The last Sterling Truck rolled off the production line in 2009. While the newest Sterling semi truck is nearly fifteen years old, Sterling trucks for sale are still reliable, durable, and up for the job.
Sterling Trucks can trace its roots to 1906 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The original Sternberg Morto Truck Company of Milwaukee was founded by William Sternberg. Early Sternberg models included cab-over designs offered in 1-, 1.5-, 3.5- and 5-ton capacities. The name was changed to Sterling Trucks around the start of World War I. Like many other truck manufacturers, Sterling manufactured a variety of heavy-duty and Sterling semi trucks for the war efforts during both world wars.
The original Sterling Truck Company was bought out by White Motor Company in 1951, and the nameplate was retired just two years later. But Sterling’s history doesn’t end there.
For Sale Through Handshake Fleet
Handshake fleet is proud to have Sterling trucks for sale. Sterling semi trucks, and vocational Sterling truck models are not only reliable, durable, and sturdy, they’re a piece of trucking history. Handshake Fleet is ready with the best trucks for your jobs. Our leadership team has a combined 30+ years of experience in the trucking industry, and we are committed to the best service for our buyers and sellers. Looking for a Sterling truck? Look no further. Have a Sterling truck to sell? Create a free account and create a listing.