Our reputation for designing, building and distributing heavy-duty trucks is well known around the world. And like any good reputation, it wasn't built overnight.
Western Star Trucks started in 1967. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, and manufactured in Canada, the company was founded on the belief that the driver is the most valuable asset in trucking. More than a mantra, this belief became the cornerstone on which Western Star's history of innovation and customization would be built.
It didn't take long for word to spread. In response to the growing demand for heavy-duty mining, logging and oil transportation trucks, the plant in Kelowna, BC, eventually grew to 250,000 square feet of manufacturing space, with an additional 50,000 feet of warehousing.
The 1980s saw Western Star continue to grow, thanks to its unrivalled commitment to innovation and quality. Major product developments like cabs with increased headroom and improved driver visibility helped set Western Star apart from the competition. Additionally, the development of a state-of-the-art, wrap-around dash caught the eyes of a new customer: highway tractor drivers.
At the conclusion of the 1990s, Western Star had established itself as a premier vocational and over-the-road heavy truck manufacturer, thanks in large part to revolutionary product innovations like the Star Light Sleeper with an ultra-lightweight polypropylene honeycomb core. By 2000, Western Star's forward-thinking, driver-centric approach paid off, when Daimler Trucks North America purchased the company and moved it to Portland, OR.
In 2011, Western Star brought toughness, durability and lighter weight components to short BBC applications, including snow plow and mixer, with the introduction of the 4700. In 2014, Western Star unleashed the 5700XE. Featuring a striking new aerodynamic design, the 5700XE gave over-the-road fleets and owner-operators a truck that delivered toughness and a traditional look Western Star customers demand, but built for the modern age.
Starting in 2020, Western Star redefend what a vocational workhorse could be in with the launch of the X-Series - lead by the 47X and 49X. Engineered from the ground up, the X‑Series set a new benchmark in safety, strength, technology and uptime. But more than that, these trucks changed the game out where it matters most: the jobsite Built to take on the toughest work without ever backing down, the 47X and 49X have quickly become the industry’s leading Class 8 vocational trucks and tractors for getting the job done—day after day, job after job.
Today, Western Star remains the premier producer of heavy‑duty trucks worldwide. And while technology and manufacturing have evolved, one thing hasn’t changed: our uncompromising commitment to building every truck with the attention to detail, durability and driver‑focused design that define Western Star. The result? The ultimate in comfort, power, reliability and purpose‑built performance.
