Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85445
DRIVE TEST The Western Star 4900EX boasts a customizable style and rugged dependability. A LEGACY LIVES ON A LEGACY LIVES ON The Western Star 4900EX embodies the style and toughness of its Canadian roots, enhanced by the engineering of a global truck maker. By Steve Sturgess 36 | Overdrive | September 2012 estern Star has been a constant since the brand was cre- ated in 1967 by the White Motor Corp. in Kelowna, B.C., for the western trucker. It's best known north of the border, but American drivers who bought the brand became loyal customers, appreciating the ruggedness of the com- pany's trucks. Following White's bankruptcy and the acquisition of Western Star by Daimler Trucks North America, the Western Star of today is founded on the chassis and powertrain resources of the world's biggest truck maker. It is an interesting combination that offers great potential to the truck customer looking for true flexibility in specification and customizability, but it brings with it the engineering of a great technology com- pany, too. I picked up a Western Star 4900EX from the L.A. Freightliner branch in Fontana, Calif., part of the Los Angeles- based Velocity Vehicle Group. From there, a quick scoot over to Utility to pick up a 53-foot reefer and then to Perris to load pallets full of cinderblock. Photos by Steve Sturgess