Freightliner Cascadia takes its place at Brisbane Truck Show

There will be plenty of activity at the Freightliner stand at the looming Brisbane Truck Show, where several new Freightliner Cascadia models will be taking centre stage.

Freightliner will show a number of the trucks it is currently trialing in Australia ahead of the local launch of the all-new Cascadia next year.

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Daimler Truck & Bus Australia says the Australian Freightliner Cascadia is part of a $100 million investment that has enabled the best-selling truck in the North American market to be developed for right-hand drive for the first time.

According to Freightliner, its engineers in Portland, Oregon, and here in Australia have been working on the largest-ever test and development program for a right-hand drive Freightliner.

This is in addition to the North American Cascadia being subjected to more than one million hours of research and development and driven more than five million on-road kilometres. As part of that program, a fleet of more than 50 prototypes continue to notch up miles.

The local test regime not only includes Australian-specification trucks running on US roads and around Freightliner's Madras proving ground, but also a test program on the road in Australia with trucks beaming data back to the US in real time.

Two of the trucks from the Australian test program will be on display in Brisbane, including the left-hand drive 13-litre 116 and 16-litre 126 models that have been in operation here since the middle of last year.

These are not show trucks painted and polished to gleam under the lights, but actual test trucks that have ditched their trailers and rolled out on to the stand. As such, they will be presented complete with 'Winter Soldier' camouflage.

"We are extremely excited to share our Freightliner Cascadia testing program with the Australian public in Brisbane," says Freightliner Australia Director, Stephen Downes.

"This test program is critical to the Australian introduction of this ground-breaking model, so it is important that we showcase the lengths that Freightliner is going to on both sides of the Pacific Ocean to get this truck right."

Freightliner will also have some key models from its existing range, including an innovative CL 112 agitator with a new low centre of gravity mixer for enhanced safety and a heavy-duty Coronado 114 tipper.

The Brisbane Truck Show will be held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre from May 16 to 19.