Freightliner Announces the Ultimate Design Competition for Collegiates

It’s a brainstorm to the finish line. From November of this past year through February of this year, thousands of the brightest and most talented college students in America have been sweating out the details of designing a perfect Freightliner truck for the future. The contest is part of an overall effort by the U.S. manufacturing sector to rekindle American minds towards a passion in industrial design.

To that effect, all the stops are being put out to say the least. Three hard-working collegiate finalists, selected by commercial vehicle design experts from Daimler, will receive invitations to the 2012 Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS), where their designs will be prominently put on display. The winner among those finalists will receive a $20,000 college scholarship and the offer of a paid internship at Freightliner Trucks.

According to J.T. Reed, director of marketing for Freightliner Trucks, “Freightliner Trucks is the undisputed leader in cutting-edge truck design, innovation and engineering… The truck design contest will provide us with the opportunity to uncover not only some of the best and brightest designers, but will also keep us on the leading edge as we create the next generation owner-operators’ dream truck.”

But no one is saying that designing a dream truck is going to be easy. Functional challenges like aerodynamics, reduced ease of maintenance, increased payload capacity, and personal comfort (a serious consideration since so many trucks are their drivers’ homes away from home) are being scrutinized meticulously by the judging panel. Freightliner hopes and expects that the results will be nothing short of path-breaking, and we at D.W. are inclined to agree.

We’re looking forward to learning who wins the contest. Why wouldn’t we be? Chances are, we’ll be stocking their product within the next coming years.