During an event at the 2015 NTEA Work Truck Show on March 4, Freightliner Trucks announced its Hardest Working Cities program to recognize the role vocational trucks, and the men and women who operate them, play in stimulating economies across the United States and Canada.
"We feel this is not only a great occasion for the Freightliner Trucks family to celebrate what our company stands for, but to honor those who take our products to the next level," said Diane Hames, general manager, marketing and strategy for Daimler Trucks North America. "We're more than a truck manufacturer, we give our customers tools to impact their communities, and it's important to recognize the innovation taking place in cities large and small."
As part of the campaign, Freightliner Trucks will host events in each honored city.
Indianapolis was announced the first city on the Freightliner Hardest Working Cities list. A celebration was held at Stoops Freightliner in Indianapolis for customers, truck equipment manufacturers and community leaders March 6.
"This will be an ongoing program to salute determination, innovation and job creation," said Mary Aufdemberg, director of product marketing for Freightliner Trucks. "We see the impact of vibrant economies and how investments are made in construction, manufacturing and transportation to help create stronger communities."
Cities were chosen based on 11 different criteria, ranging from impact on overall gross domestic product to growth in employment to the number of jobs in key industry sectors. Approximately 400 metropolitan census areas in the United States and Canada were analyzed.
"When we were designing this campaign we found a correlation between cities that indexed the highest and markets with the strongest vocational truck sales," said Aufdemberg. "It makes sense because whether it is a concrete mixer truck making runs to a construction site, a bucket truck maintaining utility lines or a delivery truck stocking restaurants, vocational trucks and people who drive them are tools that help keep communities thriving."
