Mercedes-Benz Trucks (Daimler Trucks) belongs to the truck division of Daimler AG. This division covers the Mercedes-Benz, Fuso, Freightliner, Western Star and Thomas Built Buses brands.

Daimler advanced to become one of the biggest truck manufacturers in the world. Since 1965, the most important production location of Mercedes-Benz Trucks has been the plant at Wörth am Rhein. The main truck models, including the Actros, Atego and Axor, are built in Wörth; specifically this involves cab production and vehicle assembly.

In 1896, designers and company-founders Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler presented the first Mercedes-Benz truck as a Daimler truck from Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG – Daimler Engine Company), as it was called at the time. Daimler-Benz produced various platform trucks and trucks up until the outbreak of the Second World War. Models such as the Mercedes-Benz Lo 2000 and the L 1500 with wood gasification plant, both of which date to the 1930s, can still be marveled at today in museums.

In 2004, Mercedes-Benz was the first manufacturer to present Mercedes-Benz engines that complied with the Euro 4 and Euro 5 emissions standards. Mercedes-Benz Trucks used SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) technology to achieve this. This technology was later also used by most other truck manufacturers. The SCR catalytic converter works by converting the toxic nitrogen oxide into nitrogen and water vapor in a chemical reaction through the addition of AdBlue. This means that the emissions are no longer reduced only within the engine, as was normal for engines up to that point.

A lot of value was placed on safety in the Actros. It therefore comes as no surprise to learn that the launch of the Actros saw the introduction of new safety systems. The Actros was given ABS, ASR and a driver airbag – these systems are available in most long-distance trucks nowadays. Other systems, such as distance control, stability control, lane assist and emergency brake assist, were also installed as options.

The present Mercedes-Benz truck models are the new Actros, Axor, Atego, Econic and Zetros.

The Mercedes-Benz Actros has been around since 1996. It is a completely redesigned heavy-duty class of the Mercedes-Benz truck. The heavy-duty vehicles were given their own name for the first time. In 2004, exactly 8 years after the launch, came the Actros MP2 – the first facelift of the Mercedes-Benz Actros. The second facelift was performed 4 years later in 2008, and was called the Actros MP3. Another 3 years later, in 2011, a completely redeveloped Actros was presented.

The successor to the LK models was presented in 1998. It’s name – Mercedes-Benz Atego. It was the first time that the medium-duty truck was given its own name. Three years later, in 2001, the Mercedes-Benz Axor appeared. The Axor model series closes the gap between Atego and Actros, with the Axor replacing the heavy-duty Atego models. A facelift followed in 2004, three years after the introduction of the Axor.