CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — U.S. Xpress CEO Max Fuller recently took delivery of the 50,000^th Freightliner truck he has purchased since his very first truck in 1974.

At that time, Fuller purchased a Freightliner for his father’s company Southwest Motor Freight. Since then, he has purchased 49,999 more Freightliners, an achievement that was commemorated during a special ceremony at US Xpress headquarters in Tennessee.

The 50,000^th Freightliner is a Cascadia 72-inch raised roof sleeper tractor with a Detroit Diesel DD15 engine. Its door is marked with a special inscription to mark the distinction.

“Through the years, the U.S. Xpress team has helped design, develop and test our products, making them an important part of our growth,” said Mark Lampert, senior vice-president of sales and marketing for Daimler Trucks North America. “We are proud of the long-term relationship between U.S. Xpress and Freightliner Trucks, and look forward to continuing to provide them with the most productive and reliable trucks available in the market.”

“Freightliner has been integral to our expansion,” added Fuller. “We like dealing with the best-in-class for everything, and the products and management of Freightliner Trucks fit that charge.”

Fuller said his decision to first go with Freightliner in the 1970s was driven by the oil embargo which caused rising fuel prices and the fact the Freightliner was an efficient vehicle. He ordered about 150 Freightliners at that time, which was about half of Southwest’s fleet size at the time.

Fuller and fellow co-chair Patrick Quinn launched U.S. Xpress in 1985 and in some years were purchasing between 3,000 and 4,000 trucks as the company rapidly grew. In the 1980s, the carrier inked a 12-year exclusive agreement with the truck maker.

When Freightliner was developing its Condo, it solicited the feedback of U.S. Xpress drivers and more than 60 contributed to the design of the cab by providing real-world feedback.

“The Condo experience was truly a testament to our partnership with Freightliner,” said Fuller. “They listened to us, and with our help, ultimately developed what was a well-designed truck at that time. That experience further solidified our commitment to Freightliner.”

Most recently, U.S. Xpress placed an order for 300 Freightliner Cascadia’s with Daimler’s BlueTec selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology.