Freightliner trucks are among the most common heavy goods vehicles in the USA, with an almost 40% share of the country’s trucking industry. The company’s iconic vehicles have also inspired other motor manufacturers and competitors in America and around the world.

The company itself has a long and illustrious history, and was founded in 1942 in Portland, Oregon, and was more recently acquired by motoring conglomerate Daimler, who have continued to make freight trucks a success since 1981.

While the vast majority of freight trucks are owned by haulage companies, and are therefore branded with the owner’s colors and logos, there are also lots of owner/drivers of Freightliner trucks who work as freelance haulage drivers, or who simply appreciate the finer points of these classic trucks, and collect them like other motoring enthusiasts collect sports cars!

And if you’re going to own your very own freight truck or heavy goods vehicle, then why not give it a personal touch with a special custom paint job? Many owners/drivers use the canvas of their Freight truck to show off their hobbies and interests, to let other drivers know where they come from, or even to make a political or patriotic point.

Check out the images below to see some of the most awesome, colorful and creative custom freight trucks which are on the roads in America today.

17 Fantasy Freightliner

Freightliner trucks may provide an excellent opportunity for drivers to show their support for their country, their state or even for the military, but for those who have a more creative approach to life, the truck’s cab offers a vast canvas to let your imagination fly. There are literally no limits as to what colors, images, and concepts truck owners can choose for the custom paint job on their own Freightliner, and the owner of this particular vehicle clearly had a very specific – and pretty awesome - idea of what they wanted to see on their own set of wheels.

16 Viva Las Vegas

What better way to pay tribute to the party capital of the USA than by giving your Freightliner a stunning Las Vegas-themed custom paint job? Or maybe the driver of this particular truck is a big fan of Elvis’ live performances in his Las Vegas residency of the late 60s and early 70s.

Either way, for a tribute to Las Vegas, this custom paint job in various shades of grey is surprisingly tasteful – and very cool indeed.

Some Freightliner owners simply paint the cab when they are customizing their vehicles, but this guy has decided to go for the matching painted container.

15 Turning Japanese

Car drivers looking to customize their vehicles are increasingly looking to Japan for inspiration, and the same goes for those who own and drive Freightliners and other trucks. In fact, in Japan, there is a whole sub-culture dedicated to the decoration and customization of trucks called “dekotora.”

These lavish trucks are modified both inside and out to look their best, from neon lights and hand-painted decoration on the bodywork to cabs which have been fitted with chandeliers and richly upholstered drivers’ seats.

Dekotora might not have been wholeheartedly embraced by the US trucking population, but many owners have been inspired by Japanese car culture.

14 Chrome Dome

One thing that America and Japan owners of customized trucks have in common is their love of chrome. Nothing looks better on a big old Freightliner cab than plenty of shiny, well-polished chrome – and you can get everything from chrome bumpers and fenders to chrome exhausts and even chrome rims for your Freightliner’s wheels. If owners decide to go down that route, then it is vitally important to keep the chrome modifications well-maintained; just as shiny chrome looks good, rusty metal is a definite no-no when it comes to making sure your truck continues to look as awesome as possible.

13 Going For Gold

OK, so the chances are that not many rap stars would choose a hefty Freightliner truck as their favorite mode of transport – high-end SUVs, million-dollar sports cars, and Bentleys and Rolls Royces are much more likely to make appearances in rap videos than heavy goods vehicles! However, if Kanye or Jay-Z was to invest in a truck, then the chances are that its superstar owner would invest in something like the one in the image above – a custom gold paint job that somehow manages to be tasteful and tasteless at the same time. Understated, and yet overstated; perfect for a rapper.

12 Red, White, And Blue

Customized Freightliners don’t have to be all about subtle colors, or even just one color.

Plenty of owners like to spice things up when it comes to modifying their trucks, regardless of whether they drive for one company or driver for themselves.

Matching an eye-catching red, white and blue color scheme with plenty of classic chrome gives this truck a timeless look – and would certainly turn heads on the highway or at one of the many truck shows which take place across America, showing off both the latest technology and newest models, as well as some of the most awesome customized vehicles.

11 Mean Machine

Customizing trucks is about a lot more than just a paint job and a few chrome features. Some owners spend as much cash on doing up their Freightliners as many wannabe street racers spend on their cars.

You may not see a Freightliner in the Fast and the Furious movies, but the truck above wouldn’t look out of place in Hollywood, thanks to its sleek black paint job, its mean-looking black metal grille, and its particularly fearsome rims.

Add it all together and you have a Freightliner that looks substantially more formidable than the average truck you see on highways.

10 Rise And Shine

Throughout the history of the Freightliner company, their trucks have been known not just for their mechanical reliability but also their stylish appearance – especially when owners give them a customized upgrade and show them plenty of tender loving care! A simple custom paint job like the one on the truck above, coupled with some chrome extras, may not make for the most dazzling modified truck, but sometimes you get more attention by keeping things simple than by going over the top. This beauty obviously has a very loving owner who is prepared to put the time into maintaining and modifying their beloved truck.

9 Paint It Black

Usually, when owners give their vehicles a new paint job – regardless of whether the vehicle is a motorcycle, car or Freightliner truck – they use glossy paint, to give it the shine we have all come to expect.

One sure fire way to stand out from the crowd is to ditch the gloss paint in favor of the more unusual matte finish – and combining the two as the owner of the truck above has done is a really bold and brave choice.

The matte black finish on the cab, coupled with the glossy finish on the metal grille and fender is definitely eye-catching if a little intimidating…

8 Shiver Me Timbers!

Popular culture has proven to be a constant source of inspiration for vehicle owners looking to modify or customize their wheels.

In Japan, some drivers like to decorate their vehicles with characters from the popular anime and manga comics, although some of those images can be a little risqué even for truck drivers!

The owner of the Freightliner in the image above is clearly a big fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise judging by his truck’s custom paint job – including the sea scene on the rear of the cab and the Pirates of the Caribbean logo on the side of the engine.

7 Flaming Finish

In the 50s and 60s, many youngsters liked to spend time and money customizing their first cars to give them a little personality, and one of the most common paint jobs was the now iconic flame effect, which was often painted in eye-catching and glowing colors. That kind of custom modification doesn’t just belong to classic cars, however. It can also look right at home on a classic truck. The combination of the flaming orange motif on the silver chrome-effect background definitely makes this Freightliner one of the most awesome modified trucks you will see on our roads.

6 Show Your Stripes

Customizing a Freightliner truck is about much more than giving the cab, the hood and the bumpers a new lick of paint. It’s important to remember that there are other parts of the truck that need to be updated and modified if a vehicle is to get a complete makeover. Remembering to give the back of the cab a matching paint job might seem obvious, but if owners are likely to be driving their truck around without a container on the back, then they shouldn’t forget to paint the area at the rear of their Freightliner, including the wheel arches and mudguards – very important considering they can be glimpsed even when the truck is towing a container.

5 Red, White, And Blue

The cab of this Freightliner may have been given an eye-catching orange paint job, but it is the container of this particular vehicle which will really cause heads to turn out on the highways and interstates of America.

And what better way for a truck driver to show his (or her) appreciate for all things America than by getting a huge patriotic mural painted on the side of the wagon they use when hauling goods across the country?

The content of the mural might not be to everyone’s personal taste, but no-one could doubt this driver’s love for their country.

4 Patriot Games

Trucks seem to have become a popular method for folks here to demonstrate their patriotism – although patriotic red, white and blue custom paint jobs on cars are fast becoming just as common! The stars and stripes of the flag is an eye-catching and colorful way to modify the cab of your truck while also making a patriotic statement. Add a political slogan, however, and you are leaving your fellow road users in no doubt as to how you feel about certain issues. Like political bumper stickers, drivers making political statements with their trucks might end up having to fend off aggressive drivers from the other side of the political divide.

3 Code Yellow

Many people feel that less is more when it comes to modifying cars and trucks. Then again, if a truck owner wants to splash the cash on a new paint job for their vehicle, then why not go the whole hog and go for a customization full of color and character – literally in the case of the truck above. Not only did this owner go for a bright yellow base color for their Freightliner, but they have also added some fun cartoon characters, presumably to showcase their own fun and frivolous personality. Or maybe they want to keep kids entertained on long cross-country journeys!

2 Classic Glamor

Freightliner trucks have been around for almost eighty years, and that means that not all of their heavy goods vehicles on roads – or making an appearance at America’s popular truck shows – are new.

Some of them have a few years behind them and several thousand miles on the clock, but that doesn’t mean that these grand old machines don’t have the right to look good too.

The above vintage model was given a classy olive green paint job, and some shiny chrome modifications to bring her up to date, and it seems that the owner’s efforts were definitely worthwhile.

1 Band Of Brothers

Truckers are not only known for their patriotism but also for their unswerving and loyal support of the troops. Customizing a Freightliner truck to show your love for your country is one thing, but using the cab of your truck to demonstrate your support for the armed forces is just as popular, especially for truck drivers who were once members of the army, navy or air force themselves. This particular driver was obviously either in the army himself or has a family member who is serving, judging by his colorful and patriotic support for US soldiers around the world.

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