CLEVELAND, N.C. – Escorted by hundreds of motorcyclists from North Carolina to Washington, D.C., the Freightliner Ride of Pride made its seventh annual trip to the Capitol to honor veterans, POWs, and MIAs on Memorial Day. The one-of-a-kind truck leading the way was a Freightliner Cascadia, fully customized with symbols of America and the Armed Forces. Designed by employees at the Cleveland, N.C., truck manufacturing plant, the 2008 Ride of Pride toured the state in May, making stops to pay tribute in several North Carolina communities, before making the Memorial Day weekend trip to join Rolling Thunder, a national group that honors veterans.

Employees at the Cleveland, N.C. truck manufacturing plant volunteer their time to design the artwork and coordinate the 400-mile ride. This year’s truck features an American flag, a bald eagle, the POW-MIA emblem and symbols from each military division, all decaled over the orange cab owned by Schneider National, Inc., of Green Bay, Wis., which will add it to its nationwide fleet of more than 10,000 trucks.

The Ride of Pride truck is a Freightliner Cascadia, a new truck model launched last May. The vehicle features a new DD15 455-560 horsepower engine from Detroit Diesel and variety of upgrades and accessories, from seats to mud flaps, that were donated by Freightliner suppliers.

The Cleveland, N.C., truck manufacturing plant employs more than 2,900 people in the production of Freightliner brand heavy-duty trucks.