Freightliner M2

The M2 is Freightliner’s medium-duty conventional truck line. On 8 October 2026 Freightliner’s US site lists it as the M2 106 Plus, which Freightliner introduces as “the evolution of the #1 best-selling medium-duty truck in North America”, the M2 112 Plus, the M2 112 Natural Gas and the battery-electric eM2; the old addresses of the M2 106 and M2 112 pages now lead to the Plus pages. Freightliner rates the M2 106 Plus in Class 6-8 and the M2 112 Plus in Class 7-8, the US gross vehicle weight classes explained in GVWR, GCWR and GAWR. This page is built from Freightliner’s US product and specification pages, read on 8 October 2026, the M2 106 Plus brochure dated October 2025 (10/25) and the eM2 sheet dated May 2024 (05/24); from Freightliner México’s M2 page, its M2 Plus spec sheet created in June 2026, its M2 Plus brochure of January 2026 and the two Cummins engine sheets it publishes for the M2 (November 2025); from press releases of Daimler Truck North America (DTNA), Freightliner’s parent, dated 2022 to 2026; from Detroit’s ePowertrain page; and, for the M2 106 and M2 112 before the Plus series, from Freightliner’s specification pages as captured by the Internet Archive in May 2022.

Overview and generations

Freightliner’s history timeline lists the FLN Business Class truck, made for the medium-duty market, in 1991 and dates the introduction of the Business Class M2 to 2001. DTNA’s release of 27 March 2023 says its Mount Holly plant in North Carolina, opened in May 1979, began building the original Business Class trucks in 1991, “progenitor to the Business Class M2 line introduced in 2002”, and that the Plus series was introduced in 2022; the two documents give different years for the M2’s introduction. The same release calls Mount Holly the “longstanding home” of the M2 and SD lines, marks its 750,000th vehicle, an M2 106 Plus for Penske Truck Leasing, and says the changeover from the legacy M2 and SD lines was ongoing.

Before the Plus series, Freightliner’s M2 106 specification page, captured on 21 May 2022, gave Class 6-8, 200-350 HP, 560 to 1150 lb-ft and a GVWR of 66,000 lbs., day cab, extended cab and crew cab lengths of 106, 132 and 154 in BBC, Detroit DD5 and DD8 and Cummins B6.7 and L9 engines, gearboxes including a Mercedes 6-speed manual, the SmartPlex electrical system, an optional wing dash with space for up to eight more switches, and optional Wabco OnGuard ACTIVE collision mitigation with adaptive cruise control and Bendix AutoVue lane departure warning. The M2 112 page, captured on 20 May 2022, gave Class 7/8, 260-505 HP and 720 to 1850 lb-ft, Detroit DD13, Cummins L9 and L9N engines, the Eaton UltraShift PLUS automated gearbox, Allison 3000 and 4000 Series automatics, front axles up to 22k lbs. and rear axles up to 58k lbs., and the SmartPlex system.

In DTNA’s release of 9 September 2022 Freightliner introduced the Plus series, “enhanced versions” of the M2 106, M2 112, 108SD and 114SD, as “a major update to the interior and electrical systems”. The release lists new trim levels and insulation, a driver information center, a customizable switch layout, a steering wheel with integrated controls, a transmission control stalk for automated manual and automatic shifting and engine braking from the column, ergonomic seats and a dash panel with 2.5 times more space for truck equipment manufacturers; the series introduced the QuickFit electrical system, and its new electrical architecture gave access to the Detroit Assurance suite with Active Brake Assist 5, certain features of which could for the first time be ordered with a Cummins engine. Production was to begin in the third quarter of 2023 at Mount Holly and at Santiago Tianguistenco in Mexico. Freightliner’s current M2 106 Plus page describes the dash panel as having “more than twice the space of the previous model”.

Cabs

Freightliner files the M2 106 Plus under “Medium Duty” and the M2 112 Plus under “On-Highway”. Both Plus models can be specified as a straight truck or a tractor with a day cab, extended cab or crew cab, with an all-wheel-drive option; the M2 112 Plus is also offered as a truck with end-of-frame trailer connectors. The cab is aluminium reinforced with steel, precision welded, Henrob-riveted and e-coated against corrosion. Freightliner lists a 2,500-square-inch tinted windshield, a downward-sloping hood, wide doors with a low step-in height, and up to 55 degrees of wheel cut with a set-back front axle (the brochure gives the axle position as “SBA”) and a swept-back front fender and bumper. On the M2 112 Plus the hood tilts nearly 90 degrees and the fluid reservoirs are see-through. How day, extended and crew cabs differ is covered in truck cabs explained.

Inside, the Plus models have three trim levels, Professional (standard), Elite and Rugged, an instrument cluster with a Driver Command Center, a standard tilt and telescoping steering wheel with multi-function controls, fully customizable LED-backlit switches, a rotary headlight switch with available automatic headlights and high beams, LED step lights on all doors as standard, and prewiring with RP1226 connectors for cameras and telematics. The brochure also lists a multifunction shift stalk, PTO controls in the steering wheel, an optional pre-trip inspection switch, an overhead storage console and noise-damping cab insulation; door-mounted down-view mirrors and a lower window in the passenger door are options. Freightliner México’s 2026 sheet seats 2 to 3 in the day cab, gives the extended cab as “2+ Litera / 5 pasajeros” (two plus bunk / five passengers) and the crew cab as 5/6 passengers, and lists a 5-inch digital instrument display, a 7-inch touchscreen radio with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and air conditioning. Its January 2026 brochure lists switch groups (“13 en tablero y 24 en consola superior”, 13 on the dash and 24 in the overhead console), three-point belts for all passengers and an optional column-mounted gear lever, and gives the door opening angle as 65 degrees; the sheet gives 70º.

Engines

Freightliner’s US pages give one horsepower and torque span per model, name its engines and state that Freightliner provides “a wide range of new vehicle engines compliant with EPA, CARB emissions, GHG, and OBD requirements”.

Freightliner’s all-trucks index gives the M2 112 Natural Gas 260-320 HP. The M2 112 Plus page notes that the CARB-compliant DD13 is not available in the M2 112 Plus. The M2 106 Plus brochure, dated October 2025, gives ratings per engine and also lists two Detroit engines that the specifications page read on 8 October 2026 does not:

The M2 106 Plus page says adaptive cruise control is available on the M2 106 Plus with Detroit engines. DTNA’s release of 9 September 2022 named the Cummins B6.7, L9 and X12 diesels and the L9N and ISX12N natural gas engines for the Plus series, “depending on truck model”.

Gasoline and 2027 engines. Freightliner’s M2 106 Plus page introduces the Cummins B6.7 Octane gasoline engine. DTNA’s release of 9 March 2026 says it is designed for medium-duty applications and available in the M2 106, with up to 300 hp and 660 lb-ft on 87-octane gasoline and, according to Cummins, a three-way catalyst that does away with DEF, active regenerations and diesel aftertreatment hardware, and oil-service intervals of up to 15,000 miles; the release says ordering opens in the week of 9 March 2026 and that start of production is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2026. No document opened reports that B6.7 Octane production has started, and the M2 106 Plus specifications page read on 8 October 2026 does not list the engine. The same release, which announces the engines for DTNA’s upcoming 2027 products, describes the Cummins X10 as a clean-sheet design “engineered to replace both the L9 and X12 engines”, with up to 380 hp for medium-duty applications and a 48-volt system that heats the emissions-control components during cold starts, supporting compliance with EPA 2027 requirements; it says the X10 will be offered across a range of Freightliner and Western Star products and does not name the M2. According to the release, the diesel B6.7 and the L9N natural gas engine will continue into the 2027 lineup.

Mexico. Freightliner México’s M2 page speaks of “4 opciones de motorización” (four engine options) and names the Cummins B6.7 and L9 “en EPA10”; it describes the B6.7 in its EPA 2024 version in an Efficiency series of 200–260 HP and a Performance series of 280–325 HP with up to 750 lb-ft, and the L9 with 260 to 380 HP and up to 1,250 lb-ft, meeting EPA, CARB and the Mexican NOM-044-SEMARNAT. The M2 Plus sheet of 2026 gives both engines as “EPA 10”, six cylinders in line, 6.7 L and 8.9 L, with 200 - 325 HP and 600 - 750 lb-ft for the B6.7 and 260 - 360 HP and 860 - 1150 lb-ft for the L9, and lists an exhaust brake on the B6.7 and a compression and exhaust brake on the L9; the January 2026 brochure gives the same ratings as “EPA 24” and calls the L9’s brake a Jacobs compression brake. The Mexican documents give different top ratings for the L9 (360 or 380 HP) and different emission labels (EPA 10 or EPA 24). How exhaust and compression brakes work is covered in retarders and engine braking.

The two Cummins sheets that Freightliner México publishes for the M2, dated November 2025, give every rating in kilowatts and newton-metres as well:

The B6.7 sheet adds a governed speed of 2,600 rpm, a clutch engagement torque of 400 lb-ft (542 N·m), a dry weight of 522 kg (1,150 lb) and oil and filter changes at up to 30,000 mi (48,000 km) with a 19-quart sump, depending on the duty cycle; the L9 sheet a governed speed of 2,100/2,200 rpm, a clutch engagement torque of 575 lb-ft (780 N·m), a dry weight of 769 kg (1,695 lb), oil and filter changes at up to 50,000 mi (80,000 km) and a high-pressure common-rail fuel system. The sheets say the single-module aftertreatment of both engines is 70% smaller and 30% lighter than modular systems. No document opened gives kilowatt or newton-metre figures for the Detroit DD13, DD5 or DD8 or for the Cummins L9N.

Transmissions

The M2 106 Plus specifications page lists Eaton Fuller 9-, 10- and 11-speed manual gearboxes and Allison 1000, 2000 and 3000 Series automatics, and prints an Eaton Fuller 6-speed in the automatic group; the brochure lists Eaton Fuller 6-, 10- and 11-speed manuals and Allison 1000 Series, 2000 Series, 9-Speed and 3000 Series automatics. The M2 112 Plus specifications page lists Eaton Fuller 9-, 10-, 11-, 13- and 18-speed manuals, the Detroit DT12 On-Highway Series in DT12-HE and DT12-HL versions and the Eaton UltraShift PLUS as automated manual gearboxes, and Allison 3000 and 4000 Series automatics; Freightliner says the DT12 is “now available for the first time” on the M2 112 Plus. The M2 112 Natural Gas is listed with Allison 3000 and 4000 Series automatics only. Freightliner México’s sheet lists, as optional with any version, Allison 2000 and 3000 Series HS/RDS automatics and Eaton 6-, 10- and 11-speed manuals in overdrive or direct-drive form.

Axles, suspension and brakes

Freightliner’s US pages name Detroit and Meritor axles and list front axles of up to 20k lbs. and rear axles of up to 46k lbs. for the M2 106 Plus, 22k and 58k lbs. for the M2 112 Plus and 16k and 46k lbs. for the M2 112 Natural Gas. The suspensions named are taper leaf, flat leaf and multi-leaf springs, Airliner, TufTrac, Haulmaax and Primaax on the M2 106 Plus, with Firemaax added and multi-leaf springs absent on the M2 112 Plus. The M2 106 Plus brochure gives the wheel formulas 4x2, 4x4 and 6x4; Freightliner México’s sheet gives “4X2/6X2/6X4/4X4*”, with no footnote printed for the asterisk. Wheel formulas are explained in axle configurations.

The two documents give different upper ratings for the front axles (20,000 and 18,000 lb) and for the Meritor single rear axle (31,000 and 30,000 lb). The Mexican sheet lists drum service brakes from Meritor or Bendix and disc brakes from Wabco, Bendix or Meritor, a pneumatic parking brake, aluminium wheels of 19.5, 22.5 and 24.5 inches, and Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone and Continental tyres.

Frame, electrical system and weights

Freightliner’s US pages for the M2 106 Plus and M2 112 Plus list clear frame rails behind the cab with an optional full inner-frame reinforcement, and the QuickFit multiplexed electrical system, whose control units sit in the cab or under the hood on the firewall and whose connectors are rated IP67 or higher; the Daimler CHEC Tool programs switches, body functions and safety interlocks, and TufWrap chassis wiring harnesses are standard. The M2 112 Natural Gas specifications page names the SmartPlex electrical system. Freightliner México’s brochure gives the frame rails as 1.5 million RBM (“Resisting Bending Moment”) and a reinforced rail as an option of up to 3.7 million RBM, and its sheet lists 2 to 4 batteries of 12 V, a usable body length (“cama útil”) configurable from 5 to 11 m and an overall width of 102 in (2,590.8 mm). The sheet gives four example configurations:

No US document opened gives a kerb weight, fuel tank volumes or overall dimensions for the diesel M2 Plus models.

Safety and driver-assistance systems

Freightliner says the Detroit Assurance suite with Active Brake Assist 5 (ABA 5) is available on the M2 106 Plus and the M2 112 Plus with Detroit and Cummins engines. The specifications pages list Active Brake Assist, adaptive cruise control, Tailgate Warning, Side Guard Assist, optional Lane Departure Warning, Intelligent High-Beam and an automatic rain and light sensor. Active Brake Assist warns and brakes partially or fully for stationary and moving vehicles and moving pedestrians; adaptive cruise control works down to 10 mph, and on the M2 112 Plus down to 0 mph with a Detroit engine and the DT12 gearbox; Side Guard Assist watches the passenger-side blind spot. The pages also list the Bendix IntelliPark electronic parking brake, which the brochure gives as an option, the Bendix tyre pressure monitoring system, and the Detroit Connect Virtual Technician remote diagnostics, standard with Detroit engines. At the 2022 launch DTNA named Active Brake Assist and Lane Departure Warning as standard selected features and Side Guard Assist as optional, with adaptive cruise control to follow at the start of production. Freightliner México’s 2026 sheet lists Detroit Assurance 5.0 as optional, with Active Brake Assist 5.0, cruise control, lane departure warning, automatic lights and wipers and a rollover-prevention system (ESC); the Enlace Freightliner 3.0 connectivity system with Driver Coach, the electric parking brake and a blind-spot assistant are further options.

On 6 May 2024 Freightliner introduced the Backup Alert System for the Plus series, a factory-installed option with a 7-inch integrated touchscreen, a backup camera, either mounted at the end of the frame or prepared with a longer harness for later fitting, and a reverse proximity sensor, together with steering-wheel controls for hands-free calling, a USB-C port and Bluetooth; deliveries were expected from the summer of 2024. On 25 February 2026 DTNA reported that factory production of its Exterior Camera System had started for Freightliner and Western Star vocational and medium-duty models: it adds left, right and forward-facing cameras to the backup camera, is triggered automatically by vehicle inputs including the left and right turn signals and reverse gear, lets the driver call up the grille-mounted forward camera manually, and is configured with the CHEC tool, with a pre-wire option for customer-supplied cameras. That release says backup cameras are standard equipment on Freightliner and Western Star vocational and medium-duty trucks.

On 6 October 2025 Freightliner announced LED headlights as standard on the M2 106 Plus, the eM2 and the M2 112 Plus from 2026 builds, with a 6,000K colour temperature, optional automatic de-icing and a life of up to 30,000 hours, and said that the Cascadia and the M2 Plus models would have all-LED lighting from January 2026. Freightliner México’s sheet, created on 29 June 2026, lists halogen headlamps as exterior equipment and LED headlamps among the additional options.

Battery-electric eM2

DTNA unveiled the eM2 on 2 May 2023 as a series-production Class 6/7 truck for pick-up and delivery, built on the M2 106 Plus platform, with production to begin in the autumn of 2023 at its Portland, Oregon, plant. On 26 October 2023 DTNA announced that series production had begun there, with first US units for Ferguson, Hogan Truck Leasing, Penske Truck Leasing, PITT OHIO, Ryder, TITAN Freight Systems and Velocity Truck Rental & Leasing and first Canadian units for Brossard Leasing and Day & Ross. Its release of 14 March 2024 reports the first deliveries, with PITT OHIO the first to deploy the eM2: two Class 7 trucks with 26-foot box bodies at its Cleveland terminal. Freightliner’s 2024 sheet says the eM2 entered production in 2023 and gives its start of production as “Available Today”. The eM2 specifications page lists one cab configuration, a day cab of 106 in BBC.

Freightliner’s eM2 specifications page gives the two power ratings as continuous horsepower in Economy Mode, and the eM2 page calls the two weights approximate tare weights of cab, chassis and powertrain. The sheet gives every eM2 a 4x2 wheel configuration, a nominal 400 V electrical system, charging power of up to 180 kW, a wheelbase of 215 to 270 in, a width of 100 in, a height of 102.5 in with the aero roof device or 137.4 in with the roof deflector, 55 degrees of wheel cut and a turning radius of 397 in, 22.5-inch rims with 11 R22.5 or similar tyres, Conmet Preset Plus aluminium hubs, a 12,000 lb dual taperleaf front suspension and a 21,000 lb rear suspension, Meritor air disc brakes, a charge port on the left under the cab or optionally beside the cab 11 ft from the nose or 3 ft behind the rear axle, a top speed of 65 mph with a 74 mph option, a ground clearance of 13 in, and an ePTO that powers a refrigeration unit from the high-voltage battery. It gives the length as 391 in; the specifications page gives 319 to 391 in.

DTNA’s releases say the Detroit ePowertrain places the electric motors and a 2-speed transmission directly on the drive axles. Detroit’s ePowertrain page, which lists the eM2 among its truck models, gives the single-motor eAxle a maximum of 195 hp and 11,500 lb-ft and the dual-motor eAxle 395 hp and 23,000 lb-ft, and average zero-to-full charging times of 1.5 to 4 hours for the 194 kWh battery and 2 to 6 hours for the 291 kWh battery. Freightliner says the typical ranges assume a gradually diminishing load and regenerative braking; the sheet derives them from 1,500,000+ miles of operation in Freightliner’s innovation and customer-experience fleets, the specifications page from 1,000,000+ miles, and the FAQ on the eM2 page gives the Class 6 range as 190 miles rather than 180. What usable capacity means is explained in installed vs usable battery capacity, and how makers declare range in how electric-truck range is declared.

Standard on the eM2 are a two-screen digital dash and the Detroit Assurance features Active Brake Assist 5, Tailgate Warning, adaptive cruise control to 0 mph, Lane Departure Warning, Intelligent High-Beams, automatic wipers and headlamps and Side Guard Assist, with side-impact protection for the battery. DTNA’s release of 2 May 2023 says that, along with the eCascadia, the eM2 had accumulated more than 1.5 million test miles in customer innovation and experience fleets, in almost 50 fleets.

Vocational eM2. With the launch of 2 May 2023 DTNA announced an eM2 vocational innovation programme for the utility, sweeper, dump, towing and recovery, and refuse segments; its innovation vehicles were validating target specifications of up to 330 kWh of usable battery capacity, a target range of 150 miles, wheelbases between 155 and 220 inches, only 10 inches of back-of-cab space for the battery, and electric and mechanical ePTO options, and the release says the actual production vehicle specifications were “subject to ongoing tests”. On 6 November 2023 DTNA announced a long-term agreement with Hexagon Purus for the complete vehicle integration of a vocational eM2, with Hexagon Purus battery systems, auxiliary and power modules, vehicle-level software and PTO options; DTNA had shown a vocational eM2 prototype earlier that year in an innovation project with the truck equipment manufacturers Alamo and Altec. The release of 14 March 2024 says the vocational innovation vehicles were in use with customers; no document opened reports series production of a vocational eM2.

Source notes

Freightliner’s US pages, read on 8 October 2026: M2 106 Plus, Class 6-8, 200-360 HP and 520 to 1150 lb-ft, GVWR 66,000 lbs., day cab 106” BBC, extended cab 132” BBC, crew cab 154” BBC, Cummins B6.7 and L9; M2 112 Plus, Class 7-8, 260-525 HP and 730 to 1850 lb-ft, day cab 112” BBC, extended cab 132” BBC, crew cab 160” BBC, Detroit DD13 standard, Cummins L9 and L9N; M2 112 Natural Gas, Cummins L9N, 250-320 HP and 660 to 1000 lb-ft. The M2 106 Plus brochure (10/25) also lists the Detroit DD5 (200-240 HP, 560-660 lb-ft) and DD8 (260-375 HP, 660-1,050 lb-ft) and the 4x2, 4x4 and 6x4 configurations. Mexico, M2 Plus sheet of 2026: Cummins B6.7, 6.7 L, 200 - 325 HP and 600 - 750 lb-ft, and Cummins L9, 8.9 L, 260 - 360 HP and 860 - 1150 lb-ft; 4X2/6X2/6X4/4X4; maximum PBV 25,000 lb (11,339 kg) to 52,000 lb (23,586.80 kg). The Cummins sheets for the Mexican M2 give the B6.7 as 149-242 kW and 813-1,017 N·m and the L9 as 194-283 kW and 1,166-1,695 N·m. eM2 (sheet 05/24): Class 6 and Class 7, 4x2, 190 HP or 255 HP (188 kW), 194 kWh or 291 kWh usable, typical range 180 or 250 miles, CCS1 charging up to 180 kW, GVWR 26,000 lbs or 33,000 lbs; DTNA announced series production at its Portland, Oregon, plant on 26 October 2023.