NEWSLETTER FOR CUSTOMERS OF DAIMLER TRUCK FINANCIALQ3 2014

Customer Source

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We Have You Covered

Fuso Diamond Advantage Lease

New DTF Invoice

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A lot can change in 40 years and DTF has evolved to meet the needs of our customers. Here is a snapshot of Daimler Truck Financial today.

• Growing from just one brand partner in 1974, Freightliner Trucks, we are now a captive finance provider for Western Star, Thomas Built Buses, Daimler Vans and Fuso as well. • We are consistently ranked as a top captive lender by well-recognized industry surveys and customer satisfaction scores. • We provide finance solutions for owner-operators as well as for the largest commercial fleets in the United States. • Our finance portfolio is over 9 billion dollars. • We have more than 200 dedicated professionals with extensive, specialized commercial finance knowledge. • We support over 500 dealers and have more than 27,000 customers. • Our regional and district representatives throughout the country assist customers and dealers with their finance needs. • We offer custom and flexible terms including skip payments, seasonal payments, 90-day to first pay and extended terms. • We have grown from a small office in Portland, Oregon, to multiple offices throughout the U.S., including Farmington Hills, Michigan, Fort Mill, South Carolina, and Fort Worth, Texas. • We have a team of credit specialists to meet the unique needs of our vocational customers and provide them more streamlined, focused support. • Our Title Services group includes a special team that only handles commercial vehicle title requests. • Our Small Business Credit Team focuses specifically on owner- operators and small businesses to help customize the programs and terms they need. • Our Municipal team has helped hundreds of cities, counties and states purchase newer equipment using our specialized “muni” knowledge. • Our Fleet Services group in Fort Worth provides specialized service for the unique needs of our fleet customers. • A complete line of insurance products is available, including GAP, physical damage and non-trucking liability policies through EPG Insurance. • Our responsive design website gets more than 34,000 visits monthly and allows customers to see everything they need 24/7, whether on a computer, tablet or smartphone. • On average, nearly 10,000 customers use our auto-pay option to make their payments. Simply log in to your account at daimler-truckfinancial.com and submit the Auto-pay Authorization form.

Daimler Truck Financial – Celebrating 40 Years in the Commercial Vehicle Industry

Thank you for a great 40 years and we look forward to many more to come!

This year, Daimler Truck Financial (DTF) is celebrating its 40th year in business. We opened our doors in 1974 as Freightliner Credit Corporation, and we have grown, along with the help of our brand partners, dealers and customers, into the leading provider of financial services to the commercial vehicle industry. We are proud of our achievement, but more than that, we know that our success over the last 40 years comes from listening to our customers and providing the products and services they need to grow their businesses.

Two of the main reasons for our growth and longevity are our core values and our customer focus. Throughout the years we have taken the time to learn about and understand our customers’ businesses. As we all know, the commercial vehicle industry is a cyclical one, with its share of ups and downs. We are pleased that we have been able to help our customers during challenging times, including those times when other financial institutions disappeared from the marketplace. We are extremely proud of our heritage, and our passion for helping customers will remain the cornerstone of our business going forward.

Did you know that as a Daimler Truck Financial (DTF) customer, you have access to some of the best truck protection programs in the industry? As we all know, protecting business assets is necessary and, when not managed properly, it can cost you a great deal in premiums and potential loss from lack of coverage. Daimler Truck Financial is working with EPG Insurance to offer GAP Waiver and insurance products for commercial vehicles1. By working together with one of the most respected insurance organizations in the commercial vehicle industry, DTF customers can receive the best truck protection programs available in addition to superior financing options. Those truck protection programs can help provide financial protection for your customers down the line. Greg Grubisich, Finance Manager, Pacific Truck Centers, knows customers who owe their business’s survival to such programs. “I’ve sold many GAP policies over the years, and I’ve witnessed firsthand how they have kept customers in business,” Grubisich said. “The most recent example was a husband and wife who owned two trucks. The husband drove one and an employee drove the other.

The employee rolled the truck, resulting in its total loss. They discovered they owed almost $14,000 beyond the insurance payout on the wrecked truck. They told me the deficit would have put them out of business, but the coverage they received because they purchased GAP insurance from our dealership served as their financial safety net.”

GAP (Guaranteed Asset Protection)

GAPlus (GAP + Total Loss Protection)

Physical Damage

Non-Trucking Liability (NTL)

Note: GAP and GAPlus coverage must be purchased at the time you purchase the equipment it will cover. Be sure to ask your dealer about GAP and GAPlus at the time of your next purchase.

After a long week out on the road, drivers want a place to kick back and relax, so why not throw in some NASCAR fun, too? As the official hauler for NASCAR, Freightliner Trucks is now offering drivers the opportunity to attend NASCAR-sanctioned events at the Freightliner Trucks Run Smart Pit Stop. After preregistering for the event at freightlinerpitstop.com, truck drivers can park at designated, secure areas on race weekend and stay for up to three days, without having to worry about dropping their trailers. “It’s really a way to show appreciation for truckers and all that they do every day to keep our economy moving,” said Stacey Premo, Motorsports Marketing Manager at Daimler Trucks North America. “It’s a nice way to make it easy for them to come out and enjoy the races.” The three-day event features tailgating, giveaways, prizes and games, along with special guest appearances from Team Run Smart Pro drivers and more. There will be an opportunity for several Q&A sessions with different racecar drivers, and the Alliance Pit Stop and Detroit Experience tour trailers will also be on site. Participants are offered a discount on race tickets, and the first 25 guests to register for the event will receive two free tickets to the race.

The truckers who attended the first event, held in Sparta, Kentucky, at the Kentucky Speedway in June, really enjoyed it. “The truckers who came to our event were treated like VIP guests and enjoyed meeting the drivers and watching the race in style,” Premo said. “Drivers said that having special parking with easy access to and from the track really let them relax and enjoy their downtime.”

Freightliner Pit Stop Promises Laid-Back Fun for Drivers

Register now at freightlinerpitstop.com for the next Freightliner Pit Stop event, which will take place October 31st through November 2nd at Texas Motor Speedway.

On April 1st, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) launched its Truck Bucks® Rewards Program, which offers parts and service discounts and special product incentives on thousands of parts and services to owner-operators and small fleets throughout the U.S. and Canada. “Bigger fleets get special pricing all the time, but the smaller guys haven’t had the same advantages,” said Sonda Gerdes, Parts Marketing Specialist at Daimler Trucks North America. “We really wanted to provide incentives and discounts for our smaller customers as well. We think Truck Bucks is an excellent program to do just that.”The Truck Bucks rewards card is available to any owner-operator and small fleet purchasing parts at participating DTNA retail locations. All the customer has to do is present their Truck Bucks card at checkout to receive discounts on parts or services featured on special. “It doesn’t matter what kind of truck they’re driving,” Gerdes said. “If they’ve signed up for the program, they can walk into a DTNA retail location and get a discount.” Over 8,000 members have signed up since the program’s launch date, and more than $122,000 in discounts were generated in the first month alone. Gerdes says the program is growing fast and that the response has been extremely positive. “It’s an exciting program because it is saving our customers money,” she said. “It’s simple for them to use and

we keep them updated via email so they will be aware of our current specials and incentives.” Customers can sign up for the Truck Bucks rewards card at any Daimler Trucks North America retail location, at truck shows featuring DTNA trucks or online at the Truck Bucks website. To sign up for the program or for more information, visit mytruckbucks.com.

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Truck Bucks® Program Saves You Money

We Have You Covered

See your local dealer to learn more about the following programs:

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Daimler Truck Financial has partnered with Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, Inc. to launch the Diamond Advantage Lease Program with a Fair Market Value (FMV) lease. An FMV is also commonly referred to as a walkaway lease since a lessee can simply turn in the vehicle and walk away at lease maturity, after meeting all obligations of the contract (subject to certain conditions and mileage restrictions). This new financial program can be an ideal solution for many customers because of the many benefits an FMV offers.Besides lower payments* and little or no down payment — a plus for any business — FMV leases help conserve capital, provide a truck backed by a factory warranty and offer a limited time commitment. This allows customers to focus on their work rather than spending time worrying about aging equipment. The Diamond Advantage lease is structured on a 48-month term and is available on a Fuso FE 125/130, FE 160 or FE 180 cab and chassis upfitted with a van body. Customers can choose a 25,000 or 30,000 annual mileage option, whichever better fits their business needs.Trucks leased and used according to the terms and conditions of the lease term will typically have about 100,000 miles on the odometer. Since Mitsubishi Fuso offers a five-year, 175,000-mile warranty on the Canter, the vehicle will be covered under warranty during the entire lease term.

FUSO Diamond Advantage Lease Program

Actual rates, terms, down payment, advance and program eligibility will be determined by the DTF Credit Team based on creditworthiness of the customer.

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To learn more about the Diamond Advantage Lease, contact your Fuso dealer for more details. To find the nearest Fuso dealer near you, go to mitfuso.com.

For years, school districts have been using their yearly budget dollars to pay cash upfront to purchase school buses. However, in many cases the small number of new buses they can buy with this approach has not kept up with their fleet’s aging, so their maintenance and downtime costs increase every year. This upward spiral of maintenance costs can eventually handicap a successful pupil transportation program.Thomas Built Buses and Daimler Truck Financial have teamed up to offer these customers an alternative purchase option. “We’re showing districts that financing a larger number of buses, rather than procuring only a small number of buses that can be purchased outright each year, can lead to a lower total cost of ownership,” said Keith Courtney, National Sales Manager at Daimler Truck Financial. He said that while customers are keeping their school buses longer because of budget shortfalls, they aren’t factoring in those higher maintenance costs. “When you put off purchases for so long, you can’t get by with getting two buses when you need ten,” Courtney said. Fortunately, these school districts can take advantage of tax-exempt municipal financing. “You can make more of an impact of reducing your total cost of ownership by having younger vehicles in your fleet,” he said. “If a school district has a budget of $100,000, that

usually buys just one school bus. However, tax-exempt financing may allow that district to purchase the number of units they truly need to minimize their total cost of ownership while paying for them over time.”By choosing tax-exempt financing rather than purchasing buses upfront, school districts can get greater productivity out of their fleet and ensure a lower cost of ownership. And they can get more flexibility. “When school bus customers come to us and say, extend their term or buy the unit early, we help them because our whole existence is to make them happy,” Courtney said. “Other financial institutions may not be as flexible.”

Helping School Districts Stretch Their Transportation Budget Dollars

To learn more about tax-exempt municipal financing, contact your local Thomas Built Buses dealer. To find the dealer in your area, go to thomasbus.com.

1 Policies and claims are administered by EPG Insurance, Inc., a licensed insurance agency (“EPG”), and are underwritten by carriers with an AM Best rating of “A” or better. Savings vary by customer and are not guaranteed. Stated coverage is not available in all states. GAP is not an insurance policy or contract of insurance and is only available on equipment financed with Daimler Truck Financial. Please contact EPG for a full description of all applicable terms, conditions and benefits provided. Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA LLC d/b/a Daimler Truck Financial (“MBFS”) is not an insurer, agent or broker of insurance. Daimler Insurance Agency LLC, a subsidiary of MBFS is a licensed insurance agency. All insurance information is provided through EPG.

©2014 Daimler Truck Financial is a business unit of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA LLC. All rights reserved.

New Invoice Provides More Information and Clarity

Daimler Truck Financial recently implemented an improved customer invoice to provide customers with even more detailed information about their accounts. This more-informative, reader-friendly document was developed using feedback received from our customers.In addition to the full-color printing and more legible type, we have added new information to the invoice itself: • A QR code will take you directly to your log-in page when scanned with a smart device.

• Your new customer number is easily visible and you can use it when you register for online account access.

• A new message center block will present relevant messages.

• More detailed information about current and previous period charges is now included.We hope this new invoice enhances your experience. If you have questions about these changes, contact our Client Services team at 800-222-4221.

Customer Source is a publication of Daimler Truck Financial. Contact us: at dtf@dtfoffers.com.

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