The zero-emission McNeilus Volterra ZSL garbage truck manufactured in Murfreesboro won the 2025 Coolest Thing Made in Tennessee competition, organizers announced.
The McNeilus workers who build and drive the “refuse collection vehicles” with sideloader for a company that’s part of OshKosh Vocational Tennessee, brought one of their zero-emission garbage trucks with them Oct. 1 to Lebanon to learn about winning the most votes in the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry event, spokeswoman Catherine Johnson said.
The employees with McNeilus attended a Manufacturing Excellence Luncheon to hear about their product recognition and parked the garbage truck by the Made in Tennessee Building.
The McNeilus Volterra ZSL victory provides Rutherford County with bragging rights for a second consecutive year. The Rogue built at the Nissan automobile actory in Smyrna won the inaugural 2024 Coolest Thing Made in Tennessee competition.
McNeilus in August 2022 won $1.6 million property tax abatement incentive spread over seven years from the Rutherford County Industrial Development Board. The company won the tax break for agreeing to a $136.2 million capitol investment and providing 125 jobs at a factory off Joe B. Jackson Parkway in Murfreesboro.
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Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr provided a comment to The Daily News journal that decribed the McNeilus Volterra ZSL as an “innovative development of a fully electric refuse vehicle.”
“McNeilus Volterra ZSL receiving the ‘Coolest Thing Made in Tennessee’ award is a great accomplishment,” Carr said.
“Their innovation and environmentally friendly solid waste solutions mirror this county’s commitment to move toward innovative, sustainable solutions regarding solid waste disposal and recycling. Congratulations to McNeilus for this most prestigious award.”
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The news release offered the following comments from Josh Brown, the chief executive officer and president of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry
“The Coolest Thing Made in Tennessee competition is a celebration of the creativity, skill and innovation that define our state’s manufacturers,” Brown said.
“McNeilus embodies the future of manufacturing in Tennessee, combining advanced technology with sustainable solutions that make a real difference in communities across the country.”
The news release also touts how the McNeilus Volterra ZSL, in addition to being zero emission, provides a quieter performance and advanced automation that demonstrates the manufacturers commitment to innovation and environmental stewardship.
The competition for the Coolest Thing Made in Tennessee celebrates Manufacturing Month in October. The event recognizes how manufacturing provides jobs for over 361,000 Tennesseans and contributed $71.9 billion to the state’s 2024 GDP (gross domestic product), according to the news release.
Incentive for manufacturing: Truck manufacturing firm gets tax break for Murfreesboro plant, 125 jobs and $136.2M investment
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This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: McNeilus Volterra ZSL garbage truck wins ‘Coolest Thing Made in TN’
