Built in Mexico · region code “3”
What a 3AL VIN tells you
3AL is a world manufacturer identifier — the first three characters of any 17-character VIN. It's assigned to Freightliner and tells you two things immediately: who manufactured the vehicle, and where. The leading character "3" is the ISO 3780 region code for Mexico; the second and third characters narrow it to the specific manufacturer and, for larger manufacturers, the vehicle class or division.
What the WMI does not tell you is the model, the year or the trim. Those live further along the VIN: positions 4 to 8 describe the vehicle attributes, position 10 encodes the model year, and position 11 identifies the assembly plant. To get any of that you need the full 17 characters — paste one into the box above and the decode runs against NHTSA's official records.
VIN structure at a glance
| Positions | Section | What it encodes |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | WMI | Manufacturer and country — 3AL here |
| 4–8 | VDS | Model line, body style, engine, restraint system |
| 9 | Check digit | Calculated from the other 16 characters |
| 10 | Model year | 30-year cycle — see the code table |
| 11 | Plant | Specific assembly facility |
| 12–17 | Serial | Sequential production number |
Full decoder for Freightliner
Frequently asked questions
What car has a VIN starting with 3AL?
A VIN beginning 3AL identifies a vehicle built by Freightliner. The first character, "3", is the ISO region code for Mexico.
What does 3AL mean in a VIN?
3AL is a world manufacturer identifier (WMI) — the first three characters of the VIN. It's assigned to a specific manufacturer by the national authority (SAE in the United States) and identifies who built the vehicle and in which country. It does not identify the model, which is encoded in positions 4 to 8.
Can I get full specs from a 3AL VIN?
Yes, if you have the complete 17 characters. Enter the full VIN above and NHTSA's vPIC database returns model, trim, engine, transmission, body class, assembly plant and factory safety equipment, along with any open recall campaigns. The three-character WMI on its own only identifies the manufacturer and country.
The full WMI directory, sorted and searchable.