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Peterbilt

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Peterbilt Motors Company
Company typeManufacturer
Industry Heavy-duty Class 6 though Class 8 truck Manufacturer
Founded(1938)
HeadquartersUnited States Denton, Texas, USA
Products See complete products listing.
Websitewww.peterbilt.com

Peterbilt Motors is a manufacturer of medium and heavy-duty Class 6 though Class 8 trucks headquartered in Denton, Texas. The company is a subsidiary of PACCAR.

Founded in 1939, Peterbilt operates manufacturing facilities in Madison, Tennessee (1969), Denton, Texas (1980), and Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec. From the early 1960s until the mid 1980s, the company was based in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California, with its headquarters, parts department, and main plant all in Newark, California. The Newark plant closed in 1986; headquarters moved to Denton, and engineering moved to Denton in 1993.

History

Founded by Dan Anderson.

To this end, he was rebuilding surplus army trucks, improving the technology with each successive vehicle. Shortly thereafter, he purchased the assets of Fageol Motors of Oakland, California in 1938 in order to supplement his need for a custom built logging truck chassis. Fageol had gone into receivership in 1932. By 1938, the Great Depression had driven the value of the assets to nearly zero. Peterman acquired the defunct truck manufacturer and began to produce customized chain-drive trucks for exclusive use by his timber concern. In 1939, he began to sell his remarkable trucks to the public. T. A. Peterman died in 1945. His wife Ida, sold the company to seven individuals within the organization (management) less the land. They expanded it into a serious producer of heavy-duty trucks. In 1958, Ida Peterman announced plans to sell the land to develop a shopping center. The shareholders, not having the desire to invest in a new manufacturing facility, sold it to PACCAR. PACCAR (Pacific Car & Foundry Co), then primarily a manufacturer of railroad freight cars, was looking to expand into truck manufacturing. PACCAR, which had acquired the assets of Kenworth in 1945, was already an up and coming player in the heavy truck market.

Peterbilt model numbers traditionally start with a '2' for single axle and tag axle models, and with a '3' for dual drive models. Peterbilt eliminated this distinction in the late '70s.

  • 280/350: This is the classic "iron-nose" conventional built from 1949-1957. It has distinctive cycle-type front fenders, and a long grille with vertical shutters.
  • 281/351: The classic narrow-nose butterfly hood Peterbilt made from 1954 until 1976, though few were made after about 1968. The truck in the cult classic movie Duel is a '50s Peterbilt 281. (It is not a 351 because it has a tag axle.)
  • 282/352: Tilt-cab Cab-over-engine model that replaced the Model 351 (non-tilting) cabover in 1959. Formally nicknamed the "Pacemaker" by a staffer at Peterbilt after an in-house name contest in 1969 (the winner got a TV). '59-early '69 headlights closer to radiator. The UniLite cab was all hand tooled. Pacemaker style sheet metal 1969-1980.
  • 352H high cab model introduced circa '75 for larger engines, with higher cab and 1500sq radiator, instead of the normal 1100sq radiator. The 352H was a Freightliner Powerliner competitor.
  • 358: The 358 (288 single drive) was Peterbilt's first tilt hood. Basically a tilt hood 351. Later available with a fiberglass hood. 358 was available from 1965 until 1976.
  • 359: Introduced 1967 this was the first wide-nosed tilt hood conventional. (289 single drive). '67-'72 it had the small-windowed "Uni-lite" cab. 1973 newer 1100 series cab with bulkhead-style doors. Distinctive "Corvette" dash added 1977. Formal name "Dash of Class." The 359 was in production until 1987, when it was replaced by its successor the model "379". 1987 Peterbilt produced the "359 Classic", a limited run of 359 trucks with numbered dash plaques.
  • 348: The 348 was a fiberglass hood aimed at mixer and dump truck applications. The sloped hood afforded additional visibility. This was Peterbilt's first fiberglass hood (1970). The 348 was in production from 1970 until 1986. The 349 was similar but with a slightly wider hood. 349 was later marketed for lightweight highway duty in the 1980s.
  • 353: The 353 replaced the 351-flat-fender and 381 construction models in 1973. 353 had flat "pit style" fenders, butterfly hood and was aimed at construction. The 387 construction was a larger 353.
  • 362: The 362 replaced the aging 352 in 1981 as the company's flagship cabover. 362 was available with a large 1 piece center windshield with 3 wipers or 2 center pieces with 2 wipers. The latest refinement is the 362E, which has a slightly set back axle for longer front springs. The 362 has not been engineered for the 2004 EGR engines, so the last 362s have been built with remaining pre-EGR engines. The last 362 was built as a SBFA for oilfield use in August of 2005.
  • 372: Known as the "Winnebago" or the "football helmet", this is the odd-looking aerodynamic Peterbilt cabover built from 1988 until 1993. The 372 proved that 10+ MPG can be achieved with a class 8 truck.
  • 377: Peterbilt's aerodynamically-designed conventional with a fiberglass hood and headlights incorporated into the fenders. Available in axle set forward and axle set back configurations. Available 1987 until 2004. Replaced by the 387.
  • 378: Similar to the 379, the 378 has a fiberglass hood. It is not available in an extended hood, but is available in axle-set back configurations. The 378 is popular in local and vocation trucking, as well as over the road applications. Available 1987-2006. Whereas the 378 and 379 both are available in a 119" BBC, the 378 sits 4 inches higher above the frame rails compared to the 379. This accounts for the slight downward angle to the hood.
  • 357: The 357 looks like a 378, sharing the various hoods (SBFA, SFFA, Vocational "Heavy Haul" and short hood versions, but is heavier spec'd for construction and heavier applications. The 357-111 is similar to the 379, offering replaceable aluminum fenders. 1987-2006
  • 385: The 385 looks like a 377 with a more sloped hood. The 385 has a more sloped hood, shallower grille surround/crown than 377 had (later year 377's and 385's were nearly indistinguishable). Produced to be a direct competitor to the Freightliner FLD. 385 1996-2006.
  • 379: The 379 is Peterbilt's flagship truck, maintaining the nameplate's signature long-nose styling. Available in standard (119" BBC) and extended hood (127"BBC) lengths, the 379 is the last conventional over-the-road truck available with a metal hood. Replacing the "359" in 1987, it remains in production for 2006, and in Q1 of 2007, Peterbilt will release 1,000 special edition "Legacy Edition" Peterbilt 379's. Replacement: 388 and 389.
  • 386: Entered production in spring 2005, it is an aerodynamic truck, with a lower price tag than the 387. It is only offered with a 126" BBC. During MATS 2006 Peterbilt announced the 384, basically a 386 with a shorter BBC length and available as a daycab.
  • 387: The original 387 was a large off-road coal hauler-type chassis, far too large for on-road use, in production in the '70s and '80s. The 1st 387 was built in the Madison, Tennessee plant in 1976. Peterbilt has unfortunately recycled this number. The modern 387 is an aerodynamic over the road conventional. It uses the same bare cab shell as the Kenworth T-2000 though the chassis is different. This model is available only with a sleeper, but will be made available as a daycab starting in 2007 or 2008, and is derisively known as the "Me-too T-2".
  • 389: Peterbilt just recently introduced the newest truck in its new product line beginning production in Mid-2007. The 389 will replace the Classic 379. It is considered more aerodynamic than the 379 yet it will keep the cab and sleeper dimensions(regular/Ultracab) although the hood lengths will be longer. 389 will be 131" BBC and 388 will be 123", the hood will be slightly more slanted and the lights have a wrap around design. Engineering changes are being put into place in these new models to deal with heat generated by the new EPA compliant 2007 engines.

Other Models

  • 346: The rarest Peterbilt ever made. It was made from 1972-75, and only 10 were made (1 was destroyed in 1974). It was intended to be a concrete mixer, dump truck, or snowplow. In Traverse City, MI, there is a 346 crane truck still in operation.
  • 390: A conventional with a long chassis.

"Classic" Peterbilt conventional trucks and tractors are THE MOST sought after Class 8 vehicles by "old truck" restorers. Examples can be seen on the restoration website: www.courtlandtruckworks.com.

Todays flattops

Todays peterbilt flattop is a new take on the old 50's version.It looks sleeker and more defined.In 2005 a rare paint job came to be on a flattop.Only a few were painted this way by Peterbilt.It was a black center stripe and two hot pink stripes,one on top and one on bottom.

Media

  • Various Peterbilts can be seen in all three Smokey And The Bandit films, and in Convoy.
  • A Peterbilt 377 appeared in the movie "Breakdown".
  • A Peterbilt 379 appeared in the movie "Joyride".
  • An animated version of a Peterbilt is featured in "Cars", mistaken by the lead character Lightning McQueen to be his driver Mack, to which it responds, "Mack? I ain't no Mack, I'm a Peterbilt, for dang sakes! Turn on your lights, you moron!"
  • A Peterbilt 379 appeared in the movie "Black Dog" 1998
  • A Peterbilt 351 appeared in the movie "Duel" 1971
  • The Rock band Clutch (band) has a song called "The House That Peterbilt" on their 1995 album Clutch (album). The song is about truck driving and drivers, and the use of the term Peterbilt is a play on words.

See also

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