Peterbilt
Peterbilt Motors Company is an American-based truck manufacturer. Producing its first truck in 1939, the company specializes in commercial heavy-duty and medium-duty vehicles. Since 1958, Peterbilt has been owned by PACCAR, operating alongside sister division Kenworth Truck Company. Introduced in 1953, a large red-oval brand emblem distinguishes its vehicles.
Founded in Oakland, California, Peterbilt is currently headquartered in Denton, Texas ; the company manufactures vehicles in Denton, Texas and in Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec.
History
In the first third of the 20th century, logs for the lumber industry were floated downriver, hauled with steam tractors or horse teams. Tacoma, Washington plywood manufacturer and lumberman T.A. Peterman could not get his felled inventory to his lumber mill quickly or efficiently enough to suit his needs, so he looked at the then-nascent automobile technology for logging trucks that could do the job.Peterman began by rebuilding surplus military trucks, improving the technology with each successive vehicle, such as replacing crank starters with battery powered ones. In 1938, near the end of the Great Depression, he purchased the assets of Fageol of Oakland, California, which had gone into receivership in 1932. With the ability to turn out custom built chassis Peterman initially produced two chain-drive logging trucks, which proved unsuccessful. In 1939, he began selling his trucks to the public.
T. A. Peterman died in 1944. His wife, Ida, sold the company to seven individuals within the organization, but retained its land. They then expanded it into a major producer of heavy-duty trucks. In 1958, Ida Peterman announced plans to sell the property to develop a shopping center. The shareholders, not wanting to invest in a new manufacturing facility, sold the company in June 1958 to Pacific Car & Foundry Co., then primarily a manufacturer of railroad freight cars, which had acquired the assets of heavy truck competitor Kenworth in 1944. One year later, Pacific Car and Foundry started construction of a modern manufacturing facility in Newark, Calif. In August, 1960 Peterbilt moved to the new facility and became a division of the parent firm. Pacific Car and Foundry Co. changed its name officially to Paccar in 1972.
Models
Current
Retired (1980 to date)
Historic (before 1980)
Before 1981, model designations started with 2 for single-drive vehicles, and 3 for dual-drive vehicles. This distinction gradually was phased out in the late 1970s.| Model name | Production | Vehicle type | Notes |
| 260 334 | 1939-1941 | Conventional | First Peterbilt model line, evolved from a Fageol design. Logging trucks sold to the public 260: chain drive 334: dual drive axles |
| 270 334 345 | 1941-1949 | Conventional | On-highway truck Last model line developed by T.A. Peterman |
| 354 355 364 | 1941-1949 | Conventional | Heavy-duty truck 28 Model 364s produced for the US Navy. |
| 280 350 | 1949-1957 | Conventional Cabover/COE | On-highway truck, nicknamed the "Iron-nose" truck Butterfly-type hood with cycle-style fenders. Vertical shutters on grille COE version produced, nicknamed "bubble-nose" style |
| 281 351 | 1954-1976 | Conventional | On-highway truck, nicknamed the "narrow-nose" truck First model line introduced with red Peterbilt emblem Butterfly-type hood with cycle-style fenders. Horizontal shutters on grille Set-back front axle option introduced in 1971 |
| 281 351 | 1954-1958 | Cabover/COE | First Peterbilt COE model line developed with its own cab Shares doors with 281/351 conventional |
| 282 352 352H | 1959-1980 | Cabover/COE | First tilt-cab COE, developed as distinct model line; first UniLite cab Nicknamed the "Pacemaker" in 1969, coinciding with an update 54-inch to 110-inch BBC 352H is a raised-cab version, fitted with a larger radiator; produced from 1975-1980 |
| 288 358 | 1965-1976 | Conventional | Variant of 281/351 with a tilting hood, first Peterbilt equipped with a design.Fiberglass hood introduced in 1972. First Peterbilt model line with current hood ornament design |
| 289 359 | 1967-1987 | Conventional | Replaced 281/351 Distinguished by wider grille for larger radiator Replaced by 379 |
| CB300 | c.1975-1978 | COE, low cab forward | First Peterbilt truck designed for refuse applications Designed and produced jointly between Peterbilt and Kenworth |
| 310 | 1978-1986 | COE, low cab forward | Replaced CB300, designed for refuse applications Model 319 used rear PTO and rear lift axle with steering capability |
| 351L | Conventional | Severe-service variant of 351 designed specifically for logging Flat diamond-plate fenders | |
| 341 | 1954-1972 | Conventional | Short-hood variant of the 351 designed for vocational applications Replaced by 348 |
| 346 | 1972-1975 | Conventional | Designed for vocational applications, with a set-back front axle Only 10 produced, second-rarest model line |
| 348 | 1970-1986 | Conventional | Designed for cement mixers and dump trucks First Peterbilt with a sloped fiberglass hood |
| 353 | 1973-1987 | Conventional | Designed for construction applications, flat steel fenders Used grille of 359 with butterfly hood Replaced 341 and 351 vocational trucks |
| 381 | c.1975 | Conventional | Severe-service truck, 6x6 drive configuration Flat fenders, butterfly hood; lower, narrower radiator than 383 |
| 383 | c. 1966-1979 | Conventional | Severe-service truck, 6x6 drive configuration Flat fenders extend to back of cab |
| 387 | 1976-1987 | Conventional | Severe-service truck, originally developed for coal transportation Later developed for multiple applications Model number reused in 1999 |
| 391 | c.1977 | Conventional | Logging truck, similar in design to the 387; only one built Built using a Kenworth frame and a Peterbilt body, current whereabouts unknown |
| 397 | Conventional | Largest Peterbilt model line, 2 examples built up to 500,000-pound weight capacity, with up to 600 hp engines |