Trucks are symbolic of enduring American values like strength and independence. For me, none of them hit harder than a Peterbilt. The iconic grille, the long hood stretching towards the horizon, and the double exhaust stacks come together to form an impression of rugged elegance! It’d been a while since I’d seen a Pete on the road, so I was straight-up giddy when one rumbled up to work.
Kids love trucks. I owned a few Winross diecast models as a tyke, but I was always more occupied by courthouses, churches, and shipwrecks. Nevertheless, I completely understand the appeal. Trucks are pretty cool, all told.
My factory receives materials by rail, but we ship by semi. We get a variety of aerodynamic Volvos, Freightliners, and Internationals in our lot, but seeing the square nose of a formidable Peterbilt poking out of the warehouse gave me pause. I didn’t want to seem like a dweeb to the grizzled road warrior who certainly sat behind the wheel, but I snuck a blurry photo from over the hood of my Civic to text to my brother.
Another Peterbilt came back a few days later to receive a bulk shipment from one of our silos. The Petes are part of a five-truck fleet run by a family-owned company based in southern Indiana. We ship hundreds of thousands of pounds of plastic pellets to a customer in Louisville every week, and it’s up to them to deliver it.
I approached the truck with curiosity and caution, kind of like I was sneaking up on a wild animal. I’m not sure why I did, but it felt right in the moment. Unfortunately, my time with the Peterbilt was fleeting. I had a busy day ahead! I walked back to the office, plopped down at my desk, and began researching Peterbilt trucks as soon as my computer connected.
As it turns out, Peterbilt was started by a lumberman named T.A. Peterman. In 1934, he bought surplus army trucks to service a logging operation he ran out of a Washington forest. Four years later, Peterman purchased the Fageol Truck and Motor Company. In 1939, he reopened the Fageol plant under the new name of Peterbilt Motors Company. Unfortunately, he died of cancer at fifty-one.
Peterman’s wife sold the business in 1947. Under new ownership, Peterbilt deployed its famous red oval emblem in 1953. The company became part of PACCAR -Pacific Car and Foundry- in 1958. The sweet rigs we’ve been loading came twenty-nine years later. Launched in 1987, the Peterbilt 379 was the brand’s largest highway truck. It served as the company’s flagship model for thirty years, and it’s easy to see why.
Although they’ve been supplanted by the Peterbilt 389, the venerable 379 is still a formidable piece of machinery. If you’ve seen the live-action Transformers movies, you’ve seen a 379 in action. One stars as Optimus Prime, the series’ protagonist who leads the Autobots in their ongoing battles with the Decepticons.
A friend at work took an admiring look at the 379. He said John Ratzenberger’s Mack from Cars must have been based on it. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that Mack was a cartoon version of that company’s Super-Liner series of trucks, produced from 1977 to 1993 to compete with the 379.
The black Peterbilt showed up again on the first day of March. Instead of loading the usual way, circumstances meant the trucker had to back his 379 and pneumatic trailer in from a side door mere feet from our silos! The tolerances were tight, but the driver had a steely hand. The turn radius of a semi is far greater than that of my trusty Civic!
Despite the challenging maneuver, he had his truck and trailer safely inside -at the other side of the plant, no less- in the blink of an eye. A big rig in the middle of the shop floor always causes a ruckus, but he loaded and left without a whiff of drama.
Those dependable black Peterbilts were a familiar sight at work until yesterday. Picture my shock when I returned from lunch to find a white one parked out front! I’m all about planning, not logistics, but I’d back old-school Peterbilts for all our deliveries any day. In a world where aesthetics are constantly evolving, the timeless appeal of a classic Peterbilt semi will never fade. I’m a sucker for the legacy they represent!
There’s a Kenworth truck plant in Chillicothe. For the last few years they’ve had a truck parade where they literally shut down the streets and people line up to watch a parade of trucks. You would love it!
That sounds awesome!
I haven’t been but it sounds fun.
I heartily approve this message! There is something special about those old upright conventional cab trucks, and both Peterbilt and Kenworth seem the be the most common ones seen on the roads. I have lately become quite good at being able to ID truck brands on the highway. 🙂
I have read that trucks were a much more regional business than they used to be, and Peterbilt was a west-coast company that built trucks that could handle the Rocky Mountains.