Peterbilt Turns 75

Peterbilt was founded in 1939 by T.A. Peterman manufacturing specialized, heavy-duty trucks out of Oakland, CA, and a fully restored 1939 model is shown here. Acquired by PACCAR Inc, then called Pacific Car & Foundry, in 1958, Peterbilt's manufacturing facility first got relocated to Newark, CA, in 1960, then shifted to Denton, TX, in 1980, along with its headquarters where it remains to this day. Photo courtesy of Peterbilt.

This 1965 Peterbilt Model 351A was fully restored in 2003 at the Rush Truck Center location in San Antonio, TX; a tip of the hat to the heritage of a company that owns one of the largest Peterbilt dealership chains in the U.S. -- Rush Enterprises.

Rush Enterprises often decorates its dealership location signs with actual Peterbilt highway tractors.

Kirby Martin, an owner-operator out of Gettysburg, PA, and the 2010 grand champion of American Trucker’s “Reader’s Rig” contest, favors "classic" styled Peterbilt highway tractors; one reason why he dubbed his winning truck "Old School."

Show truck contests are often chock-full of customized Peterbilt model trucks; this one, seen at the annual Mid America Trucking Show (MATS), is styled not only to win trophies but to promote breast cancer awareness as well.

Another customized Peterbilt from the annual MATS "Pride & Polish" show truck event.

Peterbilt engineers work constantly to improve both the interior workings and exterior aerodynamics of its highway tractor models.

Peterbilt showed off a special "technology truck" at the 2012 MATS gathering.

Like for every heavy truck maker, natural gas is taking on more prominence as a fuel option at Peterbilt. Consequently, the OEM holds events every so often to show off its latest advances where its natural gas-powered trucks are concerned.

It's not always about trucks at Peterbilt; along with introducing a proprietary engine line, the OEM experiments with other technology as well, such as this surface computer table tested several years ago for potential usage in dealerships.

Photographer Roger Snider got hooked on trucks as child and has spent the last several years compiling a large portfolio of custom truck pictures -- many of which are Peterbilt models -- for a variety of projects, inlcuding this art gallery display several years ago outside Washington D.C. 

Snider also recently compiled a calendar entitled "Chrome & Elegance" that harkens back to the old "Class Pays" advertising campaign launched to promote Peterbilt's products over 40 years ago.  Photo courtesy of Roger Snider.

Photographers and truck makers alike know how challenging it is to get things just perfectly right. Photo courtesy of Roger Snider.

Some of Peterbilt's latest products include the new Model 567 "all-purpose" vocational truck. Photo courtesy of Peterbilt.

In a nod to its "classic" past, Peterbilt re-introduced the Model 579 designation back in 2012 at MATS. Photo courtesy of Peterbilt.