Peterbilt

Background

Peterbilt was born out of the Pacific Northwest logging industry. In the first third of the 20th century, transporting logs remained time-consuming, primarily moved by steam tractors, horse teams, rail, and water. T.A. Peterman was a lumberman located in Tacoma, Washington, seeking to modernize log shipment to lumber mills to manufacture plywood.

In 1934, Peterman acquired 30,000 acres of forestland in Morton, Washington; instead of using railroads, he built roads and acquired a fleet of trucks, purchasing White Motor Company trucks surplused by the U.S. Army. For logging use, the former military vehicles underwent several refurbishments and modifications; along with upgrades to their durability, the trucks underwent a degree of modernization, notably replacing hand cranks with electric starters. Safety changes included the addition of air brakes and air-cooled (finned) brake drums.

On a 1938 business trip in San Francisco, Peterman learned that Fageol Truck and Motor Company was to be sold. Seeking an opportunity to expand into new vehicle production, he acquired Fageol from Sterling Motor Company for $50,000, receiving the 13.5-acre Fageol plant in Oakland, California, its tooling, and parts inventory; the purchase was completed in 1939.

1939-1940s

In 1939, the Fageol plant in Oakland opened for business as Peterbilt Motors Company. As part of the design process, Peterman and his company engineers sought input from truck owners and drivers on how to develop trucks; initially planning to develop chain-drive trucks for the logging industry, the company transitioned towards vehicles intended towards highway freight transport. In April 1939, Peterbilt released its first vehicles for public sale, the single-axle Model 260 (chain drive) and the tandem-axle Model 334 (shaft-drive); both vehicles were offered with either gasoline or diesel engines. The 260 and 334 were equipped with an all-steel cab, trimmed with plywood sourced from Peterman-owned lumber mills. In a tradition that would last for the next 40 years, the company would designate single rear-axle trucks with model numbers starting with 2; tandem rear-axle trucks started with 3.