Peterbilt Motors Co., a subsidiary of PACCAR, is a leading manufacturer of a full line of Class 6 to Class 8 heavy-duty trucks. [1] The company's headquarters are located in Madison, Tennesse; Denton, Texas; and Montreal, Quebec. There are also over 200 North American Peterbilt retail centers.
Peterbilt's product line includes machines for long haul and regional trucking, refuse collection, construction, logging, and oilfield trucking, among others. In addition, the company offers repair and maintenance services, parts, and roadside assistance.
Peterbilt Motors has won the J.D. Power and Associates Customer Satisfaction award three times for its medium-duty conventional trucks.[2]
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[edit] History
T.A. Peterman, a logger and plywood manufacturer based in Tacoma, Washington was faced with logistical problems in getting trees out of the woods to his lumber mill. To help solve his problem he decided to focus on developing early truck technology. He started by refurbishing surplus army trucks. With each new truck he worked on, truck technology was greatly improved.[3]
In fact, Peterbilt Motors may never have been founded had it not been for the bankruptcy of Fageol Motors Co. This company, a strong contender in the trucking industry for 17 years, was severely affected by the Great Depression; therefore, Fageol's operators, Waukesha Motor Co. and the Central Bank of Oakland, decided to sell it. In 1938, Peterman bought Fageol's assets in 1938 to make custom logging trucks for use in his growing business. With the purchase of Fageol Motors Co., Peterman began to produce customized chain-drive trucks specifically to suit his logging needs.[4]
[edit] The Dawn of Peterbilt
In Peterbilt's first partial year. Peterman built only 14 trucks; the following year, he built 82.[5]Peterman's belief was that quality should take precedence over quantity. Peterbilt engineers, sent out to the field to research the needs of truck drivers, carried out the maintenance of quality and customer satisfaction.
The number of Peterbilt trucks manufactured was greatly increased during World War II as the company began producing heavy-duty trucks for government contracts. Peterman and his team gained an abundance of design and production experience during this time and these skills were applied to commercial products once the war had ended.
[edit] New Ownership
When T.A. Peterman died in 1945, ownership of the company was given to his wife, Ida. Ida Peterman sold the assets to seven Peterbilt managers, but kept the land on which the manufacturing plant was built.
The new owners' plans to maintain and expand the company were halted when Peterman announced that she was going to build a shopping center on her land, forcing the owners to find a new facility. As they were reaching retirement age, they put the company up for sale to avoid incurring long-term debt.
On June 24, 1958, Paul Pigott of Pacific Car and Foundry (PACCAR) and owner of Kenworth Truck Co. acquired Peterbilt Motors as a wholly owned subsidiary.
[edit] The Growth of Peterbilt
In the year following the acquisition, PACCAR built a 176,000-square foot (16,351-m2) factory in Newark, California; Peterbilt Motors moved in a year later. The company became a division of PACCAR, and retained its own product line. Though Peterbilt and Kenworth were subsidiaries of the same company, their products were in direct competition.
In Peterbilt's first year at the new manufacturing facility, over 800 trucks were manufactured.[6] With the introduction of new models and a growing reputation for quality, Peterbilt outgrew the factory. As a result, a second plant was built in Madison, Tennesse in 1969, and was later expanded to double production capabilities. With 1973's facility expansion, more than 8,000 Peterbilt trucks were sold.[7]
With the company's rise in popularity came continued expansion. In 1975, Peterbilt Canada was founded. Five years later, a new manufacturing plant was opened in Denton, Texas. The company's headquarters and engineering department were moved from California to this location, where they have remained ever since.
[edit] Leading Developments
Throughout the growth of Peterbilt Motors Co., various product enhancements have been developed and carried forward, such as the 1959 introduction of the 90-degree tilt hood for added operator convenience.[8]
In the 1970s, Peterbilt began manufacturing trucks specifically designed for refuse purposes. The first model was known as the CB300, and was produced for both Peterbilt and Kenworth; it was replaced by the enhanced Model 310 in 1978. With the subsequent introduction of the Model 320, Peterbilt became one of the first companies to include right-hand stand-up drive.[9]
A relatively recent development in Peterbilt trucks was the Unibilt Cab Sleeper System in 1993. This system included a cab and sleeper joined as a single structure. In addition to allowing a better seat position for the truck operator, this unit's detachability offered the possibility of cab conversion for non-sleeper purposes.
[edit] The Company Today
Peterbilt's developments continue in the new millennium. Recently, the company introduced a Class 5 vehicle for urban use, and has also developed a line of medium-duty Peterbilt hybrid vehicles [10],[11]. The latter development has helped to solidify Peterbilt's position among the most environmentally-friendly trucks in the industry today. [12]
In addition to its own environmental initiatives, Peterbilt trucks are being incorporated into other such projects. This year, Wal-Mart announced its intention to use four Peterbilt 386 trucks, fueled with Liquified natural gas (LNG) at its Apple Valley, California distribution center.[13] The decision was made as part of Wal-Mart's environmentally conscious "Sustainability 360" [14] program.
[edit] Equipment List
- Boom truck
- Cement mixer truck
- Dump truck
- Garbage truck
- Pickup truck
- Semi-truck
- Truck
- Truck tractor
- Van truck
- Vocational truck
[edit] References
- ↑ About. Peterbilt. 2008-09-09.
- ↑ Information. Finance. 2008-09-09.
- ↑ History of Peterbilt Models. Automotive Best Buys. 2008-11-24.
- ↑ History of Peterbilt Models. Automotive Best Buys. 2008-11-24.
- ↑ About. Peterbilt. 2008-09-09.
- ↑ About. Peterbilt. 2008-09-09.
- ↑ About. Peterbilt. 2008-09-09.
- ↑ About. Peterbilt. 2008-09-09.
- ↑ About. Peterbilt. 2008-09-09.
- ↑ News Release. Paccar. 2008-09-09.
- ↑ Peterbilt Hybird Reduces Fuel. Environmental Leader. 2008-09-09.
- ↑ EPA Recognizes Paccar Environmental Leadership. Find Articles. 2008-09-09.
- ↑ Walmart Now Using LNG Trucks. Autobloggreen. 2008-09-09.
- ↑ Walmart Now Using LNG Trucks. Autobloggreen. 2008-09-09.
