Historic Trucks: Peterbilt trucks

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Peterbilt trucks - 75th anniversary

The Peterbilt Company was founded seventy five years ago in 1939 when T.A.Peterman (1893- 1944) purchased the Fageol Truck and Coach Company who were based in Oakland, California. Theodore Alfred Peterman was a logger and plywood maker who used to rebuild and modify ex-Army trucks for use in his business. He bought the Fageol Company so he could build his own chain-drive logging trucks and renamed it Peterbilt. Apparently Fageols had been described as 'Bill-Bilt' after the Company President, W.H. Bill and so Peterman carried on this tradition and called the company Peterbilt. Sadly, Theodore died of cancer in 1944 (seventy years ago this year) and so the Company was taken over by a group of employees until 1958 when it was acquired by Paccar. In 1960 production moved to Newark California and later expanded to other plants in other States. If you want to know more about the life of T.A. Peterman, click here.

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of Peterbilt and to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Theodore Peterman's death here are some photos of Peterbilts, taken at various truck shows, over the last few years. I don't know anything about the models or the years.

HCVC Clunes Truck Show 2011

A 1946 Peterbilt owned by Rob French at Trucks in Action Lardner Park 2008

Rob French's 1964 Peterbilt at Trucks in Action Lardner Park 2010

HCVC Display day at Sandown racecourse 2005

Golden Oldies Truck Club Dubbo Show 2010

HCVC Display day at Sandown racecourse 2012

ATHS truck show at Echuca 2013

Golden Oldies Truck Club Dubbo Show 2010

Keffords Peterbilt at the Melbourne International Truck and Trailer show 2014 - that's their sign below

Above and below - two Peterbilts on display at the Melbourne International Truck and Trailer show 2014 by American Truck Works www.americantruckworks.com