Peterbilt made its name with its long line of “needle nose” conventional West Coast-style trucks, commonly accepted as the most beautiful and iconic of the type. But Peter also bilt COE (Cab Over Engine) trucks and they too had a presence and prestige value that put them at the top of the big truck pecking order. That red oval above the radiator was a mark of distinction. Fortunately, there’s still some at work today; I saw one just the other day hauling a load of hay.
Here’s a gallery of vintage photos that show these legendary Petes hard at work.
Peterbilt’s first COE, the 280/350, was first built in 1949 to meet the growing demand for that type. It opened up new markets for Peterbilt east of the Rockies, where overall length limits were much more restrictive. This “bubble nose” 350 and its happy driver are hauling for Dubuque Meats somewhere in the Midwest.
Here’s another one in more familiar surroundings, the hills of California. It’s pretty easy to see how the cab from the conventional Peterbilts was reconfigured for this application.
This is another West Coast truck, with a long wheelbase that was so common out there. We have a whole gallery of these somewhat curious long-wheelbase COE semis here.
One more bubble nose before we move on to their replacements. This straight truck has been restored.
In 1954, the 281/351 COE series replace the bubble nose, featuring a much wider tilting cab with a large windshield. Only the doors were still shared with the conventional cab.
This truck from about 1961 or so features an early version of the kind of paint job that became almost ubiquitous on these in later years as well as on other COE trucks. It really breaks up the blocky front end.
Another long wheelbase West Coast truck, hauling a second trailer.
This is a “dromedary” configuration, utilizing the extended wheelbase for freight.
Here’s another “dromedary” hauling containers for North American Van Lines.
This Pete is a straight truck with a trailer.
Quad headlights became increasingly common after they were approved in 1958, but not all chose to have them for some years yet. At some point, the cab was revised and actually had its windshield size reduced as well as having separate curved corner windows. It makes them look taller; maybe that was the point?
A classic Pete COE hauling lumber.
A rather unusual configuration with two dump beds for hauling grain.
Not the most common use for Petes, but hauling cars was a natural application too.
Used cars, in this case, including a classic Mercedes SL on top of the cab. The red Peterbilt badge and the Mercedes star; two signs of quality and prestige.
Here’s an unusual crew cab.
And a custom “aerocab”, similar to the Kenworth cab by that name.
A flashy purple paint job and the tail end of a Gremlin photo-bombing.
When rectangular sealed beams were approved for cars, they soon replaced the classic round ones on trucks.
This is one mighty long load.
And this is a very large load, a fuselage section for a wide-body MD-11 airliner.
One more shot of a classic Pete at rest.
What inspired this post was seeing a Peterbilt recently hauling hay in Oregon. That’s what folks keep them for, due to their short cabs.
Hay and straw hauling is seasonal, so the trucks don’t rack up lots of miles.
This is how classic Peterbilt COEs continue to earn a living. May they keep at this for decades to come!
Related CC reading:
Those Curious Long Wheelbase West Coast COE Trucks – Why Did They Do This?
Automotive History: The Rise and Fall Of The American COE Semi-Tractor
Vintage Trucks: A Gallery of International COE Semis – Some More Unconventional Than Others
Late 1930s Fageol Ice Cream Delivery Truck: The Future First Peterbilt – A 100 year Lineage
Truck Show Outtake: The Ultimate Needle Nose Peterbilt – Best In Show
Good old road warriors, a 6 wheel tipper towing a 8 wheel tipping trailer is about as common as it gets here, what is rarely ever seen is 4 wheel semi trailers, thats real prehistoric trucking @ 38 tonnes gvm,
Seasonal hauling is what Ive been doing recently, V bins, rigid tipper with trailer then flat deck truck and trailer with tubs chained on delivering to a factory, all in cabovers, old retired drivers in old trucks but reliabie Japanese brands, those LWB tractors are just a standard rigid with a turn table over the drive axles, the dromedary arrangement is a natural to utilize wasted space/payload capability.
I love the 1949 COE style 280/350
Fantastic pictures. In my mind they all have Detroits and they are screaming
Eclectic historical overview! My favorite Peterbilt COE of all times is their last one, the 362 with the rectangular headlamps. I caught this 1995 362 6×4 tractor a few years ago, and I saw it again last Sunday, at the same yearly show.
Fantastic collection.
My parents retired in the mid-’70’s, only a few kilometres from the Trans-Canada Highway between Toronto and Ottawa (Highway7). Tremendous volume of heavy rigs, daily. Except for Sundays, when non-perishable transport traffic, was not allowed.
It was only a two-lane highway back then. With very few passing lanes.
Huge lineups of transports, inter-city buses, and cars, was routine.
I so regret, not taking pictures as a kid. Great memories.
Pretty much every COE I see here on the West Coast of the US is a hay hauler. And mostly Freightliner or Pete 362’s; not a lot of 352’s left on the roads here. I did see a Peterbilt 372 on I5 the last time I was up in the Sacramento Valley. IIRC it was a truck and trailer setup. Maybe it was even this truck from Portland which was listed for sale recently on FB. It was heading south ….
Nice selection of old Pete’s, mostly west coast stuff. Did work on one for Susie, she drove for C&H Transportation out of Dallas Texas back in the ’70s. Her’s had a 12V71 Detroit. Tuff little gal, kept a stock prod in the edge of the bunk where she could reach it! Noticed a couple of IH 4070s in the background.