STYLING ROOTS GO EVEN DEEPER
I enjoyed Paul Hartley’s review of the Peterbilt 389 in the December issue. He states that the 379 has “a stylistic lineage that dates to the Johnson administration.” Actually, the 379 dates to the early part of the Eisenhower administration. If you were to compare the last of the Fageols to modern Peterbilts, you would see the family resemblance. The 351, introduced in 1954, clearly is the ancestor of Peterbilt’s the 379 dates to the early part of the Eisenhower administration. If you were to compare the last of the Fageols to modern Peterbilts, you would see the family resemblance. The 351, introduced in 1954, clearly is the ancestor of Peterbilt’s version of the large car. This is the famous “Narrow Nose.” This introduced the cab that was used for early 359s, known as the “Small Window,” the seamless radiator shell that Peterbilt grilles of today emulate, and the round fenders that are the same as 379 fenders. The 351 has a classic look that really was absent in the 359. Peterbilts tapered from the back of the cab to the radiator shell. With the same cab, and the wider 359 hood, this smooth taper was eliminated, and reintroduced only in the 379. Even if I continue to drive a non-Peterbilt for work, I look forward to seeing 388s and 389s on the road.
STEVEN STRIMLING
Lakewood, N.J.
TEAM UNIMPRESSED WITH TRUCKER OF THE YEAR
After reading about Henry Albert [“Dream team,” February] we were wondering how you picked a man who evidently knows nothing about maintenance. Has he ever broken down with brakes frozen up? Would he know if his fuel filter is plugged up?
There are times when you are out in the boondocks and cell phones don’t work that you have to fix stuff yourself. Our experience at the local garage is like everything else; they just do what they have to and don’t check anything else.
As for the shirt and tie, is this what he wears when he is loading a flatbed? Does he crawl under equipment to put chains on the axles?
Has he ever delivered to a job site in the mud where you have to have a D-9 Cat pull you out? Or picked up in a steel mill where you have to drive through the muck? Has he ever delivered to a garbage dump?
