Big Rigs

Classic semis, cabovers and long-hood legends: where they came from and how to spot them.

A weathered red Mack long-hood tractor with chrome stacks pulling a trailer loaded with logs along a wet gravel road through a dark evergreen forest, mud on the front bumper.

Mack Superliner (1977-1993): E9 V8, Specs and History

Mack's flagship conventional, 1977-1993: the R-series cab, Maxidyne sixes, the 998 cu in E9 V8, the Super-Liner II and its Australian afterlife.

A dark red long-nose Kenworth W900L with gold striping pulling a silver grain hopper trailer down a dusty gravel road beside a cornfield in late-afternoon light.

Big Rigs

Kenworth W900L (1990-2026): History, Specs and Sleepers

The Kenworth W900L (1990-2026): how the long-hood W900 began, W900L vs W900B, Studio sleepers, engines, the ICON 900 and the end of production.

A black long-hood Peterbilt 389 with twin chrome stacks and amber cab lights parked under a fuel station canopy at night on wet pavement, with trailers in the background.

Big Rigs

Peterbilt 389 (2006-2023): History, Specs and 379 vs 389

The Peterbilt 389 (2006-2023): why it replaced the 379, how to tell them apart, its engines, the 389X special edition and the end of production.

A cream and maroon cabover with a black-and-chrome grille and chrome bumper standing beside a weathered wooden grain elevator, with dust in the air, a grain trailer behind it and a cornfield in warm l

Big Rigs

International Transtar 4070 (1968-1981): History and Specs

The International Transtar cabover from the 1968 CO-4070A to the 1974 Transtar II 4070B: engines, how to tell them apart, the Eagle trim, and why it ended.

A blue cabover tractor with silver and red stripes parked in a truck-stop lot at night, its twin chrome stacks and amber cab-roof marker lights glowing in the orange haze of sodium lamps, with other t

Big Rigs

Peterbilt 362 (1981-2005): Cabover History, Engines and Specs

The Peterbilt 362 cabover (1981-2005): how it replaced the 352, its cab and engine options, and how the 1982 length law changed US cabovers.

A dust-streaked, pale-metal cabover pulling a dry van along an empty desert highway, with twin exhaust stacks, amber roof marker lights, guardrails and red-rock mesas in the distance.

Big Rigs

White Freightliner Cabover (1951-1970s): History and Specs

How Freightliner's aluminum cabover went from a Consolidated Freightways in-house truck to the White Freightliner sold nationwide, and how it ended.

A green classic long-hood conventional tractor with a cream side stripe hauls a flatbed of chained-down lumber around a curve on a mountain road, with pine forest and a rocky hillside behind it.

Big Rigs

Peterbilt 351 and 281 (1954-1976): Needle Nose History & Specs

The Peterbilt 281 and 351 needle nose conventionals: 1954-1976 history, single vs tandem drive, engines, the Duel truck and what replaced them.

A weathered copper-brown Kenworth W900A pulling a white Thermo King-refrigerated trailer down a two-lane desert highway at golden hour, exhaust trailing behind it as bare mountains rise under a pale s

Big Rigs

Kenworth W900 (1961-2026): Engines, Specs, W900A vs W900B

The Kenworth W900A, star of Smokey and the Bandit: its history, W900A vs W900B differences, engines, and how to spot one today.

A weathered red Mack B-61 tractor with no trailer parked in front of a chrome 1950s diner at golden hour, with a classic car and pickup truck in the background.

Big Rigs

Mack B-61 (1953-1966): Thermodyne Diesel, Specs and History

How the Mack B-61 and its Thermodyne diesel became the classic picture of "built like a Mack truck": history, engines and specs.

A white and orange-striped GMC Astro 95 cabover tractor with a box trailer backed up to a loading dock at a weathered brick warehouse.

Big Rigs

GMC Astro 95: History, Engines and the Last Great GM Cabover

How the GMC Astro 95 outlived its Chevrolet Titan twin and became the longest-running cabover General Motors ever built.

A dark blue Kenworth K100 Aerodyne cabover pulling a weathered trailer across a rain-slicked highway at dusk, headlights on and "KENWORTH" lettered on the bumper, with braking traffic streaming past i

Big Rigs

Kenworth K100: History, the Aerodyne Sleeper, and Its Legacy

The Kenworth K100 cabover and its 1976 Aerodyne sleeper: why trucking went cab-over, B.J. and the Bear fame, and why it disappeared.

Sunset view through the windshield of a classic semi sleeper cab, with a CB radio mounted overhead and two gear shifters rising from the floor

Big Rigs

1970s Semi Truck Cabs: CB Radios, Twin Sticks and Tuck-and-Roll

Inside the long-haul sleeper cabs of the CB radio era: twin-stick shifting, tuck-and-roll seats, and why truckers loved channel 19.

A white and teal Peterbilt 352 Pacemaker cabover truck with a dry van trailer parked beside two gas pumps at a small roadside station at golden hour.

Big Rigs

Peterbilt 352 Pacemaker: The Cabover Built to Beat the Length Laws

Why Peterbilt built the 352 Pacemaker cabover, how the 352H differs, and why the flat-nose trucks that ruled US highways nearly vanished.

A maroon long-hood Peterbilt 359 day cab parked on a gravel lot at dusk in front of a lit wooden building, with classic cars parked nearby under a cloudy sky.

Big Rigs

Peterbilt 359: History, Engines, and How to Spot One

The 1967-1987 Peterbilt 359, the truck that set the template for the classic American big rig, engines, specs, and how to tell it from a 379.

A dark blue Peterbilt 379 with chrome stacks and amber cab lights parked at a nighttime truck show, surrounded by other trucks and a crowd.

Big Rigs

Peterbilt 379 (1987-2007): History, Engines and Specs

The 1987-2007 Peterbilt 379, what changed from the 359, its engine options, and why drivers still call it the last of the long hoods.