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

Replacing a Legend Without Losing the Formula

When the 379 replaced the 359, it didn't reinvent the conventional long-hood formula, it refined it. The 379 kept the same basic idea of a big aluminum hood over a big engine, sold in two lengths: a 119-inch BBC (bumper to back of cab) and a stretched 127-inch BBC, the longest nose Peterbilt offered on a highway truck at the time. Buyers could spec it as a day cab or with one of Peterbilt's Unibilt integrated sleeper cabs; Overdrive's 2008 look at the truck listed Unibilt sleepers in low-roof, high-roof and UltraCab versions. For about twenty years, ending in 2007, it was the flagship of the Peterbilt lineup, and it became the truck most owner-operators pictured when they imagined buying their own rig. Peterbilt's own 2007 release on the last truck counts more than 230,000 Model 379s built since 1986, while most reference works date the model to 1987, so the start year depends on who is counting.

What Actually Changed From the 359

The two trucks share an obvious family resemblance, but they're easy to tell apart once you know what to look for. The 379 made rectangular headlamps standard, where the 359 is best known for round ones, and moved the turn signals up into the headlamp housing instead of leaving them on the fender. Peterbilt also enlarged the windshield, which allowed horizontally mounted wipers.

Engines Built for the Long Haul

Over its two-decade run, the 379 was offered with a rotating cast of the era's biggest diesels. The list included Caterpillar's 3406 and later C-series engines such as the C11, C15 and C16, Cummins' N14, ISX and flagship Signature 600, and Detroit Diesel's Series 60. According to Trucking Info, Peterbilt began taking orders for the Cat C15 with ACERT technology in the 379 in August 2003, rated from 435 to 550 horsepower, and in September 2004 it began building 379-127 and 379X trucks with 600- and 625-horsepower versions. Power like that is a big part of why the model kept its reputation as a driver's truck: enough engine to actually enjoy the hood.

The Last of the Long Hoods

By the time the 379 ended production in 2007, it still wore Peterbilt's aluminum hood, a detail that mattered to the drivers who spent twenty years defending the model against anything with a plastic or fiberglass front end. Peterbilt marked the occasion by badging the final 1,000 trucks off the line as the Legacy Class 379, each with a custom dash plate carrying its production number, and announced the 1,000th and final one on April 5, 2007, a send-off that gave the last units built-in collector appeal. The 389 carried the long-hood banner from there, recognizable by its oval headlamp clusters and an even longer hood, but plenty of drivers will tell you the 379 was the last "real" one.

Owning One Today

Because it was in production for two decades and sold in huge numbers, the 379 is one of the easier classic Peterbilts to actually find and drive today. Parts are common, mechanics who know the drivetrains are common, and the used market ranges from tired day cabs bought to work, to show-quality customs with a small fortune in chrome and paint behind them. Sleeper-equipped highway trucks with the extended 127-inch hood tend to draw the most attention from buyers chasing the classic long-hood look, while shorter 119-inch day cabs are usually the more affordable, work-ready end of the market.

It remains one of the most customized Peterbilt models on the truck-show circuit, which says as much about its legacy as any spec sheet does. Between the two BBC lengths, the range of factory sleeper options, and two decades of engine choices, there's enough variation in surviving 379s that no two show-lot lineups ever look quite the same, even though every truck in them is unmistakably still a 379.