World War II was over. The American economy was booming. Mack Trucks needed a workhorse truck fleets could rely on to do any number of jobs. What they delivered became an icon.
It looked great. But the Big Horn left a lot to be desired behind the steering wheel.
More than any other North American OEM, Freightliner created the modern, iconic template for Class 8, long-haul cabover trucks. It was a look and basic design that would dominate trucking from the late 1950s all the way into the early 1980s.
The Peterbilt Model 352 cabover tractor was such an iconic design that in an unusual departure from its numeric-based identification system, the company actually gave it a name. It remains Peterbilt’s longest-produced truck to this day.
Tough, reliable and stylish, the International Transtar became one of the most recognizable Class 8 American cabover trucks ever.
In a time when driver comfort and ergonomics were virtually nonexistent, one OEM set out to hand-build premium highway cruisers exactly the way their owners wanted them.
It was ugly, disproportioned, loud and uncomfortable. But somehow, this gawky, weird-looking rig found a soft spot in the hearts of American truckers.
It wasn’t pretty. But the GMC DUKW took the war to the Axis Powers during World War II — over both water and land.
The pugnacious Mack AC was tough, reliable and tenacious. It was in, in short, a Bulldog of a truck that became famous the world over.
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