Yellow Buying More than 1,200 Peterbilt Model 579 Trucks

Yellow Corp. is refreshing its fleet with an order of 1,222 Peterbilt Model 579 trucks, the largest single-year order Peterbilt has ever had of trucks spec’ed exclusively with a Paccar powertrain.

The less-than-truckload carrier worked directly with the Peterbilt Sales Engineering team to spec the trucks for their various needs, Yellow chose multiple configurations of the Model 579 Day Cab equipped with the Paccar MX engine and Paccar TX-12 transmission (formerly known as the Paccar Automated Transmission.)

“I’m thrilled to provide this brand-new equipment to our drivers and buy it from a great American company. We are proud to refresh and modernize much of our fleet,” said Yellow Chief Executive Officer Darren Hawkins in a news release.

In the first quarter of 2021, Yellow took delivery of more than 1,100 tractors, 1,600 trailers and 140 containers. Last year, then-YRC received a $700 million loan under the CARES Act, under a provision meant to help businesses critical to national security. As part of the deal, the U.S. Treasury got a 29.6% equity stake in the company. The Treasury Department said YRC provides 68% of LTL services to the U.S. Department of Defense.

The new equipment is coming off Peterbilt’s Denton, Texas assembly line daily and is making its way to Yellow facilities and drivers across the country, according to Yellow. Its Dallas distribution center is among the first Yellow facilities to receive the new tractors.

Yellow, formerly YRC Worldwide, encompasses five brands: Holland, New Penn, Reddaway, YRC Freight, and HNRY Logistics. Together they control about 10% of the LTL market.

The company changed its name late last year, saying the company has not been pursuing the global breadth it did when it adopted the YRC Worldwide name in 2006. Under the new name, Yellow is embarking on an ambitious network optimization project with the goal to be able to provide one-to-three-day service in its regional lanes and transcontinental service by long-haul YRC Freight.

“This is much needed and rolling off the Peterbilt assembly line at just the right time,” said Yellow Vice President of Equipment Joe Sturtz in a statement. “Pristine equipment will strengthen customer service and reduce downtime. The new tractors and trailers are more fuel efficient with industry-leading fuel economy standards. That is essential for cost savings while helping to ensure that we are good stewards of the environment.”

The Peterbilt 579 Day Cabs ordered by Yellow also include safety features such as collision mitigation, advanced lane-departure technology, and infrared exterior lighting.

“Using technology to support safe driving enables us to create an environment that is beneficial for our drivers and the motoring public,” said Yellow Vice President of Safety Tamara Jalving in a news release. “Combined, these features are essential components of our overall safety strategy which will now match our award-winning drivers with the best equipment on the road.”

Greg Dam, a 35-year veteran of Yellow with over 1.5 million miles without a preventable accident, was one of the first drivers to receive a new truck on behalf of the Yellow team when he visited Peterbilt’s plant located in Denton, Texas. Plant Manager Tina Albert presented Dam the keys to his new Model 579 and he drove the truck off the assembly line.

Although Peterbilt recently introduced the New Model 579, the bulk of the Yellow order is the current Model 579, Peterbilt spokesman Tim Olson told HDT in response to a question.

Earlier this year, Peterbilt General Manager Jason Skoog told HDT that production of the current Model 579 will be ramped down this summer as the New Model 579 production ramps up.