Peterbilt
Kenworth
Mack
Freightliner
I see these big rigs on the I-10 every day. I have finally thought to ask here: What is the difference in these trucks? Why do owners/drivers choose one over the other? Is there brand loyalty? Big price differences? Anyone know the differences, if any?
Old truckers never die; they just get a new Peterbilt. Sorry, old bumper sticker that still makes me laugh. I would suspect that it’s largely a matter of brand loyalty just like Ford and Chevy lovers, but IANATD.
I remember Freightliner being the most common workhorse, and Peterbuilt was at the top. being able to carry heaver loads because of its "Engine in front of cap configuration. “Petercar” was the Cadillac of trucks.
Thats as I remember
By Cracky
My cousin drives a big rig. I know very little about them, but I know he just bought his own truck, a Freightliner Classic. He said he chose the Classic because his company won’t send Classics into New York City because of the turning radius. It’s also got more room in the cab(My God it’s huge) than some other trucks. When he was driving company trucks, I think he drove a lot of different kinds, but I know he drove both the Freightliner Classic and the Columbia. He said he liked both of them. I’d get him to post, but he refuses to get the internet.
-Lil
I think I’ve seen a couple of Volvo and Mercedes as well - what would be the reason for choosing these instead of an American truck?
Several years ago, I had a summer job with Western Star trucks (now owned by Freightliner). They built their trucks almost completely to the customer’s specifications. The customer wants a microwave in his sleeper compartment? No problem, they would design and build it for him. The customer wants the truck to be painted hot pink with flames? No problem (I actually saw one like this!).
Truckers spend a lot of time in their vehicles. Given that these trucks can cost as much as a small house, they should be as comfortable as one too. When you have to rely on your truck for your income, you need it to be a truck that can trust. This tends to lead to brand loyalty.
Just like cars, there are differences in the price, reliability, safety, construction materials, etc. between the manufacturers.
I believe only Peterbuilt/Kenworth and Ford are American owned. Mack is owned by Volvo (used to be Renault), Freightliner and Sterling by Mercedes (Diamler-Chrysler actually), I thought International was foreign owned but I’m not sure. I think those are the major brands in the US.
BJ of BJ and the Bear fame drove a Kenworth. 
We have two Peterbuilts and an old, junked Freightliner (I think). In our case, it was more what came with the business, although Cowboy already owned one of them before he bought that business. We haven’t bought any new; it was just a matter of what came along at a good price at the time.
But one of them makes a really neat smaller rig that’s good for pulling big horse trailers. Pity that I can’t remember which brand, but I could see ending up with one of those someday. Terribly brand loyal, aren’t we?
I believe Isuzu also makes a tractor rig. in fact, I found this list on a “big trucks” parts site:
How’s your Peterbuilt?
Of that list many I believe no longer manufacture and sell trucks in the US market. Of those who do, many are brands owned by larger trucking groups.
For example:
PACCAR - Kenworth, Peterbuilt, Leyland, DAF, Foden
Volvo - Volvo, Mack, Renault, Scania (looks like Scania is now owned by VW)
Daimler-Chrysler - Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Sprinter, Western Star, American LaFrance, Thomas, Sterling, Unimog
GVW - Autocar, UCBC, Workhorse
Not sure which brands Ford and GMC control.
I just got off the phone with my SO, the Western Star owner. His take is that it’s completely personal preference and price.
A driver can put the same engine into a Peterbuilt or Kenworth or the same rear end into a Freightliner or Western Star. A driver can specify wheel base and transmission and the number and type of chicken lights (those little orange lights on a truck).
Mack is completely different, he says - they have branded parts. If a headlight goes out on a Freightliner you can stop at the next truck stop for a replacement; if a headlight goes out on a Mack you have to go to a Mack dealer for a replacement. This a big reason that you see so few long-haul Macks on the highway, but lots of little Macks running around town. He thinks it’s the same with Isuzu and Mercedes, other truck lines that seems to specialize in “little” trucks.
Aeromate, AM General, American, Bering, Blue Bird, Brockway, Capacity, Chevrolet, Crown, Diamond Reo, Diamond T, Eagle, Elgin Pelican, Flxible, FMC, Ford, Freightliner, FWD, Gillig, GMC, Grumman Olson, Hino, HME, Holmes, International, Isuzu, Iveco, Kenworth, Kodiak, Mack, Marmon, Maxim, Mercedes-Benz, Mercury, Military, Mitsubishi, National, Oldsmobile, Oshkosk, Ottawa, Pierce, Pirsch, Scania, Sea Grave, Spartan, Sprinter, Stahl, Sterling, Thomas, UD (Nissan), Volvo, Western Star, White, & Workhorse.
Bluebird makes school busses.
Don’t know of any actual trucks made by bluebird.
I longed to own a chimp and drive a truck in the 80’s.
Truck trivia: Freightliner was started as Consolidated Freight Lines by Leland James, a trucker from Oregon, in 1929. Within a few years, his trucks became specifically designed to safely traverse the steep slopes of the Rockies, something which trucks from any other company of the time could not do.
"Was the dark of the moon, on the sixth of June
In a Kenworth, pullin’ logs
Cabover Pete with a reefer on
And a Jimmy haulin’ hogs…
…we got a mighty convoy
rockin’ thru the night…"