The Peterbilt 349 of 1980 was a light highway tractor built alongside the vocational 348. It was the first Peterbilt highway truck with a sloped nose, and it came with a wider grille than the 348, with a set-back front axle available as an option.
Peterbilt 349 at a glance
| Maker | Peterbilt Motors Company |
|---|---|
| Production | 1980–1987 |
| Class | on-highway, Class 8 |
| Type | light-GVWR highway tractor |
| Hood | slightly sloped, the first on a Peterbilt highway truck |
| Grille | wider than the 348 |
| Front axle | set-back option available |
| Variant | 349H with a straight hood |
| Family | 348/349 |
History of the Peterbilt 349
The 349 arrived in 1980 as an addition to the 348/349 family. The 348 was the vocational truck, designed for cement mixers and dump work, and the 349 was the highway tractor built on the same ideas but intended for lighter loads and road haulage. Its slightly sloped hood was a first for a Peterbilt highway truck, and it is the detail by which the model is usually identified.
Visually the 349 carried a wider grille than the 348 and could be ordered with a set-back front axle, which moved weight rearward and improved the turning circle. A variant called the 349H was offered with a straight hood for buyers who preferred the older look.
The 349 was short-lived. Peterbilt was revising its whole range in the mid-1980s, and in 1986 the 378 replaced both the 348 and the 349 in the vocational line. The company then moved to a fully aerodynamic highway tractor with the 377 and 375, where the sloped nose of the 349 had been only a first step.
Design and features
- Sloped nose: the first Peterbilt highway truck to have one, a sign of the aerodynamic work that followed.
- Wider grille: the 349 was distinguished from the 348 by its larger grille area.
- Set-back axle: available as an option to improve weight distribution and manoeuvrability.
- Straight-hood option: the 349H for buyers who wanted the traditional look.
Peterbilt 349 versions
- 349 (1980–1987): the standard light highway tractor.
- 349H: same truck with a straight hood.
- 348: the vocational model of the same family.
The vocational partner is the Peterbilt 348, and the aerodynamic tractors that followed are the 377 and the 375. More in the Peterbilt collection.
Sources
- Peterbilt, English Wikipedia: 1980 addition to the 348/349 family, sloped nose, 349H
- List of Peterbilt vehicles, English Wikipedia: production years, class, grille and axle options
