The Peterbilt 386 of 2005 was the company’s answer to buyers who wanted aerodynamic economy but not a wide-body cab. It fitted the hood of the 387 to the traditional 1100-series cab, with external air cleaners, in a 126-inch bumper-to-back-of-cab body.
Peterbilt 386 at a glance
| Maker | Peterbilt Motors Company (PACCAR) |
|---|---|
| Production | 2005–2015 |
| Class | on-highway, Class 8 |
| Layout | conventional cab |
| Hood | aerodynamic hood of the 387 |
| Cab | traditional 1100-series, without external air cleaners |
| BBC | 126 inches |
| Related | 384, a 116-inch version introduced in 2007 |
| Role | more direct successor to the 377 |
History of the Peterbilt 386
The 386 was introduced in 2005 as a more direct successor to the 377 than the 387 had been. The 387 had brought a wide-body cab shared with the Kenworth T2000, which not every buyer wanted; the 386 offered the same aerodynamic hood on the familiar 1100-series cab, deleting the external air cleaners that the 387 carried. The result was a truck that looked traditional from the cab back and modern from the front.
A 126-inch bumper-to-back-of-cab body was the only length, and in 2007 Peterbilt added the 384, a 116-inch version for buyers who needed a shorter truck. The pair covered the middle of the highway range while the 389 handled the long-hood work and the 387 and 587 took the wide-body aerodynamic market.
The 386 stayed in production until 2015, when Peterbilt consolidated its highway range around the 579, the new aerodynamic tractor introduced in 2012. By then the 1100-series cab had been in service since 1972, and the 386 was one of its last applications on a new model.
Design and features
- Mixed design: the aerodynamic 387 hood on the traditional 1100-series cab.
- 126-inch body: one length, sized between the short 385 and the long-hood 389.
- No external air cleaners: the cab kept a cleaner look than the wide-body 387.
- Short sister: the 384 of 2007, with a 116-inch body.
Peterbilt 386 versions
- 386 (2005–2015): the standard 126-inch model.
- 384 (from 2007): 116-inch version of the same truck.
- 387 and 587: the wide-body aerodynamic models it was designed to complement.
The wide-body model whose hood it used is the Peterbilt 387, and the long-hood flagship of the period is the 389. The shorter truck in the range is the 385; more in the Peterbilt collection.
Video: Life on the Road: ’09 Peterbilt 386 Interior
Video by 1776Filmz on YouTube.
Sources
- Peterbilt, English Wikipedia: 2005 launch, 387 hood and 1100-series cab, 384, end of production
- List of Peterbilt vehicles, English Wikipedia: production years, 126-inch BBC, 384 relationship
