Peterbilt Motors Company is an American truck manufacturer. Established in 1939 from the acquisition of Fageol Truck and Motor Company, Peterbilt specializes in the production of heavy-duty (Class 8) and medium-duty (Classes 5–7) commercial vehicles. The namesake of company founder T. A. "Al" Peterman, Peterbilt has operated as part of PACCAR since 1958, operating alongside sister division Kenworth Truck Company (though serving as one of the longest-running marketplace rivalries in American truck manufacturing). Peterbilt trucks are identified by a large red-oval brand emblem, in use since 1953. The company also uses a "bird"-style hood ornament on conventional-cab trucks, in use since 1965. Headquartered in Denton, Texas, the company also manufactures trucks at PACCAR facilities in Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec, Canada and Mexicali, Mexico. History Background In the first third of the 20th century, transportation in the lumber industry remained time-consuming, as logs were primarily transported by steam tractors or horse teams. T.A. Peterman was a lumberman located in Tacoma, Washington seeking to modernize the transportation of logs, transporting them faster and more efficiently to lumber mills to manufacture plywood. In 1934, Peterman acquired 30,000 acres of forestland in Morton, Washington; instead of using railroads, he built roads and acquired a fleet of trucks, purchasing White Motor Company trucks surplused by the U.S. Army. For logging use, the former military vehicles underwent several refurbishments and modifications; along with upgrades to their durability, the trucks underwent a degree of modernization, notably replacing hand cranks with electric starters. Safety changes included the addition of air brakes and air-cooled (finned) brake drums. On a 1938 business trip in San Francisco, Peterman learned that Fageol Truck and Motor Company was to be sold. Seeking an opportunity to expand into new vehicle production, he acquired Fageol from Sterling Motor Company for $50,000, receiving the 13.5-acre Fageol plant in Oakland, California, its tooling, and parts inventory; the purchase was completed in 1939. 1939-1940s In 1939, the Fageol plant in Oakland opened for business as Peterbilt Motors Company. As part of the design process, Peterman and his company engineers sought input from truck owners and drivers on how to develop trucks; initially planning to develop chain-drive trucks for the logging industry, the company transitioned towards vehicles intended towards highway freight transport. In April 1939, Peterbilt released its first vehicles for public sale, the single-axle Model 260 (chain drive) and the tandem-axle Model 334 (shaft-drive); both vehicles were offered with either