Why Long Hood Trucks Are Disappearing In The Trucking Industry ☹ 

Hey there Driver. Thanks for stopping by to watch today's video. Well it's a sad day for me when I have to face the fact that long hood trucks will be disappearing off the highways, to be replaced with short hood rides. What's your take on this topic? Are you a LONG HOOD fan? Or as long as there's a steering wheel and all the basics, you're good to drive it? Love to hear your thoughts.

Hood trucks aren’t even that old school… the real old timers had cabovers

i’ll never sell my longhood until it becomes illegal to run pre 1999 truck. and even then , i will keep driving it until i get arrested and they take it away from me.

Curb sniffer?😂 We called them anteaters when they first came out.

The sharp turning radius is a HUGE improvement IMO. The old style trucks look better in every way but the places some of us have to go are just too tight for a long nose Pete or KW. I used to drive a w900l with a studio sleeper and i loved it but the freightliner i drive now makes my job much easier

Drove the 389 for years, 18 speed, tons of chrome, with 8 inch straight chrome stacks and one hell of a loud jake brake, Loved this truck but yes things are changing rapidly all to do with fuel economy and safety, Glad i'm near retirement, good old days are gone when trucking was pure unfiltered trucking on paper logs to boot ! happy trucking, cheers from Calgary Alberta

In my second year of trucking, I was a assigned a '04 W900, C15 13spd. Maybe a little too much truck for me at the time, but I adapted and it made my skills improve much quicker. Driving & backing in LA was challenging to say the least. Every other truck felt like driving a minivan in comparison after that..

I prefer the long hood all day. I also prefer the much simpler powertrain, that isn't addicted to DEF, all the other exhaust garbage, and "automated" transmissions. The newest engine control system I ever want to deal with is DDEC IV. The newest engine I care about fooling with is a Series 60.

Love long hooded anything, tractors, transports and cars. Something about a long hood just looks so sharp.

I will miss the long hoods. The 379’s & 389’s are my favourites but I like the older Freightliner Classics. Thanks for another good video, Dave. Cheers.

Although, every word of this makes total sense, I honestly believe, these days, it’s all about getting more drivers into the industry. And the easiest way to do that is sloped hoods, small steering wheels and automatic transmissions.

The curb sniffer is much easier for me to drive. I work primarily as a mechanic and only drive as a fill in. The newer short hoods are designed so that a newer driver can feel more comfortable faster. Turning radius and maneuverability is so much better. I think trucking companies are telling truck manufacturers to make it close to driving a car as possible. That way they can justify paying less at some places. Automatic curb sniffers take a lower skill level to drive than a manual long hood.

Ive driven both and i prefer the old trucks. It just takes a bit of getting used to driving the older ones but the power and the safety is unbeatable

Man I'm a fan of the hoods for the longest time and to see them go away is going to kill me. I've been in the industry for 40 something years. Ugh

Driving the spare truck today, a ‘curb sniffing’ Columbia, and the fact of a moose coming over the bonnet was my exact thought when I took it! Cheers from Newfoundland!

They are beautiful but the curb sniffers are way more practical for visibility and turning radius

I’m glad I retired when I did! Being a truck mechanic on these short nose trucks are a PTA! Almost impossible to get to anything at the rear of the engine!

What I'd like to know is why they started putting sloped hoods on farm tractors. This is one of the stupidest things I've seen yet. I love the trucks and tractors of the 60's and 70:s nice long narrow hoods on everything. Good looking machines. I sure miss them. I'm driving a curb sniffer truck these days, but I don't much care anymore. I've driven the cool stuff, but I'm pushing 60 now, and ease and comfort is the ticket for me. If I want to look cool, I'll take my street rod for a spin.

I have an uncle who hit a moose in Northern Ontario...with a cab over! Peeled the roof off the truck and part of the trailer and stood up and walked away! Moose are a TOUGH animal you DONT want to meet up with in anything that isn't bigger than them! consider, even Grizzly Bears don't mess with them unless they're desperate.

It's sad they are going into the truck museums, these new ones are looking uglier they don't even look like trucks anymore.

They do belong in a truck show. The 4-5 mpg thing can’t be economically ran sure they look good and that’s where the advantages stop

Most newbie drivers can't drive long hood trucks let alone anything bigger than a 10 speed, they have better visibility with those curb sniffer trucks along with 20 mirrors and they still manage to run over cars or trucks next tl them on the road or parked in a truck stop. A good driver can overcome just about all those things you mentioned other than fuel milage.

After I retired from motor freight I bought a 2010 389 and it was the best snow and ice rig I'd ever been in. You're spot on about those blind spots.

I got rid of my cat powered 379 Pete years ago.. I immediately went from 6mpg to 9.5mpg @ 35k lbs with a brand new 2020 Cascadia. Pete’s are absolutely beautiful, but $$ became more important as I get closer(2 more years to retirement)as a driver. Miss that Pete a lot though. I’ll never lose the love for long nose Pete’s, KW’s and Freight Shaker classics. Great vids sir.. from Orlando, Fl

Thank you. Very informative.

Long square hoods dominate the ag/livestock sector due to wide open space, need to be able work on them easily out in the boonies and aerodynamics aren’t as important when you are putting around on back roads

Old retired Geezer from upstate New York. My 1989 289" wheel base KW t600 with a 100" self contained sleeper was a great set. 12000# on steer axle bob tail. Drove like it was on rails. Afew years later We upgraded to a KW w900 studio. which was a nice truck.We came across a 96 t600 aerocab at a super price.We said good bye to the w900. Fell in love with the DD 430's power and fuel mileage ! The aerocab comfort is unmatched. Stay safe!

Word from our boss man, he attempted to buy 15 W-9’s and Kenworth refused the order saying no more W-9’s, 680’s, 880’s or W-990’s only. He also went to Pete and tried to order 15 389’s and was told 389X’s only or 567’s, 579’s. Also, there now seems to be a 7K premium on manuals….

I run a1980 k100, got my license the same year. Best truck I ever drove, we started together we're going retire together

I'm with you on the long hoods! I respect you for your content and time spent on videos, quite an investment! As someone who likes to drive in snow, however, I would like to point out that you didn't mention the fact that the longer the wheelbase -the less tendency to kick out / slide/ jackknife, ( at least more time to react?), the trade-off however of course is the shorter wheel bases are easier to get unstuck, IMHO.

Stay safe neighbor, love it up there in Canada, can't wait for my next visit. Will miss those beautiful old long hood Peterbilt trucks someday much like I miss the look of the old cabovers.

Good Stuff,Great Tips😄👍🏿

❤ ya! Thanks for the info. 👍🏾

Very good explanation.

Excellent communication skills, very informative.

Visibility was pretty good in my restored 1964 Pete needle nose. Too bad cabovers have horrible aerodynamics. Best visibility of all, and no wildlife will come over the hood.

Its mostly for fuel and idiots thank cant drive and automatic trucks egr eld I grew up with twin sticks 22spds 18spds 15spds these new drivers can't even drive a 10spd so trucking is going to crappp

I started driving in the early 90s - FLD-120 “Condo” with a Cummins N-14 and 10-Speed. “Old Timers we’re bad-mouthing those newfangled “electronic” engines and revering the mechanical “Big Cam” Cummins and “Kitties”. Now they are speaking fondly of those old N-14s and Series 60 Detroits and that old FLD-120 is highly desirable now! I drove one on occasion on my last job. Series 60 turned up to about 500 HP with a “Super-10” that was geared to own the hammer lane! My favorite truck to drive was an old W900 KW. That would be my dream truck!

I've never been a fan of long hoods, especially in the city.

Ya I've been a fan also of the long nose also! Every time I see one I'm at awe especially when they are clean!! I don't think I will ever be able to drive one tho as I have manual restrictions and I think they are all or mostly manual. It really wasn't my choice to just take automatic as I was on a time limit and my school didn't want to put the effort into teaching us manual. But I do eventually wanna retake the test and get my manual when I get time!!!

LOVE THE LOOK OF THE LONG HOOD AS WELL AS THE CAB OVERS BC IT BRING ME BACK TO WHEN I WAS A LITTLE BOY AND YOU COULD STILL SEE CABOVERS ON THE ROAD IN THE EARLY 90S

For me it's parking, most truck stops are a bit tight and don't even get me started on old docks and rest areas.

Sounds like the drivers who prefer long hood trucks are going to experience what us cabover fans went through several years ago.(although I do still own a year 2000 Kenworth K100 Aerodyne cabover). Looking at the trucks of other countries, makes me wonder if the cabover will make a comeback in North America as well. I would love to see KW's K200 model (as seen in Australia) available here in the U.S.

Been driving long hoods for a long time also drove some bubble trucks, my choice is long hood. Drivers today are afraid of 379 type trucks, more work to drive them , today’s drivers want it easy no thinking required. Now have 98 T800 with a Bull Bar, a must for nighttime driving. I think the w900 types will be around for a long time especially in local, heavy haul and aggregate.

Very informative!

Great video !

We just bought our rv and drove it cross country. All the smoothed aero trucks would gently move my rv when they passed but long hoods didn’t upset the air at all . Not all rvs are the same but it kinda surprised me .

Same thing happened to me coming down the 17 near Marathon. Big dumb moose was getting ready to cross when I drove past.

I’m currently in a Mack Anthem. Day cab on a sleeper frame. It takes a 40 acre field to do a u turn in it. Even pulling a tanker 😂 I wish we had a 389 or W900.

Great Video sir

Enjoyed the video Dave

What part of "Long Hood" makes a better business model? Nothing. Not one thing. I have run cable operated dozers. Took real men to run them ( literally, they make your right arm bigger than Popeye's!). Many said they were better.....but they were not. You get much more work done with quiet, efficient machines. Like Plastic trucks....

I preference this with; I’m not a driver, though I did get my CDLs and endorsements, but no one ever hired me. No drugs, no alcohol, no violations, etc. Dunno I think a notable difference in long hood versus road sniffers, is metal versus fiberglass.

Started out in cabovers and then went to Freightliner FLD before going to Century and Columbia, Cascadia etc. Best highway ride was a Classic XL I drove for a buddy of mine. That forward axle was great on the highway but it turned like an aircraft carrier compared to the others lol. Sad to see them on their way out.

Dave I hate to see that leave. I’ve always liked the long hood truck. The curve sniffers we’re damned ugly. 😎😎😎👍👍👍

my uncle had a 1990 Peterbilt 379 Daycab (i don't remember the wheelbase), in the log woods when backing up if the driver turn the wheels to full turn the tires would cut ditches in the dirt! so i think it had a good turning radius.

I’m not even a trucker but I enjoy these uploads from all the truckers. I’m just glad my industry isn’t the only one that’s turned to shit over the years😂😂😂

My dad called them "Anteaters".🤣

This is why I'll NEVER get rid of my 379 & Classic XL...unlike these steering wheel holders, some of us real truck drivers/owners can actually drive our trucks with no issues.

I remember long ago going to Chicago to deliver and when I got there I found customers dock area was very old made back when we had 40 ft trailers and now my trailer was 53 ft with a 379 Pete. You talk about fun.yeah.

Not too long ago, I saw a 1988 long hood flat top Pete with a mechanical cat for sale for 100k it looked great and very well taken care of.. I wish I had the means to buy it because like you said.. They'll be hard to find in 10 years or so. Kinda gives me anxiety seeing trucking changing so much.

Im a retired driver from a 30 year stint mostly otr and pretty much agree with you yet I always preferred extended straight hood tractors (KW & Pete.) That being said with all the safety advances in aerodyne and set back axle tractor's the main factor in improving the trucking industry is the driver. Trucking was in my blood and I ride with my dad & uncle's as a youngster. After a stint in the Army I started out working for an uncle, got valuable experience and eventually became an o/o. Trucking is not for everyone and when the heavy manufacturing, auto and steel industry started to leave the North American continent, along with deregulation, the industry started to heavily recruit unemployed factory workers who venture into trucking for the money yet the good money was gone. The driving schools popped on the scene by the 1000's and undertrained people who had no business driving trucks otr or local. The schools trained students on flat surfaces with no weight and were in it for the money because hundreds of non union, truckload common carriers were hiring by the droves. What transpired was people being brought into the industry that had no clue on how to be a road warrior. Not all but many couldn't mile marker from a rest stop sign. No road etiquette, no mechanical skills, no backing or shifting skills. If it wasn't for the synchronized transmission and auto trans they wouldn't have been able to perform period. I started on 1977 Ford LTL 9000 with a 5x4 trans, Detroit 8v71 with air assist steering. Backing that rig up in a tight hole was like curling 40 pound dumbbells but it made me a better driver. These class room drivers are also a big part of why the disappearance of the classic long nose is a endangered vehicle. Also never had GPS, cell phones, microwaves, and the creature comforts of lately, but looked forward to the hot coffee, good greasy T/S food and pretty waitress just like Johnny Cash sang about in "All I Do Is Drive."

Peterbuilt already said they’re doing away with the 389. No more long hoods, period.

Well Dave, Cadillacs, Chevys, Buicks, also used to have fins! Actually, my short nose trucks, both city and sleeper cab, are about 9000 pounds with no trailer connected. With the fifth wheel all the way back, it really Doesn’t put that much more weight on the drive axle. With a heavy load, it gets up there around 12,000 pounds, if I move the 5th wheel forward. The banning waystation officer has told me that the steer axle is actually a 20,000 pound axle, as long as each tire is rated at 10,000 pound capacity or greater. By the way, I was not receiving a ticket or an inspection, I had just pulled in on some other nonsense business, and asked the officer a few things just to clear it up for me

Driven both. Currently a curb sniffer ProStar. Not too terrible. Tanker yank with it. ISX and a Fuller 10. Own a '67 Diamond T for a weekend toy. It's a set back steer axle and a long hood. Strange old bird. 6 wheeler so don't jab the binders too hard bobtail. Better be up on the wheel. The CAB is where it's at. I don't miss the old (pre 2005) PACCAR cab at all. These new cabs keep getting better and better. HVAC and NVH are much better. Having said all that, if it has the yellow motor, I will make exceptions, 10-4..

Curb sniffer ! Good one, never heard that. We called 'em aardvarks

I for one like the low sweeping hood on the t 660 I drive now, I like the extra visibility it gives me while I’m driving, and the short turning radius, I don’t set on the floor with a 6 foot gear shifter.

I had spent a number of years around companies that hauled steel and pre formed concrete so 270 WB were needed. Some long WB trucks are a throw back, some seem longer than needed but are reminiscent to me. Whether practical or not, they do look cool!

just bought a 379 with a cat c15. she's taking me into retirement

Long Hood lover here too!! Better ride and safer I believe. Have you seen the new Petebilt "Super Truck"??? Barf.

Old army guy here. I hit a moose one time in Gagetown New Brunswick in what we called an MLVW which replaced the deuce and 1/2 back in the mid-80's and 90's. I was only doing about 30-40 mph in the training area, came around a corner and there it was too late to stop so I hit it broad-side. I think I knocked it off balance more than knocked it over by the force of my truck. Thing got up and wandered off into the woods. Had a hard time explaining that dent in the bush guard when I took it back to the transport sergeant, but luckily for me there was a bit of its fur in the grill. Saved me from peeling potatoes for a while! Moose or elk up here are no joke.

I enjoy your videos. Question, why are owner operators allowing these spot rate brokers to starve us out if a job? I don't get it.

No body understands just how big the murder horse is till you actually see one..scared the crap out of me too. Murder horse was in the middle of the road just daring my pete to come have a go if you think your metal enough,me and pete agreed the road belongs to him/her and we just waited it out with me hoping a .45acp was enough if the murder horse decided I had a pretty mouth.

Honestly, I saw this coming years ago as the development and engineering of the shorter hood and curb sniffer trucks progressed and I agree that some inhancements to these trucks have made them better but for me as far as looks, nothing looked better on the open road than an extended hood Pete or KW. Just had that crisp sharp look and for me nothing could compare to the ride of an extended hood Pete 359 or 379.

This "Cab Forward" design I really don't like. The next thing you'll know, is that we'll be all driving GMC Cannonballs again. Thanks for the vid. Drive safe. 🤠

I’ve never driven a long hood truck before, but I do drive a curb sniffer. I think if i did have experience with a long hood truck, and I wanted to try and describe the difference to a non-trucker… I would say it would be like switching from a boxy 1980’s station wagon (Chevy Caprice) to a 1990’s “dust buster” minivan (Chevy Lumina).

I love them!

If your biggest concern is moose, I'm sure somebody makes a 'bull bar' or maybe in this case a 'moose bar' that would greatly lower the risk of having a moose in your front seat. And yet over in Europe, they still have cab over trucks. Never figured that one out......

My son got a quote for a 389X $308,000 CDN thats crazy just to have numbered truck with a little extra trim

I started driving in 1982. After going on summer trips in the 70’s on dads cab over Pete. Drive cab over Freight shaker GMC Astro, Inter 9670, had my 359 377 379. Now at the end of my career I’m in a Inter ProStar drives like a cab over.

A lot of the "curb sniffers" aren't actually that low at the grill. Volvos and Pete 579s are as tall as I am (6'4"), so I'm not anymore worried about hitting a moose with them than with a 389. But newer aero models with a setback front axle are a lot more maneuverable. And depending on how you are loaded, getting a full load on the steer axle can be a pain, or impossible, no matter how far ahead you move the fifth wheel. There's no question that the long-nose conventional is more aesthetically pleasing. But from a business point of view, I'd be shopping for a more aerodynamic truck. And from a comfort perspective, the new Paccar cab is way more comfortable than the old one - especially if it's a daycab.

like the manual trans....WERE DOOMED!

Here in Australia about the only place you see long hood trucks now is outback road trains. The semi market here is otherwise totally dominated by cab-overs.

I LOVE the look of the long hoods, but I DO prefer the visibility that comes with the curb sniffers! 20+ year's I've been jammin gears, I've drove a LOT of trucks & the long nose are ALWAYS my favorite ride! HOPEFULLY in 10 more years I'll be able to retire comfortably!

As a European I think it's great what american truck manufacturers are doing with preserving the old truck styling, that's basically what a american truck is what those brand's are about, their classics, I gotta agree with you its a sad thing, a thing you see for instance with western star and Mack trucks is that they design their New drop nose trucks with a kinda old look but it'll never be like the Long hood trucks, but for sure long hood trucks look the best that's why american trucks are the most known truck's in the world, a big hood is what makes a truck a big truck

I always called the ones with sloped hoods "anteaters".

Cool story bro

The premise of this video is just a hot take. Even in 10 years, there will still be a contingency of drivers that will continue purchasing longhoods, whether new or used. Not only is there currently a decent amount of long hoods on the roads, Peterbilt and Kenworth won't just stop manufacturing the W9 and 389's replacement, which will presumably be a long hood.

Seam's like everything great that made America what it once was is going away

This would be a lot better with some photographs of examples of what you are talking about re truck types.

Can you do video of the diesel shoratge I new and heard couple views don't know what to believe

Out with the old stuff and in with new improvement stuff.

I’m not getting ride of mine. I have a 2004 379 and it’s done good. When I’m asked “well it’s about time to trade it in” I simply tell them newer is not all ways better. It’s really not these new trucks don’t last and are hard to rebuild compared to the old cast iron motors

I tell ya what my dream truck is the w9 someday soon.

I’ve owned a curb sniffers and a set back axle are pain the ass to work on the back end of the motor like turbo ,starter ,exhaust and egr cooler systems and ride like abron😊

I love long hood trucks all day, Peterbilt and Kenworth , but in todays trucking places where I go, the curb sniffer is preferable. Driven them all, Peterbilt is still at the top of its game.

Should do a video on benefits of tbe long hood

I disagree with curb sniffers I have never been over 10800 on steers . Hoods are great but cool doesn't make anymore money

Does that mean that cab over engine trucks , like Europe uses and we used to use before 1982 might eventually come back ?

Square hood trucks are a hold over from when you needed a bigger engine to get bigger power. Don’t need a big square hood to fit the engine in anymore and the benefits you mentioned are vastly more important than looking cool