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Paint job. Massive sleeper. Custom styling. Vintage semi truck. The owner-operator of this tractor is Kim Lavergne (or was… the pictures are somewhat older and I don’t know if Lavergne is still running the 1982 Peterbilt. If anyone knows more, or has more photos of this great truck, please share them with us).
The mural on the passenger side is of a monster trucking scene where the truck is landing on its rear wheels on a line of crushed cars. It’s guessed that this would be a very, very intricate and expensive mural extending from truck to sleeper on this custom cabover design.
Vehicle: 1982 Cab-over Peterbilt frame up restoration
Engine: 400B Caterpillar Diesel
Transmission: 15 Speed Overdrive with 4/11 Gear Ratio
Details: Sleeper has fridge, stove, shower and sleeps six. Trailer is custom built. Won awards for best double bunk cab-over, best paint, most outstanding truck.
Cabovers are a style some love, some don’t, are necessary in some trucking locations, aren’t in others. In Europe, for example, the cabover thing has a lot to do with truck size limitations.
For those in the debate, we’ll list some of the noteworthy pros of the cabover, as explained by cabover enthusiast David A Kolman at RoadKing.
“The wrap-around instrument panel and controls and doghouse (engine cowling or tunnel) gave the feel of a cockpit. Driving was a pleasure because the short wheelbase of cabovers allows for a shorter turning radii, which makes for easier maneuvering — especially in tight spots, backing and sharp turns. Another desirable: cabover rigs require less parking space.”
Kolman also likee the broader field of view that is due to the large windshield. He liked the “unobstructed visibility.” It also, he said, gave him more confidence when he was driving in avoiding accidents and driving safely.
Of comfort, the cabover advocate stated he thought the smaller space required by a cabover combined with its great maneuverability (tight turning radius because of a front wheel cut of up to 50 degrees, an this wheel works with the mid-axle back setting) would make it popular again, but he was “mistaken,” he said, because it hadn’t happened that way. Conventionals remain popular.
