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Plywood manufacturer Theodore A. Peterman (c. 1893-1945) bought the ailing Fageol Motors Co. of Oakland, CA in 1938 from Waukesha Motor Company and the Central National Bank of Oakland, CA. Peterman rechristened the firm "Peterbilt" and set about producing chain-driven heavy trucks specially designed to assist in his logging operations. T.A. Peterman developed the company's reputation for building high-quality trucks, but died in 1945, and his wife, Lida A. (born c. 1895), sold its Oakland manufacturing facility to the firm's seven top managers, but retained title to the land on which it stood. She decided to evict the company in the late 1950s and build a shopping center on the property, leaving the owners of the firm without a factory. Instead of borrowing to build a new plant, Peterbilt's owners sought to sell the company to a better capitalized buyer. Paul Pigott (1900-1961), President the Pacific Car and Foundry Company, owner of Kenworth Trucks, negotiated the purchase on 06/24/1958. Breaking ground in 1959, Pigott's firm undertook the construction of a 176,000-square-foot plant completed by 08/1960. Since 1958, PACCAR has owned both the Kenworth and Peterbilt brands.

PCAD id: 17677