The Peterbilt 281/351 was a line of semi-trailer trucks (big rigs) built by Peterbilt. It had a companion series, known as the Peterbilt 351, which looked identical to the 281, save its two driven tag axles. The 351 was still produced after the 281 was discontinued. It was very popular with truckers, but remained mainly unknown by the public until the release of Steven Spielberg's first feature film "Duel" in 1971. The basic design of the 281 made way for later truck models. The series ran from 1954 until 1976.
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The Peterbilt 281 was a companion series with the Peterbilt 351 from the line of Peterbilt big rigs. The truck emerged from Peterbilt's assembly plant in Oakland, California in 1954. It only has two small and round headlights.
Its most notable features were its narrow nose and butterfly hood, which made it extremely popular with truckers due to its easy access to the engine.
The 281/351 was most likely the most durable and popular series ever produced by Peterbilt. On top of that, the basic design made way for different models. Tilt cab-over-engine models were introduced in 1959. The series was produced until 1976.[1]
The release of Steven Spielberg's first feature film, Duel in 1971 made the 281 notorious to the public. The film's premise involved a psychotic trucker chasing a terrified motorist, played by Dennis Weaver, down a lonely California desert highway with a rusty, grimy 281. The suspenseful film was very popular with the public, making the truck extremely popular with collectors due to its eerie and mysterious design. Spielberg chose the truck after an "audition" of big rigs because he thought the truck's appearance from the front suggested a face, which was perfect for the film as the driver was never seen and he wanted viewers to see the truck itself as the villain.
Duel had four 281/351s purchased as "stunt rigs." The original was a 1955 281 with tag axle used for the original 74-minute version of the film. When the film was scheduled for a theatrical release, the film needed to be expanded to meet 90 minutes.
Spielberg had three more trucks identical to the first one purchased after the first was lost. The second was a 1964 351 from a different year, yet virtually similar to the original.
The third was a 1960 281 with tag axle for use in case the second truck failed; this is the surviving truck. It has also had its worn out tag axle replaced; because the axle replacement was done in such a way that both rear axles are driven, it is technically a 351 now. After the film, the only surviving truck was purchased several times, and is currently in possession of a truck collector in North Carolina.[2]
The fourth truck was a short-wheelbase 351 used in an episode of the CBS-TV series The Incredible Hulk titled "Never Give a Trucker an Even Break" from 1978, which like Duel was produced by Universal. The episode also reused stock footage from the original film, making Spielberg furious.