COE vs. conventional

Where have all the COE trucks gone? It used to be all I drove until I bought this 379. I miss the visibility and the tight turning. Are any manufacturers still making COE's? Are the new drivers even having the oppurtunity to drive a COE? I like my conventional, but the Mack, Peterbilt, and Kenworth COE trucks I used to drive were great riding, fun to drive, stylish trucks.

 

I started out in a beat up old Mack COE. Thing was a real pile, perpetually on it's last legs. Throttle had 2 position, off and on. If you wanted it to do anything your foot had to be buried in the mat. Rattled, knocked, smoked, gears were out on it. Ate tires because the frame was bent. Top speed was 65ish. But it earned me enough money to buy my first new truck. COE Pete, man that was a nice truck. Put a lot of hard miles on it, gave out jamming across Nevada, steer tire blew at 102mph. Put the truck on it's side. Total loss. After that i had to buy a used Kenworth COE, only one I could find available in my price range that I could get right away was pink. I called it the "Cooter Scooter". If you don't get it ask an adult... After that I bought a new Kenworth COE in 88. Ran that truck until I sold it after my last run in Septemeber 1990 when I quit trucking. Clocked 860,000 and change on the odometer. Man was that a good truck. Hauling a load of scrap iron through New Mexico, fully loaded with fuel I was tipping the scales at 85,000lbs when I go busted. Anyway under that kind of load she ran 125 through the new Mexico desert. Only way I know that is a Vette paced me and he told me when i stopped to fill up. Sure don't build em like that anymore. Those were the days...
Yeah, a chromed out COE is one cool truck. Saw a KW COE on that lame-o show "Trick My Truck". I think it's the episode where they're picking up Bible boy's Freightshaker and it's sitting next to it. Green, split windshield, classy looking.
I got to thinking the other day, if you built a COE the same length as a classic long nose conventional you could have one heck of a sleeper berth. I mean they're already 70+ inches with that long nose. Shoot, you could have a small apartment if you got rid of theat long nose.

 

Boy oh boy are those some nice rigs. Daddy just found a new desk top wallpaper. I got dibs on the pretty blue one.