Which tractor?

I would drive either brand if they are newish and well maintained. My experience was Peterbilts were more reliable, rougher riding, but parts were harder to get and more expensive. 1990s Peterbilts had the turn radius of an aircraft carrier so if there is lots of backing you better know how to back well. Maybe that has changed. I haven't driven a Pete in decades, but my last truck was a new 2021 KW T680 13-speed. My KW had no problem backing. KW and Pete are both Paccar brands.

Freightliners were easy to get parts for (I think they are about 70% of semi-trucks on the road), but they are cheaply built and full of safety features. They have ridiculous fues panels hidden behind the glove box that come with a rainshield over the fuse panel because water drips from the roof lights or windshield in many trucks. I drove a Freightliner for 3 years doing HazMat tanker and was happy with it, other than backing and automatic with a trailer full of liquid. Someone here gave me the suggestion to turn off Hill Start Assist when backing otherwise the truck will only back by going faster than I wanted or back and stop and back and stop at low throttle due to the liquid surge.

I would want to drive each candidate before I decided and the interior and convenience features might settle the issue for me. I'm not generally a truck snob. I have no strong preference about brands. I drove a Volvo for the most years and loved them, but you better accept you will always have some minor electrical issues while you ride on the cloud and have tons of interior space and quiet ride.

 

Close your eyes and point...there all junk

 

They're all going to be trouble, so go with the newest one you can afford.

 

Go with newer. You'll have or should have some type of factory warranty left.

Take for a test drive.

Make sure axle seals don't leak. I know one dealer that was very thorough on cleaning detail to make sure all leaks were washed away.

You can pull the oil dipstick out to test for blowby.

 

Are you a company driver, or an owner operator? If you have a choice, look for a truck with a manual transmission.

 

Drove a friend’s Peterbilt 389 which is 30” longer wheelbase than my 95 W900L.

I could make turns with the late model Pete in places I had to back up with my shorter truck….

 

Thanks for updating me.

 

Petes have always turned better