Curbside Cabovers: Long Haul COEs Still in Use

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– Posted on September 6, 2024

In the United States today, cab-over-engine long haul trucks are basically non-existent. COEs thrive in the light duty commercial truck market and manage to hang on in the medium duty sector. However, the American COE long haul truck was nearly dead long before the last Freightliner Argosy was sold here.

These elusive space saving machines are long gone from even the most low turnover fleets by now, kept alive only by a handful of dedicated owner-operators. Yet I managed to find this spotlessly clean COE Freightliner still working hard as a filming crew support rig in Atlanta.

The storied history of Freightliner’s COE series is remarkably poorly documented on the internet, but I’m going to call this a late 80s FLB with the short sleeper cab. That model is distinguishable by the thin split windshield and lack of a lower grille insert. The quad rectangular headlamps suggest a late production example.

I’ve seen this particular head turning COE around for as long as I can remember. The filming industry is prominent in Atlanta; as such, it’s always out and about. Here it is seen at home base alongside its mostly-Freightliner friends.

This particular Freightliner FLB has had the hitch relocated to a chassis extension mounted behind the rear tandem axles. This allows the trailer to clear the large generator mounted behind the cab. My best explanation for this truck’s continued existence in a busy fleet and highly demanding industry is the high cost of the modifications it has received.

I dug up this years old photo I remembered taking of these generator trucks’ fascinating frame extensions. Aside from these ever-present support rigs, I’ve never seen a frame extension treated this way. Notice the versatile pintle hitch.

But wait, that’s not the same truck! This Kenworth K100 is much less frequently seen but does still work for a living. I could only find one other K100 on the internet with this distinctive fog light bumper on the internet. With that lead on a model year gone, I will once again have to default to merely “late 80s.”  This guess aligns well with the last gasp of COE long haul trucks in the mainstream.

Comparing the Kenworth and Freightliner, the K100 features a unique four-part wraparound windshield made from flat glass. The rivets on the less sculpted cab are fewer and further spaced as well. The main similarity here is their identical modifications to suit the demands of the film industry.

Here’s something a bit different. This Kenworth K100 is a relatively rare rigid box truck with a day cab. It was spotted here working as a mobile catering kitchen. This unusual machine hasn’t passed me by in a year or two and it’s looking a bit worse for wear in this photo. I fear it may have been finally put out to pasture.

I theorize that the high cost of conversion is the culprit behind these outdated machines soldiering on in this niche industry. All of them have had incredibly specialized modifications to suit the particular logistical challenges of film shoots. Every detail of these rigs is optimized for ease of use and space efficiency.

Finally, this faded green Peterbilt 362 from a different equipment rental outfit rarely makes public appearances. Does that make it semi-retired?

Unlike the previous Kenworths and Freightliners, this example has the older style dual round sealed beams up front. This effectively caps the build date at the early 80s, making this rig even more unusual to spot still working for a living. Later 362s also eliminated the middle split from the windshield but kept the curved wraparound side pieces separate.

Eventually, these dinosaurs will go fully extinct from fleets in the United States. I still find it truly remarkable that this gaggle of COE support vehicles has managed to hang on through decades of reliable service.