International Harvester Transtar II: Big Red’s Big Rig

International semi listings on Tractor Zoom

I think I’ve said this before, but I’m a sucker for a Transtar II. When I was a little kid, we had one. It was blue with a little bass-boat flake in it. Our name was beautifully hand-painted on the door along with an apple and a cherry, since that’s primarily what we grew back then. My uncle John would haul our cherries up to a processor just south of Traverse City every evening for a few weeks in July, and I’d usually talk my way into the bunk a few times with my cousins Eric & Kevin. It was always a good time because we’d listen to Ernie Harwell & Paul Carey call the Tigers game on crackly AM radio. And thanks to Uncle John’s love of ice cream, we’d always stop at Jones’ for ice cream in Baldwin on the way up there.

Man, those were the days. Anway, I digress. That’s one reason why I’m a fan of the Transtar II.

Still, my feelings notwithstanding, there’s a lot of reasons that they were important trucks. So, let’s dig in to the history of these things a little bit, shall we?

Where it all started

IH has a long history with trucks–it’ll be 120 years in 2027. They built their first truck-shaped object in 1907, the Auto Wagon. In post-WWI years, they launched a full line of light and medium-duty trucks as well as schoolbuses. As they realized that this was a viable business line, they built plants in Fort Wayne and Ontario to keep up with production. From there, they continued to grow the line to include delivery trucks and much more.

Long-haul market takes shape

After World War II, International Harvester began moving into the over-the-road market, offering both conventional and cabover designs. The 1950s marked a pivotal point for the trucking industry as America embarked on building a nationwide interstate system. This massive infrastructure project revolutionized long-haul trucking, creating new demands and expectations for commercial vehicles.

Advent of the cabover

As the 1960s rolled in, the Department of Transportation (DOT) implemented overall length limits for trucks—typically capped at 55 feet without a permit. This regulation made cabover trucks increasingly popular with fleet operators, as the shorter cab length allowed for longer trailers, maximizing cargo capacity. To meet this growing demand, IH introduced the CO 4000 in 1965, marking the company’s first completely in-house cabover design. Unlike its predecessors, which were influenced by Diamond REO models, the CO 4000 was an all-Harvester creation.

Just three years later, in 1968, IH introduced the Transtar, followed by the Transtar II in 1974. While I’m not entirely sure how the sales numbers played out, one thing’s for certain—the Transtar II became a beloved and widely used truck among owner-operators and fleets alike. Ryder, TNT, JB Hunt, Navajo, Overnite, and Schneider all had pretty good-sized fleets back in the day and I’m sure there were more.

However, as quickly as the cabover had risen to popularity, it tailed off in similar fashion.

The death of the cabover

The mid-late seventies were definitely the glory days for the cabover, and International continued to ride that wave into the eighties, replacing the Transtar II with the more modern 9670 in 1981. In 1982, however, the Surface Transportation Assistance Act increased the maximum length for over the road semis. It set a limit of 48′ for a standard trailer with no overall limit, and it didn’t take long before conventionals like the W900 and the 359 began to rise in popularity.

It wasn’t just the DOT’s relaxing of restrictions, though. Despite my love of our Transtar II, not everybody loved ’em. With the short wheelbase, they rode like a jackhammer, they weren’t easy to get into, and they were cramped on a long-haul. Furthermore, they were kind of a pain to work on because while the cab flipped forward to allow access to the engine, they were never fully out of the way. I’ll be the first to admit that I never turned a wrench on one, so I never had to deal with any of that, but I remember bouncing up and down all the way to Traverse City and back. Do I still love ’em? Yes, but I can definitely see why they faded away.

I’ll say this, though; the decline of the cabover wasn’t like the flipping of a light switch. There were plenty of cabovers in use well into the 90s. However, as fleets aged out, conventionals replaced them. The last of the US-market International cabovers was built on May 5th, 1998. *Interesting footnote; although International doesn’t build or sell cabovers here in the states, I believe they’re still making them in New Zealand and South Africa. They’re sharp trucks, too!

At any rate, that’s a very quick rundown of the history of International’s cabovers. Every once in a while (like right now, for instance), we’ll see one listed on Tractor Zoom. So let’s talk about it.

The Transtar II you can bid on right now…

This rig lives in Yadkinville, North Carolina, about an hour west of Greensboro. It belonged to Nolan “Tractor” Brown, and by the looks of his collection up for auction, that nickname fits. I get the feeling we would’ve hit it off. Not just because he loved tractors, but because he seemed to be a car guy, too.

From what I can see, he leaned a little more toward the red side of things. So, if you’re a tractor guy who’s partial to red and needs a hauler, an International Transtar II makes perfect sense. Especially one with a nicely decked-out Kentucky drop frame trailer to protect your toys on the way to shows. That’s exactly how I’d do it if I were in his shoes.

This truck rolled off the line on September 21, 1976, which makes me wonder if it’s considered a ’76 or a ’77 model. Either way, it’s a fairly low- to mid-level spec truck. I wouldn’t be surprised if it started as a regional fleet truck before “Tractor” Brown got ahold of it. The inside is bare-bones—no armrest, vinyl spring-ride seats, vinyl over the engine hump, and a simple, non-woodgrain dash. Thankfully, it does have heat and AC.

The exterior features medium-sized aluminum fuel tanks and Dayton wheels, which were typical for a low- to mid-level fleet truck. The powertrain is straightforward, too. The small cam 855 Cummins (I think it’s a 290) is still sporting its red paint, which aligns with International’s practice of painting all their truck engines red until the early ’80s. Paired with a 10-speed Roadranger transmission, it’s built just like you’d expect.

What’ll it bring?

Honestly, I’m not really sure. I dug around in our Tractor Zoom Pro database and most of the Transtar II results we’ve got are for trucks that definitely weren’t this nice. Lots of $2-3000 trucks that didn’t run. This one is roadworthy and it looks good, plus it comes with a pretty nice trailer! I typically let the data do the talking, but quite frankly, we don’t have anything super-relevant here.

I will tell you that from where I’m sitting, it definitely wouldn’t take much to turn this rig into a very cool tractor pulling rig with some old-school cool class. The trailer looks to be in pretty good shape, and it’s got plenty of room for tools and stuff up front along with a hot farm and a side by side!

Either way, the bidding currently sits at $10K as of March 12, 2025. The auction wraps up on March 18th, and I’ll definitely be watching where this one shakes out!

Wrapping up

For years, Uncle John hauled fruit with International trucks. I wouldn’t swear to it, but I think there were four of them in total. He’s in a Kenworth now, and if I get the chance, I’ll talk my way into a ride hauling cherries next time we get back home to visit!

Until next time, take care, and go do something cool with an old semi if you’ve got one!

International Transtar & Transtar II listings on Tractor Zoom