Ford LNT 9000 Tractor

Prototype Information

Introduced in 1970, the Ford LNT 9000 was the flagship of the Louisville Line, a series of heavy-duty trucks manufactured at Ford’s dedicated Kentucky Truck Plant. The LNT designation identified it as a Louisville series truck with a short-hood conventional cab (N) and tandem rear axles (T). It revolutionized the Class 8 market with its front-hinged, full-tilt fiberglass hood, which offered mechanics unprecedented engine access, and a cab designed with a focus on driver ergonomics. Powered by massive diesel engines from Cummins, Caterpillar, and Detroit Diesel, the LNT 9000 quickly became a ubiquitous sight on American highways as a reliable, blue-collar workhorse for fleets and owner-operators alike.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the LNT 9000 evolved to meet changing industry demands, eventually spawning the aerodynamic AeroMax line to improve fuel efficiency. Despite the model’s massive success and reputation for durability, Ford decided to exit the heavy-truck industry in the late 1990s to refocus on its light-duty passenger vehicles. In 1997, Ford sold its heavy-truck division to Freightliner, which rebranded the Louisville designs under the Sterling nameplate. Though production under the Ford badge ceased in 1998, the LNT 9000 remains a cultural icon of the American trucking industry, with many units still serving as dump trucks and farm haulers today.