January 28, 2015 Vol. 12 No. 2

Let’s start the proceedings in San Francisco, never a bad idea, where the American Truck Dealers (ATD) recently announced the 2015 Truck of the Year at their 52nd annual cconvention. The winner? Kenworth’s T880 vocational truck with PACCAR MX-13 engine.

A panel of journalist judges selected the truck, says the ATD, “for its exceptional handling, power, torque and outstanding visibility from all quarters of the driver’s seat.”

Other finalists included the International WorkStar 7600 and the Peterbilt Model 567. All three of them are vocational machines.

The Workstar that was presented to judges sported Navistar’s own proprietary 13-liter engine (N13), nowadays with selective catalytic reduction. Said to be very light, the N13 delivers up to 475 hp and 1700 lb ft of torque.

With the Model 567, Peterbilt offered judges a compact 115-in. BBC, a 400-horse Cummins Westport ISX12G CNG engine, and an Allison 4000RDS transmission. 

Judging categories included innovation, design, safety, and driver satisfaction.