First, a confession. I am a terrible passenger. My right foot is always pumping against the floor mat whenever I find myself riding shotgun. A knot forms in my stomach when someone takes anything other than my favorite route. When the Today's Trucking team carpooled to a trade show earlier this year, I was quick to reach for the keys before anyone else had the chance.
KIRKLAND, WA - Kenworth has unveiled several new and coming product enhancements, particularly to its lineup of day cabs, but has also announced that it will officially end production of the venerable T660. The company has sold 60,000 of that aerodynamic tractor since it was first introduced in 2007, essentially replacing the T600. A final 500 of the T660 cabs will be built this year until the last model rolls off the assembly line. Ongoing investments at Kenworth have included a new climactic wind tunnel.About 80% of the trucks that the company builds today are the T680 or its vocational sibling, the T880. The T680 itself accounts for about 60% of sales, with the T880 at just under 30%.
CHILLICOTHE, OHIO -- Most of Kenworth's trucks roll off the assembly line at Chillicothe, Ohio, so it was only fitting that the manufacturer showed off its 2017 lineup by rolling vehicles past the facility's front gates. Maybe "gliding" would be a better word. Enhanced fuel economy is clearly driving some of the most recent updates.
CHILLICOTHE, OH - Kenworth cabs are heading to new heights thanks to a second storey being added to a production facility in Chillicothe, Ohio. The $17-million building-on-building will soon hold painted parts like cabs and hoods, which to this point have been stored outside. Think of it as an automated vending machine for cabs, which are lifted into the space until being lowered back onto the line when they're needed. "That is to be commissioned in November to avoid another winter of having cabs in the snow," plant manager Judy McTigue said during a briefing to industry media today. "We'll have employees doing more value-added activity as opposed to tugging product around."
PHILADELPHIA, PA - Kenworth Truck Co. made a number of announcements in Philadelphia on Saturday, just before the start of the American Trucking Associations annual Management Conference and Exhibition while also saying its pulling out of a major trucking event next year.
LEDUC, AB -- Edmonton Kenworth recently opened a major, new full-service dealership with 42 service bays in Leduc, Alberta. The facility is on 16 acres at 8202 42nd Street near the Edmonton International Airport. It features an 111,500-square-foot main building with an indoor showroom large enough for customers to view up to four Kenworth trucks out of the elements.
SAINT-GEORGES, QC -- Kenworth Quebec recently celebrated the debut of its new 17,000-square-foot, full-service facility in Saint-Georges. The company invested nearly $4 million in the new dealership, which includes a 2,500-square-foot parts warehouse, a 1,500-square-foot parts display area, and a driver lounge with Wi-Fi access. "Kenworth Beauce is a major, new facility featuring state-of-the-art technology near a key truck route from southern Quebec into southern Maine," said Robert Cadrin, Kenworth Quebec general manager. Quebec Route 173 has a major point of entry on the U.S.-Canadian border between Quebec City and Augusta and Portland, Maine.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - The Kenworth T880 has been named Truck of the Year by the American Truck Dealers (ATD). Judge's made the selection at the annual ATD convention and expo. Kenworth's vocational truck, with Paccar MX-13 engine, was chosen 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. A panel of journalists selected the winners from categories including innovation, design, safety and driver satisfaction. ATD, a division of the National Automobile Dealers Association, represents 1,800 medium- and heavy-duty truck dealers.
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