Logging Fleet Adds Kenworth W900L Glider Kit Truck for Reliability, Durability and Nostalgic Appeal
The Pardovich family has owned and operated PER Trucking since 1980. Originally a diesel engine rebuilding shop - PER (Precision Engine Rebuilders) - the Elmira, Ore., company evolved into a log hauling fleet around 1985 with the help of an old Kenworth truck.
"One day my father came into the shop and said he saw an old logging truck sitting in a field," recalled Dan Pardovich, who joined the family business in 1983 while a junior in high school. "He told us to see if we could buy it and rebuild it between engine jobs. After we rebuilt it, a logger called and said, 'I hear you have a logging truck. Do you want to haul logs?'"
Dan Pardovich of PER Trucking
Today, the company operates a logging fleet of 21 Kenworth trucks (T800s and W900s) and Pardovich estimated he and his brothers have rebuilt 35 trucks over the years, all Kenworths.
Durable, Working Trucks
"Last year, we built a Kenworth W900L Glider Kit truck," said Pardovich, who put the newly rebuilt, showroom-quality truck into logging operation as soon as it was finished. While glider kit trucks turn a lot of heads, "Kenworth trucks are built to work," he said. "My brother Ryan and I ran a couple loads just to set the scales and put it through its paces. Next day we gave it to the driver and haven't had any problems since. We expect the same hard-working reliability and performance from a glider kit truck as any other Kenworth truck.
"From the time we started in the trucking business, our entire fleet has been Kenworths and Kenworth rebuilds. All big working trucks. Our logging trucks are out there getting dirty, getting rock chips, and taking a lot of severe abuse. For durability and toughness, you can't beat Kenworth trucks," he said.
Latest Amenities and Updates
For fleets and owner operators who want to make old trucks 'new' again, Kenworth offers glider kits for the T660, T800 and W900L models, in all sleeper sizes. Kenworth glider kits feature the latest amenities and updates in each of the three models.
"We use rolling gliders," said Pardovich. "The way the glider kit program works is, you have to have two major components from a donor truck. We used the engine and transmission."
Every truck rebuilt at PER is put into the fleet, said Pardovich, who is already working on his next glider kit. "After three or four years, we might resell them. Kenworths hold their value and there's always a good market for them. But in general, we keep them working in the fleet.
"Kenworths have good longevity and I feel they're the best trucks for what we do. For me, there's only one truck and it's Kenworth."
Kenworth Truck Company is the manufacturer of The World's Best® heavy and medium duty trucks. Kenworth's Internet home page is at www.kenworth.com. Kenworth is a PACCAR company.