Successful Kenworth T680 Road Tour Concludes, Nearly 26,000 Miles Traveled

The successful, 6-month Kenworth T680 Road Tour featuring the all-new Kenworth T680 has concluded after traveling nearly 26,000 miles to 60 Kenworth dealer events throughout the United States and Canada that drew an estimated 10,000 customers.

The road tour kicked off in early May at MHC Kenworth in Denver and finished in late October at Kenworth Sales - Spokane in Washington state. The tour gave fleet and truck operators a close-up look at the Kenworth T680, which is Kenworth's most aerodynamic truck ever and has received Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay^SM Designation.

The Kenworth T680 76-inch sleeper tour truck is shown at Kenworth Sales - Spokane, the final stop on the successful 6-mont T680 Road Tour.

In addition to superior fuel efficiency, the T680 offers outstanding performance, exceptional styling, advanced technology and extraordinary comfort. The T680 is Kenworth's entry for the American Truck Dealers (ATD) 2013 Heavy Duty Commercial Truck of the Year.

"We literally wanted to bring the Kenworth T680 directly to fleet managers and truck drivers so they could experience the T680, and what better way to do that than bringing our traveling road tour to events hosted by Kenworth dealerships in 36 states and 6 provinces," said Erik Johnson, Kenworth on-highway marketing manager.

The tour trucks included both a Kenworth T680 76-inch sleeper and Kenworth T680 day cab equipped with the industry-leading 12.9-liter PACCAR MX engine. In the 53-foot, double-expanding tour trailer, visitors viewed displays featuring industry-leading aerodynamics, complete T680 cab, new sleeper, seats, trim levels and interior color options, robust doors, best in class headlamp system, and new air-assisted hydraulic clutch. There were also displays on the PACCAR MX engine and the Kenworth NavPlus® system with Bluetooth capability for hands-free cell phone calling on real working systems.

The Kenworth T680 Road Tour was part of the outstanding heavy duty truck support offered by the Kenworth dealer network. This constant commitment to superior satisfaction is demonstrated by Kenworth achieving "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Heavy Duty Truck Dealer Service, Two Years in a Row", according to J.D. Power and Associates 2011-2012 Heavy Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Studies^SM.*

"The tour couldn't have been a success without the behind-the-scenes efforts of Kenworth dealer personnel at the dealer events," said Johnson. "We also thank ALCOA, Bendix, Eaton and Michelin for their important support as T680 Road Tour Partners. We especially appreciate our hard-working T680 tour drivers, Mike McDowell and Scott Leiker from Spiff Services, who got the two T680s and tour and support trailers to every event safely and on-time, while also setting up and taking down the trailer exhibits at each stop."

Available with a new 76-inch sleeper or as a day cab, the T680 is designed to maximize performance in line haul, pickup and delivery, and regional hauling operations. To learn more about the Kenworth T680, contact your Kenworth dealer for a test drive or visit www.kenworth.com/trucks/t680.aspx.

Kenworth Truck Company is the manufacturer of The World's Best® heavy and medium duty trucks. Kenworth is an industry leader in providing fuel-saving technology solutions that help increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. The company's dedication to the green fleet includes aerodynamic trucks, compressed and liquefied natural gas trucks, and medium duty diesel-electric hybrids. Kenworth is the only truck manufacturer to receive the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Excellence award in recognition of its environmentally friendly products. In addition, the fuel-efficient Kenworth T700 equipped with the low-emission PACCAR MX engine was named the 2011 Heavy Duty Commercial Truck of the Year by the American Truck Dealers. Kenworth's Internet home page is at www.kenworth.com. Kenworth. A PACCAR Company.
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*Kenworth received the highest numerical score for heavy-duty truck dealer service in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2011-2012 Heavy Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction StudiesSM. 2012 study based on 1,725 primary maintainers of 2011 model-year Class 8 heavy-duty trucks measuring six manufacturers. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of those surveyed in February-May 2012. Your experiences may vary.  Visit jdpower.com

Kenworth T680 Road Tour Drivers

Kenworth T680 Road Tour drivers Mike McDowell and Scott Leiker sat down at end of the tour and reflected on their experience with the all-new, aerodynamic T680 76-inch sleeper and T680 day cab used on the tour. Their thoughts are expressed by McDowell below:

"Scott (Leiker) and I drove the two tour Kenworth T680s all over the continental United States and Canada," said Mike McDowell, who was also the Kenworth T700 road tour driver two years ago. Both McDowell and Leiker are veteran drivers with many years of professional experience operating commercial vehicles.

Mike McDowell, Kenworth T680 Road Tour driver

"Looking at the T680 from the outside, we were both impressed with the unique aerodynamic body design. The hood with its sleek slope, combined with the custom lines throughout the body and sleeper, gives this truck the winning edge against wind resistance," said McDowell.

"Opening up the driver's door, I was especially astonished by how easy it opened and closed with minimal effort. Sitting in the driver's seat, I was amazed at how incredible the view was through the large windshield. The sloping hood, paired with the lower dashboard gives the driver a panoramic view of the road ahead. The gauges and switches are strategically placed," said McDowell.

Scott Leiker, Kenworth T680 Road Tour driver

"From a sitting position, the T680's spacious cab allowed me to re-adjust the steering wheel, stand straight up and move to the optional swivel passenger seat. After rotating the passenger seat 180 degrees and re-positioning the sturdy table found in the sleeper, I was able to convert my front office to a rear bunk workstation to catch up on my logbook and daily paperwork," said McDowell.

"Both Scott and I agree that the T680 equipped with the PACCAR MX engine provided plenty of power with excellent fuel mileage. The cab is extremely quiet, eliminating exterior road noise. Overall handling of the T680 can best be described as providing a smooth, yet sturdy ride, giving the driver the luxury and comfort to optimize performance," said McDowell.

"Both Scott and I are truly impressed with the T680 - The World's Best," concluded McDowell.