The Kenworth T700 and Paccar MX Engine Tour winds its way from the Mid-Atlantic and New England states to the Rocky Mountains, Pacific Northwest and Canada this summer. The tour already has covered 5,000 miles and nearly 50 locations in the first two months.
“The Kenworth T700 and Paccar MX Engine Tour is an excellent opportunity for truck operators to get a good look at the truck and engine, allowing them to get a hands-on learning session about their features and advantages,” says Larry Carlson, general manager of Quad Cities Kenworth in Rock Island, Ill.
About 75 customers attended the Quad Cities Kenworth’s open house event. “Linehaul customers found the T700’s aerodynamic features offered them a truck that could optimize their fuel economy, while the interior with its 8-foot ceiling gave drivers more room to stretch out and relax,” Carlson says.
More than 250 customers attended tour events at two Palmer Truck Group locations, Kenworth of Indianapolis, and Kenworth of Cincinnati. “Our customers are excited about the improved fuel economy the Kenworth T700 offers and the very promising outlook of the Paccar MX engine, offering a lighter weight-to-horsepower ratio,” says Kenny Blake, vice president of Kenworth of Indianapolis.
“The Paccar MX engine was, without a doubt, very quiet from both inside and outside the cab, and really got our customers’ attention,” says Greg Mills, Kenworth of Cincinnati sales manager.
The Kenworth T700 now is available with the Paccar MX engine, which the company says has accumulated more than 50 million test miles in rigorous and severe conditions in North America. Costco Wholesale recently took delivery of the first Kenworth truck equipped with a Paccar MX engine, which is available with a horsepower range of 380 to 485 hp and torque output up to 1,750 lb-ft.
“Our biggest interest came from our linehaul customers looking to improve fuel economy and increase driver comfort,” says Erick Miner, dealer principal and president of Central Illinois Trucks in Normal, Ill. Central Illinois Trucks held a two-day event at its flagship location in Normal and another event at the CIT Kenworth Chicago location in Joliet, Ill.
“With the Kenworth T700, Paccar MX engine and Eaton UltraShift Plus transmission being there onsite, the tour offered our customers the opportunity to see the newest options available to achieve the goals of better fuel economy and greater driver comfort,” Miner says. “The Kenworth NavPlus display offered the tech-savvy and not-so-tech-savvy customers a chance to familiarize themselves with the newest generation of technology being added to trucks.”
More truck operators will get an opportunity to see the Kenworth T700, the Paccar MX engine and the other innovations from Kenworth and Paccar at upcoming tour stops through the next three months.
July tour dates include: Coopersburg Kenworth, Coopersburg, Pa. (July 7); MTC Kenworth, Ridgefield Park, N.J. (July 8); Gabrielli Kenworth, Jamaica, N.Y. (July 9); CB Kenworth, Portland, Maine (July 12); Kenworth of Buffalo-Syracuse in Liverpool, N.Y. (July 13); Kenworth of Buffalo, N.Y. (July 14); Kenworth of Pennsylvania locations in Clintonville and New Stanton (both July 15); Eastern Michigan Kenworth-Dearborn (July 19); Michigan Kenworth, Grand Rapids (July 20); Wisconsin Kenworth in Green Bay (July 21), Madison (July 22) and Wausau (July 23); Rihm Kenworth, St. Paul, Minn. (July 26-27); Sioux City Kenworth, Sioux City, Iowa (July 28); Sioux Falls Kenworth, Sioux Falls, S.D. (July 29); Kenworth of Omaha, Neb. (July 30); and Kenworth Mid-Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa (July 31).
August tour dates include: MHC Kenworth-Salina in Kansas (Aug. 2); Wichita Kenworth, Wichita, Kan. (Aug. 3); MHC Kenworth-Denver (Aug. 5) and MHC Kenworth- Greeley, Colo. (Aug. 6); Wallwork Truck Center, Fargo, N.D. (Aug. 9); Inland Kenworth- Albuquerque (Aug. 13); Kenworth Sales Co.-Salt Lake City, West Valley City, Utah (Aug. 16-17); Kenworth Sales Co.-Idaho Falls (Aug. 18), Kenworth Sales-Jerome (Aug. 19) and Kenworth Sales-Boise in Idaho (Aug. 20); Motor Power Equipment, Billings, Mont. (Aug. 23); Kenworth Sales- Missoula, Mont. (Aug. 25); Kenworth Sales-Spokane, Wash. (Aug. 26); and Kenworth Northwest-SeaTac, Wash. (Aug. 30).
September tour dates include: Inland Kenworth-Langley, British Columbia (Sept. 7); GreatWest Kenworth-Calgary (Sept. 9); Edmonton Kenworth-Northside (Sept. 10); Custom Truck Sales in Saskatoon (Sept. 13), Regina (Sept. 14) and Winnipeg (Sept. 16); Kenworth of Thunder Bay (Sept. 20); Kenworth Kitchener (Sept. 23); Kenworth Concord (Sept. 24); Kenworth Montreal (Sept. 27); Kenworth Maska (Sept. 28); Kenworth Quebec (Sept. 29); and Bayview Kenworth-Moncton (Oct. 1).
