It’s a time of growth and change at Kenworth. The T680 Advantage has proven itself as the truck of choice for many of its customers—which has led to the expansion of the T680 Advantage offering with the announcement of the Kenworth T680 Advantage Day Cab for pickup and delivery and regional-haul operators and the retirement of the T660.

“The T660 represented the second generation in our T6 series of aerodynamic trucks, which have symbolized innovation, technology and superior aerodynamic design for over 30 years going back to the first-generation T600, which was launched in 1985,” said Mike Dozier, Kenworth general manager and PACCAR vice president. “Today, the T680 Advantage, as the third generation in the T6 series, has expanded that reputation for aerodynamic performance also to include powertrain efficiency, with the PACCAR MX-13 and MX-11 family of engines, and now the new PACCAR drive axle rated at 40,000 lbs. The T680 Advantage, combining aerodynamic design with advanced powertrain technology, is the most fuel-efficient truck we’ve ever built, and the market has clearly responded.”

With the introduction of the T680 Advantage Day Cab, Kenworth stated that the truck offers up to a 6% fuel economy benefit compared to a non-optimized Kenworth T680 Day Cab with the previous generation of PACCAR MX-13 engine, Eaton Fuller automated transmission and standard drive axles.

The PACCAR MX line of engines has also been a driving force for the OEM. PACCAR expects that engine to go even further in supporting increased PACCAR powertrain adoption with the release of the GHG17 models.

“As we announced at ATA, the PACCAR MX-13 and MX-11 engines will incorporate a range of new fuel economy enhancing technologies, such as a new fuel efficient turbo, variable displacement oil pump, variable speed coolant pump and optimized air compressor,” Dozier said. “Fleets can expect to see enhanced fuel economy improvement in 2017 compared with 2016. We are also introducing a single-canister aftertreatment system that will reduce complexity and save our customers 100 lbs.”

Today, nearly 50% of all Class 8 Kenworth trucks are being ordered and built with PACCAR Engines, according to Dozier, which is up from 40% in 2015. Clearly the trend of proprietary powertrains is on the rise, and PACCAR has worked closely with partner Eaton to integrate the Fuller Advantage Series (FAS) into the family of PACCAR engines.

“Since the launch of the Eaton FAS automated manual transmission in 2014 we’ve seen our take rate of AMTs double to more than 60% of all T680s,” Dozier said.

Keeping its trucks on the road is another core component of Kenworth’s road map to growth, and its PremierCare Gold program has continued to prove valuable for dealers and fleets alike.

“The ExpressLane two-hour diagnosis that PremierCare Gold dealers provide is helping customers make decisions on their equipment much quicker than in the past and get back on the road,” Dozier said.