Kenworth

Kenworth is a manufacturer of medium and heavy-duty Class 8 trucks based in Kirkland, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. It is a subsidiary of PACCAR, and is also a former manufacturer of transit buses and school buses. The brand claims to maintain an image of high quality, it has won five of six JD Power Awards in 2005.

Kenworth has manufacturing plants in Renton, Washington; Chillicothe, Ohio; Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec; Victoria, Australia and Mexicali, Mexico.

Current models

Some popular North American Kenworth models include the T600, T800, W900, and T2000.

In the early 2000s Kenworth (KW) introduced to Mexico the T604, based on the Australian T604 with a few modifications, mostly in the hood. It is optimized for pulling doubles in areas where a powerful engine is needed, however, the sales can't be compared to those of the T600 and T800.

In around 2004 KW introduced also to Mexico the KW45 and KW55, rebadged versions of the DAF LF45 and LF55, for distribution applications, a potential buyer has always been The Coca-Cola Company, as they have been replacing their old conventionals with new cabover trucks for shorter length with the same cargo space or same length with more cargo space.

During Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) 2006 Kenworth announced the new T660. It's based on the T600, with superior aerodynamics and updated styling. It incorporates a completely new outer-body package including hood, bumper, headlamps, grill, and chassis fairings. The T660 will be the benchmark for high quality, on-highway trucks and maintains Kenworth's "Best in Class" approach.

The T800 has several versions, including the T800SH (Short hood, 113" bumper to back of cab (BBC)), T800W (Wide Hood, for a bigger radiator) and T800H (High Hood, for extra cooling area, but not as big as the T800W). They're mainly used in construction, off-road and special applications.

Australian models are assembled at Kenworth's Bayswater facility in Victoria, Australia. Popular models include the T608, T908, T658, T958, T358, T401/408/408SAR, K108 (COE) and C510.

Kenworth rigs in movies and television

• A Kenworth W900 was one of the major vehicles used in the eighties cartoon series M.A.S.K.. It was also a part of the M.A.S.K. logo.
• A Kenworth W900A tractor was used as the truck Jerry Reed's character "Cletus Snow" drove during the film Smokey and the Bandit
• Jerry Reed's character "Duke Boykin" also drove a Kenworth K100 cabover tractor in the Canadian film "High Ballin'"
• Motormaster, leader of the Transformers' Decepticon sub-group, the Stunticons, transformed into a Kenworth K100 Aerodyne. (Optimus Prime is often incorrectly identified as a Kenworth as well - the original toy was actually based on a Freightliner Cabover)
• A Kenworth K100 cabover tractor, with the 'Aerodyne' upper windows in the sleeper compartment, was used in the popular television (TV) series BJ and the Bear
• A Kenworth W900 was used in the TV series Movin' On and was owned and driven by Sonny Pruitt (Claude Akins)
• A Kenworth T2000 was used in The National Network's TV series 18 Wheels of Justice
• Three specially modified Kenworth W900Bs were used in the James Bond movie Licence to Kill
• A Kenworth T600 was used in the main plot line in Dušan Rapoš's 1993 movie A Fountain For Susan 2, theatrically most successful movie ever produced in Slovakia (as of 2007). A T600 is also depicted on the film's promotional posters and CD soundtrack cover.