BELLEVUE, WA. Citing the flexibility and maneuverability it provides, Coca-Cola Refreshments’ vice president of field operations for the Pacific Northwest, Bob Slack, happily accepted the keys to the first K370 cabover truck delivered by Kenworth Truck Co.
The presentation was made during a formal ceremony at Coca-Cola Refreshments’ facility here and was part of a Kenworth ride-and-drive event scheduled for industry press to showcase the company’s models, including the K370 and the new T680.
“I think it’s far superior to other vehicles in our fleet which makes it ideal for downtown Seattle,” Stack told Fleet Owner, adding that the truck’s standard box profile allows the distributor to easily load the truck from its existing loading docks and its 63.4-in. BBC makes navigating busy city streets easier for drivers.
This particular model includes a 26-ft. box, but the K370 is available with bodies ranging from 16 to 28 ft.
“We feel it provides outstanding visibility and maneuverability with its 55-deg. wheel cut,” said Gary Moore, Kenworth general manager and Paccar vice president. “That makes it ideal for [companies] like Coca-Cola Refreshments that make urban deliveries.”
This particular truck, which is one of two Coca-Cola currently has in operation, features a 6.7L Paccar PX-6 engine with 250 hp. and 660 lbs.-ft. of torque. It includes an Allison 2500 HS 5-spd. automatic transmission.
Stack said the company has five more of the vehicles on order. It also has 18 T370 hybrid conventional trucks and tractors in its fleet.
The day also included a tour of the Paccar Technical Center in nearby Mount Vernon. The technical center is where the latest Paccar technologies are studied under a variety of conditions, from extreme heat to extreme cold and everything in between. According to Eric Poulson, vehicle performance manager of the facility, Paccar uses real-world customers to gather test data and uses that data to replicate the conditions inside its 130,000-sq.-ft. facility. The center includes 8 test cells, including one dedicated to emissions testing.
The company utilizes eight dynamometers to run engines 24 hours a day. There are three water dynamometers and five electric dynamometers which actually produce electricity that is then used to power equipment in the facility.
The center includes a 1.6-mi. test track, which is where editors had a chance to drive a variety of Kenworth models, including several new T680s.
Among the new T680s available for test driving were a day cab model with a Paccar MX engine and Eaton 13-spd. transmission, and a T680 with extended day cab and Eaton UltraShift Plus 10-spd. transmission. There were also T680s with 76-in. sleepers featuring Cummins ISX15 engines with 485 hp. and a 76-in. sleeper model with a Paccar MX pumping out 455 hp. and 1,650 lbs.-ft. of torque.
Also available was a T660 86-in. Aerocab sleeper with Cummins ISX15 and Eaton UltraShift Plus 13-spd. transmission, a T700 with 75-in. sleeper and Paccar MX, a W900L with a Cummins ISX15 producing 600 hp. and 1,850 lbs.-ft. of torque and Eaton UltraShift Plus 18-spd. transmission, and a T660 natural gas model with the Cummins ISL12 G engine and Eaton RTLO 13-spd. transmission.
The star of the day, though, remained the new T680, which fits nicely between the T660 and T700. The truck, which went through a full year’s worth of “very intensive” testing at the facility to cap a four-year design process before its introduction at the Mid-America Trucking Show this year, said Poulson, features a new ergonomic seat, the Kenworth Driver Performance Center, and Kenworth NavPlus, featuring telematics, navigation, diagnostics, and business functions on a 7-in. color display.
The tractor also features plenty of room for standing, rotating table, and other driver amenities, including a smooth ride as evidenced during the test drives.
