Kenworth Trucks

Click on images to enlarge

Kenworth is a manufacturer of medium and heavy-duty Class 8 trucks based in Kirkland, Washington, a suburb of Seattle.

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.

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 cab over 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 Bays water facility in Victoria, Australia. Popular models include the T608, T908, T658, T958, T358, T401/408/408SAR, K108 (COE) and C510.

The Kenworth company history starts in Portland, Oregon. Gerlinger Motor Car Company was founded in 1912 by brothers George T. Gerlinger and Louis Gerlinger, Jr. as a car and truck dealership. In 1914, they decided to build their own truck with a more powerful inline six-cylinder engine. This was the first ever put into a commercial truck. The Gersix, unveiled in 1915, was framed in structural steel, which along with it's power, made the truck ideal for the rugged Northwest.

In 1916 the Gerlinger Motor Car Company moved to Tacoma, Washington. Seattle businessman Edgar K. Worthington was managing his mother's commercial building, where Gerlinger became a tenant, and became intrigued by the Gerlinger Motor Car Company. Edgar's tenant was doing quite well, or so it seemed, and the Gersix became a popular fixture in the Northwest. However, the company, which then had offices in Seattle and Portland, was struggling and in 1917, Louis Gerlinger offered the manufacturing operation for sale. Edgar jumped at the opportunity. Together with his partner, Captain Frederick Kent, they formed the Gersix Manufacturing Company, to continue making a six-cylinder truck.

In 1919, Frederick Kent retired from the business and his son, Harry Kent, became Edgar's new partner. In 1922, Gersix made 53 trucks at its factory on Fairview Avenue at Valley Street. Under the new name, the company moved to 506 Mercer Street and later to 1263 Mercer Street. Trucks and motor coaches were assembled in individual bays rather than on a conventional assembly line.

Kenworth was founded in 1923 by Edgar Worthington and Harry Kent, taking the first three letters of "Kent" and the first five of "Worthington", the company was born, capitalized with $60,000. The following year the company sold 80 trucks. In 1933 Kenworth became the first truck maker in the United States to switch from gasoline to diesel internal combustion engines.

They were one of the first to come out with a cab-over-engine, or COE, model in 1957.