Louisville, Ky. - The American Truck DealersĚýnamed Kenworth Truck Co.’s T680 the winner of its Class 8 truck of the year Sunday at ATD’s annual conference in Orlando, Fla.
The group also named Drew Linn Jr., president of Southland International Trucks in °®¶ą´«Ă˝wood, Ala., its Truck Dealer of the Year.
“We’re very proud of the entire dealership,” Linn said in a statement. “It’s an accomplishment made possible by our 200 dealership employees.”
Dealership candidates were evaluated in several categories including performance, civic contributions and industry leadership. The winner was chosen by a panel of professors from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.
Kenworth’s 76-inch sleeper with a Paccar MX engine won for its comfort and driveability, including its pulling power from the engine, the easy shifting of its 10-speed manual transmission and well set up gauges and controls, ATD said in a statement. Kenworth Truck Co. is a unit of Paccar Inc.
“We produced this award-winning truck due to the efforts of the last four years, during which we found customers were looking for significant fuel savings, high visibility, high-tech equipment and enjoyment,” Kenworth General Manager Gary Moore said in a statement.
Hino 195h was selected in the medium-duty category after impressing ATD’s judges with its comfort, visibility, maneuverability, high-tech equipment and smooth, fuel-saving operation.
The trucks were selected from a field of five medium-duty trucks and four heavy-duty trucks. A five-member panel of journalists evaluated the trucks based on innovation, design, safety and driver satisfaction.
