“It’s the company you keep.”
That’s the straight up answer to a straight-up question that was posed to Robbie Wood, owner of Robbie D Wood Trucking, which runs 140 trucks out of Dolomite AL.
“We run Kenworth trucks and know PACCAR very well. We’ve always received a great product and had it backed with great service from our Kenworth dealer (Truckworx Kenworth),” Wood says. “And we know the excellent reputation of both Kenworth and PACCAR. We’ve seen it and lived it first hand. So, when the PACCAR MX engine was first introduced three years ago, we made the decision to give it a try.”
According to Wood, it’s been a great decision. “We’re now into our third buying period with Kenworth and the PACCAR MX engine, the latest being the Kenworth T680 with PACCAR MX-13. It’s what we’re now standardized with as both have proved their worth to us.”
Looking at bottom line results, Wood said the Kenworth T680 and PACCAR MX-13 engine have given his fleet a full mile per gallon gain. “Our best driver has been averaging 7.8 mpg,” he said. “But our fleet average is 7.2 mpg, and that’s a big difference over the 6.2 mpg we were getting with another aerodynamic model, coupled with different engine manufacturer, and moving down to 12.9 liter from 15. Doing the math, that means an extra $11,000 in fuel savings per truck.”
For Greg Evans, equipment maintenance manager for Ecology Auto Parts based in Santa Fe Springs CA, the PACCAR name and reputation, coupled with an up-close inspection of a torn apart engine, gave him the confidence to move forward with the new engine in 2010. “We run a large fleet--550 trucks, the majority Kenworths (purchased through Inland Kenworth),” he said. “For our T800s, which are used as end dumps, roll-off units and flatbeds, we’ve now standardized on the PACCAR MX-13 engine and we’re into our fourth round of purchasing.”
Evans said he clearly remembers visiting Kenworth’s Research and Development Center in Renton WA, and seeing the PACCAR MX engine and its parts laid out on a table. “I was impressed with what I saw and what I heard,” he said. “I could see how this engine was designed to last beyond a million miles. Plus I knew the engine platform had been used in Europe for years, and it had been thoroughly tested here. It gave us the confidence to move forward and I’m glad we did. It’s been a great business decision”
According to Evans, the company is a big believer in oil analysis. “The early engines we purchased all are very, very clear in oil analysis, showing the engines are really working well,” he said. “They’ve been very reliable and we expect them to last beyond what was advertised to us.”