EquipmentWorld.com | November 2014
45
K
enworth recently de-
buted its new fl agship
T880 vocational truck.
The new truck, which
replaces the vener-
able T800, went into production
late last year. It is the result of a
four year, $400-million effort by
Kenworth.
The company recently invited
us out to the Seattle area to take a
ride in the new units. I came away
from that visit with one distinct
impression: If you're trying to
recruit and retain drivers (arguably
the number-one problem in the
trucking industry), the T880 is the
way you do it.
Let's start with the cab. The all-
new, stamped aluminum cab is
wider, 2.1 meters across, about 83
inches. (The T800 was 1.9 me-
ters – about 75 inches.) In terms
of tactile feel, the Diamond VIT
cab appointments are more like
what you would see in a luxury
automobile or deluxe pickup
truck. Sound levels inside the cab,
even when climbing through the
gears, were low enough to hold a
conversation in a normal volume.
The air ride seat could teach the
airlines a thing or two. And the
company's "SmartWheel" steering
wheel design puts the most fre-
quently used audio controls right
product report
|
by Tom Jackson
|
TJackson@randallreilly.com
New Kenworth T880 sure to
please drivers and mechanics
A spacious cab with deluxe
appointments may help you
better recruit and retain drivers.
