Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/183648
Cover Story might be wrong with the clutch when he first started engaging it. "I asked our service guy about it," he said. "I didn't realize that it was an air-assisted hydraulic clutch. It takes very little pressure to engage. It's great. The doors are something as well. Just give them a slight push to close, and they're shut. It's more like an automotive door than a truck door. "And, I'm not a very big guy (5-foot, 6-inches) and everything is easy for me to reach – the seat travel is very nice, and the dash layout was well thought out. That was a big difference I found when comparing the T680 to other trucks. Not all trucks fit my build. Another of our Con-Way drivers is 6-foot, 6-inches and 250 pounds, and he fits just as easily into the cab as I do. It really is an all-drivers truck." One piece of electronics that Korn said he can't do without is the Kenworth NavPlus(R). "Boy, that makes things easy," he said. "It gives great navigation and is easy to operate, plus it displays extra gauges, which I like, plus I can adjust all the audio on the display." But nothing beats a good old-fashioned truck walkaround. Here, at right, Randy Cornell, Con-way vice president of maintenance and asset management, receives positive feedback on the Kenworth T680 from Edward Davis, who is a Two Million Safe Miler - accident free professional driver with Con-way Truckload. At left, is Edward's wife, Barbara Davis, who accompanies him on the road. The couple is considering the T680 as their next truck. According to Cornell, more drivers are asking to drive the T680s than Con-way has available. "That's a good sign," said Cornell. "It shows you just what they think of the new truck model. As new truck deliveries continue to come in through the year, we'll be seeing a lot of smiles." Con-way Truckload uses driver forums, online surveys and phone surveys to solicit valuable input from its professional drivers. The Kenworth T680 with the PACCAR MX13 engine received the 2013 Heavy Duty Commercial Truck of the Year award from the American Truck Dealers (ATD). The PACCAR MX-13 is the standard engine in the T680 and is rated up to 500 hp and 1,850 lb-ft of torque. Kenworth Truck Company is the manufacturer of The World's Best(R) heavy and medium duty trucks. Kenworth's Internet home page is at www. kenworth.com Kenworth is a PACCAR company. OO / Owner operator/ october 2013 / / 26 OO 1013 cover story.indd 24 9/6/13 1:55 PM