Kenworth Features 12.9-Liter PACCAR Engine in Kenworth T800 at Great American Trucking Show

DALLAS, Texas.– Kenworth Truck Company is displaying a PACCAR heavy duty engine in a Kenworth Class 8 model for the first time at this week’s Great American Trucking Show in Dallas.


A Kenworth T800 test truck with a 12.9-liter PACCAR engine produced for the North American market is being displayed in the Kenworth booth (#11117) during the show. The Kenworth test truck is part of a fleet of vehicles with PACCAR engines undergoing extensive testing in North America.

“Kenworth is testing PACCAR heavy duty engines in a wide variety of applications, terrains and climate conditions. The engine test program includes test cell work, testing on the PACCAR Technical Center track in Mount Vernon, Wash, and road tests,” said Mike Dozier, Kenworth chief engineer. “These tests are serving to validate designs and manufacturing processes and will ensure that these heavy duty engines will be ready for eventual introduction into Kenworth Class 8 trucks.”

PACCAR’s DAF division in Europe has 50 years of experience in heavy duty diesel engine design and manufacturing. PACCAR is leveraging this experience and quality as it works toward supplying engines for Kenworth Class 8 trucks in North America. PACCAR held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new engine plant in Columbus, Miss., in July. The $400 million facility will include a 420,000-square- foot engine plant and technology center on a 400-acre site. Construction is due to be completed in 2009.

Some of the new engines will be installed at the Kenworth plant in Chillicothe, Ohio, which recently completed a 105,000 square-foot expansion. The expansion increases Kenworth’s overall plant capacity by 20% to position Kenworth for market expansion and enhance the industry-leading quality of Kenworth vehicles.

Other engines on display in Kenworth’s booth include the PACCAR PX-6 and PX-8 medium duty engines currently available for Kenworth’s medium duty conventional products, and the PACCAR European 12.9-liter and 9.2-liter heavy duty engines.

In addition to the T800, the Kenworth booth has a Kenworth T660 with the Kenworth Clean Power™ no-idle system, W900 86-inch Studio AeroCab®, and a Class 5 T300 equipped for roll-on and roll-off applications. The Kenworth Clean Power Technology Tour truck is visiting Dallas in conjunction with the Great American Trucking Show.