Kenworth, Hino garner top ATD honors

Feb. 13, 2013
The American Truck Dealers (ATD) announced the winners of the 2013 ATD Commercial Truck of the Year, an award recognizing the top truck entries in the heavy- and medium-duty categories. Kenworth and Hino topped the list of award winners

The American Truck Dealers (ATD) announced the winners of the 2013 ATD Commercial Truck of the Year, an award recognizing the top truck entries in the heavy- and medium-duty categories. Kenworth and Hino topped the list of award winners.

The Kenworth T680 76-inch Sleeper with PACCAR MX Engine was selected for the heavy-duty (Class 8) category. Tom Berg, chief judge, said the truck impressed the judging panel with its comfort and driveability, including its pulling power from the engine, easy shifting of its 10-speed manual transmission, and well set-up gauges and controls.

“I think the reason we produced this award winning truck is 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,” said Gary Moore, general manager of Kenworth and PACCAR vice-president. “Our customers are looking for a complete home, office, and work package.”

The Hino 195h was selected for the medium-duty (Class 3-7) category after impressing the judges with its comfort, great visibility, maneuverability, high-tech equipment, and smooth, fuel-saving operation.

“On behalf of the entire team, we want to thank ATD for this award,” said Robert McDowell, Hino senior vice-president, sales and customer support. “We are extremely proud Hino won the ATD medium-duty truck award for the third time in its four years of existence.”

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 at ADESA Las Vegas last October. The judging categories included innovation, design, safety, and driver satisfaction.

Other trucks nominated for the medium-duty truck award were the Ford F-650, Isuzu Reach Commercial Van, and the Peterbilt Model 337 Extended Day Cab. Heavy-duty truck nominees included the Cascadia Evolution equipped with Detroit D12 transmission, Peterbilt Model 579, and Western Star 4700SF.

The NADA and ATD conventions were held February 8-11 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando FL.