Kenworth T680 Signature Edition Celebrates Company’s 100th Anniversary

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Kenworth has introduced the T680 Signature Edition as part of the Kenworth 100th anniversary celebration during 2023.

The new offering is available with Kenworth’s 76-inch mid- and high-roof sleeper configurations. The Signature Edition Diamond VIT features a black interior with legacy red stitching accents throughout the cab and sleeper. The package also includes a Kenworth 100 branded GT703 seat with red accents special brushed platinum dash and door trim, and Kenworth 100 logo stitched into the sleeper back wall.

The Kenworth T680 Signature Edition exterior features a black onyx grille and side air intake, and prominent Kenworth 100 badges on the sleeper. An optional Kenworth 100 exhaust shield cutout and black anodized grille mesh are also available on mid-roof configurations. Also optional are new Alcoa stylized wheels with unique spoke patterns in Dura-Bright® and Dura-Black™ finishes.

Kenworth is also introducing four signature paint colors available on new Kenworth Class 8 and medium duty trucks. The new colors are Century Platinum, Century Black Red, Century Red and Century Gold.

“Today’s T680 is our most aerodynamic and fuel-efficient truck to date and carries on the legacy of the Kenworth T600 – the industry’s first truly aerodynamic model introduced in 1985. This Kenworth T680 Signature Edition is an excellent choice for both owner operators and for fleets seeking an outstanding reward truck for its top drivers,” said Jim Walenczak, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing.

The Kenworth T680 Signature Edition is available for order now. Visit your Kenworth dealer for more details. The production of the special edition is limited to Kenworth’s 2023 100th anniversary year.

Kenworth Truck Company, founded in 1923, is the manufacturer of The World’s Best® heavy and medium duty trucks. Throughout 2023, Kenworth is celebrating its historic 100th anniversary. To learn more about the 100th anniversary celebration visit http://www.Kenworth100.com. Kenworth is “Driving the Next 100 Years.” Kenworth’s Internet home page is at www.kenworth.com. Kenworth is a PACCAR company.

Kenworth W900 Limited Edition

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Kenworth is celebrating its centennial throughout 2023. To commemorate this major historic milestone, today Kenworth introduced its 100th anniversary Kenworth W900 Limited Edition.“The Kenworth W900 is an all-time classic and iconic truck in the industry that is still admired on the road and at truck shows,” said Jim Walenczak, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing. “As a long-time staple of Kenworth’s history, there is no better way to kick off our year-long 100th anniversary celebration than by launching this Kenworth W900 Limited Edition.”

Kenworth W900 Limited Edition
The special model is available in three configurations – 86-inch Studio Sleeper, 72-inch Flat Top and Extended Day Cab. The all-black Limited Edition Diamond VIT has 100th anniversary. Other interior features include a special edition steering wheel, brushed platinum dash and door trim, and Kenworth 100 logos throughout on the doors and thresholds. A Kenworth 100 sofa bed is standard with the 86-inch Studio Sleeper.

Exterior elements include Kenworth 100 sleeper badges. A Kenworth 100 exhaust shield cutout and sun visor are optional. A special optional centennial 3-color paint design brings a classic, impactful look to the W900, and is only available with the 86-inch Studio Sleeper and 72-inch Flat Top. 

Kenworth is also introducing four signature paint colors available on new Kenworth Class 8 and medium duty trucks. The new colors are Century Platinum, Century Black Red, Century Red and Century Gold.

“The W900 is a special truck and this Limited Edition is a great way to celebrate 100 years of Kenworth,” said Walenczak. “Only 900 of these trucks will be produced, so they will definitely become a showcase vehicle for owners who want a piece of Kenworth history.”

Each Kenworth W900 Limited Edition will be serialized – for example, 001 through 900 – in order of build date and sequence with a special Limited Edition badge on the glovebox. The units are limited to 2023 production which began this week.

To learn more about all the available specifications included in the Kenworth W900 Limited Edition visit your local Kenworth dealer.

Kenworth Truck Company, founded in 1923, is the manufacturer of The World’s Best® heavy and medium duty trucks. Throughout 2023, Kenworth is celebrating its historic 100th anniversary. To learn more about the 100th anniversary celebration visit http://www.Kenworth100.com. Kenworth is “Driving the Next 100 Years.” Kenworth’s Internet home page is at www.kenworth.com. Kenworth is a PACCAR company.

Big Love for #littlebigcabclub

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Lots of action this week on my favourite subject and Facebook group, the small but mighty #littlebigcabclub – the place for all the lightweight big sleeper cabs. Got to be a maximum of 15 tons GVW and have a sleeper cab, tick those twos boxes and you’re in the club. Ideally you want to be part of the “6 Stud Mafia” that earns you extra cool points in my book. Look at Steve Marsh in the above photo taken by Mat Ireland in Ipswich this week;

  • 12 Tonner
  • 6 Stud Wheels
  • MAN TGL with Hatcher Components Sky Cab

That’s all it needs, add to the mix that Marshy is proper international too and it really doesn’t get any better as a club member. That said it’s not just Marshy flying the international flag, I spotted this lovely little 715 Atego this week in the traffic jam on my morning commute. The little Dutchman has the Atego BigSpace cab and would have come off the Hoek boat in Harwich that morning. Working for the Hizkia art group in the Netherlands, I’d guess it carries a lot of fresh air and the odd piece of artwork all over Europe. It’s also got the best number plate letters!

Further to the above spots, I’ve also been gradually adding more and more members to the Facebook group for the #littlebigcabclub. As I sort of predict, when I add new members they nearly always have a photo to add of a little truck they have driven. These days the more modern versions seem to be 12 tonners, due to the weight of the trucks but from the past they were all 7.5 tonners (without speed limiters!!) although I’m not sure if 8 ton was the going weight in Europe?? Perhaps one of the Dutch can confirm please.

This little German frigo was spotted by Gavin Pearson recently, about to load onto the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone. Looking at the truck it ticks all the boxes, right wheels, right cab, right weight, it’s an 8.220 so has power too and looking at the livery it’s engaged on international courier work, may be pharmaceuticals or samples looking at how small the body is. There was or maybe there still is, a chap here in England that had a little frigo and he used to do European round trips on samples work. That is the ultimate job for me. A 12 ton fridge on European work and I’ll be happy than the proverbial pig in faeces.

When you start your driving career by buying this little DAF 45, is it any wonder why I think they are the bees knees! My fondness of the little lorries even got me a mention in the latest Truck & Driver Podcast, so if you fancy some retro 7.5 ton truck talk, along with all the other new truck chat, head over to your podcast download site and search for “Truck & Driver” or click HERE to go to the Apple Store to download it. Enough little truck chat, if you want to be in the club, then search for the group on Facebook and request to join; #littlebigcabclub – stickers are available!

Long Days Late Nights

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“The sun never sets on a long distance lorry driver” – This was a famous quote from a well known documentary. It applies to truckers of all size trucks. With the massive memory trip I’m on at the moment and with the response to the blog on Sunday, it made me think of the hours we’ve all put in in days gone by when we could get away with it. Far easier to click up mega mileages the further back in time we go. Less traffic even 10 years ago, higher speeds, lack of speed limiters, easier ways to bend the rules, we all did it and I’d be surprised at anyone who says they haven’t at least once.

Based in Braintree on the A120, at the time about 25 minutes from the M11, I was quite well connected to the motorway network which meant I could spend a fair percentage of my driving time at cruising speed. In fact the worst part of any trip was always the bit from the M11 back to Braintree on the old A120. Anyway an earlier start, beat the traffic to the M11 and I was off. I used to work a days work out at an average of 60mph, so in 4.5 hours driving I’d plan to do a max of 270 miles, make sense?? 270 miles from Braintree covers a fairly decent swathe of the UK. Proof in the pudding was the job I did to Carmarthen. Braintree to Carmarthen is 265ish miles or there about’s, so in my head possible to get there and back in a day. All I needed to do was average just over 60mph. Priced the job up as empty back and if I remember rightly I did it 3, 4 or 5 times I think. I dare say I did a 10 hour day or two but not having a speed limiter is what made it.

Thinking of other decent days out I can remember there were plenty and I’m not trumpet blowing in anyway, just remembering the love of driving!

Braintree – Exeter – Birmingham – Braintree. Quoted as empty back jobs to both destinations but they just about fitted on together. Saves a day in the week which meant another job could be done.

Braintree – Larkhall – Newcastle-Upon-Tyne – Barton Park Lorry Park. That was a busy day. Full load of sunbeds to Larkhall (Always priced empty back) then load lead rolls for home delivery from David Park Transport in Newcastle and then an hour back down the road to Barton Park truck park near the A1 A66 split at Scotch Corner.

I’m sure there were a few day trips to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, which again is a fair day out.

Come on, I want your genuine memories of long days behind the wheel. I am well aware of the days the international drivers put in during the 70’s and 80’s and I spent a very genuine afternoon with a couple of very well known Irishman who genuinely blew my mind with what they got done in a week to and from Belfast. If you can keep the anecdotes to your early days in the fleets little flyer, that’d be awesome, but big truck stories are always allowed. Just don’t turn them into a Fisherman’s Tale – “It was this big!!”. Leave your comments below or you can always email me with photos.

Why the title of this blog you ask? It’s a sticker I had made up and had on the inside of my drivers door in a few of my trucks.

Pages of Days Gone By

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Who didn’t start their driving career in a 7.5 tonner?? Not many I’d guess. We all have to start somewhere and for most they were happy days, especially pre-speed limiter days. Up and down the country we went, pedal to the metal, usually doing a days work you’d struggle to do half of these days. After my little request to see your own #littlebigcabclub members and your 814’s, an old pal Darren sent me these photos and the anecdote below;

“Hi Ben, G180 SEW was the reg and we brought it brand new, believe it or not I actually drove this on a car licence at 18, I managed to convince my Dad it was legal as it was only a 3,500kg trailer !!
I used to go to London a couple of times a week and drop the trailer at a delivery point in Enfield on the way in and then go into the city with 15+ drops around the railway stations delivering polystyrene cups and lids to the platform coffee shops and then collected it on my way back out. I also went to Cornwall or Scotland weekly. It used to go like a train and was limited to 70mph with the throttle jumping in and out when you hit the limiter! I used to think I was the king of the road at 18 believe me.”

I had a dog and called him BINGO!! That is exactly the little tales I want to hear more of please. We all did it and we all just got on with it as we were green and keen, you could even say keen as mustard. If you get that reference then you are a big fan of the blog! Loving the photos of Darren’s 814. Great to see the before when it was new and then the after, once Darren had added his first pay packet purchases. All 7.5 tonners need an air horn or two and the of course the obligatory, pre-VOSA windscreen flags. I wanted a trailer for mine but never got round to it. How I’d go back and do it all again.

If you’ve got a tale to tell and a photo to share then please please please send me a message or an email. I’ll share what you send and we can all have a little reminisce.

Catch The Pigeon…. Well Nearly!

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So after my last plea last year, I got a lovely email from Adrian English at the weekend with the above photo attached and a few words of explanation. I don’t actually know how or why but I’m guessing Adrian may be involved with pigeons or the pigeon fraternity but how ever I am so pleased to see my old girl and see that she is indeed still keeping herself busy even though she is something like 21 years old.

Adrian says the chap who is the current owner works for Border Amalgamation in Manchester. Border Amal appear to be organisers of pigeon races so makes sense the cure my owner works for them. We are t Tom sure how recent the photo is but if the owner of said blue beauty reads this can you make contact please. I’ve tried to find you on Facebook but there are a lot of people with the same name! Anyway I’d be good to catch up with the truck if I can this year, no idea why but that’s what up truck nuts do I guess.

The Italian Job

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I may have still been in short trousers in the late 80’s and early 90’s but I was already dreaming of Amy from the A-Team, Kylie Minogue, Anneka Rice, sorry, long distance trucking to Europe. Italia has always been a favored destination for the long distance Clara’s among us (sadly not me…yet) and it’s fair to say that one of the big parts of any trip to Italy is getting over the Alps. Which ever route you chose, whether it be Frejus or the Blanc, it was a regular route for hauliers from all European countries, although looking at these videos it would seem that every 3rd truck is from the Northampton area!

Luckily for us, whether you were sleep deprived and heading back to the UK or if you were too busy looking at Mrs Edwards in art class, sorry learning your times tables, thanks to the genius that is Pasquale Caccavale, lots of the goings on over the mountains has been recorded on what could have only been a fairly large video camera. You can loose hours looking through Pasquale’s YouTube channel, so I thought I’d share a few crackers to entice you in to watch more in your own time. One thing that genuinely does surprise me is the amount of British trucks cresting the mountains. I know its always been a popular destination but it seems that Pasquale must have know when the brits were coming. I guess it was regular days depending on which way you were heading and what end of the week it was, but still. There are many more videos to watch on the YouTube channel, CLICK HERE to go and see what other gems you can find. You might even find yourself, you never know! I love the Carisio video, its the who’s who of UK international Transport, must have been a convention on, nothing to do with the beer and local “services”…. Grazie Pasquale….

Missing The Old Days…

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I spend two days out on the road, and I end up reminiscing and missing the good old days. I haven’t been far by trucker standards. I left Essex yesterday morning, went to Wellingborough for a meeting, then onward yesterday afternoon to Tankersley, just between Sheffield and Barnsley. Spent the day on a training course then left Tankersley for Essex about half 4 this afternoon. Now parked in an old lay-by I used to stop in near Duxford having a well deserved McDonalds. All the way up yesterday and on the way down today I can’t stop thinking about being back in the #littlebigcabclub doing a bit and perhaps even heading off to Europa like the good old early days. Why doesn’t the love of driving and the open road leave you?? I miss it, even with the traffic jams today, seeing the sunset heading down the A1 through all of its stages made up for the jams. Day in day out the traffic these days does do your heads in I know that, but you should try spending most days within the same 4 walls…

This little beauty below is for sale in Germany. The newer version of my MAN above. Just need the cream job running up and down to the south of France, Spain or where ever and I’d be set! If your on the road and you enjoy, my advice is don’t give it up. It’s a lifestyle kids and it doesn’t leave no matter what you end up doing. I live my current job and it gives a great work life balance and I get to see the kids grow up, but still, Mrs Truck Blog wouldn’t miss me and the kids will both be teenagers soon enough and then they wont notice their own shadows let alone who else is in the house. Just the small matter of the dog and some work to sort then! Can anyone add my old livery to the blank canvas below, I’m not skilled enough on the photoshops.

Rose tinted glasses are great and the romance of the road is a bigger pull than Titanic was to that iceberg, but still the open road is the open road. Diesel in your chains and all that!

Fleenor Brothers, MO.

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With social media of all types these days, it means two things. Either you can get your own channels out to the rest of world for all to see. Then the other side of the coin means that, what ever your into you can find a channel somewhere so you can watch, look at or read about what ever you fancy. I come and go through phases of American trucks and at the moment I am firmly in a deep trough of American metal. I know, I know, terrible build quality, awful ride, blah, blah, blah. But looks wise, well……

In the last couple of years, I’ve come to know about Fleenor Brothers from Missouri. A number of their drivers are on Instagram as well as a Fleenor Brothers company profile, and once you follow one of them, it makes it easier to find more. For those not on Instagram, I have to say I would recommend it. It’s photos, without the drama and sob stories of Facebook! Anyhoo, Fleenor Brothers are a small firm, running a handful of customs trucks on all types of work and seem to cover all 48 states but I may be wrong. The trucks are all named and are all drop dead gorgeous. Just look at “Ron Burgundy” in the picture below. So much is my love of this little fleet, that I have tried to buy their calendar for the last couple of Decembers. I have asked a couple of times if they will ship to the UK without much luck, so imagine my delight when this time around, the answer was yes. Calendar ordered along with a T-shirt (Mrs Blog is over the moon about the T-shirt!), then the wait and daily tracking to see where my package was. I have to say, today the package arrived and the calendar shots are just awesome, February will be a very enjoyable month, shame it’s the shortest month of the year.

Thank you to Fleenor Brothers for shipping the calendar to the UK and I look forward to seeing where your rigs get to this year. Keep the photos coming drivers!!