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Kenworth produces only medium and heavy-duty class 8 trucks. Based out of Washington State (though originally also from Oregon as well), Kenworth’s reach is also global, with products being manufactured and sold in the United States and Canada as well as in Mexico and Australia. They were the first American company to sell trucks that came standard with diesel engines. What began in 1912 as a small family business grew into what is now one of three companies owned by PACCAR.
Kenworth also boasts star status, as some of its tractors and trucks have been featured in TV and film – the 1970’s show “Movin’ On” and the 1989 James Bond film “License to Kill”. Adding to that, they have also been the recipients of the J.D. Powers Award multiple times, the latest in 2007 for “Heavy Duty Truck Product Satisfaction”.
Though it was a large part of the bus industry at one point, most of its history has been largely forgotten, though there have been some efforts made to preserve such knowledge and models for future generations. An online museum, the “Gillig Transit Coach/Pacific School Coach Online Museum” has been responsible for maintaining information and photographs of this part of our automotive history. There is also a historical society, and Kenworth is often remembered during such events as the American Truck Historical Society’s Annual Truck Show.
