Kenworth T680 with PACCAR MX-13 Engine

Lowers Costs for Oregon Open-Deck Carrier

Central Oregon Truck Co. Sees 0.5 MPG 

Improvement with PACCAR MX-13 Engine

REDMOND, Ore. – CEO Rick Williams of Central 

Oregon Truck Company (COTC) has discovered that he 

can have the best of both worlds.

Williams said the performance of the Kenworth 

T680 equipped with a 76-inch sleeper and a 455-hp 

PACCAR MX-13 engine taught him that he didn’t have 

to sacrifice performance for fuel and weight savings by 

choosing a 13-liter engine over a 15-liter engine. Not 

even when his company’s trucks haul open-deck, 

specialized or over-sized loads over mountain passes in 

the West. 

Chief Executive Officer Rick Williams, (left), and Chief 

Financial Officer Paul Coil of Central Oregon Truck 

Company stand next to the newest truck in the company's allKenworth fleet, a Kenworth T680, equipped with a 455-hp 

PACCAR MX engine and a 76-inch sleeper. 

Williams said COTC instead got a big helping of 

fuel economy savings and comparable power and torque 

performance when compared to the results of trucks 

equipped with 15-liter engines. 

In fact, results of the company’s test of Kenworth 

T680s with 76-inch sleepers and the PACCAR MX-13 

engine convinced Williams to order 56 of them to 

replace older models. Central Oregon Truck Company 

generally replaces its trucks when they reach 550,000 

miles.

PACCAR MX-13 Engine

“Our tests show that we’re getting a half-mile per 

gallon fuel economy improvement with a T680 equipped 

with the PACCAR MX-13 engine pulling roll-top and 

curtain vans compared to the performance of our older 

Kenworth T660s equipped with the 15-liter Cummins 

ISX engine pulling the same size loads,” Williams said. 

“That improvement convinced me that buying more of 

the T680s now would actually save us money over the 

long-term. That’s why we changed delivery dates to this 

year versus next year for many of these trucks.”

The “uber responsive” dealer support from Papé 

Kenworth-Redmond in Oregon for the PACCAR MX-13 

engine also helped seal the deal, Williams added.

(continued)

Kenworth Truck Company News Release
(continued)

Chief Executive Officer Rick Williams of Central Oregon 

Truck Company stands next to a Kenworth T680 with 

PACCAR MX-13 engine.

“From a cab configuration, the T680 offers our 

driving team members more comfortable amenities with 

a standard 76-inch sleeper and a wider cab,” he said. 

Williams refers to his company’s drivers as driving team 

members because he believes the description more 

accurately reflects the importance of these employees to 

his company. It’s also why he cares what they think of 

the equipment his company chooses for them to drive.

“Our driving team members say the T680’s triplesealed doors and acoustic treatments make for a quiet 

ride,” Williams reported. “They tell us that driving the 

T680 is more like driving a car. They also like the 

improved visibility that comes from the T680’s 

panoramic windshield and they really like the rotating 

passenger seat and the rotating table that they can use to 

fill out their paperwork during their breaks.

“The positive response of our driving team 

members to the T680’s powertrain performance has 

offered the best feedback,” Williams added. “They tell 

us that the 455-hp PACCAR MX-13 engine is not 

overburdened by the kind of driving they have to do, 

even when they’re hauling heavy loads and topping out 

at 105,500 GVW. Out West, we pull loads over more 

hills. So, we need a truck with an engine that provides 

the power we need.”

The PACCAR MX-13 engine, which comes 

standard with the T680, offers comparable pulling 

capacity and torque to the Cummins ISX, Williams said. 

“The T680 equipped with a full-height sleeper and 

PACCAR MX-13 engine pulling roll-top and curtain 

vans even gave us a nice fuel economy advantage over a 

test Kenworth T660 unit equipped with a 62-inch midroof sleeper and PACCAR MX engine pulling the same 

loads.”

Designed for linehaul and vocational heavy duty 

truck operators, the PACCAR MX-13 utilizes the latest 

common rail fuel-delivery technology, which enables 

injection pressures of up to 2,500 bar significantly 

enhancing fuel efficiency and performance. The 

common rail system uses controls to regulate the fuel in 

a central manifold, only compressing the amount of fuel 

mixture needed. The result is finer fuel atomization for 

optimized combustion, enabling lower fuel consumption

and emissions. 

“The aerodynamics of the T680 combined with the 

performance of the PACCAR MX-13 engine convinced 

us to adopt the T680 with the 76-inch sleeper as our 

company’s new platform Kenworth model,” Williams 

added. 

Central Oregon Truck Co. hauls building materials, 

heavy equipment and other loads for major 

manufacturers of building products in the lower 48 states 

and Canada. It is a part of the Addison, Texas-based 

Daseke family of premier open-deck/specialized 

transportation companies. Williams attributes his 

company’s success to a laser-like focus on every 

performance aspect of the company’s all-Kenworth fleet 

of 215 trucks. The company keeps close tabs on vehicle 

performance and governs the engines to 62 mph. Idling 

is limited and drivers are encouraged to check tire 

pressures regularly.

In addition to the improved fuel economy, Williams 

said the T680 model equipped with the PACCAR MX13 engine also offers his company the ability to provide 

driving team members more amenities for greater 

comfort without concerns over potential weight 

penalties. The PACCAR MX-13 engine is 300 pounds 

lighter than the 15-liter Cummins ISX engine.

“In open-deck operations, weight is a huge 

concern,” Williams said. “Shippers hire us expecting our 

trucks to be able to haul between 48,000 and 49,000 

pounds. Whenever we spec our trucks, we have to keep 

that constantly top of mind. If we can’t haul 48,000 to 

49,000 pounds because of the additional weight of the 

amenities we’ve chosen to attract and retain driving team 

members, then why would they hire us?” 

Kenworth Truck Company is the manufacturer of 

The World’s Best® heavy and medium duty trucks. 

Kenworth's Internet home page is at 

www.kenworth.com. Kenworth is a PACCAR company.