Kenworth has announced plans for an all-encompassing program that includes personalized customer care and a web portal with connectivity to its Kenworth support team, instant access to product information, truck performance data, service history and maintenance information.
“We’re aiming to set a new industry standard for customer care and support. We have established the foundation and we’ll be building out a comprehensive program throughout the year,” says Kevin Baney, Kenworth general manager and Paccar vice president.
“We started this journey by expanding the services offered by Paccar Parts’ 365 Center,” says Baney. “Earlier this year, the 365 Customer Center, which provides 24/7 roadside assistance and service scheduling, began offering personalized service event monitoring to our customers driving faster completion of repairs and improving visibility to repair status.”
The overall management of a Kenworth truck will take place through a centralized portal expanding upon current Paccar Solutions and Paccar Parts 365 Center Total Customer Care applications.
“This will be a single portal to manage repairs, by truck, from cradle to grave, access vehicle performance analytics and connect with a personalized support team,” says Baney. “Behind the scenes, an innovative use of technology will proactively alert the support team of customer needs before they contact us. This new technology enables us to quickly jump in and help our customers reducing down time. What’s more, we envision our customers being able to access driver training to better utilize features on our trucks. And for technicians, there will be product specific tutorials, along with YouTube videos to visually aide in performing maintenance and completing repairs on their trucks.”
According to Baney, the portal will also provide access to Kenworth engineers who can help dealers and customers optimize a truck’s spec for the customer’s specific business need.
Kenworth also has introduced the Kenworth TruckTech+ Over-The-Air program, which enhances truck uptime by making it convenient for customers to load Paccar MX engine and aftertreatment software updates beginning in December for select customers with full rollout in early 2020.
Kenworth Class 8 trucks equipped with 2017 or later model year Paccar MX-13 and Paccar MX-11 engines can receive software updates remotely. Active Kenworth TruckTech+ customers can access these updates on the Paccar Solutions online portal, or through the Paccar Over-The-Air mobile app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Beginning in January 2020, the Paccar 12-speed automated transmission will incorporate new Paccar MX engine-optimized shift calibrations to enhance performance. As a result, the Paccar transmission will become available in light vocational applications for the Kenworth T880.
The Paccar transmission’s new performance shift calibrations will provide higher full throttle upshift points to enhance overall performance and acceleration, and higher power downshift points to prevent speed loss on grades and higher resistance surfaces, the OEM says. Faster, more aggressive ramp rates and quicker shifts on grades will improve acceleration. The transmission also offers faster full-throttle launches with quicker, more aggressive clutch engagement.
Designed for applications up to 110,000 lb. gross vehicle weight, the expanded Paccar transmission availability is intended for Kenworth T880s that travel mainly on paved roads and occasionally operate off highway on maintained dirt or gravel roads.
Also, the Kenworth T880 is now standard with the Paccar 20K front axle, which enhances steering efficiency and load carrying capacity for customers, the company says. The Paccar 20K front axle is available with ratings of 20,000 or 22,000 lb. and uses a tapered kingpin roller bearing, which simplifies the design and delivers enhanced steering efficiency. The Paccar front axle offers steering angles up to 50 degrees and has a five-year or 750,000 mile warranty.
The new standard Kenworth T880 specification package also features Kenworth 20K taperleaf front springs with shock absorbers, Kenworth AG460 tandem rear suspension, Meritor 46K tandem rear axles, integral knuckle for air disc brakes, and Bendix 6S/6M anti-lock brake system with air, Kenworth says.
Kenworth also will make new features for Bendix Wingman Fusion advanced driver assistance system standard for the Kenworth T680, and optional for the T880 and the medium-duty T270 and T370 models, beginning in the first quarter of 2020.
Kenworth customers will benefit from the new Highway Departure Braking and Multi-Lane Emergency Braking features available in the latest Bendix Wingman Fusion, the company says.
