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PRESS RELEASES
New Kenworth T300 Class 6 Delivers Winning Image, Quality For Florida Landscaping Firm
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CLEARWATER, Fla., August 3, 2006 – When MLI Landscaping became one of the first to order Kenworth’s new T300 Class 6 model, owner Joe Morelli bought it for the premier Kenworth image. Little did he expect that owning two Kenworth T300s would boost his business so quickly.
“This is how I know the Kenworth T300 works for us; I’ve had competitors literally stop at our shop, get out and ask to see and drive our T300s,” Morelli said. “We’ve had customers tell us that the T300s show that we are a successful business. We’ve picked up additional work because of the T300s. So far, it has brought us an increase in sales of between 8 and 15%.”
Introduced earlier this year, the T300 Class 6 joins the T300 Class 7 in the Kenworth lineup of medium duty trucks. Built with an 8,000-pound front and a 17,000-pound rear axle combination, the T300 Class 6 is equipped with air brakes for the growing pickup and delivery truck markets where companies use non-CDL drivers. The T300 Class 6 is also available with hydraulic brakes.
MLI specializes in landscaping for federal, state and city governmental building projects and on highway roadbeds and overpasses. The 30-year-old Clearwater, Fla. firm also provides landscaping for condominiums, hauling trees such as palms and oaks and small plants. The company’s fleet of 11 trucks delivers over a three-county area. Trucks usually travel 100 miles or less during a typical day, according to Morelli.
MLI’s Kenworth T300 vehicles are outfitted with a staked flatbed and spec'd with a Cummins ISC 240-horsepower engine driven through an Allison 5-speed automatic transmission. Morelli said the Kenworth medium duty trucks are ideal for carrying loads of plants and supplies that vary in weight from 2,000 to 20,000 pounds. “The Kenworth T300s are a far superior truck to anything else we have. They are well-built, look great and are dependable,” Morelli said. “I can’t say enough about them.”
“The performance of the truck is what sells it. The T300s provide good maneuverability, get our loads to the sites reliably and yet can carry the weight we need to take,” Morelli said. “They provide all the power we want and are easy to drive. These vehicles are unbelievable.”
Morelli said he also wanted the Kenworth T300 Class 6 because one of his foremen doesn’t have a CDL (Commercial Driver’s License). “We have designated drivers who drive the Kenworths and they just love them.”
Rafael Pozar, an MLI foreman with a CDL, said the T300 he drives outperforms all of the other trucks he’s driven during his almost 9 years at MLI. “It’s stronger and easily pulls any of the loads. It’s easy to turn and the interior is very comfortable. I wouldn’t want to drive any other truck.”
While Morelli is pleased with the T300’s performance, what impresses him most is the Kenworth image. “When you’re on a site and your trucks look good, they present the image that we want.”
Added new truck salesman Rick Mitchell of Kenworth of Central Florida in Tampa: “He does a beautiful job landscaping, and he wants trucks that convey that image as well.”
Morelli said his plan is to convert to an all-Kenworth fleet over the next six years.
The T300 Class 6 and 7 provides standard features, such as the same, world-class door pads currently used in Kenworth’s Class 8 models. Other standard features include power door locks, passenger-side electric windows (which are optional on the driver’s side), heating and air conditioning, a 10-5/8-inch by 5/16-inch frame rail and glove box with locking door. New options include remote keyless entry and a low voltage-disconnect system that continually monitors battery voltage.
Kenworth Truck Company, a division of PACCAR Inc, is a leading manufacturer of heavy and medium duty trucks. Kenworth is the recipient of five 2005 J.D. Power and Associates awards for Highest in Customer Satisfaction for Over the Road Segment and Pickup and Delivery Segment Class 8 Trucks, Heavy Duty Dealer Service and also Conventional Medium Duty Truck Segment and Medium Duty Dealer Service. Kenworth’s Internet home page is at www.kenworth.com. Kenworth. The World’s Best.
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