Kenworth T880 riding boost in vocational demand

The Gorham, Maine-based Shaw Brothers Construction company is continuing to grow, and that’s going to help keep its new 400-ton per hour Astec asphalt plant, and 200 employees, busy. Shaw Brothers is operating 12 new Kenworth T880 dump trucks and tractors, which have been in service since April of 2014.The Gorham, Maine-based Shaw Brothers Construction company is continuing to grow, and that’s going to help keep its new 400-ton per hour Astec asphalt plant, and 200 employees, busy. Shaw Brothers is operating 12 new Kenworth T880 dump trucks and tractors, which have been in service since April of 2014.

Kenworth reports a year-over-year sales increase for vocational trucks, reflecting growing construction activity, increased oil and gas production and encouraging new housing starts figures, according to Kurt Swihart, Kenworth marketing director.

Demand also is being driven by construction companies, contractors, concrete producers and building suppliers operating old 2004- and 2007-emissions-spec engines that need to be replaced with new trucks.

“As a result, we’ve seen strong interest in our new Kenworth T880 vocational flagship truck,” Swihart notes, which began production within the year. “The T880 is expected to soon represent about 50 percent of Kenworth’s vocational truck production.” 

The T880 features increased driver comfort-enhancing features as well as available integrated powertrain packages.