News from Kenworth: Kenworth's Own 'Private Fleet' Delivers Fuel Economy Results

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:    
Jeff Parietti, (425) 828-5196 jparietti@paccar.com
        
Kenworth's Own "Private Fleet" Stays Busy Delivering Fuel Economy Results

KIRKLAND, Wash., January 8, 2002 -- They look like regular over-the-road
trucks, but the drivers behind the wheel aren't delivering freight --
they're on the road testing design enhancements and fuel economy.  It's all
part of Kenworth Truck Company's on-going research and development program
which "pays big fuel savings dividends to our customers," according to Jim
Bechtold, Kenworth's chief engineer.

"We don't work in a vacuum," Bechtold said. "Our design and testing goes
beyond computers and wind tunnels. We take what our engineers create and
test it over the road to verify our initial findings. Then we bring the
advancement to market."

According to Bechtold, Kenworth's professional drivers run several routes,
ranging from 150 to 500 miles. "Each route has its own unique elements,"
Bechtold said. "For example, one run simulates on-highway long hauling,
while another provides a 4,300-foot elevation gain to test performance in
tough mountain conditions. We also work with the PACCAR Technical Center in
Mount Vernon, Washington, for more detailed studies."

Last year, Kenworth conducted numerous roundtrip, fuel-economy runs from its
R&D Lab in Renton, Washington, to The Dalles, Oregon, a small town on the
wind-swept shores of the Columbia River.

"We typically ran two identically spec'd trucks -- with the exception of the
engine -- to The Dalles and back," said Moses Luyombya, Kenworth's fuel
economy project engineer. "It's a good real-world test route because we
encounter a lot of extreme weather conditions, especially traveling up the
windy Columbia River Gorge to The Dalles."

Many of these real-world runs featured the aerodynamic Kenworth T2000 --
operating with different engine models. The similarly spec'd T2000s all had
a GCW of approximately 74,000 pounds with a gap of 42 inches between the
tractor and trailer. The combined runs covered a total of 6,000 miles.

To make each test as accurate as possible, Kenworth switched drivers and
trailers halfway through the trip. "This eliminates any variables in driver
performance," Luyombya said.  "When the day is done, we measure fuel and any
difference we find in mpg between the two vehicles shows the direct
correlation that the test component had on aerodynamics."

These fuel runs -- along with those at the PACCAR Technical Center --
measure fuel consumption in a manner consistent with standards established
by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Kenworth even uses its own
self-contained fueling trailer at its Renton R&D Lab to utilize a consistent
fuel supply for the test. The trailer carries six, 500-gallon fuel tanks.
This allows Kenworth to run up to five trucks -- each with its own
designated tank -- on long-distance fuel economy tests.

"We documented up to 7.69 miles per gallon during this real-world testing of
the T2000," said Luyombya. "All the results came in over 7 mpg with the
lowest at 7.24. Overall, the T2000 averaged 7.43 miles per gallon during
these 500-mile, roundtrip runs to The Dalles."

While real-world fuel economy tests are intended to validate computer
simulations and wind tunnel findings, Kenworth also will test new
aerodynamic devices, or vehicle configurations to better assist customers in
proper spec'ing. "The way a tractor interacts with a trailer has a big
impact on fuel savings," said Luyombya. "We've refined roof cap heights and
shapes -- and recently explored new devices to reduce the air flow drag
behind the trailer."

Luyombya says that, while Kenworth engineers learn a great deal from the
real-world testing it conducts, they're also happy to pass that knowledge
along to customers. "If a customer wants to learn how to optimize their
operation, they can call us for information or ideas about how to conduct
their own tests," said Luyombya. "Our mission is to help make our customers
as fuel efficient as possible."

Precise Testing at the Proving Grounds

Kenworth also is involved in testing conducted at the PACCAR Technical
Center, which features a 1.6-mile oval high-speed truck. "For every test
program, we run three tests using precise SAE Type 2 and 3 methods," said
Bechtold.  "Our closed circuit track tests cover at least 150 miles."

To give engineers accurate and consistent results, tests involve a modified
tractor-trailer and a control combination.  Their miles per gallon are
compared over three separate runs and the numbers must be consistent in
order for the test to be verified.

"We find that there's very little variation between our runs. That's a
credit to how good our drivers are and how carefully we monitor weather
conditions," said Bechtold. "Over three separate runs, our trucks are
usually within 0.5% miles per gallon of each other, which is far better than
the 2% that is allowed by SAE."

Last summer, fuel-economy test runs at the PACCAR Technical Center also
featured the aerodynamic Kenworth T2000 -- operating with different engine
models. The similarly spec'd T2000s all had a GCW of 74,000 pounds with a
gap of 43 inches between the tractor and trailer. The combined runs covered
over 2,000 miles.

"Similar to the T2000 road tests, we documented up to 7.68 miles per gallon
for the T2000 during the tests on the Tech Center track," Bechtold said.
"All the results again came in over 7 mpg with the lowest at 7.18. Overall,
the T2000 averaged 7.42 miles per gallon during these tests."

Added Bechtold, "The advantage of this closed circuit track testing is that
it's so accurate that we can detect small differences in fuel economy that
can't be documented on road tests."

To assist fleets and owner operators interested in improving their fuel
efficiency, Kenworth recently launched a major Fuel Economy Awareness
Program. Kenworth also has produced a "White Paper on Fuel Economy," which
can be electronically downloaded at the "Dynamics of Fuel Efficiency" link
at www.kenworth.com. The white paper includes the actual T2000 results from
the Renton to The Dalles and PACCAR Technical Center test runs.

A free copy of the white paper may be requested at: Kenworth White Paper on
Fuel Economy, c/o Brandhammer, 121 Lake Street South, Kirkland, WA 98033.

Kenworth Truck Company, a division of PACCAR Inc, is a leading manufacturer
of heavy and medium duty trucks.

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CAPTION INFORMATION:  If you would like high-res versions of the attached
low-res images (described below), please reply to this email.  Thank you.

driverslr.jpg - From left, Kenworth road test drivers Tom Liethen, Stephan
Olsen, and Gary Ziebell are shown in front of three Kenworth T2000s used in
fuel-economy testing.

T2000slr.jpg - Kenworth's three T2000 road-test vehicles.

TrackTestlr.jpg - Two of Kenworth's T2000 road-test vehicles on the PACCAR
Technical Center 1.6-mile oval test track in Mount Vernon, Wash.

ptcaeriallr.jpg - Aerial view of the PACCAR Technical Center and its
1.6-mile oval test track.