Beer Lovers Might Be Thanking Kenworth of South Florida
- September 16, 2018
- Dealership News, Press Releases
- Posted by Admin
- Leave your thoughts
It’s no secret that Americans love their beer and J.J. Taylor delivers the suds
Florida and Minnesota residents rest easy knowing that their favorite beers are on the shelves thanks to reliable distribution by J.J. Taylor. and their Kenworth fleet of trucks
With valuable cargo like top selling beers from Miller, Coors, Heineken, Guiness and Samuel Adams. J.J. Taylor wants to be sure they’ve chosen the most reliable trucks to deliver the goods. The majority of their 240 truck fleet are comprised of medium duty trucks, and the vast majority of those are Kenworth T370 and T440 tractors after J.J Taylor began making the switch over to Kenworth in 2015.
…According to Rivera, spec’ing and weight savings, coupled with driver preference and image helped convince the company to convert to the Kenworth T370. “Working with Todd Hays (dealer principal at Kenworth of South Florida) really opened our eyes to the value of Kenworth,” he said. “Todd did a great job of understanding our routes and made recommendations that helped our company be more efficient.”
With tight delivery areas, Hays analyzed ways to allow more cushion in turns. “By shortening the wheelbase of the T370, and T440s, we were able to give them a tighter turning radius,” Hays explained. “We moved them from horizontal to vertical exhaust pipes, plus put some components on the outside of the frame rail – like the DEF tank. By coming up with a standard spec we were able to give them a template for operations in both Florida and Minnesota.”
The Kenworth T370s put into service – 25 in Florida, and 18 in Minnesota – are powered by the PACCAR PX-9 engine rated at 300 hp, and use Allison automatics. “We haul 28- and 36-foot rear loading trailers with our T370, which can accommodate up to 700 cases on the smaller trailer and up to 1,200 cases on the 36-footer,” said Rivera. “To give us flexibility, and different hauling capacities, we have both single and tandem axle T370s.”
“Typically our T370s will make between 12 and 18 stops per day,” said Rivera. “In Florida alone we have more than 14,000 customers. Those can be mom and pop stores, restaurants, supermarkets and big box outlets. When we began running Kenworths we immediately saw an impact with drivers. They like the ride and felt they were easier to drive. Plus there is more room inside and the visibility is greater. It’s proven to be a great truck with our drivers.”
