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AK-WA Connection 2013: Vendors gear up to meet customer demands Kenworth Alaska, Seekins Ford offer a variety of trucks designed in response to ever-changing industrial, regulatory environment Rose Ragsdale Alaska-Washington Alaska
Kenworth Alaska and Seekins Ford, two of the leading truck vendors operating in the Alaska-Washington trade, are meeting the demands of an ever-changing environment.
Across the heavy construction industry, Ford Super Duty trucks lead the way, said Ralph Seekins, president and owner of Seekins Ford in Fairbanks.
“For example, in the oil and gas industry, 50 percent of the heavy duty truck demand is for the Ford Super Duty. Follow that with 52 percent of the forestry industry, 68 percent of the emergency response vehicles, 54 percent of the heavy construction industry, and you begin to see why Ford owns the work force,” Seekins said.
“And, today, Ford is producing vehicles tested tough in Alaska that meet the tough operating conditions needed by folks who depend on their trucks to do the job. More than any other manufacturer, Ford looks at the demand and designs their trucks to do the job,” he explained. “In my more than 45 years in the automobile business, I’ve never seen vehicles better equipped to meet the job requirements with a minimum of down time.
In Alaska, Seekins Ford Lincoln is a premier retailer of the Ford family of vehicles, including the Super Duty trucks equipped for the sub-Arctic environment.
Kenworth, a leader in customer satisfaction among vendors of heavy duty trucks, is also building its customer base in Alaska.
“Our parts inventory is the largest it has ever been at about $2.2 million between the two stores in Anchorage and Fairbanks, and truck sales picking up,” said Jim Scherieble, general manager of Kenworth Alaska.
Responding to customer demand The company recently sold two trucks that run on liquefied natural gas to Fairbanks Natural Gas Co., a supplier that currently transports LNG from Wasilla to Fairbanks.
Scherieble said the buyer operates LNG filling stations in both communities, which makes it convenient for trucks hauling LNG to also run on the clean-burning fuel.
The LNG-powered vehicles may be part of the vanguard of entire fleets of LNG-fueled trucks on Alaska’s highways as more opportunities for using the economical, clean-burning fuel arise.
The Alaska Legislature recently authorized an investment of $362 million to develop a LNG processing plant at Prudhoe Bay that will supply fuel to be trucked to Fairbanks in custom-built tankers during the seven- to 12 years it will take to build an LNG pipeline along the route.
Once the pipeline is completed, the LNG tanker will then be used to transport the fuel to outlying communities in the Interior and western Alaska.
The Washington Connection For Kenworth Alaska, which is owned by the Cymbaluk family, the advent of LNG in trucking is a trend that is also bringing changes to its sister company. Kenworth Northwest recently built a new 26,000-foot store in Lakewood, Wash., which brings to 10 its dealerships, including the two Alaska stores.
“A lot of LNG/CNG filling stations are going up in the Lower 48. Our Lakewood store put in a LNG/CNG stall, which requires special ventilation,” observed Scherieble.
The Lakewood outlet, located about 25 miles south of Kenworth’s Sea-Tac dealership, is also addressing another need.
“I-5 is so congested now that people do not even want to drive 25 miles to reach our Sea-Tac store, so this location is much more convenient for them,” Scherieble said.
Other recent changes include extensive remodels of the Kenworth dealerships in Yakima and Aberdeen, Wash.
New gliders, engines Kenworth also has undergone changes at the factory level.
The company introduced a glider program in August 2012 to meet the needs of fleets and owner operators who want to make old trucks “new” again. Kenworth glider kits come in T660, T800 (split fender configuration) and W900L models, with all sleeper sizes available. The gliders are designed to be mated with customer-supplied EPA 2004 engines and matching transmissions, and they can be spec’d from Kenworth to best meet the fleet or driver application.
“These are ideal for Prudhoe Bay and western Alaska where businesses may have trouble with the urea engines. These trucks will have pre-2006 engines,” said Scherieble. “I have customers on the North Slope who have ordered three gliders already.”
Further, Kenworth’s manufacturer, Paccar, is now making its own engine, the 500-horsepower MX13, that Scherieble said is performing very well in Alaska, especially up in the Arctic.
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