For the last four years, the town of Chillicothe, Ohio, has been celebrating the world\u2019s best. 2022 was the inaugural show and parade, while 2023 celebrated Kenworth\u2019s 100th anniversary, and then 2024 celebrated Kenworth\u2019s Chillicothe assembly plant\u2019s 50th anniversary. And for this year\u2019s (2025) show and parade, Kenworth celebrated the end of an era with a big tribute to their legendary and iconic W900 line of trucks.<\/p>ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder
Introduced in 1963, the Kenworth W900 is one of the most iconic, popular, and recognizable rigs ever built. Three iterations of the truck have been built over the last 62 years beginning with the W900A, followed by the W900B in 1983, and the W900L (1990) models, along with a vocational version, known as the W900S. The W900 model is truly historic in that it helped shape the North American trucking culture and tradition as we know it today. Featured in movies (Smokey and the Bandit) and TV shows (Movin\u2019 On), along with proud owners showing off their W900s at truck shows around the country, the W900 is a truck that\u2019s cherished by so many truckers and trucking aficionados alike for its timeless styling and classic look.<\/p>
Of the 55 trucks invited to this year\u2019s truck show and parade, 31 of them were W900 models. Some examples of the W900A that caught my attention were owned by Radco Trucking out of Gridley, California, who brought a pair (1973 and 1974) of W900s, Clyde and Melody Green of Cheyenne, Wyoming, brought their beautiful 1982 W900A, Kate Whiting of Chetek, Wisconsin, had her gorgeous 1973 W900A named \u201cCherry Pie\u201d at the show, Kyle Weaver of Wooster, Ohio, had his 1981 W900A on display, and Wes Roberts of Maceo, Kentucky, who had his custom built 1978 W900A there. Sporting a 324-inch wheelbase and powered by a Cummins N14 pushing over 600-hp and mated to a 5×4 Spicer transmission, Wes\u2019 truck has a custom 120-inch Aerodyne sleeper on it with a custom interior by ATG of LaGrange, Indiana.<\/p>
Of the several W900L models in attendance, Jerry Linander of Winona, Minnesota, had his 1994 W900L named \u201cNo Fences\u201d at the show. Driven by Jerry\u2019s brother Odell in the parade, the truck is painted black with red frame rails, sports a classic Aerodyne sleeper, and rides on a 300-inch wheelbase. The truck is powered by a 3406E Cat, a 13-speed, 3.25 rears, and rides on a Paccar low air-leaf suspension. A pair of fuel tanks, totaling 400 gallons, are strapped to each side of the rig. Pulling a matching black 2025 spread-axle Great Dane van trailer, a large image of a Texas Longhorn adorns each side of the trailer and turned heads as it rolled through downtown Chillicothe on the Parade route.<\/p>
An orange 1994 W900L pulling a Wilson livestock trailer that caught my attention was owned by Aaron Smith of Kanorado, Kansas. I was shooting some photos of his truck at the Ross County Fairgrounds on Thursday evening, June 12, when Aaron walked up to me and introduced himself, his wife, and son. I had never met Aaron before this, but needless to say, I was humbled when Aaron told me that he had heard of me and knew my story (I am legally blind for those of you who don\u2019t know), along with telling me that I was an inspiration for not giving up and continuing to do what I love in the trucking industry. Guys like Aaron are proof positive that there\u2019s so many great men and women in the trucking industry who go about their lives quietly every day to keep America moving and provide for their families. So, from me personally, thank you Aaron, and a big shout out to you.<\/p>
Yet another awesome W900L that was in attendance was owned by Nate and Ann Peterson of Clear Lake, Iowa. \u201cSpirit of the Glades\u201d is a 2022 W900L that sports a 72\u201d Aerocab flattop sleeper and rides on a nice 303-inch wheelbase. Painted in a beautiful turquoise green pearl, the W900L is powered by a 6NZ C15 Cat, a 13-speed transmission with an AG400L suspension, and 3.25 rears. \u201cIt\u2019s truly an honor to be invited to the Kenworth show and parade because it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,\u201d said Nate. That sentiment was consistent with everyone at the event, with Washington, Georgia, based trucker JT Mercier, who had his gunmetal gray and blue 2005 Kenworth W900L on display, telling me, \u201cI\u2019m blown away by how much Kenworth has laid out the red carpet for all of us, and the opportunity to tour the plant and see the trucks being built was an amazing experience.\u201d<\/p>
There were also a few of the 100th Anniversary W900Ls in attendance, too. Chillicothe based Clary Trucking had their 100th (#802) on display, and driver Kevin Miller of Lewisport, Kentucky based First Class Services brought their 100th (#386), pulling a polished 2006 J&L-Heil pneumatic trailer. Bill and Sayra Rethwisch of Tomah, Wisconsin, along with Scott Bender, brought their 2024 100th Anniversary W900L (#684), hooked to a matching 9,500-gallon MAC TTL fuel tanker to the show, as well.<\/p>
While the 2025 event was a tribute to the sunsetting of the W900L, other notable Kenworth models were also in attendance. Mary Norton, an owner operator from Knapp, Wisconsin, had her Green Bay Packers themed 2014 Kenworth T660 (Jordy) and reefer on display, along with New Holland, Ohio based Cody Kirkpatrick, who had his 1995 T600B and Timpte Hopper on display. Six beautiful K100 cabovers were in Chillicothe for the show, as well. Three that got my attention were Greg Kendall\u2019s from Orleans, Indiana, who had his 1982 K100C on display, Ryan Smith\u2019s 2000 K100E Aerodyne from Motor Truck Equipment of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, who brought the last K100 their dealership ever sold, and a 1979 K100C named \u201cBlueberry Bill\u201d that was restored and owned by Steven Phillips of LaFollette, Tennessee.<\/p>
One special Kenworth that was invited to this year\u2019s show was owned by Cory Troxell of Stevens Transport. As a proud partner of the \u201cHiring Our Heroes\u201d program, Kenworth supports US Military veterans who have made the transition from serving our country to a successful trucking career. A US Army veteran, Cory won the 2024 event and earned the keys to a brand new and fully loaded 2024 Kenworth T680 equipped with a 76-inch sleeper, a Paccar MX13 engine, and a TX-12 transmission \u2013 it even has a diamond tuck interior!<\/p>
The oldest KW in attendance at the show this year was a 1947 Kenworth 923 conventional driven by Scott Clary of Clary Trucking. Powered by a 220 Cummins with a 4×3 Spicer setup, Scott recently purchased this yellow and black truck for their collection, saying, \u201cMy great grandfather founded the company in 1947, so to have a 1947 Kenworth in our fleet is pretty special now.\u201d<\/p>
While the trucks get most of the glory in Chillicothe every June, there are many hard working individuals behind the scenes who make the Kenworth Truck Show and Parade a success every year. Chillicothe\u2019s plant manager Doug VanZuiden relies on his experienced team, led by Assistant Plant Manager Jack Schmitt, to make the weekend fun for all the Kenworth employees and their families, along with residents of the Chillicothe area, who come out to enjoy the parade. \u201cDavid Robinson and Tom Arnold are two essential individuals who work closely with Jack and myself to find and invite the best Kenworth trucks and owners from around the country every year,\u201d said Carie Wolfe, who has worked at the Chillicothe plant for 22 years and handles important duties for the show and parade, including coordinating with the Majestic Theatre, the parade route, organizing communication and truck and owner information. \u201cStacie Robertson does so much behind the scenes as well with our vendors, when it comes time to recognize the trucks, and when the drivers receive their plaques and goody bags during the Friday night dinner,\u201d said Carie, continuing with, \u201cWe also rely heavily on Alek Morgan, who is our communications and marketing director here at the Chillicothe plant. Alek takes care of many of the media items that we use for the parade.\u201d<\/p>
In addition, there are so many who contribute in other ways and volunteer their time to the show. Lana Arnold is one of these individuals who plays an important role helping with so much organizational work and registering the trucks and owners once they have been invited and arrive at the show, along with Dan Clary of Clary Trucking, whose company provides trucking services to the plant. Dan generously brings in a catering company and provides dinner for everyone on Thursday night, which even includes an ice cream truck for dessert. Dan will tell you that this is one weekend he looks forward to all year long \u2013 he really enjoys spending time with so many great people who share a love for the trucking industry and a love for Kenworth trucks.<\/p>
One of the most interesting parts of the weekend provided to the invited truck owners and their families is a tour of Kenworth\u2019s awesome state-of-the-art assembly facility. \u201cWe all look forward to this weekend and we enjoy giving the tours,\u201d said Debra Welch, who is a Fleet Coordinator, and has been employed at Kenworth for 27 years. \u201cFrom start to finish, when the frame rails roll in to the plant all the way to the end when the truck is driven off the line and out of the plant, it currently takes about 7.5 hours to build a truck,\u201d Debra explained to me on the plant tour. \u201cWe\u2019re currently producing around 137 trucks a day right now, but we have the capacity to build almost 200 trucks a day when the market demands it,\u201d Debra added.<\/p>
As impressive as it is to witness Kenworth\u2019s Chillicothe facility in action, Kenworth keeps investing heavily in the plant and it is constantly being upgraded and expanded with new technology to improve quality and efficiency. A recent addition to the plant is a new frame paint booth that is scheduled to go online by the fourth quarter of this year. Also, a new test facility was recently built on the far northeast corner of the property where the trucks are aligned, dyno\u2019d, receive ABS checks, camera and other electronic calibrations, chassis and paint inspection, as well as additional quality inspections before being released to be sold and leaving the plant property.<\/p>
Many of the trucks start arriving throughout the day on Thursday, but the fun begins on Friday. Kenworth goes into full celebration mode beginning with the plant tour and a dinner that night celebrating the trucks and the truckers who brought their rigs and traveled from all ends of our country to be a part of the \u201cWorld\u2019s Best\u201d truck show and parade. But, when Saturday rolls around, that is when the trucks really shine.<\/p>
Lined up from end to end in a large portion of the plant\u2019s parking lot, Kenworth employees get to see some of the great trucks they build and meet the proud owners who drive them. After the family day has ended, the trucks line up and are individually photographed under the large Kenworth sign on the plant. Then, after arriving back at the Ross County Fairgrounds, a quick meal was served and, with the help of the Ross County Sheriff\u2019s Department and Fire Department, the roads were blocked off, and then a convoy of Kenworths were escorted to the parade staging area.<\/p>
Saturday night saw a short rain shower before the parade began, but that did not stop Chillicothe residents from lining the streets. As my co-photographer Spencer Schmerheim and I were setting up tripods and getting cameras ready, we had several parade goers stop and talk to us, including some Kenworth plant employees, along with one trucker (a proud Kenworth owner himself) who made the trip all the way from Northern Ohio to watch the parade. It\u2019s amazing to see how much Kenworth means to Chillicothe. As the largest employer in the area, so many jobs, both directly and indirectly, exist because of Kenworth, and for one night, a town, its residents, over 50 truckers and many Kenworth employees, both past and present, get to celebrate The World\u2019s Best!<\/p>
AUTHOR\u2019S NOTE:<\/strong> Big thanks go out to Spencer Schmerheim and Fred Rethwisch for the photography help, Dan Clary for a fun ride to the show, and Kevin Miller for a first class ride in a \u201cFirst Class\u201d Kenworth back home!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For the last four years, the town of Chillicothe, Ohio, has been celebrating the world\u2019s best. 2022 was the inaugural show and parade, while 2023 celebrated Kenworth\u2019s 100th anniversary, and then 2024 celebrated Kenworth\u2019s Chillicothe assembly plant\u2019s 50th anniversary. And for this year\u2019s (2025) show and parade, Kenworth celebrated the end of an era with<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":48242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-48055","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-show-reports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48055"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48055\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48241,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48055\/revisions\/48241"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}