In a move that has sparked a lot of online chatter from diehard, old-school truck enthusiasts, Kenworth announced March 19 it will end production of its narrow (1.9-metre) cab Class 8 trucks, which includes the company’s iconic W900.
The W900 holds the record for the longest heavy truck model to remain in continuous production. It entered service in 1963 and has continued with the same basic body style until today, although there have been a couple of minor variations.
“We know these legacy Kenworth models are an integral part of our history here at Kenworth, which makes this decision a difficult but necessary one as we enter the next era of trucking,” Kevin Haygood, Kenworth’s assistant general manager for sales and marketing, said in a release.
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“The W900 is truly historic in that it’s helped shape North American trucking culture and tradition as we know it today, often seen at truck shows, featured in movies and on TV and shown at other events.”
Those include the movie Smokey and the Bandit as well as the Movin’ On TV series.
Also ending production is the narrow cab T800 model, which debuted in 1986, as well as the very heavy-duty C500 model that first appeared in 1972 and is designed for extreme heavy-haul and off-road operations.
The W990, introduced in 2018, offers an updated design with a nod to the W900 but includes a wider 2.1-metre cab, similar to most other new on-highway trucks, providing a more spacious interior. The W990 uses a little more aerodynamic design without the external air filters used on the W900.
In a statement, Kenworth said the decision to end production of these models is due to “evolving emissions regulations and component constraints as the industry moves forward with new, more efficient and better integrated technologies and products.”
A rumour had been circulating online about the company’s intent to discontinue production, which may have caused it to officially reveal its plans early, ahead of the annual MATS truck show in the United States, where it was expected to be announced.
A final call for truck orders will be announced later in 2025 and at least one dealer, Inland Kenworth, says it is still accepting orders for W900s with manual transmissions.
Kenworth’s sister company Peterbilt, under the ownership of parent company Paccar, also discontinued its classic long-hood truck, the 389, in late 2023. The 389 also had a strong following and was similar in appearance to the W900.
The Peterbilt 589 — an updated version of the 389 and its predecessors, the 379 and 359 — was given a comparable treatment to Kenworth’s W990. It keeps a hood like that used on the 389, but mates it with a wider, more aerodynamic cab.
