Forty years ago this year, in 1985, Kenworth changed the landscape of the trucking industry forever when they introduced the T600A. With its sloped hood, set-back front axle and unique aerodynamic styling, it was a radical departure from the traditional design of trucks that manufacturers had been producing up to that point. It quickly earned the nickname “Anteater” by truck drivers and the trucking industry press. You either loved it or hated it, but no matter your opinion, the truck was quickly adopted by both large and small operators in the industry and became a workhorse in many fleets for decades.
For this author, I fell in love with the T600A when it came out. It was the first truck I ever photographed. The T600 is my “Unicorn” truck. What do I mean by that, you ask? To me, it’s a mythical creature and impossible to capture. It’s eluded me my entire life, and I’ve never driven one or owned one, yet the T600 has been a central part of my interest in trucks.
I can vividly remember seeing TMC Transportation’s fleet of beautiful black T600s in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, rollin’ down the interstate, and wanting to work for them, just so I could drive one of those trucks.
I also remember when Bob and B.J. Montgomery won the first Pride and Polish event at the big Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, KY in 1990 with their “Something Special” 1986 Kenworth T600A, which carried a mural memorializing the seven NASA Astronauts of Mission STS-51-L, who died aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986.
Growing up in Indianapolis and seeing all the Canepa Designs styled T600A (and later T600B) IndyCar transporters parked at the track during the month of May was a sight to see. With all their custom enhancements, Bruce Canepa took KW’s already impressive design and truly refined the T600’s sleek look one step further.
The initial T600 was produced from 1985 until 1989 and was known as the T600A. Then, in 1990, Kenworth introduced the second generation of the truck, the T600B. What’s the difference? You can spot the differences pretty easily, as the T600A had a stainless steel grill, used the traditional two-piece flat glass windshield, the marker lights were on top the cab, and they had traditional west coast mirrors mounted to the cab. The T600B was more refined. Gone was the stainless grill, having a new one-piece hood with a divider down the center, the cab had a curved one-piece windshield, its marker lights were built into the visor, and the T600B received aerodynamic mirrors that were mounted to the cab via one arm. Other options included a full fairing package that extended to the drive axles, as well as the Kenworth Aerodyne II sleeper, which had a more aerodynamic roof cap.
Eventually, Kenworth removed the “B” moniker from the truck, and it just became known as the T600. It received more enhancements throughout its production run until it ended in 2007 when the T660 was introduced. While similar, the T660 was essentially a T600, but this model is easily differentiated by its headlights. Production of the T660 ran from 2008 to 2017.
Once a common sight up and down the highways of North America, the T600 is now becoming a rare truck you don’t see working in an over-the-road capacity much any longer. While you may see some running for a local outfit or operating regionally, owned by an owner operator, most of these trucks have been replaced by their more modern counterparts in larger fleets, such as the T680, nowadays. But there are still some nice examples of them out there that have survived and still work.
While at the 2024 Kenworth Truck Show in Chillicothe, Ohio last year, I was walking the impressive lineup of KWs (and admiring them all) parked at the Ross County Fairgrounds, and one truck in particular caught my attention. Parked amongst a sea of W900 and K100 models (which I also love), was a Unicorn. Gleaming in the sun was a beautiful white 1995 Kenworth T600B pulling a matching white 2024 Timpte hopper trailer. While I was looking over the truck, I was impressed by how “original” it was. It hadn’t been modified with any aftermarket accessories other than a pair of stainless steel Hogebuilt half fenders, and the truck was pretty much a perfect example of the T600B from that time period. Shooting some photos of it, the owner, Cody Kirkpatrick, saw me and introduced himself.
As Cody and I started talking, I began “geeking out” a bit as I shared my fascination with the T600 trucks with him. Cody was aware that I wrote for 10-4 Magazine and had seen me doing the photo shoot earlier that afternoon with Dan Clary’s 100th Anniversary W900L and was kind enough to offer his truck to me for a photo session, as well. “You want to get some better photos of it?” Cody asked me, and not hesitating, I enthusiastically answered, “Absolutely!” Then, Cody was kind enough to pull the truck out of line and move it to a more scenic area of the fairgrounds so I could get some better shots of it.
Built at Kenworth’s former Seattle assembly plant in February 1995, Cody’s T600B is painted in white with a factory Kenworth blue stripe package and sports a 230” wheelbase. Powered by a 435-hp Cummins N14 mated to an Eaton-Fuller 10-speed transmission and 3.70 geared rear-ends, the truck rides on a Kenworth 8-bag air-ride suspension, 24.5 Alcoa aluminum rims, low-pro Bridgestone rubber on the drives, and Firestones on the steers. The T600B is equipped with dual exhaust, a 60” flat-top sleeper and a factory sunroof in the cab. Inside, the truck has a Kenworth classic black and gray VIT Diamond Tuck upholstery. “I put in a new pair of air-ride seats from Atlas in 2015,” said Cody, but other than that, it’s pretty much all original inside. And, to top off all that, this 30-year-old T600B only has 435,160 original miles on its odometer!
Telling me some history on his T600B KW, “The truck was originally ordered and owned by a Culligan Water Treatment Systems dealer based out of Lancaster, Ohio. He had 11 locations around Ohio. The T600B pulled a flatbed and ran the Midwest, hauling Morton Solar Salt and Cargill Salt, from plants and distribution facilities for use in water treatment systems, delivering to his locations here in Ohio,” said Cody. “My friend Ron McCoy’s nephew Jeff Fullen was his driver, and he was the guy who originally spec’d and ordered this truck back in 1995,” as Cody continued telling me about his Kenworth.
“In 1999, that Culligan dealer decided to get out of hauling his own product, so Ron and I bought the truck,” said Cody. “We took over all his salt transportation for a couple of years before that ended.” As Cody continued, saying, “The truck had around 200K miles on it when we bought it, and then we put another 200K or so on it before retiring it to use on the farm around 2002.” Sadly, Cody’s long-time friend and business partner Ron McCoy passed away in 2017 at the age of 78. “This truck was Ron’s pride and joy, and his nephew lead his funeral procession with it,” said Cody. “Ron was like a father to me, and the T600B is special to me because of Ron. The truck is like a part of the family.”
Having turned 46 last year, Cody resides in New Holland, Ohio, with his wife Deanne of 21 years. The couple has one son, Cole, who is 18 years old. A third generation farmer, Cody grew up on his family’s farm and will tell you, “I love farming and that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do since I was a child.” The T600B is now used to haul corn and soybeans from the farm to elevators in the area. “I purchased a new 40’ Timpte hopper bottom last year with 66” sides so the trailer aligns nicely with the roofline of the T600B,” said Cody. Decked out with a polished stainless rear bulkhead and nine lights, top and bottom, along each side of the trailer, Cody’s T600B will turn heads whether it’s hauling to a grain elevator or on display at a show.
In this day and age, I haven’t seen another 30-year-old T600B of this vintage that’s as nice as Cody’s and untouched (nearly all original). While many truckers who love older trucks prefer the big hoods, and you will see many of those at truck shows every year all around the country, there’s something to be said for those of us like Cody and myself who love a “Unicorn” and something truly special.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Special thanks to Duncan Putman, Kenworth Trucks, and TMC Transportation for supplying some of the pictures for this feature.