SNOHOMISH, Wash., May 6, 2019 – Nestled in the heart of logging country, Chinook Lumber’s ties to providing building material and tools for professional contractors and do-it-yourself homeowners in the greater Seattle area are deeply rooted.
Since Chinook Lumber was founded in 1988, the company has grown from a single lumberyard location in Snohomish to additional locations in North Bend and Arlington, Washington. The company prides itself in offering customers thousands of products for new construction and remodel projects, such as decking, roofing, and framing materials. Products are sold at store locations, and the company utilizes its fleet of eight Kenworth trucks for reliable, on-time delivery.
The Chinook Lumber fleet features six Kenworth T880s, used to deliver customer orders as far as the Olympic Peninsula (west), Olympia (south), Cle Elum (east), and up to the Canadian border (north).
The company’s T880s, purchased through Papé Kenworth Northwest – Marysville, are all straight trucks with 24-foot flatbeds, equipped with PACCAR MX-13 engines rated at 455 hp. On average, each Chinook Lumber truck will tack on 60,000 miles a year.
“The T880 provides us with plenty of power and the reliability we need,” said Todd Score, Chinook Lumber operations manager. “It’s hard to match the dependability of a Kenworth truck. It’s a large reason why we continue to buy Kenworths.”
Whether a customer’s build site is located along a city street or up in the mountains, Chinook Lumber relies on its versatile Kenworth T880s to deliver wherever their customers are located. The T880s tight turning radius helps Chinook Lumber’s drivers round corners and maneuver through tight city streets.
“Typically, our drivers will make three to eight deliveries in any given day,” said Score. “Our drivers may make a delivery to a location with rugged terrain and steep grade and later that day find themselves in downtown Seattle or Bellevue. With the T880, we are able to provide our drivers a truck that is equipped to handle challenging roads without sacrificing the comfortable and spacious cab that the drivers really enjoy.”
For Chinook Lumber, delivery orders make up most of their business. With the trucks always on the road, the company saw an opportunity to help market its brand.
“A couple years ago, we added new wraps to our trucks that showcase our company’s design,” said Score. “Our trucks are an extension of our company, and a great way to market ourselves to potential new customers. We take great pride in our Kenworth trucks and run a tight ship to make sure they look like brand new trucks every morning before they hit the road. Kenworth’s established brand helps us portray the image we are looking for, and we’ve received a lot of positive comments about our trucks.”
Last year, two of the Chinook Lumber’s festively decorated Kenworth T880s participated in the Arlington (Washington) Fourth of July Parade. “We had a lot of people come up and tell us how great our trucks looked, it was nice to hear,” said Score. “We believe our trucks represent our company well, and we have been looking at showing our trucks at other community events in the future.”
Through Kenworth T880s, the company not only sees its trucks as a way to attract new customers, but as a key driver recruiting tool as well. For Score, providing drivers with driver-friendly equipment is a must.
“Good drivers are hard to come by,” he said. “We’ve done well in keeping our current drivers and I can attribute that to providing them equipment that is driver-friendly – equipment that is always kept in quality condition. Drivers care about what they drive.”
For Chinook Lumber, the Kenworth T880s also provide a winning combination with excellent styling and performance.
“It’s hard to match the look and performance of a Kenworth truck,” said Score. “We’ve been a Kenworth company all along and we will continue to represent the Pacific Northwest-based company moving forward.”
