Two decades of hauling trailers, almost three million kilometers covered and minimal number of technical issues – that's how you can sum up the career of one of the most distinctive tractors that ever worked in commercial transport in Europe. That's why in this article, we'll delve into its history.

In 2005, when the American Kenworth still had its official importer in Europe, operating in France, Dane Stig Sundhal decided to purchase a brand-new W900L series tractor. Interestingly, this wasn't a hobby purchase; the truck was intended for daily use in commercial transport. This was nothing new for Sundhal himself, as in the 1990s, he owned an entire fleet of American trucks dedicated to regular work. With the new Kenworth, he intended to continue this activity, personally getting behind its wheel.

The tractor, purchased in France, naturally stood out due to its enormous size. The extended front hood and an Aerodyne sleeper cabin gave the Kenworth a length of about 9 meters. Technically, the vehicle was configured in a truly sensible way to achieve excellent operational parameters. Let's start with the fact that despite having two drive axles, the tractor's curb weight was kept to just 8 tons. This excellent result, difficult to achieve with three-axle tractors from Europe, was made possible by the typical American extensive use of aluminum, including the bodywork, frame crossmembers, and even all six hubs. Under the aforementioned hood was a 12-liter Caterpillar C12 engine, developing a maximum power of 430 HP and coupled with a manual, unsynchronized, 12-speed Eaton Fuller transmission (referred to as a 13-speed due to an additional creeper gear). This drivetrain was covered by a European warranty for 800,000 kilometers, which already eloquently testified to its potential durability.

Over the next two decades, with each year of operation on European roads, this durable character only confirmed itself. To this day, the power unit has never had to be opened, undergoing no major overhauls. The air compressor was never replaced, and the original starter lasted for 1.6 million kilometers. The only significant component that required early replacement, at around 300,000 kilometers, was the turbocharger. However, the truck owner admits that this was a result of moving off at full power in very low temperatures, with a 50-ton combination. When this turbocharger was replaced, the new unit has lasted until today, covering 2.76 million kilometers.

I suspect this last piece of information might have caused disbelief in some of you. And yet, this modern classic regularly covered 150,000 kilometers annually across Europe, as confirmed by information from Danish technical inspections. For example, in March 2017, the truck presented itself at the inspection station with a mileage of 1.540 million, while in March 2018, it was already 1.704 million. Another example: in March 2021, it had 2.158 million, and in March 2022, 2.307 million. Most of these kilometers were accumulated on the roads of Sweden and Norway, where Stig Sundhal hauled curtain-sided trailers arriving from Great Britain at the port of Gothenburg. However, there were periods of different work, including two years of hauling asphalt in Denmark, around Copenhagen, and four years of operating a dump trailer. In terms of tonnage, it also varied, as there was both work in 50-ton combinations (legal on Scandinavian roads) and hauling completely empty trailers, especially in the last few years. And although the Kenworth's powerful appearance might immediately suggest high fuel consumption, in reality, the average turned out to be surprisingly low. As records kept over the past 20 years show, the American tractor needed an average of 25.4 liters of diesel fuel per 100 kilometers!

After two decades, the story of daily transport operations came to an end. At the turn of 2024 and 2025, Sundhal decided to resign from typical transport activities. He was simply fed up with the constantly tightening regulations, the endless harassment of carriers by the Danish authorities, and requirements such as mandatory tachograph exchanges. To continue international routes, the Kenworth would certainly have to undergo such a replacement, as it still has an analog tachograph with a "drawer" above the windshield. Therefore, the distinctive blue and chrome classic has now transitioned to hobby use, and its owner has decided to focus on developing his additional business, which is trading American trucks in Europe (the offer is available at SUNDAHLTRUCKS.DK). Soon, I'll have the opportunity to show this with a concrete example, as one of the Kenworth W900L models he offers, a black 1999 example, was recently sold to Poland and is currently being prepared for work on our roads.