Given the bite that gasoline can take out of a household budget, more drivers are looking for value whenever they fill up. Enter QuikTrip, the Tulsa OK-based gas station chain where customers will stop—and stop again—for the convenience of getting fuel and good eats in one place.
QuikTrip prepares fresh sandwiches, wraps, salads, fruit, pastries, and other food at company-owned kitchens and delivers them to each store daily.
“Customers can buy fuel anywhere, but they’ll choose QuikTrip because they like the food,” said Manny Rubio, who manages QuikTrip’s food distribution operation in Arizona.
QuikTrip uses Kenworth medium-duty trucks to deliver fresh food from its kitchen commissary in Tolleson AZ to more than 75 convenience stores and gas stations in metropolitan Phoenix and Tucson AZ.
With the Arizona retail network expanding, the operation added three Class 7 Kenworth T370s with Paccar PX-6 engines this year, joining a fleet of eight Kenworth medium-duty trucks purchased in 2006.
“What stands out about the Kenworth T370 is that it fits both our image as a company and our everyday needs as a distribution operation,” Rubio said.
QuikTrip trucks make 10 to 12 deliveries on routes ranging from 75 to 250 miles. The T370’s combination of 220-horsepower PX6 engine, automatic transmission, and a load that starts out light and diminishes with each stop can deliver impressive fuel economy and reduce physical strain on drivers.
“We promote our drivers from within the distribution operation. It’s more effective to train someone from our QuikTrip family to operate a truck than it is to train a truck driver to meet our high standards,” Rubio said. New drivers adapt so well to the T370 that they can earn a CDL and be productive in a matter of weeks instead of months.
Drivers have to work around fuel islands, unload food, stock shelves, and stay on schedule—all during an evening shift. At a busy gas lot, the T370’s sight-lines and maneuverability can reduce the risk of scrapes and dings.
QuikTrip manages its own maintenance schedule, and its truck dealer, Inland Kenworth in Phoenix, handles nearly all preventive maintenance and repairs. The arrangement helps the company improve utilization and focus on distributing fresh food instead of running a big shop.
“Other dealers have approached us about other makes of truck,” Rubio said. “But there’s a lot of value in being consistent. Our Kenworth T370s help us control our operating costs and keep our drivers happy every day. As a Class 7 truck, it also gives us the versatility we’ll need as more stores and more products come on board. It’s a great fit now and in the future.”
Visit www.kenworth.com to learn more.
