ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Truck Dealers (ATD) announced today the winners of the 2013 ATD Commercial Truck of the Year, an award recognizing the top truck entries in the heavy- and medium-duty categories.

The Kenworth T680 76-inch Sleeper with PACCAR MX Engine was selected for the heavy-duty (Class 8) category. Tom Berg, chief judge, said the truck impressed the judging panel with its comfort and driveability, including its pulling power from the engine, easy shifting of its 10-speed manual transmission and well set-up gauges and controls.

"I think the reason we produced this award winning truck is due to the efforts of the last four years during which we found customers were looking for significant fuel savings, high visibility, high tech equipment and enjoyment," Gary Moore, general manager of Kenworth and PACCAR vice president. "Our customers are looking for a complete home, office and work package."

Moore also said that leaders at his company look forward to introducing more fuel-efficient trucks in answer to customer needs.

Hino 195h was selected for the medium-duty (Class 3-7) category after impressing the judges with its comfort, great visibility, maneuverability, high-tech equipment and smooth, fuel-saving operation.

"On behalf of the entire team, we want to thank ATD for this award," said Robert McDowell, Hino senior vice president, sales and customer support. "We are extremely proud Hino won the ATD medium-duty truck award for the third time in its four years of existence."

After accepting the award, McDowell underscored that Hino started building hybrids in the 1970s and entered the truck market in the 1980s. The current models only previews the innovations to come, he said.

"We are working with natural gas and other green fuels for different trucks," McDowell added.

The trucks were selected from a field of five medium-duty trucks and four heavy-duty trucks. A five-member panel of journalists evaluated the trucks at ADESA Las Vegas last October. The judging categories included innovation, design, safety and driver satisfaction.

"Every year the challenge is greater and greater," said judge Paul Hartley, writer and owner of AddMedia. "The manufacturers bring the best in the game."

Other trucks nominated for the medium-duty truck award were the Ford F-650, Isuzu Reach Commercial Van and the Peterbilt Model 337 Extended Day Cab. Heavy-duty truck nominees included Cascadia Evolution equipped with Detroit D12 transmission, Peterbilt Model 579 and Western Star 4700SF.

The NADA and ATD conventions run Feb. 8-11 at the Orange County Convention Center. For up-to-minute news coverage, visit www.NADAFrontPage.com.

About ATD

ATD represents about 2,000 medium- and heavy-duty truck dealers. ATD members share in NADA's programs, services and benefits. ATD hosts an annual convention for dealers and dealership managers. For more information, visit www.atd.org.

The NADA Story

The NADA story began in 1917 when 30 auto dealers traveled to the nation's capital to convince Congress not to impose a luxury tax on the automobile. They successfully argued that the automobile is a necessity of American life, not a luxury. From that experience was born the National Automobile Dealers Association. Today, NADA represents nearly 16,000 new-car and -truck dealers, with 32,500 franchises, both domestic and international. For more information, visit www.nada.org.

SOURCE American Truck Dealers