Since its humble beginning in 1985, operating a few trucks on a small farm in Akron, Ohio, JRayl Transport has grown to become one of the largest asset-based logistics companies in Ohio. Tim Rayl, one of the company’s founders, continues to be an active owner, and while JRayl has experienced significant growth through the years, maintaining a “family-owned, employee-friendly” atmosphere remains a top priority.
Today, JRayl operates more than 400 trucks across its strategically placed locations in Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, and Texas. The company provides both regional and long-haul services, including truckload, dedicated, flatbed, LTL, and more. According to Ryan Richards, JRayl CEO, the company constantly evaluates its operations to find opportunities to run more efficiently. For years, JRayl had operated a healthy mix of leased and company-owned trucks comprised of multiple makes and powertrains, which presented challenges with service intervals, maintenance costs, and other operational issues. To simplify its operation, JRayl looked to build a uniform fleet of the same truck make and model and decided to add Kenworth T680s.
“In 2020, an opportunity came up to purchase 40 used Kenworth T680s with the PACCAR powertrain,” said Richards. “With used trucks, there’s no way to know how well the previous owner maintained them or if you’ll encounter unexpected issues, but we knew Kenworth built quality trucks and had heard good things about the PACCAR engine. Tim (Rayl) would say that you wouldn’t consider a truck broken in until it reached almost a million miles. Since we hadn’t ventured down the Kenworth or PACCAR path, we wanted to see how the Kenworth’s performed and if they would be a viable option for us moving forward.”
According to Richards, engine reliability, serviceability, fuel efficiency, and driver satisfaction were the primary factors JRayl considered when it decided to add the used T680s. “And since then, we haven’t looked back,” said Richards. “The trucks have performed how we hoped they would. The uptime, serviceability, and performance of the PACCAR engine, coupled with a smooth transition into automated transmissions from manuals, helped validate our decision to build consistency in the fleet of trucks we operate. Since our initial purchase, we’ve added about 80 more T680s, and we plan to buy more.”
The additional T680s were bought new and were configured primarily with 76-inch sleepers and specified with PACCAR MX-13 engines rated at 455 hp and PACCAR TX-12 automated transmissions for long-haul operations. The company also added a few day cabs for regional drivers with the same powertrain specs. JRayl works with Hissong Kenworth for new truck orders, service, and parts.
“We have a great relationship with our local Kenworth dealer, Hissong,” said Richards. “They’ve done an excellent job supporting our operation and providing the services we need. They handle all warranty and major component-related maintenance, and we have staff at our facilities that are equipped to perform routine service intervals. Hissong is a great partner.”
In addition to powertrain reliability and performance, driver satisfaction played a key role in JRayl’s continued addition of T680s.
“Our drivers are the heart and soul of the company, so it’s important for us to provide them with equipment they’re comfortable in,” said Richards. “Our drivers really like the Kenworths, the creature comforts the cab provides, and the overall experience behind the wheel. It’s a top-of-the-line truck.”
According to Richards, inside the cab, JRayl specs premium seats, double bunks, refrigerators, and other optional upgrades to enhance the driver experience.
“I have been here 29 years, a lot of that time as a driver, and the Kenworths are by far the best trucks we’ve ever had,” said Rich Hayward, JRayl CDL apprenticeship program director. “Our driver count has been helped with these new trucks. I have drivers who went through our training program years ago and are still on with us. Some of them have already gotten their million miles in.”
For JRayl, the decision to add Kenworths has paid off. “The overall experience with the Kenworth product is everything we were looking for,” Richards concluded. “The creature comforts, the fuel mileage, and the driver experience is something we hadn’t experienced until this point in our company’s history.”
