After bolstering its medium-duty fleet with a dozen Kenworth T270 medium-duty straight trucks, Southern California grower Altman Plants' general manager fielded plenty of inquiries from drivers about who would get behind the wheel of the new Class 6 trucks.

The company's safest drivers — those who maintained the most accident-free records — were eventually given the keys, said Jim Hessler, Altman Plants Southern California general manager. Hessler reviewed all driving records prior to the decision.

"This way it was a reward for those drivers, and an incentive for the others," Hessler told Kenworth. "It was a win-win for both the drivers and the company."

Altman, which is based in Vista near San Diego, added 12 Kenworth T270 trucks equipped with a 24-foot aluminum box body, to its fleet earlier this year. The trucks are powered by the PACCAR PX-7 6.7-liter diesel engine paired with an Allison five-speed transmission.

The trucks deliver plants from Altman's San Diego and Riverside nurseries to big-box retailers such as Home Depot, Lowes, and Walmart as well as traditional home and garden locations. The fleet consists of 100 trucks, including 42 medium-duty trucks and eight leased Class 8 trucks. Altman also rents an additional 60 trucks that are a mix of medium duty and long haul.

Altman utilizes Kenworth's Fontana and El Cajon service locations. The company chose the Kenworth models for their favorable ergonomics and ease of maintenance.

"All the fluid checks are on one side of the Kenworth," Hessler said. "Little things like that are important to drivers. Checks are a necessary evil and if a truck is well thought out and designed right, it makes life easier for our drivers and our service technicians."

Altman is the nation's second largest grower in the country with seven facilities that produce more than 1,000 varieties of cactus and succulents, as well as flowers, flowering shrubs, vegetables, and bedding plants.