Idaho Trucker Chosen to Deliver Capitol Christmas Tree in Kenworth T680

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Transport Topics  /  October 25, 2016

Twin Falls, Idaho, truck driver and business owner Gary Amoth has been selected to drive the truck that will take the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree from McCall, Idaho, to Washington, D.C., in November. Amoth will leave for McCall on Oct. 31, and within days will begin the longest drive of his 35-year career.

But Twin Falls residents will get to see the truck (and Amoth) again, soon — at a Nov. 14 celebration at City Park, during the tree’s eastbound journey.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Amoth said. “It’s an honor to be chosen. It’s an honor for our entire company.”
Amoth grew up in Buhl, where he started his company, Gary Amoth Trucking, in 1983. He still lives in Buhl but has since moved the business to Twin Falls. With another lot in Nampa, Gary Amoth Trucking employs about 150 drivers with more than 130 semi-trucks.

In March, Amoth received a call from Kenworth Sales Co. in Boise, asking if he’d be willing to haul the 80-foot Engelmann spruce during a 2,800-mile cross-country tour. The U.S. Forest Service chose the Payette National Forest to provide the tree this year.

Salesman Keith MacKenzie recommended Amoth for the job because of the professionalism of his company, the image he projects and the care he takes for his vehicles.

“When one of his trucks goes down the road, you turn your head,” MacKenzie said. “Image is important to him.”
Amoth accepted the offer gladly and purchased a red Kenworth T680 for the occasion.

“They had certain specifications the truck was required to have,” Amoth said.

The nearly 10-ton truck has capacity of about 40 tons and comes with its own special decals, Wi-Fi and refrigerator, he said.

“It’s designed for driver comfort and fuel efficiency,” MacKenzie said.

The decal includes a map of the tree’s journey and the words “From Tree to Shining Tree.”
“It is an honor for Kenworth to participate in this event delivering ‘The People’s Tree’ for the third year in a row,” Kenworth Marketing Director Kurt Swihart said in a statement.

According to capitolchristmastree.com, the Capitol Christmas tree tradition started in 1964 when Speaker of the House John W. McCormack (D-Mass.) placed a live Christmas tree on the lawn of the Capitol. It lived three years, and the U.S. Forest Service has been asked to provide “The People’s Tree” each year since 1970.

A different Forest Service region is chosen for the tree every year, said Bruce Ward, president of Choose Outdoors — the nonprofit organization that assists the U.S. Forest Service in coordinating the annual tour. The only other time Idaho has been selected was 2003, providing an Engelmann spruce from the Boise National Forest.

After the Nov. 2 tree cutting in McCall, Amoth will depart Nov. 6 with the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree, making 27 stops on his way to D.C. He prepared for the trip by securing additional permits for each of the states he’ll pass through.

And he won’t be alone. Amoth’s truck will be accompanied by an entourage including the Idaho Potato Commission’s Big Idaho Potato Truck — another T680 hauling a 6-ton, 28-foot-long replica of an Idaho russet potato.

Inside, the hollow potato will hold around 8,000 Christmas ornaments, created with a “reuse and recycle” theme.

“Those are made by school kids all over the state,” Ward said.
The ornaments will decorate The People’s Tree, as well as 70 more Christmas trees that will go in government offices, he said. The trees will be hauled from Idaho tree farms in another companion truck that will meet up with Amoth. They were purchased at a reduced cost from a donation by St. Luke’s, Ward said.
Along the route, smokejumper Chris Niccoli will be in charge of caring for the tree, Amoth said. The Engelmann spruce will be watered using an 80-gallon bladder that will be filled nightly, he said.

“It drinks between 20 and 40 gallons of water a day,” Amoth said.

The top 16 feet of the tree will be encased in plastic glass, for viewing, and decorated with lights at each of the stops, he said.

Amoth plans to drive the whole way himself. The trip concludes Nov. 28, and one Idaho student will be selected to attend a Dec. 6 tree lighting ceremony.
 

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Kenworth T680 To Deliver 52nd U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree

Kenworth Truck Company Press Release  /  October 25, 2016

This fall, a specially-decaled Kenworth T680 will transport the 52nd U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree on a special cross-country tour to the U.S. Capitol. The tour will visit 26 community celebrations during the 2,800-mile journey.

After its arrival and set-up on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, the tree will be illuminated during a special ceremony in early December that will be presided over by U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. The 80-foot Englemann Spruce will be cut on Nov. 2 near McCall, Idaho, and placed on a trailer designed for the tree.

Following the tree-cutting and send-off at the Payette National Forest Headquarters in McCall, Idaho, the Kenworth T680 equipped with a 76-inch sleeper, PACCAR MX-13 engine, Eaton Fuller Advantage™ 10-speed automated transmission and Kenworth TruckTech+ will haul the tree to a community event in downtown McCall. The T680’s distinctive decal design features the tree and the U.S. Capitol beneath the words “From Tree to Shining Tree.” Gary Amoth, owner of Gary Amoth Trucking, will be the primary driver of the special T680.

Gary Amoth Trucking and its new Kenworth T680 with 76-inch sleeper was chosen as the hauler for this year’s tree at the recommendation of local Kenworth dealer – Kenworth Sales Co. and based on Amoth’s reputation in the trucking industry in Idaho, according to Bruce Ward, president of Choose Outdoors. Amoth, who started his trucking company hauling agricultural commodities with one truck in 1983, expanded the business into a Twin Falls, Idaho-based full-service carrier with a fleet of more than 100 trucks hauling overseas containers for the drayage market, as well as flatbed and container freight.  Choose Outdoors is a non-profit organization that assists the U.S. Forest Service with coordinating the annual tour.

The T680 tour truck will be accompanied by the Great Big Idaho Potato Truck, a Kenworth T680 hauling a 6-ton, 28-foot long replica of an Idaho russet potato. The Great Big Potato Truck was created in 2012 by the Idaho Potato Commission (bigidahopotato.com/the-truck). The hollow potato will carry some of the 8,000 ornaments Idaho school children and other residents crafted to adorn the tree and 70 other Christmas trees from the Payette National Forest.

“It is an honor for Kenworth to participate in this event delivering the ‘The People’s Tree’ for the third year in a row,” said Kurt Swihart, Kenworth marketing director. “We’re especially proud that two Kenworth T680s will play key roles in completing this important tour, which offers Americans the opportunity to see this national symbol of celebration. Both trucks provide tour drivers comfortable work environments and their colorful and attractive graphics offer visitors at each stop a strong visual reminder of the origin of this year’s U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree.”

The Capitol Christmas Tree Tour will make several stops in Idaho before continuing on through Utah, Colorado, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. It arrives Nov. 27 at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where it will be uncrated and prepared for its final trip into Washington, D.C., the next day.

For more information, including a complete tour schedule, visit the 2016 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree website (www.capitolchristmastree.com), which is administrated and updated by Choose Outdoors. The public can track the truck’s progress at Trackthetree.com.

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Capitol Tree Is Cut, Loaded Onto Kenworth T680 for 4,000-Mile Journey

Transport Topics  /  November 3, 2016

An 80-foot Englemann Spruce tree, chosen for its perfectly cylindrical shape, was loaded onto a Kenworth T680 truck Nov. 2 to begin its 4,000-mile journey to Washington, D.C., where it will serve as the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree.

The tree was harvested from the Payette National Forest in Idaho and is being driven across the country, with stops in 27 communities, by Gary Amoth, owner of Twin Falls, Idaho-based Gary Amoth Trucking.

The Kenworth T680 features a 76-inch sleeper, 485-horsepower Paccar MX-13 engine and an Eaton Fuller Advantage 10-speed automated transmission.

The tree is scheduled to arrive at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Nov. 27, and the lighting is expected to occur in early December.

SkyBitz provides an interactive map that traces the tree’s journey; go to trackthetree.com.

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