CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — A Kenworth T680 truck built at the company’s assembly plant here returned home briefly this week carrying the 2025 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, giving workers a chance to see the 53-foot red fir before it heads to Washington.
The truck, driven by Michael Porter of Swift Transportation’s Phoenix terminal, stopped at the Kenworth Chillicothe plant for a private employee event Nov. 16.
The tree, nicknamed “Silver Belle,” was cut last month from Nevada’s Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. It is traveling across the country as part of the annual U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Tour, which this year is themed “Spirit of the Silver State.”
“Our employees take great pride in assembling The World’s Best Trucks and welcoming back the T680, built right here in Chillicothe, has become a special way for our employees and their families to kick off the holiday season,” Kenworth Chillicothe plant manager Doug VanZuiden said in a statement.
Knight-Swift Transportation is the official carrier for the 2025 tour. The specially wrapped Kenworth T680 is equipped with a 76-inch sleeper and PACCAR Powertrain components, including a MX-13 engine and TX-12 automated transmission. An interactive map using Kenworth’s TruckTech+ system is tracking the tree’s location in real time.
This is the 12th straight year a Kenworth truck has hauled the Capitol Christmas Tree. The tree is scheduled to arrive on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 21, with the lighting ceremony set for early December.