Mack Trucks

Mack Trucks, Inc., is an American truck manufacturing company and a former manufacturer of buses and trolley buses. Founded in 1900 as the Mack Brothers Company, it manufactured its first truck in 1907 and adopted its present name in 1922. Mack Trucks is a subsidiary of AB Volvo which purchased Mack along with Renault Trucks in 2000. After being founded in Brooklyn, New York, the company's headquarters were in Allentown, Pennsylvania, from 1905 to 2009 when they moved to Greensboro, North Carolina. The entire line of Mack products is still produced in Lower Macungie, Pennsylvania, and Salem, Virginia, with all powertrain produced in the Hagerstown, Maryland plant. They also have additional assembly plants in Pennsylvania, Australia, and Venezuela. There was also (previously) a Mack plant in Hayward, California, and Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
Operations.
Currently, the company's manufacturing facilities are located at Lehigh Valley Operations (LVO) formally known as the Macungie Assembly Operations Plant in Lower Macungie Township, Pennsylvania and Salem, Virginia. Mack Trucks is one of the top producers in the vocational and on-road vehicle market, class 8 through class 13.
Mack trucks have been sold in 45 countries. Located near its former Allentown corporate headquarters, The Macungie, Pennsylvania, manufacturing plant produces all Mack products including Mack MP-series engines.
According to local historians, Mack transmissions, TC-15 transfer cases, and rear engine power take-offs are designed and manufactured in Hagerstown, Maryland, which was the original factory location.
Parts for Mack's right-hand-drive vehicles are produced in Brisbane, Australia, for worldwide distribution. Assembly for South America is done at Mack de Venezuela C.A., in Caracas, Venezuela. The Venezuela operation is a complete knock down (CKD) facility. Components are shipped from the United States to Caracas for final assembly.
In addition to its Macungie manufacturing facility, Mack also has a remanufacturing center in Middletown, Pennsylvania.
2008 restructuring plan.
On August 14, 2008, Mack Trucks announced a major restructuring plan that included:
History.
Corporation timeline.
 
Products.
Fire apparatus products.
Mack Trucks produced fire apparatuses from 1911 until 1990. Despite the abrupt shutdown of their production, many have been refurbished and still serve with fire departments throughout the world.
Some examples of Mack fire apparatus:
Previous models.
AC.
The heavy-duty AC, with its well-known tapered hood, was the truck which started the bulldog theme. A 4 cylinder gasoline engine 4X2 with chain drive, it was strong, reliable, and worked well in rough terrain. Introduced in 1916, there was a great demand because of World War I, over 6000 -, -, and -ton trucks were built for the UK and US military. There were also commercial sales from 1916; the AC was well suited for logging and construction work. A larger version, the AP, built between 1926 and 1938, was an off-road haul truck used on Boulder Dam and other large projects. 40,299 ACs had been built when production ended in 1939.
N Series.
The N Series was Mack's first military design, large 6 and 7 1/2 ton 6X6 artillery prime movers. Between its development in the late 1930s and the beginning of production in 1940 US military requirements changed and the truck was not needed. All NMs and most of the larger NOs were exported as foreign aid. After World War II the NO was developed into the successful M 123 semi-tractor. 
B series.
The Mack B series models were Mack's primary vehicle from its introduction in 1953 until it was replaced by the R Series in 1966. They ranged in size from the medium duty B20P gas powered 4X2 to the oversized B873SX turbo-diesel 6X6. B Models were commonly used as semi tractors and in the construction industry. They were also used as fire engines and trucks, sometimes with the roof of the cab removed. 127,786 B Models were built.
R/RB/RD/RL/RM/RW, U, DM/DMM series.
Mack started to produce the Mack R series (R, RW, and U models) in 1966 for highway use, and the RD, DM, and all wheel drive RM and DMM models for construction use. The lightweight RL model followed in 1967, the RW Superliner with a large, rectangular hood and grill in 1977, and the setback front axle RB in the 1990s. All these models featured the same cab; the U, DM, and DMM had the cab offset to the left.
In the 1990s, the R, RW, and U series models were discontinued and the RB was introduced, mostly for severe-duty applications. The hood was modified slightly for the model RB. 2004 was the last year for the RD, and 2006 for the RB and DM. The DM was the last model to use this cab style, and was the last model of this family to be produced.
As a replacement for the construction models, Mack started to offer the Granite, Granite Bridge-Formula and Granite Axle-back.
Also this model is serving in the Mexican Army as a Troop and Utility Truck in configuration 6X6 OR 6X4
Engines.
By 1916 Mack was producing 4- and 6-cylinder gasoline engines, and through 2014 continued to offer their own, in the form of three diesel I6s. Engines by other manufacturers were often optional, supplied over the years by Caterpillar, Cummins, Chrysler, Detroit Diesel, Hercules, Scania, and Waukesha.
Mack started making diesels in 1938, in 1957 the END and turbocharged ENDT 673 diesel were introduced. This I6 engine family was successful, and remained in production for over 30 years.
In the early 1960s, Walter May, executive vice president of product and engineering at Mack Trucks HQ in Allentown, PA., prioritized research and development of a high-torque rise engine. Winton Pelizzoni, chief engineer at the Mack Trucks powertrain facility in Hagerstown, MD., designed an innovative engine based on this concept and then led development of the prototype that went into production. The engine was introduced as an inline six in 1966, as a V8 in 1970, and as the intercooled inline six 300 series in 1973. This was an industry-changing event. The Maxidyne, with an operating range of 1200–2100 R.P.M, and later 1050–1700 R.P.M., allowed a heavy Class 8 truck to be operated with a 5 speed (Maxitorque) transmission. Previously, heavy trucks typically operated between 1800-2100R.P.M. and were equipped with 10 or more gears.
In 2014 Mack offers three engine series, the 11 L MP 7, 13 L MP8, and 16 L MP10, with to and to .
Other products.
Mack also produced railroad cars and locomotives between 1905 and 1930.
Trademark.
The company's trademark is the bulldog, which can be found on the front of almost all Mack trucks. A gold-plated bulldog indicates the truck came with all Mack drivetrain including the motor, transmission and axles.
Mack trucks earned their nickname during World War I, when the British government purchased the Mack AC for supplying its front lines. Its pugnacious, blunt-nosed hood, tenacious performance, and durability, reminded the soldiers of their country's mascot, the British Bulldog.
The logo was first used in 1921 for the AB chain drive models and became the official corporate logo in 1922.
Military models.
World War II.
Mack built over 35,000 heavy duty military trucks during World War II, most for export under Lend-Lease. None were US Army standard types, all were designed and built exclusively by Mack.
The EH series was a commercial design 5 ton (4,536 kg) 4x2 adapted for military service. The EH, EHU (cabover) and semi-tractor models EHT and EHUT were used by the US Army in Europe. Over 2,400 were built in 1942.
The LMSW was a commercial design 10 ton (9,072 kg) 6x4 chassis adapted for military wreckers, most were exported to Great Britain.
The NJU (G-639) series were military design 5 ton (5,443 kg) 4x4 semi-tractors used to tow bridging pontoons and equipment. Several other manufactures built standardized models of similar trucks, so only 700 were produced in 1941–1942.
The NM (G-535) and NO (G-532) series were military design 6 ton (5,443 kg) and ton (6,803 kg) 6x6 artillery prime movers. All NMs and most of the larger NOs were exported as foreign aid. Over 8,400 NMs and 2,000 NOs were built between 1940 and 1944.
The NR series were military design 10 ton (5,443 kg) 6x4 cargo trucks. Intended for British use in North Africa, they had Mack ED diesel engines, making them valuable for long distance trips. Over 15,000 were built between 1940 and 1944.
Post World War II.
Since World War II, Mack has had limited military production.
The M39 (G-744) series, which includes the M54 cargo truck, were a standardized military design 5 ton (4,536 kg) 6x6 chassis, with many models. Mack developed a competing design, when the M39 was standardized Mack built a relatively small number of M51 dump trucks. In the early 1960s they took part in a short lived program to retrofit some of the series with Mack END 672 engines.
The M123 and M125 (G-792) were standardized military design 10 ton (9,072 kg) 6x6 semi tractors and artillery prime movers. Designed by Mack, using many components from the NO series. Mack built 392 M123s, used with a lowboy trailer to recover and transport tanks, and all 552 M125s, between 1955 and 1957. Later follow-up orders called for 420 M123s and retrofitted 210 more with Cummins engines.
Notable appearances in media.
The 1968 C&W song "Phantom 309" by Red Sovine is about a ghost trucker who, when asked about the name Phantom 309, replies that "This Ole' Mack will put 'em all to shame. There aint a driver or rig runnin' any line that seen nothin' but taillights from 'Phantom 309.
Five 1970s Mack RS700 series trucks and one Cruise Liner COE were used in the motion picture "Convoy" starring Kris Kristofferson as Martin "Rubber Duck" Penwald and Ali MacGraw as Melissa.
A 1970s Mack R-600 truck with a "coolpower" engine setup is used to haul an oil tanker in "".
Mack DM series dump trucks appeared prominently in "Die Hard with a Vengeance" (the third movie in the series).
"Maximum Overdrive" (1986) is a horror tale of machinery come to life which includes a truck stop with various vehicles.
During a chase scene from the 1997 film Fire Down Below, Steven Seagal's character is rammed and chased by a Mack truck.
A Mack M915 (LHRT) Line-Haul Replacement Tractor (military version of the Mack Granite GU713 10-wheeler) with a (military version M970 fuel tanker) semi-trailer, was the vehicle mode for Megatron in "".
The beginning of Blake Crouch's best selling novel "Pines" has the main protagonist, Secret Service Agent Ethan Burke, suffering temporary amnesia after the car he is traveling in crashes. He believes he must seek out a person named "Mack" as it the only word he is able to recall. He later realizes the significant of "Mack" is in fact his recollection of his vehicle being intentionally hit by a Mack truck.
A 1984 Mack Superliner, owned by J.R. Collins Pulling Team, is also officially sponsored by Mack. The truck (named "Buckeye Bulldog") runs in the NTPA (National Tractor Pulling Association) in the "Super Semi" class.
Dale Gribble, a character from "King of the Hill", is rarely seen without his Mack cap.
In "Bad Boys II" (2003), a 2000 Mack CX 613 Vision truck is used by the villains.
In the film "Cars", Mack is Lightning McQueen's transport, an animated 1985 Mack Super-Liner voiced by John Ratzenberger. Ratzenberger's father drove a Mack truck to deliver oil for three decades. On the "Disney/Pixar Road Trip '06", which promoted the film in a four-month tour of forty-one cities, "Mack" is a 2006 CH Rawhide 460-horsepower Mack truck carrying an Eddie Paul customized Trans Am as "Lightning".
CEO Denny Slagle took part in CBS' "Undercover Boss" in 2011.
In the 2001 movie "Vanilla Sky", a green Mack truck almost crashes into David Aames's Mustang, stopping just in time.
In the 2020 rap hit single, “WAP” Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, the truck company is written into the song, referring to a large sized male penis as a mack truck, with lyrics such as “I want you to park that big Mack Truck, right in this little garage.” 