Mack Trucks

Mack Trucks is a famous United States truck manufacturing company, now owned by Volvo. Mack Trucks is the most popular heavy-duty off-road truck manufacturer in America. Mack also produces highway models along with Freightliner, Ford Trucks, Kenworth, Peterbilt and others. The company has shipped trucks to many customers worldwide, and it has manufacturing facilities at Puerto Rico, Canada, Australia, Venezuela, South Africa and Phoenix.

The company's headquarters are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Mack Trucks have been sold in 45 countries. The Macungie, Pennsylvania plant produces the Mack Granite, RD, RB, CL, LE, DM, and MR models, these include the construction and refuse series products. In Dublin, Virgina, the "Vison by Mack" and CH highway models are made at the New River Valley Assembly plant.

On the front of each Mack you will find the company's distinctive logo, a silver colored bulldog.

"Built like a Mack Truck" has become part of "Americana", slang for something "tough".

Mack Trucks timeline

• 1890: John M. Mack gets a job at Fallesen & Berry, a carriage and wagon company in Brooklyn, New York.
• 1893: Mack and his brother, Augustus F. Mack, buy the company John worked for.
• 1894: A third Mack brother, William C. Mack joins his brothers in the company's operations. The Macks try working with steam powered and electric motor cars.
• 1900s: Inspired by Orville and Wilbur Wright, Willis Carrier and Henry Ford's inventions, John Mack has a vision, dreaming about producing heavy duty trucks and engines.
• 1900: The Macks open their first bus manufacturing plant. The Mack bus, ordered by a sightseeing company, is delivered.
• 1902: The Mack Brothers Company established in New York.
• 1904: The company introduces the name Manhattan on its products.
• 1905: Allentown selected as the home of main manufacturing operations, and headquarters. A fourth Mack brother, Joseph, becomes a stockholder. Mack begins to make rail cars and locomotives.
• 1909: A junior model 1-1/2 ton truck is introduced.
• 1910: The Manhattan name changed; from now on, the trucks are known as Mack Trucks. Mack delivers the first motorized hook and ladder firetruck used by the city of Morristown, New Jersey. Charles Mack, a fifth Mack brother, joins the company.
• 1911: The company is sold, but it keeps operating as Mack Trucks.
• 1912: Brothers John and Joseph Mack leave.
• 1914: The Mack ABs are introduced.
• 1916: The Mack ACs are introduced. Ultimately, over 40,000 of these models are sold.
• World War I: Mack delivers over 6,000 trucks, both to the United States and Britain's military. A legend surfaces that British soldiers would call for Mack Bulldogs to be sent when facing adversity.
• 1918: Mack becomes the first manufacturer to apply air cleaners and oil filters to their trucks.
• 1919: The United States Army conducts a trans-continental project using Mack Trucks to study the need for national highway systems.
• 1920: Mack Trucks are the first with power brakes on their trucks.
• 1922: The bulldog is accepted as the company's corporate symbol.
• 1924: Jack Mack dies in a car crash in Weatherly, Pennylvania.
• 1927: Mack's BJ and BB models built.
• 1932: The Bulldog starts to travel on the hoods of Mack trucks.
• 1933: Mack Trucks helps in the building of many American structures, including the Hoover Dam.
• 1936: The Mack E series introduced. Mack Jr trucks introduced.
• 1938: Mack trucks is the first company to produce its own heavy-duty diesel engines.
• World War II: Mack trucks were used by the military in various capacities, and the company built many heavy-duty trucks to help the allied forces win the day. From 1941 to 1945, the combined armed forces of the United States, Great Britain, France, and Canada took delivery of 35,096 total vehicles. The combat "N Series" (NB, NJU, NM, NO, NR, etc.) accounted for 26,965 of the total. Commercial type vehicles including: trucks, off-highway, fire-trucks, trailers, and buses, accounted for the rest. A total of 2,053 NO models alone were produced from 1940 to 1945. The 6x6 7-yard/2-­ton NO was the most important specifically military model, and could be used as a transport or tractor for the 155mm Long Tom field gun. Mack also built over 2600 power trains for tanks. The Allentown bus plant built Vultee naval torpedo bombers. More than 700 NJU (5-to-6 ton 4x4) models were in the hands of the U.S. Army by 1942. In 1939 & 1940 the French and British received several hundred NR4 and EXBU models.
• 1950: The Mack B Model series of trucks is introduced. 127,786 produced through 1965.
• 1956: City of Hamilton, Bermuda buys first diesel-power fire truck (B85F).
• 1956: Mack Trucks, Inc. buys Brockway Motor Company. (Brockway ceases in 1977)
• 1962: The first of the COE (cab-over-engine) family of trucks is introduced: The F Model all steel sleeper (FS) or non sleeper (F) is the first of this family of models for Mack. (Kenworth came out with their COE in 1957)
• 1965: Mack releases the Super Pumper System, to be used by the New York City fire department. It would help put out 2,200 fires.
• 1966: The R Model Series introduced, to replace the B Model Series.
• 1966: The RW (for R-Western) model built at Hayward, California until 1981.
• 1967: Mack Trucks becomes a part of the Signal Oil and Gas Company. Later that year Signal changes its name to The Signal Companies, Inc.
• 1969: Mack patents the cab air suspension.
• 1970: Mack moves into its new Allentown world headquarters.
• 1975: Macungie plant opens, build the Cruise-Liner series until 1983.
• 1977: Super-Liner introduced, production runs for 15-years until 1993.
• 1978: Introduction of the low-cab-forward urban MC/MR series.
• 1979: Renault buys 10% of Mack Trucks, Inc.
• 1982: Renault increases ownership stake to 20%, Signal lowers its stake to 10%.
• 1982: Production of the MH Ultra-Liner model begins.
• 1983: Mack Trucks does a 15.7 million share IPO of common stock. Renault increases holdings to 40%, while Signal reduces its stake to 10.3%.
• 1987: Renault reorganizes; Renault V.I. buys Renault's Mack shares.
• 1988: Mack introduces the CH series for highway applications.
• 1990: Mack Trucks become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Renault V.I.
• 1994: Mack introduces the LE (low entry) refuse vehicle.
• 1999: A new premium highway tractor is introduced: the "Vision by Mack".
• 2001: Mack becomes part of Volvo AB of Sweden, Renault V.I. receives a 15% stake in the combined company. (In 2002 Renault V.I. changed its name to Renault Trucks)

External Links

• Mack Trucks Website (http://www.macktrucks.com/)
• Mack's profile @ Hoovers (http://www.hoovers.com/mack-trucks/--ID__43929--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml)