the american truck you can count on

2014
Vol. 1
THE AMERICAN TRUCK
YOU CAN COUNT ON
East Texas Mack Named
Distributor of Year
D.W. Cary Hauling
Delivers the Promise
VIEWPOINT
Mack Is Focused and
on the Move
Stephen Roy
President, Mack Trucks
North American Sales & Marketing
2014 is turning out to be one of the most important years in Mack’s history, a year
when this iconic company and brand was reinvigorated. What we have been going
through is not a reinvention of Mack but rather a rediscovery. The end result is a brand
that looks different, with new energy and drive, but is as completely “Mack” as anytime in
its history.
As you’ll read elsewhere in this magazine, the new look and feel emphasize the
values that make Mack great.
Mack is a leader in the trucking industry. Not because we’ve been around for a long
time, not because we have an instantly recognizable hood ornament, but because we
never take our focus away from our customers. While in the past our best innovations
provided customers more reliable or productive trucks, these days Mack’s investments
also emphasize advanced technology to bring service, support and expert knowledge to
customers. This support reaches anywhere their trucks go, no matter the time of day or
the day of the week.
Mack’s dealers are also leaders and have been demonstrating their leadership in a
very big way in recent years. In the last four years, Mack’s dealers have invested $380
million in their operations, which has led to an extraordinary expansion in their ability to
support customers, including:
• 35 percent increase in service bay capacity;
• 162 percent increase in Mack Master Technicians;
• 69 percent increase in spare parts availability;
• 62 percent increase in hours available for service; and
• 82 percent increase in parts department employees.
Mack wouldn’t survive long in this competitive market without our strong and
committed network of dealers. They are the face of the company most customers see.
No wonder so many of our customers and dealers have been working together for several
generations.
Prior to my current position in Mack, I was responsible for Aftermarket operations in
North America. This includes parts sales, service programs and all manner of customer
support. In short, everything that happens with the customer and their Mack after the
truck is delivered. I know first-hand how hard our dealers work to support their customers
—and why it matters so much.
Another change for Mack involves Bulldog Magazine itself. Bulldog is perhaps the
oldest corporate publication in the U.S. and has been published since 1920. Bulldog
has acquired many audiences in the last 94 years, but going forward we will focus this
magazine more as a support to our customers, especially small businesses. We believe
in the small business owner. They are a key part of the Mack family. Bulldog Magazine
will have articles to help these customers improve their Mack truck performance. We’ll
also publish articles from experts inside and outside of Mack who can provide insight on
modern business practices to improve your overall business management.
It all illustrates why this is a great time to be associated with Mack as a customer,
dealer or employee and why Mack’s future is so bright.
BORN READY.
Stephen Roy
President, North American Sales & Marketing
2 | 2014 V1 | BULLDOG
IN THIS ISSUE
Vol. 1, 2014
4
The American Truck You Can Count On
BIG STORY
04
08
COMPANY NEWS
DEALER FOCUS
11
FLEET SPOTLIGHT
14
FROM THE ROAD
18
DOG BITES
19
14
Cherry Companies Cements Its Reputation
LETTERS20
FROM THE VAULT
22
Cold Star Freight Warms to CNG
17
Published since 1920 • Vol. 1, 2014
Bulldog® is published by the Marketing Department of Mack Trucks, Inc. for Mack customers, distributors and enthusiasts.
TM Trademarks of Mack Trucks, Inc. ® Registered trademarks of Mack Trucks, Inc. © 2014 Mack Trucks, Inc. Mack Canada Inc. Mack Trucks Australia Pty. Ltd. Printed in USA.
BULLDOG | 2014 V1 | 3
BIG STORY
4 | 2014 V1 | BULLDOG
BIG STORY
THE AMERICAN
TRUCK YOU CAN
COUNT ON.
By John Walsh, Vice President of Marketing
T
here’s a new look to
Mack these days.
Sharper, more
focused, with a bit of
swagger, reflecting a clear
understanding of who we
are, what we do and why
we do it.
After 114 years, it was time for a
good look in the mirror. We wanted to
know if the way we are presenting our
company to the world truly reflects
the reality of Mack today. How do
customers, the trucking industry and
the general public view Mack? Does
the company’s persona—including
our “voice” through advertising and
marketing—truly reflect Mack in the 21st
Century? We have a very strong legacy,
but Mack today is focused on the road
ahead. We have a clear way forward and
need to be sure we aren’t overly focused
on our storied past.
We started our brand relaunch
effort where all Mack work begins: with
our customers. We talked to them. We
listened. We rode alongside them all
over the world.
This research process actually
took about two years and also included
interviews with many Mack employees,
retirees, suppliers, industry experts and
others who care deeply about Mack and
its future. We talked as well to people
who aren’t Mack customers or who
once were, to gauge their thinking about
Mack.
In the process, we learned a lot
about how folks perceive Mack, and
what they want us to be.
It became clear that technology has
had a profound impact on our industry.
And this is creating some distance in
an industry that used to be much more
hands on.
We also found that many
professionals feel let down by today’s
equipment. The rapid adoption of
stringent emissions regulations has had
an industry-wide impact on quality and
reliability. The result is a generation of
trucking professionals who are more
skeptical than ever. They’re searching for
products and people they can truly rely
upon.
They also want to get back in tune
with the products they used to be able
to understand better. They want to know
what’s happening with their tools, their
machines, their trucks to be able to
readily measure their success.
How Mack Is Viewed
As we moved through the brand
relaunch process, it also became clear
that many people today have outdated
or mistaken ideas about Mack, our
products and our markets. Despite
the investments that we have made in
industry-leading fuel economy and in
reducing fleet operating expenses—and
that both we and our dealers have made
in coast-to-coast customer support—
we’re often pigeon-holed as just a
construction truck maker. And while
Mack today is a dynamic company with
great products, great dealers and great
employees, we’re known more for what
we’ve done than where we are now,
and the great path we’re on moving into
tomorrow.
We knew we had to share all of the
great things happening today with Mack
in a way that leaves no doubt about our
purpose and promise. The result is the
relaunched Mack brand, with strong
messages that reflect what we do better
than any other company.
All of us involved with Mack today
hold in our hands what the Mack
brothers started more than a century
ago in Brooklyn, New York. We are
the present day caretakers of one of
America’s most beloved and iconic
brands. That’s why we undertook
this brand relaunch very carefully
and thoroughly, and with an eye
towards being evolutionary rather than
revolutionary. Because the last thing you
want to do with a brand like this is throw
out the baby with the bathwater and
start over.
When you boil it all down, all we’ve
really done is restate and amplify what
has always been great about Mack, in
a way that conveys relevance in today’s
world and reflects where we are today
and where we intend to be moving
forward.
BULLDOG | 2014 V1 | 5
BIG STORY
Mack’s Purpose
The good news for Mack is that
what customers are seeking today has
been our purpose from day one—to
enable and strengthen the essential
bond between man and machine.
If you asked the average man on
the street what Mack’s purpose is, he
might say it’s to manufacture the best
trucks possible. But when you think
about it, that’s really answering what
Mack does, not why we do it. And,
frankly, Mack does a lot more today than
just manufacture trucks. So what’s the
common thread? What’s the greater
purpose that ties all of our activities
together? Among all of the potential
opportunities we might pursue in the
future, how do we decide which are right
for the Mack brand? When we design
our products, services and experiences,
how do we know what’s Mack and what
isn’t?
Enabling and strengthening the
essential bond between Man and
Machine provides the guard rails for
making such determinations. It captures
what Mack has always sought to do—
provide tools purposefully designed for
the jobs customers need to do—within
a framework that’s broad enough to
serve as a touchstone for decisions
about other things we might do moving
forward. If it enables and strengthens the
bond between man and machine, it’s in
line with the Mack brand.
Our Brand Promise
The brand promise emerging from
our relaunch work has also always been
at the heart of Mack.
6 | 2014 V1 | BULLDOG
The American truck you can
count on.
This is the promise we’re making to
our customers every day, in our products
and in our people. It means providing
products our customers can truly rely
upon when the going gets tough. And it
means being the kind of people they can
truly count on—responsive, attentive, in
tune with their needs.
•The reference to America in this
promise is no accident.
•It’s true, Mack trucks today are a
global phenomenon.
•Our trucks are currently hard at work
in at least 45 countries around the
world.
•But even as our reach has expanded,
we have remained a distinctively
American brand.
•The values that have always guided
us and continue to guide us today are
the same values associated with this
country.
•Hard work. Loyalty. Reliability.
Accountability. Courage.
In focus now is driving this clarity
around our purpose, promise and
persona across everything we do,
at every point in the total customer
experience, from product design
and development to marketing and
communications, to retail sales, service
and support.
What we’re up to goes far beyond
just a new logo. The entire Mack
organization, including our employees
and dealers, has accepted the same
challenge: do everything in your
power to enable and strengthen the
bond between man and machine,
deliver on the promise of an American
truck that can be counted on and live
up to a character whose values are
fundamentally American values.
That’s the secret sauce to any
great brand. Everyone pulling in the
same direction, ensuring that anytime
anyone comes into contact with us,
their experience is consistently and
distinctively Mack.
Mack’s Visual Presence
We’ve said that what we’re doing
with this relaunch goes beyond a new
logo. But as one of the most visible
expressions of our brand, a key aspect
of our persona, it’s important that our
logo is also consistent, clear and in line
with our strategy.
When we looked at how the Mack
logo was showing up, the need for some
refinement became clear. Too many
different representations of the Bulldog.
Too many different interpretations of the
Mack word mark. Not all necessarily
compatible or consistent.
The script word mark, the four
legged dog, the block letters, the hood
ornament—they all say something
different about our brand, not all of
it supportive of Mack today nor the
clear direction we’ve established for
tomorrow.
In rethinking our logo, again, the
goal was evolution, not revolution.
Rather than a wholesale reinvention,
we’ve simply turned to two of the
strongest aspects of our identity.
The strength of the Mack block
letter wordmark that has appeared on
the front of our trucks, and the iconic
bulldog ornament on the hood of every
BIG STORY
Mack since the 1930s—these two great
elements have been brought together to
form our new Mack logo.
The Mack block letter word mark—
distinct, straightforward, no-nonsense
and on the front of every new Mack
model moving forward. We’ve just
redrawn the existing letters a bit to be
more legible and work better at multiple
scales.
The Bulldog—the same bulldog
that sits on the hood of every Mack—
strong, confident, bold. He literally and
figuratively leans into it.
Now, for the first time in several
decades, and maybe ever, the Mack
logo in our communications will be the
same one on every new product. No
more confusion.
These two elements together are
more forward-looking, modern and
in tune with our strategy. But at the
same time, they’re elements that have
been part of our DNA for a long time.
We’ve simply brought them together,
sharpened them up a bit and put a
spotlight on them.
The Mack Slogan
We also now have a new Mack
global tagline, “Born Ready.” What does
“born ready” mean?
It means born with an unshakeable
spirit. Born to work and stop only
when the job is done. Born to look any
challenge in the face and know that,
without a doubt, it will blink first.
That’s Mack. That’s always been
Mack.
In so many ways, we really are
talking about a new day for Mack.
With the brand relaunch in particular,
we’re making a bold statement about
where we are today and where we’ll be
tomorrow, in a way that captures what
has always been great about Mack.
We owe that to everyone who
came before us. Who built this brand
with their heads, their hearts and their
hands. For those of us involved with
Mack today, this is our time. Right here.
Right now. And that’s good. Because
we are all Mack Trucks. And we are all
born ready.
BULLDOG | 2014 V1 | 7
COMPANY NEWS
Mack Trucks Shows a New Face to the
Online World with MackTrucks.com
These days, the automatic first
place to seek information is the
Internet, and that makes a company’s
website vital to its identity and success.
The all-new MackTrucks.com rises to
the challenge and delivers information
with style and impact.
The new website, launched in
May, was designed to provide visitors
and customers with more information
in an easier-to-read format, simplified
navigation and bolder photos and
graphics. It was designed from the start
for both mobile devices and PCs.
The website has new functionality
and a simple, intuitive design that
makes it easier for a range of visitors to
find the information they need to know
about Mack and its offerings.
From a commercial point of view,
the website was designed to build a
bond between Mack and the public by
attracting more visitors and keeping
them on the site longer, ensuring
visitors receive the information they
want and starting conversations with
website visitors by providing ways for
them to interact with Mack.
The website’s appearance, with
bold photography, graphics and clean
design, creates an exciting and inviting
new look consistent with the new Mack
branding. It is much more user-friendly,
8 | 2014 V1 | BULLDOG
with better search functions. The site
is also optimized to rank high on search
engine results, to attract more visitors.
The information is aligned with
customer needs through the ability
to search by application or model, so
Mack can quickly match its product
offerings with customers’ business
needs. Each feature and benefit listing
leads to a customer advantage for
solving a business problem. The new
site emphasizes a total customer
solution by integrating Mack’s
aftermarket products and services
with in-depth details about new trucks.
Visitors can locate dealers faster, opt in
to receive information specific to their
interests or request a quote.
MackTrucks.com visitors become
engaged and involved by reading about
current Mack customers who tell their
stories about their Mack experience.
And the website invites them to join the
conversation and become part of the
Mack family by joining our Facebook,
Twitter, LinkedIn or YouTube groups.
This aspect of the website will expand
in coming months with the addition of
blogs from Mack product experts, as
well as two-way online conversations
about Mack products and services.
Other new features will be added to
the site on an ongoing basis, including
additional product technical specs.
There will also be tools designed to
help customers better manage their
Mack trucks for more uptime and to
keep them on the road.
Mack’s new website is just one of
the many ways that Mack is renewing
itself and investing in its future. We
hope that it will provide visitors with
a helpful yet enjoyable source of
information. Stay tuned!
COMPANY NEWS
Investments at Macungie Assembly Plant
to Improve Quality and Efficiency
In a move that will improve
efficiency and ensure high-quality trucks
for customers, Mack Trucks invested
$26 million to upgrade the Macungie
Cab & Vehicle Assembly facility in
Macungie, Pennsylvania.
The investment includes a
comprehensive realignment of subassembly and material handling to
support the main vehicle assembly lines.
In effect, the improvements help deliver
the right components at the right time to
U.S. Military Personnel
Receive Special Financing
The brand that earned its Bulldog
nickname during World War I is honoring
U.S. military personnel who have
sacrificed for their country.
Mack Financial Services (an affiliate
of Mack Trucks) offers returning veterans
special financing terms for new Mack
trucks. Veterans with an honorable
discharge can receive a 0.50 percent (50
basis point) discount off the approved
finance rates from Mack Financial
Services on vehicles obtained through a
Mack dealer.
To qualify for the offer, veterans
must possess a valid and current
Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and
must have been honorably discharged
from active duty within the past 24
months. This offer is open to members
of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force,
Marines and Coast Guard.
the right point in the assembly process.
This can speed the time to market for
Mack vehicles, which means quicker
order to delivery times for customers.
“This investment speaks to our
commitment to operational excellence,”
said Roger Johnston, Macungie’s vice
president and general manager. “Our
highly engaged workforce will use these
enhancements to take another step in
our journey toward truly world-class
manufacturing in Macungie.”
The plant will also implement new
processes and install new equipment
to improve its inspection and testing of
completed vehicles. That includes the
installation of two new state-of-the-art
dynamometers—devices that allow
finished trucks to run on stationary
rollers for enhanced testing of a variety
of engine and vehicle systems.
All of those improvements will
ensure better quality and faster delivery
of a customer’s truck.
“Mack Financial Services wants to
show its appreciation of the service of
returning vets with this unique financing
offer,” said Tom Guse, president of the
U.S. division of Mack Financial Services.
“Mack, a company that builds all of its
vehicles for the North American market
in the United States, is pleased to offer
a program such as this to alleviate
some of the pressures experienced by
returning military personnel following
their service.”
Units must be delivered and
funded by Dec. 31, 2014. All credit tier
customers are eligible and the rate
discount is limited to a maximum of
three units per qualifying veteran.
For more information, please
contact your local Mack dealer.
MACK SHOP ONLINE
For Mack Trucks
Collectibles,
visit mackshop.com
BULLDOG | 2014 V1 | 9
COMPANY NEWS
LR Refuse
Series Puts
Comfort in
Driver’s Seat
Left, right, standing or sitting…
no matter how you drive a refuse truck,
the Mack® LR series will be ready to
deliver enhanced driver visibility, comfort
and productivity in 2015.
The newest entry in the Mack
low-entry cabover refuse trucks series
will be available with left-hand drive,
right-hand drive, dual-drive and lefthand drive/right-hand stand-up drive
configurations. Mack previewed the new
model at the Waste Expo trade show
earlier this year. The new LR series will
be officially launched next year. The
refuse market has been one of Mack’s
strongest markets for many years and
the LR series demonstrates Mack’s total
commitment to the segment.
The LR model will initially be
available in three-axle 6x4 configurations
with a Mack MP7 ® 11-liter diesel engine
generating 325 HP to 345 HP and torque
ratings from 1,200 to 1,280 lb.-ft. The
Cummins Westport ISL G natural gas
engine will be an option. All LR models
will be equipped with an Allison RDS
five-speed or six-speed automatic
transmission.
Drivers will love the all-new cab,
with its tilt and telescopic steering,
power windows and door locks, memory
mirrors, in-dash air-conditioning,
standard in-cab LED lighting and an
instrument cluster with color LCD
display. Steering column-mounted
main gauge pods for both the righthand and left-hand driving positions
enhance driver visibility and improve
ergonomics. Centrally mounted radio
and HVAC controls, accessible from
both driving positions, further contribute
to a comfortable, driver-focused cab
environment.
The LR series cab also will feature
center storage for lunch coolers, twoliter bottles, beverage cups, mobile
phones and MP3 players. A rear-wall unit
offers two additional levels of storage.
The large cab doors will make driver
entry and exit easier.
Mack didn’t forget the body builders
with the redesign. For them, the LR
offers additional access points and
mounting locations for wiring, controls
Mack Makes It Easier for Fleets
to Switch to Alternative Fuels
Natural gas can be a good
choice for some customers and the
environment, but the cost of switching
to it can be daunting. Government
grants to help cover some of those costs
sometimes come with big paperwork
and certification challenges that also
cause some fleets to hesitate.
Mack Trucks has a solution.
To help customers maximize their
return on investment, Mack is working
with an organization to help dealers and
10 | 2014 V1 | BULLDOG
customers navigate the grant process to
obtain public funding for alternative fueland clean diesel-powered vehicles.
Mack retained the services of the
Sustainability Initiatives Group (SIG),
which will maintain an up-to-date
inventory of federal and state grant
information for natural gas or clean
diesel funding, offer summaries on
relevant grant opportunities and assist in
the grant application process, including
the writing of the grant.
and joysticks.
Mack captured customer input
during the design and engineering
phases of the new LR series and
used that feedback to highlight the
characteristics core to a refuse truck—
outstanding driver comfort, efficient
operation and exceptional visibility and
safety.
“Refuse vehicle customers and their
drivers want a comfortable, safe work
environment, great visibility and controls
where they need them,” said Curtis
Dorwart, Mack refuse segment manager.
“All of these elements were taken into
consideration and incorporated into the
design of the new Mack LR series.”
“The Mack LR series showcases
what Mack does best—building rugged,
robust trucks to the exact specifications
of the application and the customer,”
said Stephen Roy, president, Mack
Trucks North American Sales &
Marketing.
This means customers can
concentrate on running their fleet and
building their business, rather than
spending time and effort learning the
intricacies of grant writing.
“Mack is a leader in offering
customers solutions to improve total
cost of ownership,” said Brian Layman,
Mack vice president of business
development. “Whether the solution is
an alternative-fuel vehicle or a service,
such as helping simplify the grant
application process, Mack is dedicated
to working with customers to help
achieve their business needs.”
Customers should contact their local
Mack dealer for more information.
DEALER FOCUS
East Texas Mack Sales, LLC, Longview, Texas, was recognized as Mack Trucks’ 2013 North American Distrbutor of the Year. Pictured from left to right are Drew Bankston,
East Texas Mack finance manager, David Carroum, East Texas Mack sales manager, Mike Maddox, former Mack Trucks southwest region vice president, Bill Bankston,
East Texas Mack president, Stephen Roy, Mack Trucks president of North American Sales & Marketing and Joseph Kennedy, East Texas Mack vice president and
chief financial officer.
East Texas Mack Named Distributor of the Year
The oil patch greased the wheels of
success for East Texas Mack Sales.
Mack Trucks named the Longview,
Texas dealer its 2013 North American
Distributor of the Year. The annual
award recognizes the top-performing
distributors in Mack’s North American
dealer network based on sales, facilities,
service, general management, customer
satisfaction, parts, personnel and
community service.
A Mack distributor since 1976,
East Texas Mack demonstrated a
tremendous commitment to satisfying
its customers, as reflected by its 100
percent customer satisfaction score. To
meet their customers’ expanding needs,
East Texas Mack added four new heavyduty parts delivery vehicles in 2013 and
began construction on new shop bays
dedicated to servicing natural gaspowered vehicles.
The dealership has made steady
investments in its facilities over the years
and has grown as its customers have
prospered, according to Bill Bankston, a
partner in the distributorship.
East Texas Mack has received
numerous accolades, most recently as
the Southwest Regional Distributor of
the Year in 2011 and the North American
Distributor of the Year in 2008. The
company was also the U.S. Distributor of
the Year in 2000.
Mack also named 2013 winners for
each of its regional sales divisions:
•Southwest Region: East Texas Mack
Sales, LLC, Longview, Texas
•Western Region: Vanguard Truck
Center of Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona
•Canada Region: MacKay’s Truck
Center, Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada
The North American Used Truck
Distributor of the Year award was given
to Vanguard Truck Center of Houston,
Texas. M&K Truck Leasing, LLC, based
in Byron Center, Michigan, received the
Mack Leasing System North American
Distributor of the Year award.
•Northeast Region: Beam Mack
Sales & Service, Inc., Rochester,
New York
•Southeast Region: Mack Truck
Sales of Charlotte, Charlotte, North
Carolina
•Central Region: Quincy Mack Sales
& Service, Inc., Quincy, Illinois
BULLDOG | 2014 V1 | 11
DEALER FOCUS
Mack Boosts Service Capacity
in Canada
Mack customers in Canada can
expect even higher levels of service
support than before, as Mack dealers
have opened significant new facilities in
Saskatchewan and Quebec.
To service the growing needs of a
diverse customer base in Saskatchewan,
Redhead Equipment built a new location
between Emerald Park and the city
of Regina on Highway 1 East. The
117,000-square-foot facility features
27 service bays, including wash and
welding bays, a lube pit, an overhead
crane and a truck lifting system.
Redhead will staff the location with
15 Mack technicians, nine of whom
are Mack Master Technicians. The
facility also houses an extensive parts
inventory in its 30,000-square-foot parts
warehouse and operates seven service
trucks to provide support at customer
locations and jobsites.
Redhead Equipment became a
Mack distributor in 1990. Since then it
has received many honors including
Mack’s Canada Region Distributor of
the Year Award from 2007 to 2011 and
the Mack Trucks Inc. North American
Distributor of the Year Award in 2009.
Redhead is also a major distributor
of agricultural and construction
equipment.
Ongoing
Investment
Mack’s customers benefit from
maximum vehicle uptime and increased
return on investment as a result of the
dealers’ continued investments. Since
2010, Mack dealers have invested $380
million, leading to a:
•35 percent increase in bay capacity
•162 percent increase in Mack Master
Technicians
•69 percent increase in spare parts
availability
•62 percent increase in hours available
for service and
•82 percent increase in parts
department employees.
Mack’s extensive service and
support network of more than 460
Mack dealer locations and 15,000
additional service providers in North
America is vital to the success of Mack’s
aftermarket support.
The ongoing investments to expand
service and support capabilities further
the effectiveness of Mack’s GuardDog®
Connect telematics-based solution,
which quickly diagnoses potential
issues, proactively schedules repairs
and confirms that required parts are in
stock and ready to install, all while the
truck is still on the job.
New Location in Quebec
Mack also enhanced its presence
in Quebec with the opening of Mack
Laval near Montreal. The dealership was
previously based in Anjou, Quebec and
known as Camions Lourds de Montreal.
Moving to the Laval facility will help
ensure even greater customer service
12 | 2014 V1 | BULLDOG
and easy access from major routes
AR-440 and AR-25. The 19,000-squarefoot facility provides 14 service bays
staffed by 14 technicians and a
3,500-square-foot parts warehouse,
an overhead crane, a lube pit and a
high-tech lube system. The facility is
equipped to service alternative-fuel
vehicles.
Located on a 138,000-squarefoot lot, Mack Laval provides ample
room for trailers and is monitored by
an advanced camera system to help
protect customers’ assets.
First Mack built North America’s highways. Then we designed a complete line of trucks
to dominate them. Amp up fuel efficiency with high-performing Mack® MP® engines and
our mDRIVE™ automated manual transmission. Then operate with confidence thanks
to a dedicated coast-to-coast support network backed by GuardDog® Connect’s
real-time monitoring and your choice of Mack’s Fleet Management Services partners—
including Telogis. Still think Mack just builds roads? Challenge accepted.
MackTrucks.com
FLEET SPOTLIGHT
Cherry Companies Cements Its Reputation
On a chilly night in December 2013,
while police blockaded Interstate 610
and fire departments stood by, crews
from the Cherry Companies began
demolishing the four exterior ramp
towers of the Houston Astrodome.
Nicknamed the Eighth Wonder
of the World, the Astrodome opened
in 1965, housed Hurricane Katrina
evacuees in 2005 and is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
But by 2013, those ramps were in bad
shape.
“The ramps, which were added
to the Astrodome in 1989, were
deteriorating and obsolete and had to be
removed,” said Rick Cherry, a principal
along with his brother Leonard in a
business their parents, Carl and Barbra,
founded in 1952.
“The obstacle we faced was the
potential for damage to the Astrodome
and adjacent facilities. A great deal of the
job’s preparation was getting each tower
ready for implosion and demolition work.
Workers had to ensure that each tower
would fall away from the Astrodome to
promote safety and minimize damage.
Cherry was successful in meeting these
challenges. There was minimal damage
to the Astrodome and no damage to
adjacent facilities. The towers were
brought down without incident.”
14 | 2014 V1 | BULLDOG
Then came the hard part. Instead
of allowing the debris to enter landfills,
crews began the laborious task of
hauling 10,000 tons of concrete rubble
to Cherry’s five local recycling centers
and distributing the material for use
in roadways and other construction
projects throughout the region.
To do that successfully, Cherry
Companies turned to another icon, Mack
Trucks.
“Cherry’s working environment is
very rough, demanding and tough on
equipment,” Rick said. “Mack trucks
have proven to be reliable in this type of
environment compared to other makes
of trucks.”
That reliability, and the core values
of a family-owned business, allowed the
Cherry Companies to grow from three
trucks and eight employees to 40 trucks,
300 workers and $93 million in annual
revenue.
To maintain that growth, in 2004 the
Cherry Companies began purchasing
new Mack® Pinnacle™ and Granite®
models to supplement existing stock.
The trucks, which now represent threequarters of the fleet, include a mix of
Pinnacle axle-forward and axle-back
models, Granite tractors and straight
trucks. Both Pinnacle and Granite
models pull dump trailers. The trucks
average between 5.3 mpg and 6 mpg,
compared with 4.25 mpg to 4.5 mpg for
the legacy fleet.
While Cherry Companies relies
on the Mack mDRIVE™ to drive fuel
efficiency, the automated manual
transmission delivers other benefits as
well. “Because of Cherry’s proximity
to downtown Houston and the need
to drive on crowded urban streets,
mDRIVE has become a valuable
asset to the company,” said Walter
Traylor, operations manager for
Cherry’s Transportation Division. “The
performance and dependability day in
and day out help us to meet the service
needs of our customers.”
So does the attention from sales
rep Jeff Little and the Vanguard Truck
Center in Houston. “Their service
department has been dependable and
reliable,” Traylor said. “The sales staff
is willing to work with us to ensure that
our requirements are met in both new
and used Mack trucks. Our sales rep
has responded to our needs, provided
Cherry with help and dedication, and is
always willing to handle our requests.
Vanguard has worked with Cherry for a
very long time, and Cherry values that
working relationship.”
FLEET SPOTLIGHT
Superior Carriers Wins Prestigious Heil Award
One of the largest bulk carriers
in North America has won the 2013
National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC)
Outstanding Safety Performance Trophy.
Superior Carriers of Oak Brook,
Illinois, earned the award with an
accident frequency of 0.382 per million
miles in the 40-90 million miles class
of the 2013 competitive safety contest.
The tank truck carrier also earned a
Grand Award in the 2013 Personnel
Safety Contest with a frequency of 0.91.
Randy L. Vaughn, Superior Carriers’
vice president of administration and
Responsible Care® coordinator, was
named NTTC Safety Professional of the
Year.
Sponsored by Heil Trailer
International, the award was presented
to Superior during the NTTC Annual
Conference this spring in Las Vegas.
Superior Carriers is a division of Superior
Bulk Logistics Inc. in Oak Brook, Illinois.
“This award is testament to our
company-wide values and safety
commitment,” said Superior Bulk
Logistics’ CEO Len Fletcher. “For
more than 70 years, Superior Carriers
has exemplified service and safety
excellence.”
The safety record is even more
impressive considering that in 2013
drivers for Superior Carriers traveled 57
million miles to deliver 5.1 billion pounds
of product to Canada, Mexico and the
48 contiguous states.
Superior operates a national
network of full-service terminals,
supplemented by exclusive providers
in Mexico. The company transports
and transloads a wide variety of bulk
chemical products, hazardous and
nonhazardous, liquid and dry.
Acknowledging the connection
between corporate culture and safety
performance, the Outstanding Safety
Performance Trophy recognizes not
only a company’s outstanding safety
record, but also its safety and preventive
maintenance programs, personnel safety
programs and contributions to highway
safety and the causes of the tank truck
industry.
To achieve these results, Superior
maintains constant training for its staff,
who attend the company’s Training and
Development Center in Greer, South
Carolina. There they work with driving
simulators and equipment to keep pace
with safety, security, operational and
regulatory changes.
Superior Carriers has a strong
relationship with Mack, starting in the
1960s and continuing through the 1990s,
said Ken Shafer, director of maintenance
and tank cleaning for Superior Carriers.
The Superior fleet consists of 628 units,
with independent contractors owning an
additional 218 rigs.
In 2013 Superior rededicated itself
to the Mack brand with the purchase
of 50 Pinnacle™ Sleeper units and 7
Pinnacle DayCabs. In 2014 the company
will put another 66 Pinnacle sleepers
and 4 Pinnacle DayCabs into service.
Superior is buying the equipment
through Dave Wilkey, sales manager
at Chicago Mack.
Superior’s President Brian
Nowak said the company decided to
reinvigorate the fleet with Mack because,
when it comes to safety, Mack shares
the same values.
“Why Mack? In a word—reliability.
We have had excellent results so far with
our new Mack power units. Our drivers
have reported strong support for our
change of manufactures and our driver
trainers had direct input into the spec’ing
the units.”
BULLDOG | 2014 V1 | 15
FLEET SPOTLIGHT
Darryl Cary (inset) and his hard-working fleet of Mack ® Granites.®
D.W. Cary Hauling Delivers the Promise
Darryl Cary looked down into the
hole of what would become a 640,000square-foot building and knew he’d
made the right decision to go with Mack.
Children’s Hospital of Richmond at
Virginia Commonwealth University had
hired his company to excavate the site
for a $168 million pavilion for pediatric
services. The project required D.W. Cary
Hauling Inc. to remove 100,000 cubic
yards of dirt from a hole 56 feet deep.
OK for the crew driving Mack trucks.
Not so good for the others.
“We used subcontractors to help
us,” Cary said. “Some were having a
lot of problems coming out of the hole.
They would choke out, but not Mack.”
It was clear that having the right torque,
transmission and rear axles made the
16 | 2014 V1 | BULLDOG
job much easier… and the performance
much more dependable.
Since founding D.W. Cary Hauling
in 1984, owner Darryl Cary has built his
company and reputation from a single
truck and a dream to something much
bigger by following one simple rule:
deliver what you promise.
“I learned that lesson early on.
When I started, I only hauled for local
contractors. Four months after I bought
my first truck, I was brokering subs.
I was trying to manage 10 to 15 drivers
while getting them to have the same
respect for the customer—do what you
promise and be there on time.”
Thirty years later, Cary has amassed
the largest Mack fleet in central Virginia
with more than 50 trucks. Along the way,
he’s discovered that by using the proper
equipment for the job, he can fulfill that
promise.
In order to get the right trucks with
the right specs, Cary relies on George
McCray at Virginia Truck Center in
Richmond, who recently delivered five
new Mack trucks, including a pair of
Granite models with 455-HP MP8 ®
engines, automatic transmissions,
three lift axles, 18,000-lb.-capacity
front and 44,000-lb.-capacity rear axles
with a 44,000-lb.-capacity Camelback
suspension.
McCray and Cary spec’d two more
trucks with four lift axles and 18-speed
manual transmissions. Cary’s fleet
includes two more Granite models
with 425-HP MP8 engines, automatic
transmissions, three lift axles, 20,000-lb.
capacity front and 44,000-lb.-capacity
rear axles with 44,000-lb.-capacity
Camelback suspensions. He also runs
a 2014 Mack Pinnacle™ model with a
13-speed transmission.
Cary likes the durability and power
of the Mack models, as well as the
fuel economy of the new trucks. “They
average more than 6.5 mpg, and that’s
good for the application,” he said.
But beyond those physical
attributes, the Granite models promote
his reputation for delivering what he
promises. “I’m very strict about being
in the right place at the right time. I tell
applicants that during my hiring process
so they understand. The Macks are
always ready to work, and I want to
make sure they are, too.”
FLEET SPOTLIGHT
Cold Star Freight Warms to CNG
When Cold Star Freight Systems
became the first Canadian company to
buy CNG Class 8 tractors, owner Kelly
Hawes wasn’t thinking about setting a
precedent. He just wanted a truck that
would cut costs, not corners. He also
wanted to improve emissions while
breaking the fleet’s dependence on
diesel fuel.
Hawes founded the Victoria,
British Columbia firm in 1999 based
on the idea that a transportation and
storage company should use the same
safeguards as the rest of the foodprocessing industry. When it came to the
fleet, he wanted his 35 vehicles to meet
a comparable set of requirements.
He found the answer to that
challenge when the company bought 10
new Mack ® Pinnacle™ models running
on compressed natural gas from Brian
Burgoyne and Mack Sales & Service of
Nanaimo Ltd.
Right out of the gate, the Pinnacle
models delivered. Outfitted with
Cummins Westport 12-liter ISG engines
rated at 400 HP and 1,450 lb.-ft. of
torque, the day cabs have delivered a 20
percent savings, he said. “And we are
confident that we will make 30 percent.”
The Pinnacle’s 191-in. wheelbase,
12,000-lb.-capacity front and rear axles
and twin 45 diesel gallon equivalent
(DGE) tanks give each vehicle a
700-kilometer range between fueling—
more than enough to pull 55,000-lb.
loads of groceries and food products
from the mainland to Vancouver Island
and vicinity.
But the Class 8 CNG models offer
far more than fuel savings to Cold Star.
Reliability is the primary benefit. “Our
trucks are running 22 hours a day, five
to six days a week. We have multiple
drivers jumping into the same truck. We
need reliability and durability. That’s why
we went to Mack.”
Reliable service is just as important
as dependable equipment. “The guys
in Nanaimo are absolutely fantastic,”
said Hawes, who has purchased Mack
vehicles for the past five years. “They
know we can’t break down, that we need
a shop that is flexible.”
Driver satisfaction is a big plus
with the new models. “We used to buy
competing trucks and the knobs would
fall off and the truck would look junky,
and pretty soon nobody cared about
it. With the Macks, everything from the
switches to the door handles last. The
drivers take pride and keep them looking
good, because they want a decent
working environment.”
Standardization has helped with
driver acceptance of the CNG vehicles.
“The reason we went with Mack was that
we could spec them exactly the same
as our diesel trucks,” Hawes said. “By
doing that, I have a direct comparison
of fuel mileage and cost. And there is no
difference between the CNG trucks and
the diesel Macks as far as the driver’s
experience.”
Fueling is simple and quick. “They’re
in and out in less than 15 minutes—the
same as with our diesel trucks.” And
the trucks are clean. “There’s no soot
and they’re dead quiet. I jumped in and
took one for a run and couldn’t hear the
engine. I had to look at the tachometer
to know when to shift.”
Of the company’s 21 company
tractors, 14 are now Mack—a trend that
Hawes plans to continue.
“I don’t think of Cold Star as
trucking company. I think of us as a
warehousing and distribution company
that needs trucks to do what we do,”
he said. “I don’t want to focus on
maintenance and repairs. I want to know
that the trucks we buy are doing the job.
Mack is a work truck. It does what it’s
supposed to do.”
Cold Star Freight owner Kelly Hawes stands in front of his new Mack CNG trucks.
BULLDOG | 2014 V1 | 17
FROM THE ROAD
Mack Salutes Military Heroes
Mack Trucks employees paid
tribute to America’s fallen and missing
military personnel during the 2014
Memorial Day weekend Rolling
Thunder®—Ride for Freedom rally
in Washington, D.C. Twenty Mack
Customer Center and Macungie Cab
& Vehicle Assembly employees, joined
by a similar number of employees
from Mack’s Powertrain Operations
in Hagerstown, Maryland, rode to
Washington, D.C., where they joined
thousands of participants for the 27th
annual rally.
They followed a Mack® Pinnacle™
axle forward tribute truck featuring
graphics commemorating the 70th
anniversary of D-Day, including images
of an American flag, a bald eagle and
Arlington National Cemetery.
Mack Pinnacle Steals the Show at
Much Music Video Awards
It doesn’t get “much” better than
this. A Mack® Pinnacle™ Rawhide® Edition
carrying members of the Canadian rap
rock band Down With Webster stole
the show during its grand red carpet
entrance at the recent Much Music
Video Awards in Toronto, Canada. Four
members of the band, which was
nominated for pop video of the year,
arrived on the red carpet in a 70-inch
mid-rise sleeper cab version of the
Rawhide Edition, perfect for making
an impressive entrance. The truck’s
button-tuck interior offered maximum
style and comfort for the band. The truck
was equipped with a Mack MP8® 505E+
engine and Mack mDRIVE™ automated
manual transmission to deliver the
power and performance band members
desired for their arrival.
18 | 2014 V1 | BULLDOG
DOG BITES
Joint Project Creates Pumps for Navy
A joint project between Mack
Trucks and Putzmeister America Inc.
has resulted in the sale of two concrete
pumpers to the U.S. Navy.
Putzmeister sold a pair of 31Z-Meter
concrete boom pumps installed on
Mack® TerraPro® chassis in a joint
venture with Mack Defense and Racine
Truck Sales in Franksville, Wisconsin.
The TerraPro models feature 405HP MP7 ® engines, Mack 10-speed T310
transmissions and a 215-in. wheelbase
with 20,000-lb.-capacity front and
44,000-lb.-capacity Mack rear axles.
The five-section Z-Fold boom pump
can operate from a single location and
allows for precise concrete placement.
It has a 100-ft. vertical and an 87-ft.
horizontal reach and can pump up to 210
cubic yards of concrete an hour.
The Putzmeister spec is unique in
the industry, according to Jeff Schodin,
fleet account manager for the Kriete
Group at Racine Truck Sales. “This
chassis layout has been developed
and engineered by Putzmeister, Racine
Truck Sales and Mack Trucks over the
last decade to make the installation of
the various size Putzmeister Concrete
pumps as easy as possible. It also
maximizes performance of both pieces
of equipment. Special wiring, programs
and chassis configuration are used to
ensure a quality product to the end
user.”
The military spec is slightly different
from the civilian version. While the
trucks have no armor, they are painted
with a low-reflective paint. As with other
Putzmeister equipment, the boom pump
can be used with concrete or water—as
was the case in 2011, when Putzmeister
America transported several boom
pumps to Japan to cool the Fukushima
Daiichi nuclear reactors after they
were damaged by an earthquake and
tsunami.
Icing on the Truck
We know Mack trucks are cool, but
Roger Muller of Estherville, Iowa, took
the concept to a whole new level when
he converted an MH model for use as an
ice-fishing house.
Muller was fishing from the hut on
West Lake Okoboji in Okoboji, Iowa
during the area’s annual winter games.
That’s where alert reader Todd PiperHauswirth of Minneapolis, Minnesota,
took this picture.
On the outside, the vehicle is an
MH model cab-over-engine sleeper
cab. It was gutted and placed over a
Zamboni ice-smoothing machine. The
MH cab has a fiberglass skin and a
metal structure, making it very durable
and rust-free—the ideal vehicle for icy
escapades.
Mack produced the MH Series from
1982 to 1990… although it was designed
to bring home the bacon, not the fish.
BULLDOG | 2014 V1 | 19
LETTERS
This Wedding Has Wheels
From left: Jennifer Holmes, Dustin Shafer,
Holly Watt Shafer and Dave Holmes.
Dear Editor,
Dave Holmes bought his first
brand new Mack Pinnacle axle-back
model with mDRIVE from me. He was
my first new tractor sale. I got married
in October and Dave and his wife Jen
drove us around in their Pinnacle for our
wedding. I was just super excited that it
was my first new truck sale, so it meant
a lot to me to have it in my wedding.
The truck meant a lot to Dave, too.
He loved it so much that he just bought
a Pinnacle axle-forward with mDRIVE
about a month ago. He drives the axleforward and she drives the axle-back,
the one featured in the picture.
Our family has had Watt’s Truck
Center and been a Mack dealer for over
65 years. My great-grandfather started
the business in 1948 and my brother
Steve and I are the fourth generation to
work here. Mack is in my blood.
Everyone loved that we had the
Mack in the wedding. I knew from the
beginning that I wanted to do something
different to stand out and leave a lasting
impression, and a Mack truck was just
the way to do that.
Holly Watt
Watt’s Truck Center
New Alexandria, Pennsylvania
Wheels Across the Water
Dear Editor,
This Mack Super-Liner is to honor
the 100th anniversary of the Statue of
Liberty. It’s a RW613 1987 Freedom
Series with an 86-in. sleeper, E9 500
engine and Mack 9-speed gearbox,
completely restored in 2007.
We found the truck on the Internet.
The truck was located in Michigan and
the last owner was Michael Kasperek
from Romulus, Michigan. I purchased
the truck in August 2004 and at the end
of October 2004 the truck arrived in the
port of Amsterdam.
20 | 2014 V1 | BULLDOG
I bought the truck because I always
liked the big Super-Liners. At that point
I owned a Mack F model cab-overengine. I bought a set of floor mats for
the Super-Liner with the retro look as
a statement to myself that someday I
would own a Super-Liner.
When the truck arrived here in
the Netherlands, some friends told me
that my truck was a special edition so
I asked for all of the information that I
could get about my truck at the Mack
Museum. My great friends over there
did an excellent job and sent me all the
info I wanted, even an old brochure from
the Freedom Series. After all this great
info, I decided to bring the truck back
in its original colors and decals. Even
the paint we had to compare and mix to
match the original colors. For the decals
we made pictures and reproduced them.
The painter was Stefan Rutges.
The restoration took almost three
years. I did it together with my mechanic,
Martien Monné from Mack Monné.
We did the heaviest jobs together and
the smaller jobs I did these under his
supervision. It was my first truck that I
restored, a great learning process and
lots of fun.
My occupation is truck driver and
sometimes operator of excavators and
wheel dozers. I drive a compost and
waste truck with walking floors.
One of the nicest things I did this
year when I was on holiday in the USA, I
visited the dealer who sold my truck and
handed him a photo of my truck. He told
me that his dad probably sold this truck
new. The dealer is Raney’s in Ocala,
Florida.
My Mack is only for shows and
tours.
I am planning a holiday trip to
the USA in September to visit the
Trucktoberfest at the Mack Customer
Center and a week later Gerhart’s All
Mack Truck Event in Lititz, Pennsylvania.
Rene Pieterse, VP
Dutch Mack Fan Club
Schijndel, Netherlands
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The Razorback Mack
Shipley Motor Equipment Co. in
Lowell, Arkansas decided to bring some
excitement to its rental fleet by spicing up
a Mack® Granite® with graphics honoring
the University of Arkansas Razorbacks.
According to Shipley President David
Bass, “It has been a big hit with the
customers and has been rented out since
completed. We thought we needed an
attention-getter and came up with this
design. Customers have given it the
nickname ‘Razorback Mack’! We have
plans to add several more units like this
to the fleet with the same wrap and this
will help identify them as our rental units.
Going forward we will also use wraps on
stock units to generate more interest.”
BULLDOG | 2014 V1 | 21
FROM THE VAULT
Building the Complete Truck
22 | 2014 V1 | BULLDOG
In the 1931 issue of Bulldog Vol. 7
No. 10, a series of drawings ran across
the bottom of several pages to celebrate
the benefits of Mack’s integrated
construction. The presentation might
remind you of the old Burma-Shave signs.
And although it’s more than 80 years
old, the message remains the same
as today’s brand promise: Mack’s
integrated components work better
together than the piecemeal offerings
of the competition.
Here’s the text:
The quartet sang, but what a fright
It sounded like the cats at night.
The tenor, barytone and bass
Took different keys—each set his pace.
It made me think of when I bought
The truck that had me so distraught.
The engine was a “Whosis” make:
The clutch, transmission, cab and brake
Had each been shipped from different
points,
And put together with some joints.
Like that quartet each one was “Best”
But would not work-in with the rest;
That’s why my new Mack can’t be beat
‘Cause Mack plants build the job
“Complete.”
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©2014 Mack Trucks, Inc. All rights reserved. Mack, Mack and the Bulldog design, Built Like A Mack Truck, Bulldog and all other marks contained herein are registered trademarks of
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