A convoy of 10 Mack trucks featuring several new Mack Anthem models recently traveled nearly 850 miles from Allentown, Pennsylvania to Atlanta, Georgia over two days, giving truckers and the general public their first look at Mack’s new highway hero.
Beginning at the newly renovated Mack Customer Center on Sept. 15, the convoy left Allentown with a police escort. Dozens of people, including many Mack employees, gathered at the Mack Customer Center and along Allentown’s Lehigh Street taking photos as the trucks rolled out of town.
“Seeing the Mack Anthem, Pinnacle and Granite rolling down the highway in a convoy was quite a sight,” said Jonathan Randall, senior vice president of sales for Mack Trucks North America, who drove the Mack Granite in the convoy. “Listening to the CB chatter along the way about how awesome the trucks looked on the highway, as well as watching others take photos from cars and trucks, was a great indicator of the extremely positive response we’ve received from dealers, customers and the general public to these new vehicles.”
The convoy featured eight Mack Anthem models, including:
· A blacked out, custom Mack Anthem 70-inch Stand Up Sleeper and dry van trailer
· Mack Anthem 70-inch Stand Up Sleeper featuring the Mack MP8-TC with turbo compounding and dry van trailer
· Mack Anthem 70-inch Stand Up Sleeper and dry van trailer
· Mack Anthem 70-inch Stand Up Sleeper and pneumatic tanker
· Mack Anthem 70-inch Stand Up Sleeper and dump trailer
· Mack Anthem 48-inch Flat Top Sleeper and flatbed trailer
· Mack Anthem Day Cab outfitted with Mack’s 6x2 with Liftable Pusher Axle hauling a tanker; and a
· Mack Anthem Day Cab and dry van trailer.
A Mack Granite dump truck and Mack Pinnacle 70-inch Stand Up Sleeper hauling a dry van trailer rounded out the convoy.
The convoy stopped at a Petro truck stop in Raphine, Virginia, where Mack allowed other drivers the opportunity to get in the new vehicles and receive Mack T-shirts and hats.
With its chiseled, muscular features, the Mack Anthem makes a bold statement. Yet despite its appearance, the Anthem’s aerodynamic enhancements improve fuel efficiency by up to 3 percent. The Anthem features a new hood and grille, an all-new one piece stand-up roof, new side shields, roof and chassis fairings. Aerodynamic side and hood mirrors, plus a new front bumper and air dam, help the Anthem more easily cut through the wind.
New driving and sleeping environments were crafted with an emphasis on increasing driver comfort and productivity. The Anthem is available in several configurations, including a Day Cab, an all-new 48-inch Flat Top Sleeper, and an all-new 70-inch Stand Up Sleeper.
“It was great seeing all the reactions to the new Anthem from truckers we met on the road,” said Roy Horton, director of product strategy for Mack Trucks. “After several years spent listening to driver input and designing and engineering the new Anthem to their needs, hearing their positive feedback was great validation of all the hard work our team put into the project.”
The Mack Anthem is available for order now, with full production beginning in Q1 2018.
