Mack Trucks In The 1980s & Beyond

    Posted On: August 28, 2018

    The Mack Granite series was first introduced back in 2000 and continues to be staple on construction sites everywhere. (Photo courtesy of Mack Trucks.)

    The 1970s ended with Renault grabbing a 10% share of Mack Trucks, and the beginning of the 1980s saw that investment grow to 20%. Around the same time, Mack debuted the MH Ultra-Liner truck, which had an all-fiberglass, metal cage-reinforced cab designed to reduce weight and to prevent corrosion. On the heels of that innovation, Renault once again increased its holdings in the company, this time to 40%, shortly after Mack Trucks went public in 1983. In 1988, Mack unveiled its famous E7 series of engines with 16 12-liter configurations to choose from, ranging from 250 to 454 HP. The company also unveiled its CH series trucks, built for on-highway trucking.


    Mack MH Ultra-Liner cabover truck from the 1980s. (Photo courtesy of Mack Trucks.)
    1990s

    Renault Trucks, known as Renault V.I. at the time, made Mack Trucks a wholly-owned subsidiary in 1990, and Mack introduced the V-MAC Electronic Engine Control System that same year. It followed that innovation with the Econovance Variable Injection Timing System for fuel optimization and the High Swirl/Moderately High Injection Pressure Combustion System for improving the air and diesel fuel mixture in the E7 and E9 engines. In 1994, Mack revealed the LE (low entry) refuse vehicle and then followed that up in 1999 with the Vision by Mack, a new highway truck designed to provide top-shelf performance, driver comfort, and efficiency.

    2000s

    With a new decade came new organizational changes for Mack, as AB Volvo acquired the company on December 18, 2000. This also marked the company’s Centennial anniversary and saw Mack unveil its Granite series of trucks specifically designed for construction applications. In 2002 and 2003, Mack introduced the ASET (Application Specific Engine Technology) family of 12-liter engines and made quite a few updates to its Vision- and CH-series trucks to improve both power and comfort.

    The back half of the decade was particularly important for Mack; the company essentially refreshed its entire catalog of vehicles in order to bring in its new MP engine, but it also introduced new trucks like the Terra Pro cabover series and the Pinnacle highway tractor. In 2009, Mack moved its headquarters to Greensboro, North Carolina, to operate on the Volvo Group campus located there. Mack made the decision to move all of its vehicle manufacturing into the same facility in Macungie, Pennsylvania, shortly after.


    Mack tank truck from the 2000s. (Photo courtesy of Mack Trucks.)
    2010s To Today

    The innovations just kept coming in the early 2010s, as Mack introduced the more fuel-efficient and lower-emission MP7, MP8, and MP10 engines with Selective Catalytic Regeneration. Then in 2010, the company unveiled its mDRIVE transmission, which continues to be a major feature in Mack trucks today. Also in 2010, Mack introduced the Titan truck model complete with a 16-liter MP10 engine capable of supplying up to 605 HP.

    In 2011, Mack released the Mack Granite MHD (Medium Heavy Duty) truck, and in 2012, it introduced the Super Econodyne powertrain package, which included the MP8-445SE engine and the mDRIVE automated manual transmission as well as Mack’s C125 axles. That same year, the company debuted an axle-back version of its Pinnacle truck powered by natural gas.

    In recent years, Mack has been focusing more and more on the technology inside the vehicle in addition to engines, transmissions, and other components. In 2013, it launched the Mack GuardDog Connect system, which is a telematics solution that continues to evolve over time to give operators and fleet managers more information about their vehicles on a constant basis. One year later, Mack revealed its new tagline, ‘Born Ready,’ along with a new logo design.

    You’ll find a wide selection of new and used Mack trucks for sale on TruckPaper.com, including Granites, Visions, Pinnacles, Super-Liners, the newer Anthem, and many more.

    Questions? Comments? Visit the Truck Paper Forums to ask questions, get answers, and share your thoughts.

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