October 26, 2005
Vol. 1, No. 4

Big news from Las Vegas and Boston this time out. Both Mack and Volvo introduced their new engine platforms, though Mack went quite a bit
further and also showed two new trucks to dealers and the press during its World Sales Conference at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Sin City.

And with less fanfare, Mack also announced that Bendix ABS-6 Advanced with ESP stability control is now available on its highway models.

First, the trucks. The new flagship for Mack’s highway lineup is a premium tractor called the ‘Pinnacle’, and there are new models of the
successful Granite and Granite Axle Back construction vehicles. The key common features are entirely new driver environments, created after
comprehensive research of customer preferences and ergonomics, Mack says.

The Pinnacle, built on the Advantage chassis and having the familiar cab, is being offered in a 116-in. BBC daycab configuration as well as flat-top, mid-rise, and high-rise sleeper versions. Both the new Granite and Granite Axle Back models also feature that 116-in. BBC, built on Mack’s ‘Cornerstone’ vocational chassis. All the new trucks have been designed around the new MackPower ‘MP’ engine.

Mack’s new 11-liter MP7 engine, ready for sale in 2006 models to 2004 emissions standards, is the first in the new family of Mack engines shared with Volvo that will meet EPA 2007 demands and beyond for both truck-makers.

They’re not the same, I hasten to add. The block, the crankshaft, and other major components are indeed shared, but it stops there. Mack officials say their MP7 — and the 13-liter MP8 available in 2007 – will both be offered in the distinct Maxidyne, Econodyne, and MaxiCruise performance
families. Each of them will sound like a Mack, feel like a Mack, and pull like a Mack, the company says.

Click below for ratings and more information.

Volvo has also introduced its 2007 engines, adding 11- and 13-liter engines to the D16 introduced earlier this year (which will be revised for ’07, of course). Launched at the recent American Trucking Associations convention in Boston, they’ll be built at the Volvo Powertrain plant in
Hagerstown, Md.

Details are still sketchy on the new Volvo engines, as with most other engine makers, but we do know they’ll use exhaust gas recirculation and a diesel particulate filter to comply with EPA ’07. The company would not discuss ratings. The current D16 is the first example of the new engine architecture. The 15-liter Cummins ISX will continue as an option in its Volvo VN and Volvo VT highway tractors.

Back at Mack, there’s the news that Bendix ABS-6 Advanced braking with the ESP vehicle stability system is now available on its highway models. Vocational applications will follow some time later.

“We’re committed to offering safe products,” says Tom Kelly, Mack vice president of marketing. “And this system provides motorists and truckers with a higher level of protection against the possibility of a rollover or jackknife.”

And over at Thermo King, there’s the new TriPac Auxiliary Heating/Cooling Temperature Management System, originally designed by a TK dealer. An APU makes more and more sense as fuel prices rise, as it eliminates unnecessary idling. A Thermo King two-cylinder diesel engine powers an air conditioning compressor and a 12-volt alternator. It incorporates an Espar diesel-fired heater.

This newsletter is published every two weeks. It’s a heads-up notice about what you can see at www.todaystrucking.com where you’ll find in-detail coverage of everything that’s new. Plus interesting products that may not have had the ‘air play’ they deserved within the last few months. There’s far more here than we could possibly fit into the magazine. Subscribe today!

If you have comments of whatever sort, please contact me at rlockwood@newcom.ca.

Rolf Lockwood
Editorial Director