Mack Trucks is expanding its GuardDog Connect diagnostics platform beyond the truck itself, integrating body equipment for the first time in a move executives say will eliminate long-standing visibility gaps for fleets.

The company announced a partnership with Beck Industrial to integrate its Intelligent Mixer system into Mack’s connected services platform, marking a shift toward full vehicle — and vocational equipment — visibility.

“We are going one step further ahead — beyond the truck — and getting into the diagnostics of the upfitments,” said Ashish Sadhu, Mack director of services, in an interview with trucknews.com at the Technology & Maintenance Council’s spring meeting.

The integration, available on the all-new Mack Granite, allows GuardDog Connect to receive and process operational data from the mixer body, including drum, chute, hopper, bridge axle, lighting systems and controls.

Historically, Mack’s diagnostics platform focused on OEM components, leaving fleets with little insight into third-party equipment mounted on the chassis.

“They were blind to the transmission, they were blind to the bodies,” Sadhu said. “We’re closing all the blind spots.”

Last year, Mack added Allison transmissions to its suite of connected services.

The body system uses Mack’s BodyLink 4 connector to enable bi-directional communication between the truck and mixer, delivering diagnostics through the GuardDog Connect platform, Mack Assist portal and OneCall support system.

Marty Foulks, product manager for GuardDog Connect, said the integration goes beyond fault detection by delivering actionable insights to drivers and fleets.

“It’s not just about telling you there’s a problem,” Foulks said. “We’re able to tell customers what’s wrong and what they need to do about it.”

That added intelligence is particularly important in concrete applications, where failures can quickly lead to costly damage.

“If something goes wrong with the mixer, you need to address it quickly,” Foulks said. “Otherwise you risk ruining the entire drum if the concrete hardens.”

The system can alert drivers to issues before loading begins, helping prevent failures that could leave concrete hardening in the drum before reaching the jobsite.

Mack is also exploring the ability to capture operational data from mixer bodies — such as drum rotations and usage patterns — to support preventive maintenance strategies.

The Beck partnership is expected to be the first of several integrations as Mack looks to expand its connected ecosystem.

“At Mack Trucks, our goal is to provide customers with timely intelligence that helps them operate their business more effectively,” Sadhu said. “By extending GuardDog Connect to integrate the body with the truck, we are delivering a more complete, end-to-end solution.”

The move builds on Mack’s broader connected services platform, which includes over-the-air software updates, predictive diagnostics and 24/7 support through its OneCall uptime center.

Mack says its AutoSend over-the-air update system delivered about 150,000 updates in 2025, helping fleets avoid an estimated 115,000 days of downtime while increasing the share of trucks running the latest software from 27% to about 80%.

“Software is going to be the way of life,” Sadhu said. “Now the truck is updated continuously, and many issues are resolved before the customer even sees them.”

When issues cannot be resolved remotely, GuardDog Connect monitors vehicle data and alerts Mack’s support team to potential problems, often before a warning light appears.

The company says the platform has reduced diagnostic fault alerts by 87%, cut repair times by 30% and achieved a 96% fix-it-right-the-first-time rate, contributing to overall uptime of about 98%.

Mack is also evaluating whether over-the-air updates could eventually be extended to body equipment, further integrating third-party systems into its connected platform.

Sadhu said the goal is to give fleets a single, unified view of the entire vehicle — including the equipment that actually does the work.

“Safety, uptime and predictability are central to the success of our customers’ businesses,” he said.