kscarbel

I was surprised to hear that so I called Truck Enterprises in Harrisonburg. They didn't know they were giving any customers the perception that they should "stay away". Truck Enterprises are good people. So is Cooper Kenworth. Harrisonburg of course is home to Truck & Equipment, a long-time Mack distributor. Bob Plecker was great to work with. Is his North & South Lines still running? The MX in Europe is selling well. It's rated up to 510hp there (485hp in the US). As its use ramps up in the US market, I think you'll see its a good engine.

The noteworthy news today is Navistar CEO Dan Ustian has been told by the board of directors to leave - effective immediately. All of Navistar's woes (EGR, ect.) have been caused by this man. It will be interesting to see what happens now. Maybe they can save the ship and avoid being merged with Oshkosh or sold to Volkswagen (the majority owner of MAN and Scania). The new interim CEO is a non-truck man, from Textron, with a previous car background at General Motors. At face value, not the right credentials for the job. Purely for the reason that there are only two American truckmakers left, I hope Navistar can quickly move beyond the arrogant Ustian era and get solidly back on their feet.

Mack for years participated in the 2-1/2 to 10-ton medium tactical truck segment. Now lets's consider the business activity there. Oshkosh has sold the U.S. Army 10,000 units since 2010. That's impressive. Oshkosh's current 5-year contract calls for 12,415 trucks (and 10,926 trailers) The contract value is over $3 billion. Navistar, which during WW2 was uniquely the primary supplier to the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marines, decided in 2003 to get back into the high volume military tactical truck business. And you have to admire them for the speed at which they ramped up and began producing cutting edge tactical vehicles. Thru March 2012, Navistar has sold 8,779 versions of its MaxxPro MRAP (they run $520,000 to $550,000 per unit) This is the kind of meaningful high-volume repeat military business you want to get. Otherwise, it's more a distraction than a useful expense of time.

Within the EU under council directive 96/53/EC, the allowed weight for 3-axle tractors with 2 or 3-axle semi-trailers carrying a 40-foot ISO containers as a combined transport operation is 44 metric tons. Vehicle Combinations (Semi-Trailer) 3 axles 26,000kg (2-Axle Tractor + 1-Axle Trailer) 4 axles 36,000kg (18,000kg+18,000kg) (2-Axle Tractor + 2-Axle Trailer) (if the distance between the axles of the semi-trailer is 1.3 meters or greater but not more than 1.8 meters) 4 axles 38,000kg (18,000kg+20,000kg) (2-Axle Tractor + 2-Axle Trailer) (if the distance between the axles of the semi-trailer is greater than 1.8 meters) (an additional 2 ton margin is allowed when the GAW of the motor vehicle (18 tons) and the GAW of the semi-trailer (20 tons) are respected, and the driving axle is fitted with dual tires and air suspension or equivalent) 5 axles 40,000kg (2-Axle Tractor + 3-Axle Trailer) 5 axles 40,000kg (3-Axle Tractor + 2-Axle Trailer) 5 axles 44,000kg (with shipping containers) (3-Axle Tractor + 2-Axle Trailer) 6 axles 40,000kg (3-Axle Tractor + 3-Axle Trailer) 6 axles 44,000kg (with shipping containers) (3-Axle Tractor + 3-Axle Trailer) A 3-axle tractor with a 2- or 3-axle semi-trailer is allowed to operate at 44 tons when carrying ISO shipping containers as a “combined transport” operation. (Why? For a 6x4 tractor to transport one 40-foot container at full ISO-load, a 44 ton allowance is necessary) Required: 1. No axle can exceed 10,500kg 2. Air suspension (RFS - Road Friendly Suspension) 3. Dual drive tires. Or: Where each driving axle is fitted with dual tires and the maximum weight of each axle does not exceed 9,500kg.

I couldn't possibly have a grudge against Mack Trucks, because the company no longer exists. I have a very serious distaste for Volvo, the Swedish company that acquired Mack Trucks and has since reduced it to being nothing more than a nameplate on a North American Volvo product. The MX is a great engine. In Europe, they can run 44 (metric) tons (97,000 pounds) in regular over-the-road hauling. DAF's market share, under Paccar, has been growing and growing. I can assure you, the MX can do whatever you need. For most operations, while a 15-liter ISX might get you there 3 minutes earlier, the 12.9-liter MX and all 13-liter engines in general offer an excellent combination of power, torque and fuel economy (and obviously less engine weight than a 15L) for greater productivity and profitability.

That's not a Mack product. It's an armored personnel carrier that is designed, produced and sold by "Renault Trucks Defense". The VAB Mark 2 has actually been superceded by the Mark 3 (more under belly armor to resist road mines and a larger engine to handle the additional weight).

While Oshkosh and Navistar have received orders for thousands of mainstream all-wheel-drive tactical trucks, Mack gets an order for 100 civilian-spec 6x4 Granite water trucks painted olive-drab. Aside from the RM-6866RS produced for the Australian Defense Force, Mack hasn't produced a tactical military vehicle since the M123/125.

My friend, you seem to be quite misinformed. Although I'm a Mack man (from when Mack Trucks was still in business), let's see if I can correct your misunderstandings. First, let's talk about Navistar; They are not all made alongside Freightliners in Mexico (Actually, the Germans produce Freightliner trucks in Portland, Oregon, in North Carolina at Cleveland, Mount Holly and High Point, and Gaffney, South Carolina). Note: In addition to the Cascadia, Century Class and Columbia, the Argosy II COE is produced in Cleveland, North Carolina (for Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) Navistar produces WorkStar, PayStar, TranStar and MaxxPro military vehicles in Garland, Texas. U.S. market Navistar medium trucks are produced in Springfield, Ohio (The Mexican plant in Escobedo produces trucks for the Mexican domestic market, and for export). Navistar also produces buses in Conway, Arkansas and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Speaking of engines, Navistar's Huntsville, Alabama plant produces the MaxxForce 5 thru 10 (proprietary Navistar designs), MaxxForce 11 and 13 (the MAN D20 and D26 produced under license) and MaxxForce 15 (the CAT C15 updated by Navistar). Navistar also produces DT, Maxxforce 9 and 10 engines (again, proprietary Navistar designs) in Melrose Park, Ill. Also, Navistar's foundry is in Waukesha, Wisconsin. About Paccar, I have no problem with the company developing a close relationship with Cummins (speaking of the PX series engines). I call that a clever win-win decision between two American companies. I'm proud that Paccar is strong and financially capable enough to purchase a major European truckmaker. It shows at least one American truckmaker still has the expertise and prowess to be a global player (not unlike Mack Trucks under Mr. Zenon C.R. Hansen). The DAF-designed MX is a great engine. Paccar's decision to buy DAF and increase their global scope, and take full advantage of DAF's new advanced MX engine, deserves nothing but praise. As an American, I am proud that Paccar, Navistar and Cummins are still American truck and engine manufacturers. To invest in America is to invest in our country's future.

Allowing that W-71, a rare Mack COE indeed, to rust away outside is a sin. To the same extent, the G-model and B-71 (B-cab but still quite rare).

Being a WS-712LST, that means it has a 315 horsepower 300-PLUS engine designed for multi-speed transmissions. The Budd wheels and long wheelbase are pluses. While the later Macungie-built Cruise-Liners unquestionably had better build quality, there's something to be said for the Hayward unit's more attractive instrument panel.

For the record, the early "cool power" 300's with the hood scoop and tip turbine were the strongest running of all 300s. Just ask anyone that operated one. Interestingly, after the passing of the tip turbine in the US domestic market, they were still produced for export. I recall often seeing them at the Howard Sober yard (new truck forwarder) for delivery to South America. Those trucks were also ordered without heaters, leaving newfound space under the instrument panel.

An avowed patriot, Zenon C.R. Hansen brought his love of country to the job at Mack Trucks. He was inspired by his close friend, the football legend Vince Lombardi. Under his direction, Mack Trucks received numerous advertising awards for its patriotic sales campaigns. The first red, white and blue truck in America rolled off the Mack production line. Mr. Hansen had a replica of the Liberty Bell placed in Mack World Headquarters. We do indeed live in a global economy. However, as is with human nature, I can assure you that the love of country felt by the Swedes and Germans at Volvo (Mack) and Daimler (Freightliner / Western Star) is for Sweden and Germany respectively, not the United States of America. I may not always see eye-to-eye with Paccar and Navistar, but I am proud that they are still American companies. What has happened to Mack is an indescribable tragedy. For a country of our stature, in which trucking figures so prominently in our history, it is unbelievable that all the trucks on the roads of America today, with the exception of Paccar and Navistar, are produced by the Germans and Swedes. It is humiliating that America no longer has the ability to compete and lead in our own domestic truck market. An orphan from Hibbing, Minnesota evolved Mack Trucks into "The Greatest Name in Trucks". What has happened to America that would allow our truckmakers, one-by-one, to be sold to foreign companies that, inherently, do not have America's best interest at heart?

We share a lot of thoughts. I hesitate to say I don't like Paccar. I'd rather say the west coast truckmakers in the past had a different culture quite apart from Mack Trucks and other east coast truckmakers. But Paccar's success, 73 consecutive years of net profit, must be highly respected (Scania and Paccar have long been the 2 most profitable truckmakers in the world). And today, the differences between the west and east coast truckmakers have narrowed. I believe you misunderstand the Signal Companies (Signal Oil & Gas) involvement with Mack Trucks. Mack was on the rise at that time. Mr. Zenon C.R. Hansen welcomed Signal's purchase of Mack in 1967 because it gave Mack more money to "seize the moment", while Signal was a very "hands off" investor. It was very much a win-win situation. By owning Mack and Garrett AiResearch, Signal was quite pleased (It was no accident that Mack led turbine truck research with Garrett). You're right, a company is only as good as its management. Mack had some weak leadership ahead of Mr. Hansen, from 1955 to 1965, that brought the company down (Peterson, Johnson, Dykstra, Mcbride). But eventually, good fortune will always shine again on a great company. It certainly did on January 7, 1965 when Zenon C.R. Hansen arrived on the scene from Diamond T. Zenon C.R. Hansen, I feel, was to this day the best leader that any US truckmaker ever had. As he said so well, "The most important thing to a company is spirit; without that, you have nothing." He was born in Hibbing, Minnesota. He was an orphan. Mr. Hansen started in the trucking business as a teenager in 1927 with a summer job in the parts department at the International Harvester factory branch in Sioux City, Iowa. He liked the job so much that he stayed rather than go on to college. After a year with International, the company placed him in its management training program in 1928. At age 19 with two years service, International sent Mr. Hansen to work in Europe. He spent the next seven years in Western Europe and Africa, providing him with unparalleled on-the-job training, and the chance to become fluent in French, German and Italian. After 17 years with International, he left in 1944 to establish a Diamond T dealership with a friend in Portland, Oregon. It became the largest Diamond T dealer in the world. Over the next 12 years, he worked his way to the presidency of Diamond T. Mr. Hansen chose Mack's corporate symbol, the bulldog, as the means for injecting new life into the company. He said, "It was the best-known symbol in the trucking business, and it typified what I wanted the company to stand for: a tough and reliable product." He centralized Mack's operation by moving the company's headquarters to Allentown from New York to be near its assembly plants. He also launched the Mack Western division with the introduction of the Hayward, California plant, thus firmly moving Mack into the west coast market. Mr. Hansen's legacy, long and rich, includes his decision was to take the constant horsepower high-torque rise Maxidyne engine off the drawing boards and into production (the rest is history). Zenon C.R. Hansen revived Mack Trucks and turned Allentown into "the truck capital of the world." He indeed joined the company during a time of downward turmoil, becoming Mack's fifth CEO in less than 10 years. During the nine and a half years he ran Mack Trucks, he turned the company into a truckmaking powerhouse, with massive increases in production, sales and earnings. Sales reached $1 billion for the first time in the company's history. Mr. Hansen said the achievement was reached by "damn hard work and good appreciation of effort." "Many well-informed individuals advised me that I was taking over a sinking ship," said Mr. Hansen on January 7, 1965, the day he was named Mack's fifth president in less than 10 years. "Here was an opportunity to put many of my ideas into effect ... They were giving me a chance to make the bulldog growl again." Mr. Hansen indeed was larger than life. His heart and soul were born to lead Mack Trucks. He is remembered not only for his many contributions to Mack, but to the entire truck industry. He was president of the American Truck Foundation, an Automotive Hall of Fame member and a retired colonel in the Civil Air Patrol. As a young man, he was an Eagle Scout with 81 merit badges (60 more than the required 21). He stepped down as president and CEO in 1972, and remained chairman until 1974 when he retired. Mack Presidents Henry Nave (1972-1976) and Alfred Pelletier (1976-1980) performed well, largely carrying on the tradition of Mr. Hansen. However, Mack President John B. Curcio's rein (1980-1989) was filled with controversy. I want to believe he had good intentions, but his strategies for achieving his goals were often highly questionable. The advanced MH Ultra-Liner, solid performing 4-valve E-6, CH and E-7, all superb products, were successfully launched during his tenure. However, he pushed the T200 multi-speed transmissions prematurely into production, despite objections from Mack engineering that more time was needed to finalize the product, which resulted in issues with early production models. Ralph Reins was a non-truck guy that blew in and out of the company quickly (1989-1990), accomplishing nothing and leaving a mess. Mack President Elios Pascual (1990-1995), from Renault's truck unit Renault Vehicles Industries (RVI), quickly earned the respect of Mack's employees and distributors by reviving the Mack team spirit originally inspired by the legendary Zenon C.R. Hansen.

Exactly. The Mack Dynamax wet clutch (designated CL-72 and CL-721) was an option available to all customers but it actually came to be because UPS demanded it, initially in the F-model from 1970 and later in the MH (in those days, when UPS spoke, Mack listened). Produced by Rockford Clutch Corp., they lasted almost forever. Clutch engagement took some getting used to but I wish more customers had tried it. The long life more than offset the added purchase cost. Mack basically worked with Rockford to very successfully adapt their wet clutch technology for off-highway construction machinery to the heavy truck application. I recall it being available at least thru 1985.

The chassis color has to go but the "Level 3 Blue Interior" is a welcome bonus.

Mack rears were produced by Dana from 1984 thru 2003. I was there, and felt it was an unwise move. I didn't mind that some carrier gear production was outsourced to John Deere. JD did good work. But final assembly should have remained at Hagerstown so that Mack had control of quality at final assembly. Meritor took over from 2004 to the present. The very essence of the "Mack Difference" had always been Mack's balanced-design drivetrain. This first became clear with the revolutionary Maxidyne high-torque rise engine concept complimented by specially designed triple-countershaft 5-speed Maxitorque transmissions and dual-reduction carriers (featuring Mack's high load-bearing Durapoid spiral bevel gearing). Mack Trucks, under the brilliant leadership of President Zenon C.R. Hansen, literally turned the truck industry upside down with this revolutionary product. But sadly, the legendary cutting edge engineering triumphs of Mack Trucks are now a memory. Take a moment to look closely at the new (Volvo-based) Macks sitting at your local dealer. Observe the chassis rust. Look how sloppy the air piping and wiring is mounted along the chassis. The Mack truck today is not the product it was 15-20 years ago. It's become a "throw away" truck like the Ford and GMC heavy trucks of years past. Assembled with Volvo D11(MP7)/D13(MP8) engines, Volvo I-Shift transmissions, Volvo chassis and Meritor axles, gentlemen, this clearly isn't a Mack Truck. What Volvo has done, reduce a global icon to a mere shell of its former self, should be a crime. In its battle with Daimler on the North American front, Volvo chose to gut Mack trucks and replace it with Volvo components. That became crystal clear when Mack's headquarters and R&D center were closed and those functions were transferred to Volvo HQ in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Hagerstown became a Volvo Powertrain facility. Arguably due to President John B. Curcio's questionable management, Mack fell on financial hardships and was sold to Renault. However unlike Volvo, Renault understood the value of Mack Trucks. Rather than disembowel Mack Trucks as Volvo has, Renault invested in Mack and got the company back on its own two feet. Renault wanted Mack Trucks to continue. Thus what Volvo has done is all the more regrettable. Renault never wanted Volvo involved with Mack Trucks: Renault Has No Plans To Merge Mack, Volvo `We See No Links,' Official Says July 14, 1990 By DAN SHOPE, The Morning Call An executive for Renault Vehicules Industriels (RVI) said yesterday that the French vehicle manufacturer has no plans for Mack Trucks Inc. to merge operations or facilities with Volvo GM Heavy Duty Trucks Inc. "A merger between Volvo GM and Mack in the United States is only speculation," said Elios Pascual, executive vice president of planning-administration for RVI and a director for Mack. "Mack has to be able to survive without the help of Volvo. We see no links." RVI, a subsidiary of Renault, on Thursday began its offer to purchase all outstanding shares of Mack's common stock at $6 per share. RVI, which currently holds 44.6 percent of Mack's stock, will spend about $103 million to make Mack a wholly owned subsidiary -- if the offer is accepted by enough stockholders to give the French company 90 percent of its outstanding shares by midnight Aug. 8. "Mack is losing $90 million for the first half of this year," Pascual said in a phone conversation from Paris. "Mack cannot continue at this rate. "RVI will give financial and operational support. We are prepared to take the risk that Mack will lose more money." A possible partner is Volvo, which in February agreed to buy 45 percent of Renault's truck operations. Volvo owns the majority of Volvo GM Heavy Truck Corp. But Pascual said RVI has no expectations that Volvo GM and Mack would share facilities such as Mack's Winnsboro, S.C., plant or consolidate headquarters in Volvo GM's new facility in Greensboro, N.C. "We have no comment on how to restructure Mack," Pascual said. "That's up to Mack." Mack officials assured the 750 employees in the South Carolina plant on June 25 that reports about the facility were "speculative." "The company is aggressively pursuing many options to reduce cost," the plant's general manager, Ted Jones, wrote in a letter to employees. "The closure of the Winnsboro assembly plant is not one of the options." Before deciding to acquire all of Mack's stock, RVI has explored several options, including the sale of its stake of the truck maker to competitors, according to information released in RVI's formal offer to purchase. Among the disclosures were the following: * Navistar International Corp. expressed interest in buying Mack in November, but no offer was made and talks were subsequently terminated. "The document speaks for itself," said Bill Greenhill, director of financial communications at Navistar. "We have no further comment." * PACCAR Inc. of Bellevue, Wash., and Hiller Group of Metairie, La., had recently submitted a bid to acquire Renault's 44.6 percent interest in Mack.

My friend, Volvo has never "wanted to be Mack". It probably helps to have had exposure to the global truck industry to better understand Volvo. Volvo is in competition with Mercedes-Benz (Daimler), MAN and Scania, for a variety of reasons. It's very much a competition amongst European truckmakers. North America just happens to be involved, because the added sales volume helps to determine the outcome of the battle. Volvo and Daimler are in the North American market because it is necessary in order for them to fulfill their goal of being the global leaders of the truck industry. You mention short-nose east coast trucks. The Europeans have been producing them for years, with no relevance to North America. All the European brands have built conventional models in addition to their COEs, as required to meet individual market requirements. (For example, the Iveco PowerStar. Mercedes-Benz Atron, Scania T series, Volvo NH) Before Volvo, Mack used to be a vertically integrated truckmaker. At one time, going back to the time of World War I, most American trucks were vertically integrated. But from the late 30's, a great many American trucks were assembled from purchased components. The European truckmakers on the other hand remained integrated, including Benz, MAN, Volvo, Scania, DAF, Iveco and Kamaz.* By the end of their life, the UK truckmakers (e.g. ERF, Foden) built what we call assembled trucks, with Cummins engines, Eaton transmissions, ect. To walk the assembly line at Benz, Scania or Volvo, for example, at any time in their history was to watch a vertically integrated truckmaker in action. *Iveco, DAF and MAN use ZF transmissions. Iveco now uses Meritor rear drive axles. Volvo actually moved away from vertical integration when it sold its axles operations to Meritor in 1999, purchasing axles under contract. Meritor has produced Mack axles since 2004.

Designed purely around function to meet the needs of the northeast, the U-model was one of my favorite models for getting the job done. It' didn't ride as bad as one would fear, particularly if it had Budd wheels. Actually it was an extremely stabile and agile platform. The U-700 versions operations by Southeastern Freight Lines were quite a sight, with their high cab and hood mounting configuration to accomodate the Cummins engines that Southeast preferred. It reminds of the Dodge CNT-900 short-nose Bighorn prototype with its high-mounted cab and hood.

My friend, you will be seeing a new cab fairly soon. The current cab has been in production since 1988. It's time to move on, and Volvo knows it. The US market Titan, loosely based on the Titan sold in Australia, is a fine truck, but not your bread-and-butter high volume model. The Volvo-based Macks account for that. The Aussie Macks, in many ways, still feel like a Mack truck. For one thing, the Aussie market is very demanding in terms of customer expectations and operating conditions. Personally, I think the Aussie Titan is much better looking than the US Titan, and the Trident is one impressive truck all the way around.

My friend, yes, the Swedes and Germans do logically assemble their US market products in the US. But being that they are foreign companies, their US profits go overseas in support of Sweden's and Germany's economies. Yes, their US factories do benefit the local US economies where they are located, but the big money heads out of the country to their home country headquarters. However Paccar, for example, builds all their US market heavy trucks in the US, with the exception the the Peterbilt 320 in Mexico (it's design and low volume doesn't mesh well with the rest of the Peterbilt products on the Denton, Texas assembly line). So, with the exception of the 320, Paccar's Mexico plant produces for the Mexican market. Paccar and Navistar (I say this not being a Navistar fan in recent years) are US-owned companies, headquartered in the US. Their annual corporate profits go to support the US economy (which is struggling now, and probably will continue to do so thru 2013 and 2014). And one can't argue with Paccar's management, resulting in 73 consecutive years of profitability (I'm proud as an American that at least one US truckmaker still excels). You mentioned your prediction of a Volvo cab coming to Mack. You'll soon see it. The new Volvo/Mack cab for North America will also be shared with Volvo and Renault heavy truck models in Europe and the global market. The North American variation of the new Volvo global cab will be narrower, for use in a conventional truck configuration. So in effect, the upcoming new cab terminates the last remnants of the Mack truck (optional legacy Mack transmissions and axles don't make it a Mack truck). With a Volvo cab, chassis, engines and transmissions (and frequently vendor axles), sadly, that's not a Mack truck. Way back when, Paccar was also interested in purchasing Mack. At the time, that wasn't well received by Mack people such as myself. But seeing the way things have played out, one can't help but wonder if that would have been the better way to go. At least, Mack would still be an American company. What Volvo has done, reduce an iconic American truckmaker to a mere shell of its former self, should be a crime.

I've driven them all under varying conditions. The Eaton UltraShift Plus, Volvo I-Shift (rebadged in the US market as the Mack mDrive), and ZF AS Tronic AMTs will all deliver comparable results. Note: ZF will introduce their all new TraXon range of 12- and 16-speed AMTs at the huge IAA international commercial truck show in Hannover, Germany this September. And this week, The Germans announced that their U.S. "Detroit" brand will begin selling the DT12 AMT transmission (in direct drive and overdrive versions). This transmission is a rebadged Mercedes-Benz "PowerShift 2" G281-12 transmission. The Cascadia, with its Mercedes-Benz OM472 engine (rebadged as DD15) and M-B G281-12 PowerShift 2 transmission, speaks volumes about the decay of American truck industry. The Freightliner is now as German as the Macks are Swedish. At one time, cutting edge American truckmakers like Mack Trucks for decades put the world on notice that U.S. heavy truck design was second to none (What Volvo has done to Mack Trucks, reduce a global icon to a mere shell of its former self, should be a crime). For a country in which trucking figures so prominently in our history, it is a tragedy that all the trucks on the roads of America today, with the exception of Navistar and Paccar, are produced by the Germans and Swedes. It is utterly humiliating that America no longer has the ability to compete and lead in our own domestic truck market.

You've got to wonder what salesman or customer would have spec'd a 9-speed behind an E9-500 V-8 (or any engine 400hp or larger).

1974 was an inbetween year. It has the newer style fleet bumper (ILO the old flat bumper), but it still has the old air intake (the "cool power" 300 came out the following year. The best F-models were the 350s (F-788ST's). I sold one of those new with an Eaton 13-speed and the rare deluxe factory interior. TRDL1070 10-speeds were rare. 1978 thru 1981 F-models were the best years.

I haven't heard anyone mention it but the world's best and largest international commercial truck show is coming up. It's held every 2 years in Hannover, Germany. For those who have never been, it's huge! Plan on at least 3 days. To give you some idea, Mercedes-Benz will rent one entire building. I would guess that it's 8 times the size of the Mid-America Truck Show. Bring plenty of spare batteries for your camera. Every global truck, component and trailer manufacturer will be there. http://www.iaa.de/en/exhibitors/facts-figures/details-iaa-2012/

Yes. The only reason Macungie began building Super-Liners was because Mack decided to close their west coast Hayward, California assembly plant (near Oakland). But it all worked out for the best. Hayward had quality and absentee problems, while Mack's east coast engineers had learned how to make a lighter weight truck (e.g. the cutting-edge MH Ultra-Liner)