WIXLIB

COVER STORYMack AnthemIn it for the long haulFuel economy, safety, comfort and driver retentionwere top considerations in the Anthem’s design —and it delivers that and more.By Denise L. RondiniRyan Mabe, manager of ReliableCarriers in Manchester, Tennessee,says they took a chance in 2019when buying five 2020 MackAnthems to add to their over-theroad fleet. They had not been running any Mack trucks, so this new purchase had a very specificgoal. “We wanted to evaluate how well they performed and what the level of driver acceptancewas,” Mabe says. The Anthems exceeded theirexpectations with fuel economy, safety, uptimeand enthusiastic driver response to the trucks’creature comforts. “Based on head-to-headcomparisons with other truck manufacturers,4 BULLDOG 2021 V1we ordered 10 more 2021 Anthems,” he says.These positive reviews line up with customerfeedback since the launch three years ago.“When we talk to fleets, the Anthem’s keyfeatures they focus on are fuel economy, totalcost of ownership, safety and anythingrevolving around driver acceptance and comfort,” says Stu Russoli, Mack Trucks’ highwayproduct manager.Fuel economy mattersWhile prices will always fluctuate, fuelaccounts for 24% of a fleet’s averagemarginal costs, according to the 2020American Transportation Research Institute.Diesel fuel prices have been low for severalyears but recently there has been an upwardtrend. As of early May 2021 the average priceof diesel had increased to 3.186 per gallon,according to data from the EnergyInformation Administration. The good newsis that Mack Trucks had a laser focus onfuel economy when designing the Anthemfor long-haul operation. Mack optimizedthe Anthem for aerodynamics, includingthe hood, roof, chassis fairings, mirrorcovers, front bumper and air dam. While itcan be difficult to provide an average fueleconomy number because of the various dutycycles and applications, the aerodynamicimprovements made to the Anthem in 2018resulted in a 3% fuel economy gain, withanother 6.5% gain if the Anthem is spec’dwith the MP 8HE powertrain package,Russoli says. And the new GHG21 MP8-HEengines in production this year get and additional 3% fuel economy.Kyle Behnke, CEO and founder of UnitedFederal Logistics Inc., says he saw a .75 mpgimprovement in fuel economy when switchingto Anthems from another truck brand. UnitedFederal has 23 trucks and 42 drivers pullingdoubles, operating primarily with team drivers, with its tractors averaging 4,500 to 5,500miles a week. Loads run from Atlanta toCalifornia and Atlanta to Oregon as well as upand down the East Coast.Mabe, with Reliable Carriers, tracked theAnthem’s fuel economy against other trucks.“Many of the over-the-road Anthems averagein the 7 mile per gallon range, with the highest at 7.82 mpg in the first quarter of 2021.That’s impressive,” Mabe says.To help customers understand the potentialfuel savings, Russoli says Mack offers a Fuel“Drivers reallyappreciate theAnthem’s bigger caband the upgradedamenities.”Kennan Hill,president and owner of Chief Express2021 V1 BULLDOG 5

MACK ANTHEMRaising HellJamie “Hellbent” Hagen has owned and operatedAberdeen, South Dakota-based Hell Bent Xpress since2013. He replaced a Mack Pinnacle with a new MackAnthem in 2019, added another Anthem in 2020 and hasmore on order to eventually operate a total of nine Anthems.Hagen, a social media influencer in the trucking industry with12,500 Twitter followers and an active LinkedIn account, useshis platforms to spread the word about all things Anthem,including his quest for extreme fuel efficiency. Hagenemploys four drivers whom he trains and rewards for drivingefficiently.“When the wind is in the right direction and I’m fully loaded,I can hit 11 mpg and empty, 12-13 mpg. Last summer, my90-day average was 9.98 mpg. That shows me and my drivers what’s possible.”Hagen says he loves the Anthem sleeper. “It’s like a littlehouse: quiet, dark, roomy and totally driver friendly with cubbies and a comfortable mattress.”He’s looking forward to his new Anthems with MackCommand Steer. “It’s going to be a gamechanger. You won’tovercorrect because it makes minute changes to yoursteering.”6 BULLDOG 2021 V1Economy tool allowing fleets to input specsfor several variations of a new Mack truckthey are considering and then compare thefuel economy of the new asset to that of anexisting Mack truck. “We can actually runsimulations of where they are going to be running the trucks and tell them what they canexpect their fuel economy to be with a newAnthem,” Russoli says. “This is not a generalfuel economy number, but rather a numberthat is specific to the fleet and the conditionsin which it operates and specific to the vehicle’s duty cycle.”Cutting-edgesafety technologySafety was a key concern during the designand manufacturing of the Anthem. BendixWingman Fusion 2.0 is standard on theAnthem. It integrates advanced safety technologies — radar, camera and brakes — intoone driver assistance system, including electronic stability control, collision mitigationtechnology and lane departure warning. Thesystem alerts drivers when they are gettingtoo close to a vehicle in front of them ordeparting their lane, and takes proactiveaction if the warnings are ignored.Bendix Wingman Fusion 2.0 comes withbumper-mounted radar and a road-facingwindshield camera to accurately recognize thenecessary data. In mid-2021, Fusion 2.0 withan optional driver facing camera becomesavailable on Mack vehicles. The camerarecords when an incident such as hard brakingor an alert is detected. “I think drivers are starting to accept cameras on the vehicles,” Russolisays, “because the video from the camera oftencan exonerate a driver as being at fault for anaccident by showing that a vehicle cut tooclose in front of them, for example.”Stan Mitchell, director of maintenance forWhite Oak Transportation, says his trucks arespec’d with Wingman Fusion because of theadded safety. “There are some features thatallow you to know you have a wingman lookingout for you,” he says. White Oak operates 244power units out of its headquarters in Decatur,Alabama. Mitchell says 90% of the units areMacks, with Anthems being the majority andthe ones used in long-haul runs in Ohio,Kentucky, Louisiana and Texas.Additional safety features on the MackAnthem include a sloped hood for superior visibility, a passenger side peep window, threepoints of entry and exit, full length grab handles,slip resistant steps, an optional parking brakealarm, door mounted entry (puddle) lights andoptional orange seat belts. To make it easierand safer for drivers to complete their pre- andpost-trip inspections, ground reachable lightcontrols and a ground reachable pre-trip lightcheck switch are included as well.Driver comfortand acceptanceWhile the competition for drivers remainsfierce, incentives like the Mack Anthem go along way toward recruiting and retention.Perks such as comfortable seats and“The comfort in the sleeper is very important inlong-haul team driving operations.”Kyle Behnke, CEO and founder of United Federal Logistics2021 V1 BULLDOG 7

MACK ANTHEMtrailers. Hill says the Anthem’s appearance, pulling power and fuel economyattracted him to the vehicle. “They pull somuch better and ride so much better —everything about them is better — thanother makes of trucks.” The drivers reallyappreciate the Anthem’s bigger cab andthe upgraded amenities. “When we hire anew driver, they want the Anthem, andsometimes I don’t have enough of themavailable, so I tell them they have to waittheir turn.” That problem will be eliminated because soon Chief Express willoperate 100% Anthems.“Mack really did its homework with theAnthem, and our drivers are very happywith them.”Behnke too liked the way the Anthemlooked but was really sold on it when hismanager drove it and talked about howsmooth the truck operated. “He said itwas comfortable when he was on thehighway driving at 60 miles per hour andreally liked how quiet it was in the cab.”Because United Federal Logistics operates with team drivers, Behnke investedin premium mattresses. “The comfort inthe sleeper is very important in long-haulteam driving operations. Being able torest is key for team drivers because oneof you is going to be sleeping while theother is driving.”Behnke sees the Anthems as gooddriver retention tools because of howcomfortable and reliable they are.Johnny Bragg has been driving anAnthem for Reliable Carriers for threeyears and finds the mattress to be asgood as his at home. “I love this truck, it’sso comfortable, plenty of top room,everything is within arm’s reach,” he says.Bragg, with nearly 4 million safe drivingmiles under his belt, says the Anthemturns heads wherever he goes. “Everytime I stop to fuel, a driver comes up andasks me about my truck.”Delivering maximumuptime“Many of the over-theroad Anthems averagein the 7 mile pergallon range, with thehighest at 7.82 mpg inthe first quarter of2021. That’simpressive.”Ryan Mabe, manager of Reliable Carriers8 BULLDOG 2021 V1mattresses, good ergonomics and streamlinedstorage are greatly appreciated by drivers, especially those who drive over the road.ErgonomicsMack, taking a page from the passenger carindustry, moved some of the controls previously located on the dash to the stalk.Windshield wiper controls are on the lefthand stalk, along with the turn signal andhigh beam lights. “And on the right stalk wehave the engine brake, which you can toggle from low to medium to high,” Russolisays. “It also has controls for the Co-Pilotdisplay. Radio controls, Bluetooth andcruise control are now on the steeringwheel.” These changes were designed toeliminate the driver having to reach to activate common devices.The Anthem’s Co-Pilot is a driver displaythat gives the driver key trip information ata glance. “That includes speed and mileage, and mDRIVE information. It shows ifthe engine brake is on and if cruise controlis activated, allowing drivers to keep theireyes on the road,” Russoli says. Co-Pilot isalso integrated with Bendix WingmanFusion. When the vehicle is in operation, itdisplays all the needed traffic informationdirectly in front of the driver, how far aheadthe next vehicle is, speed limit, warningsand braking alerts.Behnke first tried the Anthem as a rentaland said some of his drivers were skepticalabout the cockpit’s configuration. “Oncethey get in them, they comment on hownice it was to have everything at theirfingertips.”Russoli adds, “Everything we designedin the Anthem was done with the driver inmind.”Appearance, power andcreature comforts“The Mack Anthems just work better forus all the way around,” says Kennan Hill,president and owner of Chief Express.The Seagrove, South Carolina, truckloadcarrier hauls 35,000 loads a year in 34states with their fleet of 75 tractors — 65of which are Anthems — and 300-plusAny time a truck has to be taken out ofservice on a long-haul run, the fleet’s productivity and driver satisfaction drop. Andnothing is more frustrating than having totake a vehicle out of service for a softwareupdate. Mack Over The Air allows Anthemcustomers to make unlimited parameterupdates without having to bring the truckin for service. Fleet-activated OTA is standard on the Anthem and allows authorizedfleet personnel to implement software andparameter updates themselves when andwhere it is convenient. For instance, longhaul drivers can update their Anthemswhile on one of their rest breaks or duringtheir 34-hour reset. OTA eliminates theneed to schedule time in the shop. Anotherbenefit for fleet managers is Mack ASIST, aweb-based service-management systemthat helps expedite repairs to maximizeuptime. Many Mack dealers also havestepped up their service game by becoming Certified Uptime Dealers with fast laneuptime bays for repairs that take less thanfour hours to complete —another time andmoney saver for Mack Anthem customers.Having access to dealers with certifiedMack technicians is especially importantto fleets in long-haul operations. Mack’sdealer network stretches across the U.S.and Canada with 428 full-service locations, and many more service only points,so customers can be confident thatshould a problem arise, it will be takencare of by a Mack dealer. “Our dealers areinvesting in their dealerships and spreading their footprint in order to match wherepeople are transporting goods and tomake sure long-haul Anthem fleets haveaccess to Mack-certified technicians andgenuine Mack parts no matter where theyare,” Russoli says.Behnke says that in addition to theAnthem’s looks and power, what attractedUnited Federal Logistics to it was theMack dealer network, the Uptime Center,“and all the things on the servicing end.Overall, it was a good match for us.”Mitchell, too, was impressed with thesupport from the Mack dealer networkand “the support we got from every layerof the organization. Anybody can sell youa truck, but the support and partnershipare what is really important.”Total cost of ownershipNo matter how fuel efficient, safe or comfortable a truck is, fleets have to realize agood return on their investment. The totalcost of ownership must fit into their business model. Some elements of TCO areeasy to determine: the initial purchaseprice of the truck, the financing costs, thecost of maintenance, the truck’s fueleconomy, even the resale value. But TCOgoes way beyond those hard costs andincludes other factors that may be moredifficult to quantify — like the support ofthe dealer network, the time saved bybeing able to do over-the-air updates, theability to get minor maintenance orrepairs performed quickly, and the role ofthe truck in driver retention.When factors like those are addedtogether, operating Anthems gives fleetsa great TCO for their long-haulapplications.Russoli says that when a customer isconsidering the pros and cons of theAnthem for their long-haul fleet, he willwalk them around and point out everything the Anthem has to offer. “Our goalwith the Anthem was to offer great fueleconomy, enhanced safety features andextreme driver comfort. The Anthemdelivers on all of that and more.”2021 V1 BULLDOG 9

ON BUSINESSPandemic pivot“There were times that vendors were no longer allowing drivers to ride with them to complete a tow service, for instance,” Skrzeczsays. “So, we had to act as a liaison betweenthe customer and the vendor and the driveronsite to make sure that those drivers weretaken care of. We reached out, contacted thecustomer team and tried to set that communication between all parties to make sure thatthe driver would be taken care of.”The COVID-19 backdrop also made thingsmore complicated dealing with tow, repairand other vendors that work with the UptimeCenter, since those businesses saw somedetrimental effects just as other sectors did.“There were times, particularly early onwhen states were shutting down, that it wasvery difficult to get vendors out for services,”Skrzecz says.However, due to their extensive preferredvendor network they were able to work throughmost of those issues. She says the vendorscertainly did their part as well to offer support.They communicated via text and calls with thedrivers as they remained in their trucks.As well as the Uptime Center may have beenable to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic,the center’s collaborative philosophy may notbe as well fulfilled in a remote work scenario,says Magnus Gustafson, vice president ofaftermarket quality and operations at Mack.“Our Mack OneCall team is designed as acustomer-facing group, all sitting together,”Spring forward“I think the spirit and theintent of how we operatehas been maintainedthroughout, whether wewere physically orremotely located next toeach other.”Magnus Gustafson,vice president of aftermarket qualityand assurance for Mack Truckshe explains. “And they are essentially surrounded by other experts in various departments and are within arm’s reach from thewarranty team, the technical support team,and within arm’s reach from the reliabilitygroup that looks at product issues and soforth. So, having access to all these peoplewithin a quick ‘get out of the chair and ask aquestion,’ that’s kind of the concept of theUptime Center.”While that in-person collaboration was notavailable at the time, the center managed toget through the worst of it because of the history of working well together.“We’re mostly still working remotely,” Skrzeczsays, though now some limited onsite work isbeing conducted at the Uptime Center.Gustafson says he believes the Uptime Centerwill eventually return to more normal operations, though it may be a hybrid situation. Thecenter has made the most of the pandemic situation in the meantime. “I think the spirit andthe intent of how we operate has been maintained throughout, whether we were physicallyor remotely located next to each other,”Gustafson says. The point, he notes, is to“ensure that these resources are available to bepulled in to solve customer issues in real time.”While converting the Uptime Center to afully remote operation took ingenuity andunearthed some challenges, the center’s hardwork was evidenced in service numbers. “Atthe beginning of the pandemic, we rose tothe all-time highest number of customer rating,” Skrzecz says. “I think that speaks volumes to what the customers wereexperiencing on the other end — that continued support — as they themselves were facing uncertainty and the impact of COVID-19.”The customers agreed that the UptimeCenter functioned with their best interestsduring a difficult time. In fact, Skyrecz saysthey received a flood of positive commentsfrom customers who expressed how appreciative they were that “we were still working andavailable to support them.”How the Mack Uptime Center continuedits critical customer service despiteCOVID-19 obstaclesBy Aaron MarshWhen COVID-19 restrictions hit businesses in spring 2020, Mack Truckshad a complicated imperative: Keepthe Uptime Center up and running, all whilefollowing the rapidly changing COVID-19guidelines. No small ask, considering theMack Uptime Center in Greensboro, NorthCarolina, is open 24 hours a day, seven daysa week, 365 days a year, and is crucial to thesmooth operation of Mack customers.While planning for the unexpected is part ofthe Uptime Center’s mission, this global pan

Apr 20, 2021 · sary of Bulldog magazine (and the 120th birthday for Mack Trucks). A lot happened in that first hundred years, but this past year has been unforgettable. All of us at Mack hope that you and your families have remained safe and healthy, and our he