First impressions of the Mack Pioneer: Old bulldog learns new tricks
BROOKLYN— On April 8, in a crowded Brooklyn Navy Yard warehouse, Mack Trucks celebrated its milestone 125th anniversary with the same moxie that made its trucks famous and made the brand synonymous with bulldogs. The warehouse was chock full of restored vintage Mack truck models—and human models dressed to the nines in early 20th century fashion. It all seemed lifted straight from “The Great Gatsby.” Two gents even donned getups to imitate founders Jack and Gus Mack, who built the company’s first vehicle, a sightseeing bus, just three miles away from the soiree. No doubt the most popular party animal was Walter the bulldog, a stout lad hanging out near a restored Mack AC. That early Mack marvel looked so much like a bulldog that it earned this nickname from British Tommies during World War I.
But this event served the dual purpose of a glitzy truck launch as well as a glamorous birthday extravaganza. So after a bit of revelry, the 800 or so folks sauntered to an adjacent warehouse for the literal unboxing of the company’s latest on-highway Class 8 tractor. After a video intro by Mike Rowe and a series of speeches, the digital wrapping (really three oversized video walls) were hoisted up, presenting the Mack Pioneer to the world.
The most important thing to know is that the leaner semi keeps the toughness and reliability that built the brand, adding fuel efficiency and driver comfort that fleets are looking for.
It's been in the works since 2017—the year the Class 8 Mack Anthem was launched—and according to Martin Lundstedt, president and CEO of parent company Volvo Group, is the result of a $2 billion investment. It’s because Mack, one of the first and oldest truck OEMs, is now staunchly planted in the future, one where the company bullies back some of the on-highway market share it’s lost over the decades.
The company, which pre-dates modern highways by half a century, has a 2% OTR market share. Market leader Daimler Truck owns closer to 40% and its Freightliner Gen-5 Cascadia, itself decked out in the latest safety and efficiency technology, is revving up production this summer.
Mack would settle for closer to 10% market share by 2030 for its OTR and vocational segments combined. This will also be helped with next-gen Anthem and electric Pioneer down the line, while Mack tacitly suggested its workhorses, the Pinnacle and Granite, would receive a refresh at some point.
On this high-octane night, they just wanted to show the world that Mack hasn’t lost its swagger or penchant for innovation.
“Today is an opportunity to redefine the new future for Mack, while at the same time staying true to what it means to be built like a Mack truck,” Lunstedt said.
Mack President Stephen Roy, meanwhile, suggested the Pioneer would be a “competitive advantage on wheels” for fleets and owner-operators, due to a heap of new features and upgrades ranging from better fuel economy and optional digital mirror systems to wider door entries and expanded berthing space for sleeper models.
Jonathan Randall, Mack Trucks North America president, went further, calling the Pioneer the industry’s “new standard in efficiency and comfort, safety and uptime.”
Those are bold statements, but what is a pioneer if not bold?
Power up
Aero accounts for 8% of the efficiency upgrade, while the rest comes from a revamped integrated powertrain, comprising Mack’s new MP13 engine and mDrive transmission. Mack, by the way, takes credit for integrating the engine, transmission, and axles into one cohesive system. The Pioneer’s powertrain comes in a few different power levels, reaching up to 515 HP and 1,950 lb.-ft. of torque. (The first motorized vehicle made by the Mack Brothers, Jack, Gus, and William, a 20-seater sightseeing bus in Brooklyn, had 40 HP.)
Of course, the MP13 is a vast improvement over that in power, while over the MP8, it’s about 3%. A new wave piston design and other tweaks enable that, the company said. Some other enhancements include 13-Speed Dynamic Overdrive to switch between efficiency and power modes and help get that extra oomph up steep inclines, and a beefed up engine brake to get the tractor-trailer to stop.
Drivers should notice the updated mDrive has 30% better shifting performance due to sensor and hardware changes. Jack Mack’s great grandson, Tom Mack, a now retired employee who worked on the Pioneer and attended the event, was quick to remind people his great-great uncle Gus was the one who invented the mesh feature on transmission gears to make shifting from low to high more smooth, and thus helping the metal gears last longer. On the new mDrive, a redesigned clutch improves its durability.
Fleet first impressions
The completely redesigned semi has been in the works since 2017, when the current class 8 flagship, the Anthem, debuted. According to Mack, they talked to about 100 fleets and several dealers to make this the perfect truck for today’s demands.
One of those was Pitt Ohio, which relies on several OEMs for its LTL operations, with models including the Anthems and VNR Electric. Their red Pioneer day cab is already wrapped in fleet branding and made an appearance at the launch party.
“Mack really took a lot of feedback and tried to put a product together that would stand out and be a leader in the space as we move into the future,” explained Taki Darakos, VP of maintenance and fleet operations at Pitt Ohio.
He said the fleet will receive a small order this summer and larger group in Q1 2026.
“We’re excited about the technology that this tractor provides in the areas of efficiency, maintenance, safety, and driver comfort,” Darakos added.
Jamie Hagen, owner of Hell Bent Xpress and one of the biggest Mack backers you’ll meet, already can average over 10 mpg with his high-efficiency Anthem, and is salivating at the prospect of possibly reaching more.
“11% puts you over 11 mpg, right?” he said at the event. “So I'm excited to see if that number will hold true. It should with all the extra aerodynamics—we couldn't squeeze one more fuel-efficient thing in it if we wanted to.”
Hagen meticulously tracks fuel costs, a must for underdogs competing with fleets several orders of magnitude larger, and thinks this will indeed be a “competitive advantage on wheels,” as Roy said.
“It's going to be close to three quarters of a mile per gallon savings, and that's roughly around six cents a mile in just fuel savings,” he said, suing current diesel costs.
Having driven the truck already, he also noted “how much smoother and quieter the cab is,” due in part to the new MaxRide Air suspension option, which offers eight tuned airbags and electronic ride height.
“The new air ride suspension that they put on not only lends itself to a better ride, but is non-torque reactive, which is a huge thing for traction.”
Overall look
The semi retains the sharp lines that reflect its rugged reliability, and the bulldog, of course, while adding several exterior aerodynamic flourishes to enhance fuel efficiency, such as the two air intakes on the side near the doors and two on the hood. The latter flank the canine hood ornament, which was knocked off its pedestal and brought forward into a recess to reduce drag even more, “making it an integral part of the truck’s performance rather than just an emblem,” Yates said.
“Not only did they approve the aerodynamics, but I think they came out with a really bold looking truck, even though the anthem was bold in itself,” Hagen said. “I feel like they've got even more rugged with this look.”
It's one example that Mack’s Pioneer design team pored over every detail to ensure this truck isn’t just the 125-year-old OEM’s crowing achievement, but king of every road it’s on.
Another is how the Mack badge on the bigger grille (reinforced by metal mesh) has a top-down view of the Brooklyn Bridge on it, a nod to the Mack Brothers time in the borough before moving operations to Allentown, Pennsylvania. The Pioneer will be made in the Lehigh Valley Operations plant, with production starting this summer, by the way.
That bridge element carries over to the headlamps for a clean but imposing look. Anyone who says this is just a rebadged version of the all-new Volvo VNL needs to look again. While similar, the revamped VNL has a bit more graceful face, giving off Aghan hound vibes.
