When your sights laser in on a pugnacious little bulldog blazing down the street, what is the first thought that crosses your mind? Well, if you are semi truck driver, you will leap and yell 'Hey! That's Mack!' Bull Dog is a trademark of Mack Trucks Inc, an old horse in the trucking world. Mack Trucks Inc is known for building heavy-duty trucks that are capable of enduring a punishing terrain and the vagaries of nature.
The journey of Mack Trucks began in 1893 when the Mack brothers, Jack and Augustus, bought over Fallesen & Berry factory. Soon, the Macks started experimenting with various steam and electric motor cars. Inspired by the inventions taking place all around him, Jack envisioned the building of heavy -duty trucks and thus began an eventful journey. The first product from the house of Macks was a bus, which was used by sightseeing concessionaire Harris and McGuire, for eight years before it was converted into a truck. The success of this bus egged the Mack brothers to continue with truck development. However, old Mack trucks were known as 'Manhattan Trucks' as the brothers had sought a different name to distinguish the trucks from their other business, viz. their horse-drawn carriages.
In the early 1900s, Mack Trucks became famous as ever-reliable trucks that could easily endure rugged terrains. Soon enough, the brothers engaged in adding new features that would enhance the safety and comfort aspect of the driver. For instance, Mack Truck Inc. were the first truck manufacturers to introduce a constant mesh feature that protected gears from being damaged or stripped by inexperienced drivers.
In 1919, Manhattan Trucks was re-christened as 'Mack'. Later, in 1922, it adopted bulldog as its corporate logo. As to how a bulldog was chosen as, a symbol of Mack Truck Inc. is an interesting story in itself. Lore at Mack Truck Inc. say that during the First World War, the British government had chosen the sturdy Mack trucks for transporting important war supplies and food requirements to the soldiers on the front. These Mack trucks, with their blunt-nosed hood, resembled a bulldog. Besides, the Mack trucks were proving as tenacious as bulldogs. These qualities reminded the British soldiers of their official mascot the 'British Bulldog'. In fact, when faced with a truck problem, the soldier would often say, "Aye, send in the Mack Bulldogs!" Now, Mack Truck Inc. viewed this as a matter of pride and hence they adopted the bulldog as a corporate symbol to represent all the future generation of Mack trucks.
Since then, Mack trucks have undertaken important missions of national and international importance. For instance, they played an important in the trans-continental convoy conducted by the US Army, which highlighted the need for a national highway system. Similarly, Mack Truck Inc. played a major role in the building of the Boulder dam. It also played an important role in the Second World War. Mack trucks found themselves adorning the role of prime movers, personnel carriers, wrecker trucks, tank transporters, and more.
Thus, Mack trucks had played an important role in the American history and are now serving the needs of a modernized world.
The author is an independent publisher that covers multiple topics in the heavy duty truck aftermarket. Trick-My-Truck.com is a website that pays special tribute to the Mack truck owner operators with a display of semi trucks.
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