MACK Trucks announced during the American Trucking Associations Management Conference and Exhibition (MC&E) at the San Diego (California) Convention Center that it would again sponsor the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) Share the Road program in 2020. Mack trucks also announced a commitment to ATA’s Workforce Heroes program.
Mack trucks has sponsored Share the Road since 2001.
“While significant strides have been made, there is still work to be done in terms of educating motorists on how to drive safely around large trucks,” said Jonathan Randall, senior vice-president of North American sales and marketing for Mack Trucks. “We are pleased to again sponsor the Share the Road program and the professional truck drivers who deliver that safety message. The Mack Anthem the drivers use in this program is equipped with a variety of safety features, but it’s also critical that operators of passenger vehicles practice safety-conscious driving.”
The Share the Road drivers, many of whom have one million or more accident-free miles, deliver live safety presentations to students, media and policy makers throughout the United States. The purpose of the program is to further the understanding of how to safely drive with heavy-duty trucks on our nation’s roadways.
“Being able to demonstrate truck safety using a fully-equipped 2019 Mack Anthem really elevates ATA’s Share the Road program to being the premier truck safety effort in North America,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “This truck is attention-grabbing, which allows our Share the Road professional truck drivers to effectively convey their safety messages to students, young drivers, the media, and the general motoring public. We are so appreciative of Mack Trucks for continuing to raise the profile of this important program to help save lives.”
The Share the Road drivers use a Mack-donated Anthem 70-inch Stand Up Sleeper model to illustrate truck stopping distances, blind spots and other safety issues, while also presenting how heavy-duty trucks differ from passenger vehicles.
The Anthem model features a 13-liter Mack MP8 505C engine with 505 horsepower and 1,860 lb-ft of torque and a 12-speed Mack mDRIVE automated manual transmission. The mDRIVE is standard on all Anthem models.
The Share the Road Anthem also has Mack Road Stability Advantage by Bendix, a fully electronic stability control system that helps mitigate the chances of a rollover or jackknife incident, and Bendix Wingman Fusion, a camera- and radar-based system that provides collision mitigation, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning capabilities. Both systems are standard on all Mack Anthem models.
For ATA’s Workforce Heroes program, which supports US military veterans, the truck manufacturer has provided another Mack Anthem 70-inch Stand Up Sleeper model. Featuring a distinctive camouflage-styled wrap, this tractor travels across country to help recruit military veterans into careers in the trucking industry. Thus far, the truck has visited nine locations, including schools, career fairs and military bases.
“Mack is proud to continue our support of veterans through this program, and we look forward to working with the ATA to encourage them to consider a career in trucking,” Randall said. “Veterans have proven their dedication and service to our country, and trucking offers them a job experience that will build upon some of the skills they already have acquired.”
The Workforce Heroes tractor is driven across the country by professional truck drivers from the ATA’s Share the Road program, who teach students, policymakers and media how to drive safely around heavy trucks. Each Share the Road driver has an outstanding safety record.
“From talking to the truck drivers who’ve had the pleasure of driving the camo Mack Anthem Workforce Heroes Truck around the country, it’s hard to describe the excitement that this truck generates about careers in our industry,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “Drivers are getting asked questions about trucking while fueling up at truck stops, getting saluted while driving down the road and being asked to take pictures with prospective industry recruits in front of the truck. This Mack Anthem is creating exactly the type of momentum we hoped to see out of this program and we’re very thankful for Mack Trucks’ support.”
The Mack Anthem model used in the Workforce Heroes program is equipped with a Mack MP8HE-415SE engine with 415 horsepower and 1,660 lb-ft of torque and the Mack mDRIVE automated manual transmission. Standard on all Mack Anthem models, the mDRIVE enables drivers to remain focused on driving, rather than shifting gears.