The goal of Mack Trucks has been to get the message out on the company’s latest push into the long haul segment, with the launch of the Mack Anthem to the U.S. market nearly two years ago.
Mack officials shared insights on the progress of product adoption since that launch during a multi-day media event hosted by the company in Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington this week.
Current growth and spreading the word
Over-the-road applications, including long haul and regional haul, make up 75 percent of the overall Class 8 market. Mack Trucks has focused on promoting the the Mack Anthem semi truck to address demands in this market. Horton confirmed that while the Mack Anthem has continued to pick up momentum in sales and acceptance since it’s U.S. launch in September of 2017, the company continues to push product awareness.
“We’re in a hot market,” said Jonathan Randall, senior vice president, North American sales and marketing for Mack Trucks. “We’re not seeing or feeling a downturn. [The market] saw first quarter [2019] GDP at 3.1 percent. We still see the year projected at growth, and the overall truck market is going extremely well.”
With orders dropped off and less backlog, production continues to grow, Randall said. Continuing it’s push with 310,000 overall units produced in 2018, he confirmed the company intends to hold steady with 310,000 units forecasted for 2019. “We have not seen that pressure fall off yet so that number may be higher,” he said.
The long haul segment made up 44 percent of Class 8 truck registrations in April, with that percentage anticipated to grow compared to other segments such as regional haul and straight truck.
Randall confirmed Mack Trucks is up in market share for every single trucking segment. “It’s dilutive to our overall market share because we’re making gains, but our weakest segment is the long haul segment,” he said. “But the Anthem is helping with that. You’re seeing more of them on the road not just because they’re distinctive but because they’re getting more into the market.”
Sharing the capabilities and current performance
“Anthem has been doing extremely well for us but sometimes that doesn’t go far enough,” Horton said. “How do we explain this to our customers and put it in terms they can to understand? One way is talking about total cost of ownership. Four areas we talk about are fuel efficiency, driver recruitment and retention, dealer network strength, and uptime support.”
Mack’s continued focus to help customers improve uptime has been managed through the company’s Mack Connect services. These services are originated through the company’s GuardDog Connect telematics and Mack Over the Air remote vehicle service capabilities.
More than 100,000 trucks are now equipped with the GuardDog Connect telematics capabilities, according to Horton. The product comes standard on all new trucks for two years. Fleets can opt to continue service after.
Mack GuardDog Connect proactively monitors a truck’s critical fault codes that could lead to unplanned shut downs. If a potential issue is detected, GuardDog Connect sends a notification to agents at the company’s Uptime Center. These experts, referred to as OneCall agents, have the ability to diagnose the problem and prioritize the next steps for suggested service based on the severity of the issue.
If it’s a relatively simple solution requiring a software update or change in parameters, the OneCall agent can initiate a Mack Over The Air remote update. This update can be done quickly while the vehicle is stopped, without requiring the vehicle to return to a shop location. If the vehicle does require more extensive service, the Uptime Center can assist with scheduling service and order parts for the fleet while the vehicle is still on the road.
There are 440 Mack dealership locations across the U.S. and Canada, with access to 142 Mack Certified Uptime Dealers to help complete service that must be completed in a shop. Progress of each remote service incident can be reviewed by the fleet or driver through the ASIST service communications platform.
Horton confirmed improvements the company has noted since the implementation of the GuardDog Connect telematics product, such as increased shop efficiency by 24 percent; diagnostic and repair times reduced by 70 and 21 percent, respectively; and a “check-in” time reduced by more than 40 minutes.
The connected support through the Mack Over The Air software updates can save days of downtime for customers, Horton said. “Depending on who you talk to and the industry they’re in, one day of downtime can be $3,000. It can be more, much more. Uptime is critical."
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Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly noted that the Mack Anthem makes up 75 percent of sales for Mack Trucks.
