Flatbed carrier Builders Transportation Co. recently placed an order for 120 Mack Pinnacle sleepers built with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2010-certified Mack MP engines, the truck maker announced. Mack says the new order, along with an order last year for 45 Pinnacle models, will shift Builders’ fleet mix to 50 percent Mack trucks. The company is both replacing trucks and adding 10 percent to its fleet, according to Dwight Bassett, Builders’ chief financial officer.
Mack says the team at Memphis-based Builders took a hands-on approach in deciding where to turn for their new trucks; they began with a demo vehicle, learning how the Mack ClearTech SCR (selective catalytic reduction) technology operates. From there, they worked closely with Mack and Tri-State Truck Center, the local Mack dealership, to configure a truck that would best meet the company’s needs. “Mack spent a lot of time helping us spec the truck, set the parameters and evaluate performance,” Bassett says.
Mack says the combination of its MP engine and ClearTech SCR technology delivers near-zero emissions and up to a 5 percent or more fuel efficiency improvement over EPA 2007 engines, reducing customer operating costs, shrinking the truck’s carbon footprint and cutting the need for imported oil. “Customers like Builders Transportation quickly realize the benefits of Mack trucks with EPA ’10 MP engines,” says Jay Hoffman, Mack southeast region district manager. “Builders’ initial order of Pinnacle trucks delivered a reduction in fuel use and required maintenance, leading to the larger, more recent order.”
Mack says Builders’ management also has embraced many of its other efficiency-boosting technologies such as the Mack Vehicle Management and Control System. V-MAC IV, the latest version of the technology, is designed to give customers like Builders hundreds of programmable features, allowing them to monitor each truck and engine and tailor vehicle operation for maximum efficiency. The new trucks also are supported by the Mack MVASIST Web-based service management platform and Mack OneCall Complete Care round-the-clock roadside assistance. MVASIST lets fleet managers, service providers and now Mack OneCall staff work together – in real time – to expedite repairs and maximize uptime.
Mack says BTC also equipped each of its Pinnacles with Qualcomm’s MCP 200 aftermarket in-cab computing platform and PrePass Plus transponders, enabling their drivers to safely bypass hundreds of weigh stations and pay their bridge and toll road fees electronically.
