"When Mack introduced its Anthem model in 2017, it was supposed to become the company's OTR king of the road," notes Overdrive sister fleet publication CCJ editor Jason Cannon in the video above. Eight years later, particularly for the sleeper configuration, "that really hasn't happened," Cannon added. "So Mack Trucks is turning over the keys" to the brand-new model, the Pioneer, introduced last month in Brooklyn, New York, marking Mack's roots there in this 125th-anniversary year for the company.
Ahead of the launch, longtime Mack customer and 2024 Small Fleet Champ finalist Jamie Hagen, owner of South Dakota-headquartered Hell Bent Xpress, got his own look at the Pioneer, which he called "more aerodynamic” than you think just looking at it. “It looks very aggressive, very industrial. Like when you see it you think 'Mack' instantly. 'This is an aggressive truck.'"
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Yet it's outfitted with a bevy of comfort improvements inside, and plenty of options to that effect, too, as Cannon details in the close-look video. For instance, the Pioneer cab is eight inches wider than the Anthem's at the B-panel between the driver's shoulders. That's about 85 inches wall to wall and 71 inches of shoulder space. The additional space enables a wider and taller seat, with expanded shoulder and headrest areas and armrests on both sides of the seat.
It's just one of the changes that had Hagen lauding the company. Mack's Pioneer sets out to deliver a truck that looks like a truck should, but which is a modern piece of equipment equipped for efficiency for his small business, comfort for its drivers.
Mack had filled him in on improvements to the Pioneer platform before he got his own first look, yet “I lost my mind when I saw it," he said. "That’s what this thing looks like. It’s pretty darn aggressive.”
[Related: Most iconic Mack Truck through history? We asked, you answered]
Contents of the vid up top
00:00 Intro to the all-new Mack Pioneer
00:32 Pioneer overview
01:15 Interior features
03:24 Body styles
03:57 Exterior features
05:10 Performance
