Mack Trucks - A Fascinating History

Mack Trucks was founded in the early 1900's by John Mack who produced the first Mack vehicle in the form of a bus, and history shows that it would not be long before the first commercial truck hit the streets of Brooklyn. The first Mack Trucks were not only practical they also enlightened business owners to the enormous possibilities of expansion.

In the early days Jack Mack transformed the industry standard of using obsolete car parts to build light-weight trucks, to manufacturing his own robust commercial truck parts that are now the industry standard today.

During Johns childhood he enjoyed life on his parents property near Scranton in Pennsylvania but by the time John turned 14 he ran away to work as a young teamster. As time went by John learned many new skills centered on the workings of a steam engine, and spent time at sea on steamships around the coast of the United States and Panama Canal.

Around 1893 Jack returned home and joined forces with his brother Augustus and they soon purchased a wagon manufacturing business together in the metropolis that was Brooklyn. However it was a time when America was gripped by a state of economic depression and although they gained a strong reputation as expert builders and repairers of wagons, they struggled to keep the business alive.

The economy improved slowly and the Mack brothers struggled on in business whilst experimenting with a new type of motorized vehicle which had recently been introduced to Brooklyn. It was natural for John and Augustus to progress from building wagons for transporting freight, to building a motorized version, however there were many failed attempts over 8 years of trial and error.

There first success was not a commercial truck as you might expect, but a motorized bus which went into service around Prospect Park in Brooklyn. As a testament to the strength of construction this original bus was providing transport for 25 years and traveled more than one million miles.

The first Mack vehicle housed a 4 cylinder engine under the hood, and a 3 speed gearbox with a cone-style clutch arrangement completed the latest advancements in technology of the day. The original Mack bus built by John and Augustus was eventually converted in to a recognizable Mack truck configuration which was to become extremely popular as we all know now.

Orders for these early model commercial trucks came flooding in as more and more business owners appreciated the advantages they offered over horse-drawn wagons. Mack trucks boomed and before long the 3 other Mack brothers were needed to assist in filling the backlog of orders, and the Mack Brothers Company was duly formed in New York State.

By 1905 they had expanded at such a rapid rate that they moved on to a bigger and better manufacturing plant back home in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

These were the halcyon days for Mack Trucks when they were building trucks with 7 and half ton carrying capacity. Before long they expanding again and began building commercial quantities of railroad cars, buses and fire engines.

By 1911 there was no manufacturer as highly regarded as Mack Trucks, who had managed the almost impossible feat of building 600 units per year. The quality of every vehicle stood them in good stead with the buying public and orders were rolling in faster than they could produce the vehicles. To keep up with demand, a merger was inevitable and as history shows it took place between Mack Trucks and Saurer Motor Company to form the International Motor Company.

This was to prove unhealthy from a management point of view and eventually John Mack and his brothers withdrew from the company. However to this day Mack Trucks are known for their reliability and ruggedness and continue to lead the way with their world-class reputation.

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