A Medium-Duty Mack for Contractors

During the 2022 Work Truck Show earlier this month, Mack Truck made product announcement regarding its Mack® MD Series models that contractors should find interesting. Dayle Wetherell, Mack vice president of medium duty sales, told us that Mack is now offering the Allison 3000 RDS transmission as an option in this medium-duty truck line.

Expanding to include the Allison 3000 RDS (Rugged Duty Series) as an option for the MD Series was a strategic decision that benefits contractors. “The transmission enables customers to haul more payload and utilize a live power PTO, both of which are critical for our customers desiring a medium-duty vehicle that can handle demanding applications.”

The expansion is the result of feedback from Mack’s dealer network. The MD Series was originally marketed to medium-duty trucking applications, including dry van/refrigerated and stake/flatbed applications.

The Allison 3000 RDS transmission fits increased customer demand. “The ability to have a direct-drive PTO is extremely important for some of Mack’s medium-duty customers because they can lift and lower a dump body while driving without worrying about what gear the truck is in,” said Tim Wrinkle, Mack construction product manager. “This feature is also important for snowplows and salt spreaders that need to work at the same time.”

Mack previously only offered the Allison 2500 RDS for its MD Series models, which are assembled at its Roanoke Valley Operations (RVO) plant in the Roanoke Valley, Virginia.

Matching Power to the Application

The choice of the Allison 3000 RDS transmission fits the mechanical requirements for many vocational applications. The MD Series equipped with an Allison 3000 RDS transmission is approved at a 33,000-lb. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) for refuse and recycling applications, allowing the Mack MD to haul more.

The Allison 3000 RDS also offers a higher Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR), allowing customers to drive the Mack MD Series model and pull utility trailers with small excavators. The Mack MD Series equipped with an Allison 3000 RDS will have a GCWR of 45,000 lbs.

Contractors should be interested to note that he Mack MD Series can be spec’d to be a Class 6 with a GVWR of 25,995 pounds and a Class 7, with a GVWR of 33,000 pounds. The Class 6 model does not require a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) to operate for non-hazardous payloads.

You can learn more about the Mack MD Series at the Mack Truck website.