Continuing its longstanding commitment to highway safety and helping veterans find careers in the trucking industry, Mack Trucks announced today it will once again sponsor the American Trucking Associations (ATA) Share the Road and Workforce Heroes programs in 2022. This is the 21st year Mack has supported Share the Road and the third year it has sponsored the Workforce Heroes program.
Mack made the announcement during the ATA Management Conference and Exhibition (MC&E) Oct. 23-26, 2021, at Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Mack is proud to again contribute to the education of motorists driving on our nation’s highways by extending our commitment to the Share the Road program that educates the general public on how to safely drive around heavy-duty trucks,” said Jonathan Randall, Mack Trucks senior vice president of sales and commercial operations. “We are pleased to also support the ATA’s Workforce Heroes effort helping veterans who served our country find a new career in the trucking industry, which will benefit from their dedication to service.”
Mack donated two Mack Anthem® 70-inch Stand Up sleeper models, equipped with all of the latest safety technologies, one to each of these programs.
The Share the Road program teaches motorists how to safely drive alongside heavy-duty vehicles on our nation’s roadways. The professional drivers who participate in the program are among the best of their class, many of whom have one million miles or more that have been accident free. Utilizing the Mack Anthem model as an educational tool, Share the Road drivers demonstrate to the general public the differences between heavy-duty trucks and passenger vehicles, while also explaining stopping distances and blind spots. Drivers from the Share the Road program conducted 210 events since October 2020, with more than 2,500 people.
The Anthem used in the program is spec’d with the 13-liter Mack® MP®8 505C engine featuring 505 horsepower and 1,860 lb.-ft. of torque and a 12-speed Mack mDRIVE™ automated manual transmission.
Mack Road Stability Advantage by Bendix, which is a fully electronic stability control system to help mitigate the chances of a rollover or jackknife incident, Bendix Wingman Fusion, a camera- and radar-based system that provides collision mitigation, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning capabilities, are both on the Anthem model used in the programs. Mack Road Stability Advantage and Bendix Wingman Fusion are both standard on all Mack Anthem models.
A camouflaged-wrapped Mack Anthem is driven by the Share the Road drivers for the Workforce Heroes program to recruit veterans into a trucking career. The Anthem visits military bases, schools and career fairs. There were 45 Workforce Heroes programs conducted since October 2020, reaching 950 people.
“We are so thankful for Mack Trucks’ commitment to not only the ATA, but the overall trucking industry,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “Their sponsorship of both our Share the Road and Workforce Heroes programs is outstanding. Both of the Mack Anthem models that are provided to the ATA are integral in telling our story of highway safety and the numerous opportunities in trucking. Educating the motoring public about truck safety, as well as educating returning veterans about the careers in trucking, would not be possible without the generous support of Mack Trucks.”
The Workforce Heroes program Anthem model is equipped with a Mack MP8HE-415SE engine with 415 horsepower and 1,660 lb.-ft. of torque and the Mack mDRIVE automated manual transmission. The Mack mDRIVE is standard on all Anthem models, enabling drivers to remain focused on driving, rather than shifting gears.
SOURCE: Mack Trucks
