Trucktober Fest 2013
Mack Antique Truck Show Parade
Allentown, PA
Allentown PA Mack Antique Truck Show Parade
Oktoberfest typically brings to mind visions of German beer, knockwurst, and wholesome blonde women in lederhosen. By that measure, the Trucktober Fest 2013 Mack Antique Truck Show Parade Allentown PA wasn't your father's Oktoberfest.
There was nary a pair of lederhosen in sight. If, on the other hand, you were looking for classic Mack antique trucks of all types... well, you'd come to the right place.
It’s not every day you get to see as many Mack antique trucks, in such good condition, from a company that was very nearly the first name in American truck manufacture, all in one place. That’s why we have The Trucktober Fest 2013 Mack Antique Truck Show Parade Allentown PA. And, we hasten to add, the food -- your typical meat-and-potatoes fare -- was ample and tasty.
There was nary a pair of lederhosen in sight. If, on the other hand, you were looking for classic Mack antique trucks of all types... well, you'd come to the right place.
It’s not every day you get to see as many Mack antique trucks, in such good condition, from a company that was very nearly the first name in American truck manufacture, all in one place. That’s why we have The Trucktober Fest 2013 Mack Antique Truck Show Parade Allentown PA. And, we hasten to add, the food -- your typical meat-and-potatoes fare -- was ample and tasty.
Mack Antique Trucks
Trucktober fest for us will always mean Mack trucks. And if it's Mack antiques you're after, the place you want to be is Trucktober fest at the Mack Truck Historical Museum in Allentown, PA. In short, this is a Mack-sanctioned event that’s targeted at the enthusiasts who keep the antique Macks running as a labor of love.
You could think of it as the company's way of saying thanks to the restorers, dealers, drivers, and everybody else whose lives and businesses are touched by antique Mack's – which, if you stop to think about it, is a massive amount of people.
You could think of it as the company's way of saying thanks to the restorers, dealers, drivers, and everybody else whose lives and businesses are touched by antique Mack's – which, if you stop to think about it, is a massive amount of people.
If there were any antique Macks that weren't represented from the early twentieth century 'til now, you'd be hard pressed to figure out what had been left out. The antique, rare AB, AC, E and Mack Jr. lines were there alongside B models, R models, and Superliners.
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Mack Chassis
Practically anything can go on a Mack chassis, and it seemed like at least half of it -- including Mack tandem axle tractors, Mack dump trucks, Mack fire trucks, Mack buses, Mack stake trucks, even antique Mack trucks towing Mack trucks -- was represented here.
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Mack powertrains also get their due, thanks to cutaway exhibits that display the “guts” of some of Mack’s best-known engines and transmissions.
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Even though the industry and the world are vastly different than they were when Mack went into business a century ago (Mack the Bulldog even has his own Facebook page), Trucktober fest 2013 was a tangible reminder of the role Mack played, and continues to play, in not just rolling with the changes, but actively shaping and contributing to them.
Trucktober Fest 2013
Mack Antique Truck Show Parade Allentown, PA
It doesn’t hurt that it’s also an opportunity for Mack to show off their recently renovated customer service center, which was completely revamped as a world-class service facility.
After attending last year's Trucktober fest 2012, we knew we'd have to return for this year's event. As with last year’s festival, the event was co-sponsored by the American Truck Historical Society, the Antique Truck Club of America, and the Antique Fire Apparatus Club of America.
This year’s installment took place on October 26, 2013. It turned out to be a gorgeous day for an outdoor event, and while the turnout was a bit smaller than in 2012, with the gorgeous weather and Mack’s hospitality, the fans of America’s premier truck brand didn’t seem to mind. Oh did we mention they also had a Truck parade check it
This year’s installment took place on October 26, 2013. It turned out to be a gorgeous day for an outdoor event, and while the turnout was a bit smaller than in 2012, with the gorgeous weather and Mack’s hospitality, the fans of America’s premier truck brand didn’t seem to mind. Oh did we mention they also had a Truck parade check it
Trucktober Fest 2013 Mack Antique Truck Show Parade Allentown PA
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It’s also worth bearing in mind that the antique trucks on display represent the cream of several collections. We saw several states up and down the East Coast and beyond represented, as were several Mack clubs’ and websites’ members.
There was a cross section of private collectors, plus members of such communities as BIG MACK TRUCKS to RC TRUCK and CONSTRUCTION (the latter is an online gathering of radio control model enthusiasts). What’s more, they’re displayed alongside the Mack Museum’s already very impressive collection.
The day’s festivities included not only antique trucks, but also participation events, slow vehicle races, an awards ceremony, and some darned good food (yes, I’m aware we mentioned the food; it was good enough to warrant a second mention, trust us).
There was a cross section of private collectors, plus members of such communities as BIG MACK TRUCKS to RC TRUCK and CONSTRUCTION (the latter is an online gathering of radio control model enthusiasts). What’s more, they’re displayed alongside the Mack Museum’s already very impressive collection.
The day’s festivities included not only antique trucks, but also participation events, slow vehicle races, an awards ceremony, and some darned good food (yes, I’m aware we mentioned the food; it was good enough to warrant a second mention, trust us).
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There may have been fewer events than last year, but as in 2012, the culmination of Trucktober Fest 2013 was the Pedigree Parade of Mack Power. As in years past, festival attendees were treated to a living, running exhibition of Mack’s long and storied history; nearly every Mack truck, down to the REO-built/Mack badged Mack Junior, was represented from oldest to newest.
It was a fitting end to a day that had also seen a Mack vice president talk about the company’s latest corporate initiatives.
The most interesting of these is the GuardDog Connect
telematics system. In plain English, this is a 24/7 onboard monitoring system. In
2007, Mack Trucks debuted the Navion R5000 navigational radio for the Mack
Pinnacle and Mack Granite.
The R5000 was a fusion of several useful instruments (radio, CD, digital audio playback, remote camera systems, onboard navigation, vehicle monitoring through a J1939 data link, trip computer and tire pressure monitoring) in a single onboard module.
GuardDog Connect, scheduled for a 2015 rollout via the Pinnacle, Granite, and Titan models, it will integrate the existing diagnostic tools to the OneCall 24/7 technical support center and ASIST fleet web-based management platform.
This will enable drivers to interpret and respond to diagnostic codes earlier, saving time and money while also minimizing downtime.
The R5000 was a fusion of several useful instruments (radio, CD, digital audio playback, remote camera systems, onboard navigation, vehicle monitoring through a J1939 data link, trip computer and tire pressure monitoring) in a single onboard module.
GuardDog Connect, scheduled for a 2015 rollout via the Pinnacle, Granite, and Titan models, it will integrate the existing diagnostic tools to the OneCall 24/7 technical support center and ASIST fleet web-based management platform.
This will enable drivers to interpret and respond to diagnostic codes earlier, saving time and money while also minimizing downtime.
Not only are these systems designed to take Mack far into the future, they are also a powerful reminder that even though Mack Trucks has had a century to build a heritage and a formidable reputation, they’re not resting on their laurels.
They’re looking ahead to their next century, and concentrating just as hard on how they can be relevant and vital in the next hundred years as they were for their first hundred.
They’re looking ahead to their next century, and concentrating just as hard on how they can be relevant and vital in the next hundred years as they were for their first hundred.
Speaking of Mack’s storied past, there’s one last thing that deserves mention.
Normally open from 10 to 4 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the Mack Historical Museum (and the gift shop, of course) was open for Trucktober fest.
While the trucks on display for Trucktober fest were impressive, we feel like we'd be doing a disservice to Mack, and to the Mack Trucks Historical Museum, if we didn't take a minute to acknowledge what curator Don Schumaker has accomplished with the museum. Yes, there are several Mack trucks on display there year-round. Believe it or not, that isn't even the most impressive part of the museum's holdings.
Look at it this way: Mack claims to be "The Greatest Name in Trucks," and while the proof's always been in the quality of the thousands of trucks they've manufactured since 1905 (represented here by an original Mack bus, a 1911 Mack Jr., a 1918 Mack AC that earned the company its "bulldog" nickname and mascot, among others), they also have an extensive archive of photos, film footage, and documentation relating to nearly EVERY Mack built in the last 108 years. That's also why, to this day, a written request with a chassis number can, in nearly every case, get you a pretty detailed vehicle history straight from Mack .
Normally open from 10 to 4 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the Mack Historical Museum (and the gift shop, of course) was open for Trucktober fest.
While the trucks on display for Trucktober fest were impressive, we feel like we'd be doing a disservice to Mack, and to the Mack Trucks Historical Museum, if we didn't take a minute to acknowledge what curator Don Schumaker has accomplished with the museum. Yes, there are several Mack trucks on display there year-round. Believe it or not, that isn't even the most impressive part of the museum's holdings.
Look at it this way: Mack claims to be "The Greatest Name in Trucks," and while the proof's always been in the quality of the thousands of trucks they've manufactured since 1905 (represented here by an original Mack bus, a 1911 Mack Jr., a 1918 Mack AC that earned the company its "bulldog" nickname and mascot, among others), they also have an extensive archive of photos, film footage, and documentation relating to nearly EVERY Mack built in the last 108 years. That's also why, to this day, a written request with a chassis number can, in nearly every case, get you a pretty detailed vehicle history straight from Mack .
The Mack Trucks Historical Museum is located at 2402 Lehigh Parkway South in Allentown, PA 1810 – unless you’re using a GPS; in that case, enter 11 Grammes Road – easily located right off Rt 78 (Exit 57/Lehigh Street). You can reach them by phone at 610 351-8999, or visit their website at MACK TRUCKS
