Mack Defense to Design Fuel Efficient Trucks for the US Army

(Credit: Mack)

Mack Defense has been awarded a contract to design, build, and deliver trucks for the prototype and testing phase of the US Army’s Common Tactical Truck (CTT) program. The prototypes will be tested and evaluated to determine the final requirements for the next generation of trucks to ultimately begin the modernization and sustainability of the Army’s fleet of approximately 35,000 heavy tactical trucks which perform a wide range of combat logistics, support, and service support missions. The US Army’s requirements for the CTT program dictate a modern, scalable commercial-based platform with advanced safety technologies, increased off-road mobility, advanced cybersecurity, open systems architecture, improved fuel efficiency, and commonality across truck variants to promote enhanced sustainability.

The Army plans to launch a competition after finishing prototype evaluations and testing in 2025, which will result in production contracts for the fleet. They have announced that the first production contract could be worth over $5.1 billion, covering 7,000 trucks. Mack Defense is currently working on two major defense programs that fit well with the CTT and utilize vehicles from the global Volvo Group network that have been modified for commercial use.

Mack Defense is part of a global truck brand network, including Mack Trucks, Volvo Trucks, and Renault Trucks, with manufacturing facilities in 19 countries, operations in 36 countries, and servicing customers worldwide through its global parts and service logistics capabilities. The Volvo Group is also a leader in advanced vehicle safety technologies, diesel engine design, and advanced powertrains such as battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell. This effort was sponsored by the US Government with the National Advanced Mobility Consortium.

The US Army created its first Climate Strategy last year, which outlines steps to improve resilience and adaptability while reducing carbon emissions.