Mack Delivers First Pioneer Semis to Fleet Owners in the US
Production of New Flagship On-Highway Tractor Began in August
Key Takeaways:
- The Pioneer was unveiled in Brooklyn, N.Y. in April.
- The Anthem — predecessor to the Pioneer — is being repositioned as a regional-haul semi.
- Parent company Volvo is looking to attain a 25% North American heavy-duty truck market share by 2030.
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Wayne Smith Farms and /Maloney Leasing became the first Mack Trucks customers in the U.S. to take delivery of the truck maker’s new flagship tractor, the Pioneer.
Both carriers bought the trucks through Tri-State Truck Centers, Mack said Nov. 24. Mack is a unit of Volvo Group.
Wayne Smith Farms purchased six 76-inch sleeper models from Tri-State’s North Little Rock, Ark., location, while Cooley Transport acquired four 76-inch sleepers from the dealer’s Tupelo, Miss., location. Cooley has four more trucks on order.
Tupelo-based Cooley offers dry van, flatbed and dry bulk shipping. According to the company’s website, the carrier operates around 150 trucks and 300 trailers. Cooley was acquired by the Maloney Group in 2024.
McCrory, Ark.-based Wayne Smith Farms operates 23 semis, according to FMCSA records.
“Our drivers love the way they ride,” said Wayne Smith, owner of Wayne Smith Farms. “It’s a solid truck.”
Mack began production of the Pioneer at the Lehigh Valley Operations manufacturing facility in Macungie, Pa., in August.
Mack revamped the LVO facility ahead of the start of Pioneer production, the company said Aug. 20, so the tractor could be built alongside existing models.
Pioneer Unveiled in April
The tractor was unveiled as the brand’s new flagship on-highway tractor in April in Brooklyn, near where the company was founded 125 years earlier by Jack and Gus Mack.
Mack views the Pioneer, with a more aerodynamic shape than the Anthem it supplants in its longhaul lineup, as a truck that can revitalize its fortunes in the segment.
Customers can select 44-inch, 64-inch, 76-inch midroof and 76-inch high-roof sleeper configurations of the Pioneer.
Mack also plans to offer a battery-electric version of the Pioneer in day cab and 44-inch sleeper configurations, the truck maker said at the end of April.
Overhaul for Anthem
The Pioneer’s predecessor as Mack’s flagship tractor — the Anthem — is receiving an overhaul and repositioning as a regional-haul semi, with Mack stressing improved maneuverability.
Parent company Volvo is looking to attain a 25% North American heavy-duty truck market share by 2030 as a result of the Pioneer’s introduction and overhauls for the Anthem and Volvo Trucks North America’s VNL and VNR models.
VTNA won a 10.2% share of U.S. Class 8 retail sales in 2024, while Mack captured a 6.9% share, according to Wards Intelligence data.
Demand for trucks in 2025 is weak, owing to the freight rate recession.
Mack does not expect a turnaround in North American Class 8 tractor demand before the fourth quarter of 2026, Jonathan Randall, president of Mack Trucks North America, told attendees of the FTR Transportation Conference in early September.
Mack opened the order book for the redesigned Anthem at the start of September.
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