Mack and Brockway

The first vehicles were made by the Mack brothers in New York at the turn of the 20th century. Marketed for a while as ‘Manhattan’ trucks, they soon reverted to the Mack name. Their trucks were seen as so sturdy that a new saying was introduced to the language; Built like a Mack truck. Their ruggedness and their pugnacious appearance resulted in British Tommies in the Great War giving Mack ACs the Bulldog nickname. This was regularised in 1922 with the adoption of a Bulldog bonnet (hood) ornament. When we look at US automotive companies we get used to seeing regular annual model changes, but Mack never felt the need for new model releases every year. In 1956 Mack took over Brockway, another American truck maker with a long history. The two firms were not really direct competitors. Mack used modern production line techniques, whereas Brockway built up custom trucks. In 1990 RVI (Renault) took over Mack, and in 2001 Volvo acquired the RVI group, including Mack.