The Bulldog is clearly ageing but it is ageing quite well according to people that run the famous Mack Truck brand as it celebrates 125 years of building trucks in 2025.
Mack Truck’s president Stephen Roy said that Mack has been more than just a manufacturer for 125 years, and added, not too modestly, that it has been helping to build the American success story.
What started with two brothers and a dream in a small Brooklyn workshop has grown into a global truck brand that has literally helped build America. 
In celebrating the milestone, Mack Trucks noted that its trucks have been the muscle behind many of America’s greatest achievements, including hauling materials for the grand Hoover Dam, forming the back bone of waste collection in cities across America and more recently with the first of its zero tailpipe-emission electric trucks.
Mack said that when the Brooklyn Bridge needed strengthening in 1909, Mack Trucks were used to carry the steel and that when the Pan-American Highway stretched toward the horizon, Mack Trucks carved the path.
Mack claims it has been the constant force, helping to construct America’s skylines, highways and infrastructure, through the Great Depression, two World Wars, and into the modern era,
The iconic Mack Bulldog, which is now synonymous with durability worldwide earned its stripes on the battlefields of World War I, where British soldiers nicknamed the sturdy Mack AC models “bulldogs” for their tenacious reliability under fire. The wartime nickname became destiny when chief engineer Alfred Fellows Masury carved the first Mack Bulldog hood ornament from a bar of soap during a hospital stay in 1932 to pass the time. Today, that same symbol of determination rides on every Mack truck, representing a century-plus commitment what the company says is an unwavering quality and strength.
“Every Mack truck that rolls off our assembly line carries forward a legacy of grit, innovation and that unmistakable bulldog tenacity that has defined our brand since 1900,” said Roy.
Mack boasts that it has been behind some of trucking’s most impactful innovations during its 125 years.
One claim is that in 1920, it combined engines, transmissions and axles into a unified powertrain, while in the next decade, it introduced power breaks and steering.
During the 1960s and 70s, Mack introduced several engines which it claims set new benchmarks for power and efficiency.
In the 1980s, it launched the RS, RL and CH models, and the 2000s saw the adoption of its now parent company, Volvo’s mDRIVE automated manual transmissions, 13-speed transmissions. In 2022, Mack launched a zero-emissions garbage truck.
“Each of these innovations represents more than just technological advancement,” said Mack trucks North America president, Jonathan Randall.
“They represent Mack’s dedication to solving real-world challenges for our customers, while continuously pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in trucking,” Randall added.
Mack says its trucks are now sold in more than 45 countries worldwide, but in most cases its heavy-duty and many medium-duty trucks are still assembled in the United States. The exceptions include the Macks assembled for Australian consumption, which are bolted together at the Volvo Group factory at Wacol in Brisbane.
Mack’s US built heavy-duty trucks are assembled at the Lehigh Valley facility in Pennsylvania, while its Medium-duty trucks are built at its Roanoke Valley facility in Virginia.
“What’s remarkable about Mack’s 125-year journey is how the core values have remained constant even as the technology has evolved,” said the curator of the Mack Trucks Historical Museum , Doug Maney,
“In the museum, we have trucks from every era, from early chain-driven vehicles to modern electric models.,” said Maney.
“While the technology depicts the story of innovation, it’s the countless tales of reliability and the determination of owners, drivers and dealers that truly define the Mack legacy, and these stories exemplify that whether it’s a 1900 or a 2025, a Mack truck is built to get the job done,” he added.
Mack says it is looking into the next 125 years, too, with zero-emissions vehicles such as its LR Electric refuse truck and MD Electric medium-duty series.
“Our 125th anniversary isn’t just about celebrating our past — it’s about driving toward an even more innovative future,” said Roy.
“The same spirit that inspired Jack and Gus Mack to build their first vehicle continues to drive us forward as we pioneer electric and autonomous technologies for the next generation of transportation, and together, we’re moving and building a better world,” he added.
