Christmas Comes Early to the U.S. Capitol on a Mack Truck
After completing a journey of more than 5,000 miles on the back of a Mack Pinnacle model, the 2013 Capitol Christmas Tree was lit in an official ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 3.
by Staff
December 5, 2013
The U.S. Marine Corps Band plays during the lighting ceremony.
1 min to read
The U.S. Marine Corps Band plays during the lighting ceremony.
After completing a journey of more than 5,000 miles on the back of a Mack Pinnacle model, the 2013 Capitol Christmas Tree was lit in an official ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 3.
The tree traveled from the Colville National Forest in the state of Washington to the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol, making stops in communities across the country.
Ad Loading...
Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) led the ceremony and flipped the switch with the help of 6-year old Giovanni Gayner to light this year’s Capitol Christmas Tree.
The 88-foot Engelmann Spruce was hand-selected from a pool of candidate trees. The 80-year-old tree was delivered to the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 25 and was lowered by crane into place on the west lawn.
A Mack Pinnacle model delivers the 88-foot Christmas tree to the U.S. Capitol on a custom-built oversized trailer.
As a sponsor of the tree tour, Mack provided two Pinnacle models for the cross-country tour. Both were decaled with the 2013 Capitol Christmas Tree tour logo and patriotic images of a bulldog pulling a Christmas tree toward the U.S. Capitol.
Mack has provided trucks for the Capitol Christmas Tree tour several times, most recently in 2011 and 2012.
The companies also said they plan to coordinate deployment planning across priority freight corridors and define routes and operational design domains for U.S. commercial service while laying the groundwork for expansion into key European markets.
Previous Star Nation events have included driver challenges, exclusive access to Daimler Truck North America facilities and hands-on experiences with the latest Western Star X-Series lineup.
Safety, uptime, and insurance costs directly impact profitability. This eBook looks at how fleet software is evolving to deliver real ROI through proactive maintenance, AI-powered video telematics, and real-time driver coaching. Learn how fleets are reducing crashes, defending claims, and using integrated data to make smarter operational decisions.
Fleet software is getting more sophisticated and effective than ever, tying big data models together to transform maintenance, safety, and the value of your existing tech stack. Fleet technology upgrades are undoubtedly an investment, but updated technology can offer a much higher return. Read how upgrading your fleet technology can increase the return on your investment.
Freightliner’s fifth-generation Cascadia earned a 2025 Red Dot Design Award for its aerodynamic design and functional updates developed through close collaboration between designers and engineers.