Mack Trucks Inc. views this year’s Waste Expo show as an opportunity to highlight its line-up of heavy-duty refuse vehicles.

Tom Kelly, Mack vice president of marketing, said, "Our refuse series includes vehicles optimized for a wide variety of applications -- everything from curbside collection to landfill transfer operations."
Company officials pointed to the Mack LE model --LE meaning low-entry -- as an example of the innovations that have helped it establish and maintain leadership in the refuse segment.
"The LE is the most versatile dedicated refuse vehicle in the industry," said Steve Ginter, Mack vocational products manager. "It can be configured to be loaded from the front, side or rear. And it is engineered from the ground up to be driven from either the left or right side."
"The LE also features the largest door opening in the industry, and a single step just 17 inches from the ground for easy entrances and exits," Ginter added. "Cab doors can be configured in a number of ways -- including symmetrical left hand-right hand, flip fold-away or bi-fold -- to further enhance driver comfort and productivity. Keep the doors closed, turn on the HVAC system and you’ve got a comfortable environment with unsurpassed visibility -- perfect for automatic loading."
Mack recently began offering a new single-axle version of the LE for refuse customers who typically use smaller bodies and haul lighter payloads, often in and out of tight spaces.
Also making an ideal front or rear loader is the Mack MR model, the nation’s No. 1 Class 8 low cabover truck with power steering, a two-piece windshield, and a spacious cab mated to a rugged low-alloy steel frame.
The Mack Granite model is the No. 1 selling heavy duty Class 8 conventional straight truck in the U.S. with standard features such as BodyLink "plug-and play" connectors for trouble-free body operations.
The Mack Vision DayCab is the ideal tractor for refuse transfer operations and is one of the lightest, quietest daycabs on the road today.
The company’s ASET engines, available in a variety of horsepower ratings, continue to meet customer expectations in terms of fuel economy, uptime and performance. The ASET Vocational, or AI, engine (utilizing Internal Exhaust Gas Recirculation, or IEGR), which is fully compliant with EPA emissions standards, powers MR, LE and Granite models. The AI-300A in particular is specifically designed for optimal performance with the new Allison RDS heavy-duty automatic transmission.
The company’s expanded family of UniMax front axles includes a 20,000-pound version that’s ideal for many refuse applications. UniMax is the first-ever vocational axle with unitized hubs specifically designed for heavy-duty applications. The unitized wheel hubs are permanently sealed with synthetic grease, virtually eliminating maintenance costs. And there’s no wheel end-play adjustment, meaning components last longer with less trouble.
To date, engine brakes have not been widely used in cabover refuse vehicles, in part because adding a traditional engine brake in many cases raises the overall profile of the engine, causing interference issues with the cab above it.
That’s all changing now that Mack has introduced its PowerLeash engine brake. Fifty-five pounds lighter than the competition but with more braking horsepower and quicker response times, the PowerLeash brake is integrated within the engine envelope, eliminating interference and making it suitable for both cabover as well as conventional applications.
Another popular choice for a variety of refuse applications, particularly stop-and-go collection operations that put a tremendous strain on a vehicle’s foundation brakes, is the Telma Frictionless Braking System. Transparent to the driver, this system automatically provides stopping power when pressure is applied to the brake pedal, greatly extending brake life.
Per customer demand, Mack has also been a leader in the production of innovative natural gas-powered refuse vehicles for more than 14 years. And it continues to participate in research efforts aimed at recapturing the methane gas naturally produced at landfills for use as a fuel source for the refuse vehicles that service these sites.