The appropriation, part of the 2026 Department of Defense Appropriations Act, allows the local production line to maintain operations and meet the U.S. military’s heavy logistics needs.<\/p>\n
Mackenzie, who represents the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos, pressed for the investment throughout the appropriations process. Mack Defense has built more than 625 M917A3 HDTs to date.<\/p>\n
\u201cMilitary readiness depends on reliable logistical support that enables our servicemembers to get the job done. Nobody is better prepared to deliver it than workers right here in the Lehigh Valley,\u201d Mackenzie said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I worked to ensure that local employees at Mack Defense can continue to meet the logistical demands of our armed forces with the help of a $47 million appropriation. We\u2019re looking forward to seeing these highly skilled workers continue delivering the top-quality vehicles that help keep our country safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
The HDT, based off the commercially available Mack\u00ae Granite\u00ae, plays a vital role in construction and upkeep of infrastructure assets, including airfields, roadways, landing strips, supply facilities and motor pools. They\u2019re spec\u2019d with heavier-duty rear axles, all-wheel drive, increased suspension ride height and other ruggedized features to meet the unique requirements of the U.S. military.<\/p>\n
The HDT model also features advanced technology, including ABS, modern control interfaces for user-friendly operation, and active safety systems. These modern technologies, coupled with improved sustainability, were key factors in the Army\u2019s investment in the new HDTs. Both the HDTs and the production line at the Mack Experience Center have undergone rigorous inspection by government quality auditors to ensure these mission-critical trucks exceed expectations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWith this funding now in place, our team in Allentown can keep building the M917A3 and supporting the soldiers who rely on it,\u201d said David Hartzell, president of Mack Defense. \u201cCongressman Mackenzie understood what was at stake \u2014 for national defense and for the skilled workforce behind this truck \u2014 and his advocacy throughout the appropriations process made the difference.”<\/p>\n
Mack Defense, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mack Trucks, is responsible for the sale of heavy-duty trucks to federal- and ministerial-level customers globally. For more information, please visit www.mackdefense.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mack Defense, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mack Trucks, is responsible for the sale of heavy-duty trucks to federal- and ministerial-level customers globally. For more information, please visit www.mackdefense.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mack Trucks is part of the Volvo Group, which is driving prosperity through transport and infrastructure solutions, offering trucks, buses, construction equipment, power solutions for marine and industrial applications, financing and services that increase customer uptime and productivity. Founded in 1927, the Volvo Group is committed to shaping the future landscape of sustainable transport and infrastructure solutions. The Volvo Group is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, employs about 100,000 people and serves customers in almost 180 markets. In 2025, net sales amounted to about $49 billion. For more information, please visit www.volvogroup.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The appropriation, part of the 2026 Department of Defense Appropriations Act, allows the local production line to maintain…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":230941,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[2358,119,121,120,29189],"class_list":["post-230940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-2358","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news","tag-press-release-north-america"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230940"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230940\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230941"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}