ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania — Mack Defense has received a new order from the U.S. Army for 115 additional M917A3 Heavy Dump Trucks (HDTs) to support the Army National Guard's engineering, infrastructure, and disaster relief missions.
The latest order follows a separate purchase of 91 M917A3 trucks announced a month earlier. Combined, the two recent orders represent 206 trucks. Mack Defense has stated the combined total as 208 trucks, with the two purchases together representing an investment of more than $84 million.
The new procurement is part of a five-year contract awarded to Mack Defense in June 2025, which allows the company to produce up to 450 M917A3 Heavy Dump Trucks with a maximum contract value of $221.8 million.
Military Version of a Commercial Truck
The M917A3 Heavy Dump Truck is based on Mack's commercially available Granite model but has been extensively modified for military operations. Compared with the commercial version, the truck features heavier-duty rear axles, all-wheel drive, increased suspension ride height, anti-lock braking systems (ABS), and upgraded control systems designed to operate in challenging terrain and demanding military environments.
The vehicle has a 27-ton payload capacity and is used to transport sand, gravel, dirt, construction debris, and other heavy materials needed for military engineering projects.
The trucks support the construction and repair of airfields, roadways, landing strips, supply facilities, motor pools, and other military infrastructure. They are also regularly used by the Army National Guard during domestic emergency response operations, including clearing debris and supporting recovery efforts after storms, floods, and other natural disasters.
Funding and Contract Background
The latest order is covered under the Army's current five-year procurement agreement signed in 2025.
The previous order for 91 trucks was funded through the 2026 National Defense Appropriations Act, which allocated $47 million for the program. The funding was announced in June 2026 by U.S. Representative Ryan Mackenzie, who said the investment supports both military readiness and domestic manufacturing.
The Army's partnership with Mack Defense began before the current agreement. In 2018, the company received a $296 million firm-fixed-price contract covering up to 683 heavy dump trucks over seven years. Under that contract, the Army placed multiple production orders as funding became available through annual appropriations.
Across both contracts, more than 625 M917A3 Heavy Dump Trucks have been produced for the U.S. military.
Production in Pennsylvania
All M917A3 trucks are assembled on a dedicated military production line at the Mack Experience Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Mack Defense established the production line in 2021 through a $6.5 million investment, allowing military vehicle manufacturing to operate separately from the company's commercial truck production while using the engineering expertise and workforce at its nearby Lehigh Valley Operations facility in Macungie, Pennsylvania.
Supporting Army Modernization
The M917A3 program reflects the U.S. Department of Defense's approach of adapting proven commercial vehicle platforms for military service. Using an existing commercial design allows the Army to field new equipment more quickly while reducing development costs compared with designing entirely new military vehicles.
The trucks undergo military-specific modifications and government testing before entering service. Orders under the current contract are placed in stages as annual funding is approved, supporting steady production while meeting the operational requirements of the Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard.
The newly ordered M917A3 Heavy Dump Trucks will strengthen the Army National Guard's ability to support military engineering missions, domestic emergency response, and disaster recovery operations across the United States.
Source : volvogroup
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