Mack breaks record for pulling longest road train

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa — A Mack Truck Down Under is once again on top after breaking the record for pulling the world’s longest road train.

To reclaim the Guinness Book of Records throne, Mack turned to 70-year-old John Atkinson, who was behind the wheel the last time Mack the record in Australia in 2003.

With 8,000 spectators looking on in a small town called Darling Downs, Atkinson and a Mack Titan pull 113 loaded trailers stretching back nearly a mile. Atkinson harness the power of the 18-speed clutch, 620-hp engine to move this 2,865,980-pound load 328 feet (100 meters) to recapture the record for the longest road train ever pulled with a single prime mover.

The Titan’s a base tri-drive model — no spec modifications necessary.

The event is not only great publicity for Mack and Guinness Book of Records, but it’s a fundraiser for a cancer care charity too.

“It took a great truck and a great driver to set this world record, and luckily we have both,” said Gary Bone, senior vice-president, Mack Trucks Australia. “But, at the end of the day, records are set to be broken.”


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