If Bethlehem Steel was the industrial heart of the eastern Lehigh Valley, Mack Trucks was the engine of the west. For over a century, the bulldog-branded heavy trucks that rolled out of Allentown factories helped build modern Americas highways, construction sites, and supply chains, and in the process, the company became as synonymous with Allentown as steel was with Bethlehem.
Three Brothers and a Brooklyn Workshop
The story begins in 1893, when Lackawanna County natives John (Jack) and Augustus (Gus) Mack purchased an old Brooklyn carriage and wagon factory. They were soon joined by their brother William. The brothers initially concentrated on building what they knew: milk wagons, brewery wagons, and contractors wagons for the bustling streets of turn-of-the-century New York.
In 1900, Gus obtained an order for a bus to transport sightseers around Brooklyns Prospect Park. Rather than purchase an engine from an outside supplier, Jack chose to build one himself, establishing a tradition of in-house engineering that would define the Mack brand for the next century.
The Move to Allentown
In 1905, Mack moved its automotive operations from Brooklyn to Allentown, Pennsylvania. The larger facility in the Lehigh Valley enabled the company to scale up production of gasoline-powered railcars and motor trucks. The move was transformative: not just for the company, but for Allentown, which gained an industrial anchor that would remain for over a century.
The company thrived in the Lehigh Valley. In 1922, the name was officially changed to Mack Trucks, Inc., and the bulldog was established as the corporate symbol. The bulldog (reportedly inspired by the tenacious reputation of the companys AC model during World War I, which British soldiers nicknamed the "Bulldog Mack") became one of the most recognizable logos in American industry.
Building America
Mack trucks helped build modern America in ways both visible and invisible. The companys heavy-duty trucks hauled materials for highway construction, moved freight across the Interstate system, powered construction sites, and serviced municipal fleets across the country. If something heavy needed to move in America, there was a good chance a Mack truck was doing the moving.
The company was also a major employer in the Lehigh Valley. Thousands of workers built trucks in the Allentown plants, and the economic impact rippled through the surrounding community. Mack Trucks was not just an employer: it was a community institution, sponsoring events, supporting local causes, and providing the kind of stable, well-paying manufacturing jobs that built the middle class.
A Changing Landscape
Mack Trucks remained headquartered in Allentown for over a century, from 1905 to 2009, when corporate offices relocated. The company is now a subsidiary of the Volvo Group, and as of 2024, Mack Trucks remains the fourth-largest employer in the Lehigh Valley region, maintaining a significant manufacturing and operational presence.
The Mack Trucks story parallels the broader arc of American manufacturing: innovation, growth, consolidation, and adaptation. The bulldog endures as one of the most recognized symbols in the trucking industry, and the company that three brothers built in a Brooklyn workshop continues to put the Lehigh Valley on wheels and on the map.
