Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/737157
2 4 | BULLDOG | 2 0 1 6 V 2 S unoco was rapidly expanding its footprint across the nation and needed a truck manufacturer that could keep pace with company goals. It had five major requirements: the tractors needed to be light- weight, driver friendly, fuel efficient, powerful and good-looking. Mack Trucks provided all that and more, says Bob Manchester, Sunoco's senior director of Transportation/ Operations. The Philadelphia-based company was founded in 1886 and quickly became a leader in the oil and gas industry. Today, Sunoco operates in 30 states, has approximately 1,340 convenience stores and retail outlets, and distributes fuel to more than 6,800 sites, with Mack® trucks leading the way. The fleet is comprised of 225 tractor-trailers including about 50 Mack Pinnacles™ in vari- ous configurations. Manchester says Sunoco has three tractor specs, plus one truck spec for Hawaii: 107,000 lb. GVWR for New York State and Long Island, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, an 80,000 lb. spec for the majority of states they operate in, including Hawaii, and a New York City spec tractor that's also 80,000 lb. The New York City trac- tor has a much shorter wheelbase to accom- modate tight delivery locations in the city. The Hawaii spec is also 80,000 lb., but is longer for a 4,500-gallon tank. For the heavier GVWR tractor and Hawaii truck, Sunoco uses 6x4 axle back Pinnacle tractors powered by a 13-liter Mack MP®8 505 hp engine, with 1,860 ft.-lbs. of torque. For the lower GVWR tractors, they use a 6x2 suspension with a dead tag axle and are powered by an 11-liter Mack MP7 405 hp engine, with 1,560 ft.-lbs. of torque. All are spec'd with mDRIVE™ transmissions. The biggest success story is the weight of the truck, says Jim Layman, senior account executive at Bergey's Truck Center in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. The Sunoco tractors were spec'd with input from Manchester, Mack engineers and sales pro- fessionals in order to take advantage of every weight-saving option, without sacrificing safety or efficiency. "When every pound counts, a lighter engine is also critical, and the MP7 meets that need. The 6x2s are really helping us with fuel econ- omy," Manchester says. "Our fuel savings has improved, and with this design we also reduce weight and improve power, with the drivetrain running through only one axle (which means fewer moving parts). Weight is everything to us. We want to squeeze every bit of weight out so we can haul more gallons. The more gallons we can haul, the fewer trips we have to make, and the cheaper it is to dis- tribute fuel. "We save approximately $750,000 annually for every additional 100 gallons we can load on our units," he says. "Since I came to Sunoco in 2008, we have improved gallons per trip by 300 gallons, which with the size of our fleet, equates to about 9,500 less loads we have to deliver annually. You can do the math; this improves our bottom line because we can move more product with less equip- ment and fewer drivers." Machester has been particularly impressed with the mDRIVE automated manual trans- mission. Layman knew the switch from 10-speed manual to mDRIVE might be diffi- cult for some drivers, so he held a special ori- entation and demonstration for Sunoco. At the end of the day, the drivers were sold on the benefits, especially the way the auto- mated transmission allowed them to focus on driving instead of shifting gears. "The drivers like them," Manchester says of the new trucks. "They like the visibility, they like the ride, they like the power and they like that mDRIVE transmission." Maneuverability is a factor as well, especially in a retail application, where drivers face stop- and-go traffic and stations with tight foot- prints. It's a challenging application, but drivers benefit from safety options like a one- piece windshield, backup cameras, fender mirrors and a sloped hood for greater visibility. The trucks are highly visible to the public, too. No expense is spared, from the fully optioned blue cabs and polished aluminum fuel tank, air tanks and wheels, to the top- of-the-line Rawhide interior trim package. They garner considerable attention wherever they go. Sunoco became the official fuel of NASCAR in 2004, providing racing fuel for the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series. So there is a nice syn- chronicity with the choice of Mack, since Mack is now the Official Hauler of NASCAR. Mack ® trucks power Sunoco with lighter weight and heavy- duty customer service By Carmen K. Sisson AT WORK Superior Service