
When Mack dipped its toes into the medium-duty segment, it did so with a custom-built MD cab that was functional but unexciting.
The emphasis was on having a short bumper-to-back-of-cab (BBC) rating that would allow tight turning on city streets. But fast-forward to 2025 and Mack is gracing the MD with the much better-appointed cab, directly taken from its popular Class 8 Anthem flagship.

The Class 6/7 MD’s BBC has been extended from 103 to 107 inches. This gives drivers 200 liters of additional cab volume, in all the right places, with Class 8-style storage and comfort. I recently drove the truck on a mix of highway roads and city streets in and around Greensboro, N.C., to get a feel for the new cab.
For comparison, Mack also provided an original MD with its ho-hum medium-duty interior to drive immediately afterward. This is a diverse truck, originally designed for box truck applications but once dealers got their hands on it, they “Mackified” it, putting it into all kinds of unexpected applications.
Utility. Refuse. Bobtail tanker. Beverage. Grapple/flatbed. Moving and storage. Containers. Dry vans and reefers. Landscape and dump.
“We’re number one in the number two business,” said Robert Rowell, business development manager in charge of leasing at Transource Truck & Trailer, a Mack dealer with locations throughout North Carolina. He was referring to the steady orders for septic pumper-equipped MDs.

“We, being Mack people, Mackified it,” he said of the truck. “We’ve built anything you can think of. I’ve never had a truck someone wanted me to build on an MD that I couldn’t build.”
The Class 6 MD can be driven without a commercial driver’s licence, while the beefier Class 7 requires a CDL. A typical powertrain spec’ would be the Cummins B6.7 mated to a range of Allison transmissions with Meritor front and rear axles. The MD6 has a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 25,995 lb., while the Class 7 goes up to 33,000 lb.

In addition to putting a much better-appointed cab onto the MD’s chassis, Mack also took learnings from body builders to make the chassis easier to work with. Who knew, at the time of its launch, that the truck would be put into such a wide range of applications beyond box trucks?
The air dryer was moved under the hood. “Where we first had it, we thought it was out of the way for box trucks, but it was in the way if a PTO was required,” explained Time Wrinkle, senior product manager, vocational and medium-duty with Mack Trucks.
But where the upgrade really shines is from the driver’s seat. This is a real truck. Those who’ve enjoyed the comforts of operating a Class 8 highway truck will feel immediately at home in the new cab. Why shouldn’t local Class 6/7 drivers be afforded the same comforts and conveniences as their highway-cruising brethren? Overhead storage. Interior LED ceiling lighting. A full assortment of controls on the steering wheel. All that’s missing from the Anthem is the bed in the back.
It’s also robust. The heavy-duty chassis has always been built on 110 ksi frame rails (Class 6) and 120 ksi rails (Class 7).
“Some competitors start at 50-60 ksi – we start at the top,” Wrinkle said.

Visibility is also good on the MD, which was appreciated as I maneuvered the truck through Greensboro’s busy and heavily traveled downtown streets. Forward visibility over the sloped hood is good, but a large rear window (no box on the new MD I drove) and a peep window on the passenger side door also provide visibility of nearby four-wheelers, cyclists and pedestrians.
There are eight wheelbase configurations available. The original MD I drove was fitted with a 26-ft. box body, which despite the truck’s versatility remains the “bread and butter” spec’ for the MD, Wrinkle noted.
A bench seat allows for the driver and two passengers to sit comfortably on the way to the job site, and the seats have been updated to provide Anthem-level comfort and underseat storage. A premium satin aluminum trim gives the truck styling that’s beyond what you’d expect to find in a medium-duty rig.
The consistent feel from the Anthem is something Mack customers who operate both heavy- and medium-duty trucks appreciate. “A lot of our customers have the Class 8 product,” Wrinkle said. No changes were made to the exterior during this refresh. Wrinkle acknowledged Mack may have originally underestimated the importance of driver comfort to Class 6/7 operators and bringing the Anthem cab to the vehicle did those drivers right.
The interior has lots of charging ports for devices, as well as two optional auxiliary switches for various types of bodies. Strobe lights, maybe, or to control the tarp on a dump body.
The overhead console alone adds 42 liters of additional storage space for binders, lunch boxes or devices. And a new parking brake alarm will alert the distracted driver who opens the door without the parking brake engaged. Additional safety features include an automatic muting of the radio when the truck is put into reverse, as well as an updated ABS system with automatic traction control.
Driving the original and updated MD back to back highlights the enormous step up in driver comfort, but owners will be pleased to hear these comforts are being added at no extra cost.
Rowell said the introduction of the MD couldn’t have come at a better time. Mack may differ on that, since it came right before Covid-19 shut down the industry.

“It came at a time when the market needed a stable manufacturer that had done this before – built trucks,” Rowell said. “There were lots of startups [entering the space] but Mack builds trucks, that’s what they do. This is a Mack truck with Cummins engine and Allison transmission – how much more bulletproof do you want us to make this thing?”
Leasing customers have taken to the truck, Rowell added, putting it into all kinds of unthought of applications.
“Mack didn’t reinvent the wheel,” he said. “So many people try to overcomplicate products.”
The new MD goes into production in January. Interested customers can visit a Mack dealer for more info, or build their own online here.

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