U.S. Army orders 86 M917A3 Heavy Dump Trucks from Mack Defense in $221.8M program.

Mack Defense confirmed an initial U.S. Army order for 86 M917A3 Heavy Dump Trucks under a new five-year program worth up to $221.8 million. The buy expands the Army’s militarized construction fleet and underscores a continuing shift toward ruggedized commercial platforms.

Mack Defense disclosed on October 7, 2025, that the U.S. Army has placed an initial order for 86 M917A3 Heavy Dump Trucks under a new five-year program that could total up to 450 vehicles valued at as much as 221.8 million dollars. The announcement, timed to the run-up to AUSA in Washington, underscores the Army’s steady investment in militarized commercial platforms to harden its construction and sustainment fleets. The M917A3 is built on the Mack Granite chassis and adapted for military duty with all-wheel drive, heavier-duty axles, raised suspension, and optional force-protected cabs, combining civil-sector durability with tactical survivability.
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M917A3 heavy dump truck on Mack Granite 8x8 chassis delivers 440 hp, 27-ton payload, and outstanding off-road mobility with raised suspension. Supports rapid route repair and fortification; optional armored cab for contested zones (Picture source: Mack Defense).

The new buy follows the Army’s June 24, 2025, award of a fresh five-year contract and marks the first delivery order under that vehicle, succeeding a seven-year production run that began in 2018. Industry statements indicate the initial 86 trucks are funded in the Department of Defense’s fiscal 2025 budget, a signal of uninterrupted demand for heavy dump capacity across engineer units. The contract structure and funding align with the service’s broader push to refresh tactical wheeled fleets with proven, low-risk designs that can be supported at scale across the Army’s global footprint.

At the heart of the M917A3 is Mack’s 13-liter MP8 diesel rated at about 440 horsepower and 1,660 pound-feet of torque, paired to an Allison 4500 six-speed automatic transmission. The military variant rides on an 8x8 drivetrain with a transfer case and powered steer axle, giving it high tractive effort and stability on broken terrain. Mack Defense’s engineering changes raise ride height and integrate ruggedized components to survive persistent off-road operations. With a gross vehicle weight rating around 94,500 pounds, the truck carries an on-road payload of roughly 27 tons, though armored cabs can reduce that by about 2.5 tons depending on configuration.

The vehicle’s chassis is a set-forward-axle Granite frame with a 300 by 90 by 11.1-millimeter double-channel steel mainframe and high-capacity Meritor axles. The Army specification adds ABS, modern control interfaces, and active safety features drawn from the commercial line, enabling better braking performance on loose surfaces and more predictable handling with heavy loads. Assembly occurs in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where Mack Defense established a dedicated line after a multi-million-dollar investment, giving the program a domestic production base and room to pivot to variant builds if operational needs evolve.

The M917A3 is an enabler for the Army Engineer Regiment’s heaviest missions. Units can move aggregate, riprap, fill, and construction materiel to forward positions, rapidly emplace berms and abatis, repair runways and routes after strikes or severe weather, and support bridging and water-crossing sites with bulk material on short notice. The 8x8 layout and raised suspension help the truck climb, ford, and traverse soft ground where commercial dumpers would bog down. When paired with the armored cab option, engineer platoons can push into contested zones to clear debris or build expedient positions with better crew protection, sustaining tempo during large-scale combat operations.

The order fits a pattern of the Army leaning on militarized commercial solutions to regenerate a resilient logistics force at lower risk and cost, while shoring up the U.S. industrial base. With great-power competition driving demand for rapid theater infrastructure in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, heavy dump trucks are as essential as missiles or radios; without bulk earthmoving and repair capacity, maneuver formations stall. The five-year ceiling for up to 450 trucks provides predictable demand to suppliers from Pennsylvania to axle and armor subcontractors, while standardizing a common platform simplifies training and sustainment across the active component and National Guard. The timing ahead of AUSA also signals the service’s intent to keep tactical wheeled modernization visible and moving, even as budgets tighten and procurement priorities shift.