Die-hard Mack fans custom-fit Titans...

THE smile on Mark Carmichael's face was hard to miss at CMV Truck and Bus in Wodonga recently as he took the keys to a customised 685 horsepower Mack Titan destined for a lifetime of heavy and hard work hauling sheep and goats in outback New South Wales.

Based in Ivanhoe, Mark runs Carmichael Livestock Hauliers in partnership with his father John, with the operation focused on B-Double and road train work across a wide swathe of western New South Wales.

With Mark's first of two trucks to be delivered, both prime movers are of a similar specification, with the MP-10 engine out front bolted to the m-Drive automated transmission.

Each truck has been kitted out with a 64-inch sleeper and a range of other accessories to make the job easier.

Running a number of Mack trucks in their fleet, the time was right to upgrade with the build process kicking off early last year.

"We decided in early 2018 to purchase a couple of new trucks - get Dad in a new one and I would get a new one also,” Mark said.

"We went with the Titans as they are a bit heavier for the work we do with the livestock.

"With some of the roads we travel on we don't want to be doing repairs all the time.”

Having operated a newer-model Super-Liner with the m-Drive transmission, the decision to go with an auto for the new vehicles was an easy decision to make as Mark explained.

"We do a lot of work down south into Melbourne, and when you are running around down there you don't have to be looking for a clutch... on hills it's unreal and in the sandy country we operate in it's really good also. I had one of these in the older truck and couldn't fault it - it proved itself,” he said.

Both Macks have been customised from the panels through to the paint and accessories, which gives both trucks a unique and striking look, setting them apart from other Macks rolling out of the factory in Brisbane.

"We wanted to do something a bit different so we customised the bonnet and went back to the round fuel tanks and old-style steps on it to give it the look of the older Titans that used to be about,” continued Mark.

Both trucks are also fitted with Icepack air- conditioners with Masterart Designs finishing off both trucks in the blue and white Carmichael colours.

Before taking delivery of his new truck, Mark's Titan had been on display the week before in Griffith at the 2019 Livestock, Bulk and Rural Carriers Association Conference.

Last year, Mark took out the LBRCA Young Driver of The Year award and this year has taken on the role as Young Driver Representative on the LBRCA executive committee.

The new Titan is quite a different beast to the 1990 V8 Value Liner with which Mark pulled his trailers into the CMV dealership.

Needless to say the contrasts in the styling, componentry and driver comforts have come a long way in the past 28 years.

This was well-illustrated by the racket the air starter made on the Value Liner when Mark fired the old V8 up.

"I'll definitely notice a difference in the noise,” he said with a grin.

With John set to take delivery of his Titan the following week, Mark reckoned his father would also notice the contrast compared to his old manual-gearbox Super-Liner.

"He won't know himself,” Mark said.

"He hasn't had one with an m-Drive in it.

"He drove my old one a couple of times and loved it.”

The latest additions to the fleet from the Bulldog kennel continue the association that the Carmichael family have had with the Mack product for more than three decades.

The Super-Liner that John is moving out of is the first new truck he bought in 1986 while building up the business, and the family's faith in the Mack product has remained strong ever since.

To that end, sitting in the shed in Ivanhoe is a beautifully restored 1960 B-61 model, which John bought out of Boulia in western Queensland and restored over a number of years from the chassis rails up.

Also wearing the blue and white Carmichael paint scheme, the B-61 has made a number of appearances at truck shows and rallies, including a trip to the Alice Springs Road Transport Hall of Fame reunion in 2015.

The Value-Liner will be retained by the family and continue working for the foreseeable future, and both it and John's Super-Liner have also been earmarked for restoration in a similar vein to the B-61 down the track with both trucks already regarded by many as "classic” Mack models.

Having been presented with the keys to his new Mack from CMV Wodonga sales consultant Andrew Thompson, Mark backed the Titan under his Truck-Art livestock trailers for the first time with the unit making for an impressive and imposing sight.

As he made his preparations to take to the highway for the first time, Mark was succinct in his view that the decision to go with the Bulldog breed would be the right one over the years.

"Mack build it - the truck, the motor and the gearbox for each other... they work and they have proven that with the work we do with them,” he said.

"It's the only way to go.”