Decorated Mack Truck Hauls Capitol Christmas Tree to D.C.
This story appears in the Nov. 28 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.
A festively decorated Mack truck embarked this month on a three-week journey to deliver the Christmas tree that will brighten the U.S. Capitol grounds this holiday season.
Beginning Nov. 5, the SmartWay-certified Pinnacle sleeper, provided by Mack Trucks Inc., hauled the 2011 Capitol Christmas tree on a cross-country tour from California to the nation’s capital while delivering holiday cheer at events along the way.
The tree, a 65-foot white fir from Stanislaus National Forest in California, was scheduled to arrive Nov. 28 in Washington, D.C., where it will be lighted at a Dec. 6 ceremony hosted by Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio).
The Christmas tree was transported on trailer with a custom-built cradle to support its branches during the 4,500-mile journey, which was supervised by the U.S. Forest Service.
Concord, Calif.-based carrier Royal Trucking Co. provided the drivers, including Duane Brusseau, who drove the truck with the Capitol Christmas tree in tow. A second truck transported a trailer containing 3,000 handmade ornaments and 100 smaller trees for government offices.
At stops along the way, cities and towns from coast to coast held celebrations to give visitors an opportunity to see the tree.
After touring through California, the tree was scheduled to appear at events in New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia and Pennsylvania on its way to Washington.
The Mack truck hauling the tree was decorated with reindeer antlers and the company’s corporate symbol, the bulldog, pulling a tree through the snow.
“There’s a lot of excitement at Mack regarding our involvement in the effort. We’re closely following the progress of the journey, and there will certainly be a lot of pride around here when the tree is lit for the first time on Dec. 6,” Mack spokesman John Walsh said.
Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, described the Mack truck as “a showcase of clean-diesel technology.”
“The emissions from this truck are near zero, thanks to its more- efficient engine and its new emissions-control technology,” Schaeffer said in a statement. “It’s as clean as a compressed-natural-gas truck.”
Diesel Technology Forum is among the national sponsors for the U.S. Christmas Tree Tour. Other sponsors include DTF members Volvo Powertrain, Mack Trucks and Robert Bosch LLC Diesel Systems North America.
“We couldn’t do the tour without their support,” Maria Benech, the 2011 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree coordinator, said in a statement.
