From the First Mack^® to the Final Pinnacle^TM

Ryan Bassett’s love for the brand brought him to his “Holy Grail” Mack

Like many in the industry, Ryan Bassett is a lifelong truck enthusiast. However, unlike others, Bassett isn’t part of a multi-generation trucking company.

Growing up near Bell Buckle, Tennessee, Bassett loved the trucks he saw on the roads. And in middle Tennessee, says Bassett, those trucks were almost always Macks. “I loved trucks from the time I was a little kid,” Bassett says. His father would at times bring a truck home from the lumber yard on the weekend, and for Bassett, it was much more than a truck. Those weekends spent exploring those trucks nurtured a fascination that would lead to his livelihood.

A Small Step, or a Big Leap

Even with his love of trucks, Bassett didn’t start Bassett Transportation with a thought-out business plan. It began with a moment of clarity at a crossroads.

In 2006, after parting ways with his employer at an excavating company, Ryan found himself staring at trucks he had maintained and driven for a year. His former boss asked him what he wanted to do, and Bassett was truthful: “I want to own one of these and start my own business.”

Without hesitation, his now former boss took Bassett to his banker. It was the first step on the path to a 20-truck fleet hauling stone, sand, and gravel across middle Tennessee, and a woman-owned company led by Bassett’s wife Jessica that specializes in interstate bulk material hauling. Bar-B Transport, named with a fun callback to the family farm and the couple’s three daughters, features a winking nod to the famous doll with the tongue-in-cheek name and a distinctive font.

Growing With the Market

In the next two decades, Bassett grew the business and contracted as needed, based on demand, explaining that he purposefully scales back when the market softened.

“I want my fleet to float with the market,” he said. For Bassett, growth should make sense. When it does, he’s ready to scale up.

It's Always Been Mack

Bassett grew up seeing Mack R models and DMs on the road. When he got behind the wheel of a factory built Mack RD as a driver, it confirmed what he believed.

“It was the greatest thing I’d ever been in. You didn’t worry about breaking an axle, or whether it would start in the morning.”

Today, nearly the entire Bassett and Bar-B fleet consists of Mack Granites and Pinnacles. It’s a growing line of custom spec’d workhorses that Bassett designs with a dedicated attention to detail. He works closely with McMahon Truck Center salesman Nick Triola and Mack’s Director of Field Sales Operations Chuck Wissinger to fine tune each build.

“I’m a spec nerd,” Ryan admits. He can reel off individual spec details down to the gear ratios from memory. He demands strict maintenance. Each truck is greased every two weeks, whether it seems necessary or not. That discipline pays off: his used trucks have a waiting list of buyers and Bassett is not one of many people he knows replacing kingpins and U-joints. Triola says he’s found the relationship with Bassett invaluable.

“He knows the specs of trucks in and out, he says. “Early on when I was starting my career, Ryan helped me by explaining why you would want a specific axle or engine horsepower, etc. He’s even helped us with stock specs for other customers, as well. I’ve learned a lot along the way. He’s a particular customer who has a high standard and it’s great for everyone.

He also markets the brand, whether it’s posting pictures of Mack Trucks on social media or being an advocate locally. He is an excellent customer and advocate for us.”

Bassett maintains relationships based on trust. He also works with Rogers Dump Bodies, a regional manufacturer that, like Mack, has always been willing to work with him on custom designs.

Standardization is not for Bassett Transportation.

He prefers dirt shedding angles in the front corners, so drivers don’t spend time shoveling. He uses sloped tailgates to reduce contamination at concrete plants. He even had Rogers “box in” the underside of the dump body to prevent debris buildup. One experimental request at a time, Rogers delivered the goods. Now Bassett won’t go anywhere else.

“Downtime is a dirty word,” he says. The combination of Mack and Rogers keeps his trucks on the road.

Ordering the "Holy Grail"

Every truck enthusiast has a “grail.” For Bassett, it wasn’t an antique Super-Liner or a vintage B-Model. It was something that represented his era: a Mack Pinnacle.

When Bassett heard Mack was ending production of the current Pinnacle sleeper in mid-2025, he made an unusual request: Could he have the last one ever built?

Wissinger pondered that one. No one had ever asked for their order to be pushed to the last build date. Most customers want trucks as early as possible, not pushed to the end of the production line. But Mack made it happen. The result is a one-of-a-kind, fully custom Pinnacle sleeper.

“Everything about this truck is unique, especially as a 48” sleeper with a factory double frame and pusher axle,” Wissinger says. “Throw in a 13 speed mDRIVE, 505HP MP8, 46k Mack rears, and many other premium options, it’s just about as nice as a Pinnacle can possibly be spec’ed.”

Wissinger says the truck, delivered on July 17, 2025 via a special trip to the Mack Experience Center, is a combination of options that make it a true 1 of 1 build that will never be replicated. Bassett displays the commemorative certificate, engineering drawings, and 125th anniversary badges proudly in his office.

He plans to keep it forever, eventually adding it to his permanent collection that includes a 1958 BCR, 1962 B-75, and 100th Anniversary CH.

Looking Ahead

Where does Bassett and Bar-B Transportation go from here?

In five years, he might have 50 trucks if the work demands it. Or he might have one: the blue Pinnacle sleeper that will never be sold. Either way, the business will continue to reflect his philosophy and be run the way he thinks businesses should be run, by working hard and taking care of your equipment.

“If it was just the trucks,” he said, “this would be easy.”

Fortunately for Middle Tennessee’s concrete plants, quarries, and customers, Ryan Bassett has never let “easy” define him.