Mack’s New Corning Fusion5 Windshield Is Another Reason to Check Out Its Upcoming Granite Trucks Revamp

Key Highlights:

• Mack’s new ImpactShield windshield uses Corning Fusion5 glass to boost durability, reduce cracks, and improve uptime.
• The all-new Mack Granite is a full redesign with advanced safety tech, a wider cab, and improved operator comfort.
• The Granite packs up to 540 hp, faster-shifting mDRIVE transmissions, and creeper gears for heavy starts and precision work.
• The Mack Granite will be available for order in the latter half of 2026.

Windshields break. It’s called life. Dump trucks live on a steady diet of dirt and aggregates. They eat rocks all day long. It’s only a matter of time before your windshield gets tagged, and now your truck is parked or your driver’s navigating with cracked glass. Either scenario is concerning. Mack Trucks might have a solution for you. At Conexpo 2026 (yep, we were there), the company debuted ImpactShield, a new windshield system built into its revamped Granite truck line. You've probably seen glass like this before — on your phone. ImpactShield uses Corning’s Fusion5 product, which doubles down on impact resistance, thermal shock resistance, scratches, visibility, and way more. From the press release:

“Mack customers don’t have time for unplanned stops, and neither do we,” said Tim Wrinkle, vice president, product owner, vocational and medium duty at Mack. “Partnering with Corning to bring Fusion5 Glass to heavy-duty trucking isn’t just about using better materials; it’s about finding every possible way to keep our customers’ trucks on the job and their costs under control.”

What ImpactShield actually is

According to Mack, ImpactShield is the first Class 8 application of Corning Fusion5 glass. That kind of caught my attention. Fusion5 comes from the automotive world, where glass now has to support cameras, sensors, and other Advanced Driver Assistance Systems tech (ADAS). ImpactShield uses a one-piece bonded, curved design instead of traditional multi-piece setups.

Compared to traditional windshields, Mack says the ImpactShield has two times better sharp impact resistance, two times better thermal shock resistance, five times better scratch resistance, and improved resistance to environmental wear and weathering. It’s also lighter and improves defrost performance. The Mack ImpactShield will be standard on the new Mack Granite, which will be available for order in the latter half of 2026, with production beginning in January 2027. Mack ImpactShield technology will also be available as an upgrade to Mack’s Aero windshield on the Mack Pioneer, all-new Mack Anthem, and Mack Keystone models.

Corning Fusion5: the material behind it

Corning is famous for its Gorilla Glass product line. Gorilla Glass is a specialized, thin, and lightweight aluminosilicate glass engineered to be highly resistant to scratches and damage. This same type of glass is used on billions of mobile devices, laptops, and TVs.

Corning built Fusion5 specifically for automotive exteriors. It’s not traditional soda-lime glass. It’s lighter, tougher, and more optically precise. Fusion5 is about 12 percent less dense than conventional glass, which helps reduce overall weight. More importantly, it resists sharp impacts much better. There is a difference between a chip and a full crack. And as trucks add more cameras and sensors, the improved optical clarity matters even more. Corning notes its Fusion5 has two times lower optical distortion over soda-lime glass.

Here’s an overview of the new Mack Granite

The windshield is just one piece of the bigger story. The Mack Granite we saw at Conexpo is a full redesign. It’s got a new cab. New safety tech. New interior. It still looks like a Granite, but it’s clearly built for today and the future.

Key upgrades on the new Granite:

• All-new galvanized steel cab with more interior space
• 270-degree radar coverage with sensors on both sides
• Electronic park brake with rollaway protection
• Standard airbags and LED lighting
• E911 auto-call for emergencies
• Optional multi-camera system and digital mirrors

Power, driveline, and jobsite performance

Of course, the Granite retains its workhorse reputation. It runs the Mack MP13 engine with up to 540 horsepower and 1,950 pound-feet of torque. The updated Mack mDRIVE automated manual transmission comes in 12-, 13-, and 14-speed configurations. There are creeper gears for heavy starts and ultra-low gearing for precision work. There’s also a Cummins X10 option for fleets that want it.

Industry-first safety technologies

The new Granite boasts a lot of impressive tech. There’s the Mack Protect safety suite. It’s the same system available on the Pioneer and Anthem brands, and it includes front camera, front radar, and 270-degree radar coverage with both passenger-side and driver-side radar systems. Having both driver-side (left-hand) and passenger-side (right-hand) radars is a first for the vocational segment, notes Mack. The Granite is also the first vocational truck to feature an Electronic Park Brake (ePark Brake) with rollaway protection in conjunction with auto release when shifting into gear. There’s also standard front and available side-curtain airbags, standard LED headlamps, and fog lamps with available cornering lights.

Also standard is E911 auto-call, which automatically contacts emergency services when in cellular service range if an airbag deploys or the system detects a rollover or collision — another first for the vocational segment, says Mack. An optional proprietary camera system provides up to five camera inputs, including backup camera and downward-facing passenger-side camera for enhanced visibility of certain blind spots. An optional Digital Mirror System is also available, and you can see from the photo above it looks pretty cool. 

Inside the cab: built for long days

The new cab is wider, with better visibility and smarter control placement. The Granite features an all-new galvanized steel cab with 9 inches of additional width at the B-pillar for increased interior volume and driver comfort. Mack says its Granite’s interior was designed with input from more than 30 professional drivers through a clinic at Virginia Tech. Those drivers didn’t know it was a Mack brand prototype. From the press release:

“Everything in this cab was designed around the driver,” said Vince Lokers, specialist chief designer, Mack Trucks. “We focused on creating a driver-centric, commanding, ergonomic layout with wrap-around controls and high visibility. Features like our new steering column-mounted shifter, flat-bottom steering wheel, and electric brakes were all positioned in their best ergonomic position based on direct driver feedback.”

The interior is available in three trim levels and features a new digital instrument cluster, updated materials and features carried over from the Mack Pioneer and new Anthem, and an all-new three-way adjustable steering column. A new bodybuilder tower positioned between the seats provides mounting for bodybuilder controls, gauges, and equipment. For your devices, there’s also standard top-of-dash dual USB-C, 12-volt auxiliary power outlets, and an available wireless phone charger.

Connected systems and uptime tools

Mack leaned into connectivity hard for the new Granite, including Mack Connect telematics, over-the-air updates, and remote diagnostics. That gives fleets real-time visibility into truck health and performance. Mack's BodyLink IV alllows customizable chassis-to-body electrical integration. BodyLink IV improves upfit integration, making it easier to connect truck systems with bodies and attachments. 

In Finale: ImpactShield hits hard

Windshields don’t usually get headlines like they do above, but windshield work is sneaky expensive. That’s what I like about this product. ImpactShield tackles a practical everyday problem, and fewer problems for fleet managers, well, that’s the goal.