Tunnels & Infrastructure: New FAT TRUCK® 8X8 will be unveiled at CONEXPO 2023

Fat Trucks from Zeal Motor go where nothing else can. With 5-ft. by 24-in. tires, they float in water, and with only 3 to 4 psi, they also float over most obstacles. Add spikes, and they chew their way across ice. They carry people, cargo and specialized equipment like cranes, water tanks, material spreaders or firefighting equipment.

Hydro One crews successfully restored power to thousands of customers, thanks in part to the exceptional capabilities of the FAT TRUCK®. This versatile vehicle proved invaluable for navigating through heavy snow and winter storms, ensuring both the safety of the crews and their ability to efficiently perform critical restoration work.

Fat Truck was featured in CBC News coverage of MSPO 2026, the International Defence Industry Exhibition in Kielce, Poland, where Canada served as lead nation for the first time in the show's 34-year history. Canada's delegation included more than 230 companies and associations and nearly 500 delegates, part of a national effort to grow the country's defence exports to Europe. These exports currently amount to around 11% of Canadian defence exports, compared to roughly 63% going to the U.S., following Canada's entry into the EU's SAFE defence financing program and the launch of its first Defence Industrial Strategy earlier in 2026.

The trucks have big wheels that can make it through high water. The vehicles also float. Supertrak, right next to the Punta Gorda Airport, volunteered their time and FAT Trucks to first responders during Hurricane Helene. "It was a shock, obviously, to know that we were going to help our local residents out," Michael Stanek of Supertrak said. "It was a great honor to go out and actually rescue and see people in distress."

Zeal Motor Inc., the manufacturer of the renowned FAT TRUCK®, is highlighting a new innovation developed by one of its dealers, Sudbury-based RufDiamond, in partnership with Cambrian College. The two organizations have developed a deployable lifting platform for the FAT TRUCK® that is now supporting wildfire response efforts in Northwestern Ontario. The platform allows a FAT TRUCK® to carry a payload of up to 2,200 pounds into locations with no road access, lift the platform off the vehicle, drive out from underneath, and lower the load to the ground — solving a persistent challenge in remote deployment: unloading cargo without cranes or other lifting equipment on site. The technology has moved quickly from concept to active field use. As of a July 2026 press conference at Cambrian College, the unit was confirmed for deployment to the wildfire crisis in Northwestern Ontario. "Without Cambrian, this would be factored under a plausible option — potential, maybe one day," said Daryl Adams, president of RufDiamond, of the platform's development. The project recently received $150,000 in funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), supporting further use of advanced materials and structural optimization to make the lifting system lighter and more energy-efficient. The same funding will also support a custom drag-behind toboggan for transporting supplies across Arctic terrain. Including RufDiamond's own cash and in-kind contributions, the total value of the two-year project is $227,500.

When floodwaters hit the communities of Swan River and Minitonas, Manitoba, the FAT TRUCK® was there when it mattered most. The Manitoba RCMP Search and Rescue team deployed the FAT TRUCK® as part of their flood relief operations, working alongside partners to assist those impacted and help keep everyone safe. The images speak for themselves — navigating washed-out terrain and flooded areas that would stop any conventional vehicle in its tracks, the FAT TRUCK® proved once again why it is the go-to amphibious utility vehicle for flood rescue and emergency response. We are thrilled to see the FAT TRUCK® serving on the front lines and helping protect communities across Canada.