Zeal Motor Fat Truck

History

Zeal Motor was founded in 2018 by Maxim O'Shaughnessy, Benoit Marleau and Amine Khimjee ^[2][7]. According to Silodrome, the three had worked in industrial vehicles, including at the tracked-carrier maker Prinoth, and while looking for a machine for customers with hard access problems they tried the Ukrainian-built Sherp. They found it capable but hard to drive, and set out to pair very large tires with the features of an industrial machine ^[8]. Development began in May 2018 in part of a former Hyundai plant in Bromont, Quebec ^[8].

The company unveiled the Fat Truck in Bromont in January 2019 in three versions: the 2.8 C crew carrier for up to eight people, the 2.8 P pickup and the 2.8 B with a tipping cargo bed ^[2]. The same month the governments of Canada and Quebec announced C$573,300 in support, including a repayable federal contribution of C$219,000 to finish drawings, certification and patents and up to C$150,000 from the National Research Council's IRAP program for a prototype ^[1]. The first trucks were due to leave the plant before the end of 2019 ^[2].

A pickup version was introduced in 2021 and shown at the Utility Expo in Louisville, Kentucky, that September ^[4][5]. In February 2023 Zeal began building the Fat Truck 8x8, an articulated eight-wheeler offered as a Hauler and a Wagon, and planned its first public showing at CONEXPO in Las Vegas in March 2023 ^[5]. Farm Show magazine reported in 2025 that the range had grown to five vehicle models and two trailers, and that, according to the company, it ran two assembly lines with capacity for 500 vehicles a year ^[7].

Military work followed. According to Silodrome, Zeal began working with the Canadian Armed Forces in 2021 through the federal Innovative Solutions Canada program, two Fat Trucks spent several months under evaluation in the Canadian Arctic in 2023, and the company launched a defense division at the CANSEC show in Ottawa in 2024 ^[8]. In October 2026 Zeal announced a larger plant in Cowansville, a standing offer from Canada's Department of National Defence and a new generation of trucks with one hydrostatic motor per wheel ^[8][10].

Design and how it works

The Fat Truck has no steering wheel or pedals. One joystick between the front seats controls speed and direction, and the truck turns by running the wheels on one side faster than the other, so it can pivot in its own length ^[8]. In the 2.8 C a diesel engine mounted low in the middle of the hull drives a hydrostatic pump. One hydraulic motor on each side turns that side's wheels through carbon-fiber belts, and the hydrostatic drive also does most of the braking ^[4][8]. The lower hull is Hardox wear-resistant steel and the upper body is aluminum, and the cab carries rollover protection certification ^[3][8].

There is no conventional suspension. The tires run at no more than about 4 psi (0.28 bar), and an onboard compressor sets the pressure for snow, mud, trail or water at the touch of a screen ^[8]. In water the transverse tread paddles the truck along ^[8]. New Atlas gave the loaded 2.8 P a ground pressure of 1.6 psi (11 kPa), a land speed of up to 25 mph (40 km/h) and a water speed of up to 3 mph (5 km/h) ^[4].

Specifications and prices

Engine figures have changed over time. At the 2019 launch the 2.8 C was described with a 40 hp Caterpillar 1.7-liter three-cylinder turbodiesel ^[2]. Production trucks used the 2.2-liter Caterpillar C2.2 four-cylinder, rated at 67 hp and 153 lb-ft ^[3][4][8], and reports from 2025 list 74 hp for the 2.8 models ^[6][7]. Construction Junkie gave the 2.8 C a weight of about 6,000 lb (2,700 kg) and a 20 mph (32 km/h) top speed in 2020 ^[3], while Diesel Army listed the enclosed 2.8 Wagon at 5,440 lb (2,470 kg) in 2025 ^[6]. The maker's current spec page for the FT3 Wagon lists eight seats and a 74 hp (55 kW) engine ^[9].

The 8x8 uses a 3.8-liter Cummins four-cylinder turbodiesel of 173 hp and 457 lb-ft. Zeal says it carries up to 5,000 lb (about 2,270 kg) or a crew of 16, travels at more than 40 km/h (25 mph) on land and reaches 5 km/h (3 mph) on water ^[5]. Prices have been published only now and then: a base of $127,500 for the 2.8 C in 2020 ^[3], $128,000 to $148,000 depending on model and options in 2025 ^[6], and a base of $100,000 for the smaller 2.4 Pickup in 2025 ^[7].

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