Developed from a combination of heavy-duty mining equipment and battleoid components, grabber trucks were a versatile piece of earth-moving equipment.  Based on the body of a large dumptruck, grabber-trucks were capable of relatively independent operation, as the grabber arm could load large objects into the hopper, even in the absence of other earth-moving equipment.  Grabber trucks were used extensively in mining, construction, and terraforming operations.

After the crash

"A few days after the crash, I was out in the desert, looking for other survivors. Food was scarce, and things were looking bad, when I crossed a ridge, and there, dead ahead was the best thing that I have ever seen.  One of the large cargo pods, mostly intact had popped open when it had crashed into the valley.  Inside was an Ares Systems series 80,000 grabber truck.  The AI assistant had already used the arm to set the truck upright, and was apparently just waiting for signs of life to come along.  As I came down the ridge, it flashed its lights at me and lowered the access ladder to the cab.  The best part was that the crew cabin was fully stocked and ready.  I had food and water, a place to sleep, and, of course, a big grabber truck that could do a lot of big jobs.  The cargo pod mostly held surveying equipment, so I took a couple survey drones, and loaded them into the auxiliary equipment bay opposite the arm (it was a one-armed model).  These were perfect lookouts to scout the way ahead.  After I had settled into the crew cabin and tested out the truck, I sent up one of the drones, and it spotted a bunch of wreckage not far down the valley.  Time to get to work."  --

From the vlog of Dennis Glich, survivor of Garcia's Hope