What happened
At 2359, the local controller cleared the flight to land on Runway 6R. Two minutes later, at 0001, the ground controller cleared a state-operated pickup truck onto Runway 6R for a tarmac run. The ground controller stated that he had requested clearance from the local controller to allow the truck on the runway but was not aware that the Boeing 747 had already been cleared to land.
The local controller was busy with other communications and was unsure if he acknowledged the request from ground control; however, the ground controller believed the local controller said 'OKAY.' The aircraft struck the truck about 2,000 ft beyond the approach end of the runway while the main landing gear was on the ground but the nose had not yet been lowered from the landing attitude. The flight crew stated that they did not see the truck prior to the collision. At 0013, the runway visual range (RVR) was 600 ft variable 800 ft.