Supplied by dealer Ciceley Commercials, HPH’s new additions to its 60-strong fleet are the subject of a CharterWay contract hire agreement, which includes tyres, from Mercedes-Benz Financial Services.
The Mercedes-Benz Fuel Challenger programme invites operators to put an Actros to work on their fleet, to compare diesel consumption with the best of their own vehicles.
HPH picked a real-life, day and night application as the battleground for its month-long, three-way evaluation. Its new Actros have now been assigned to the same operation, hauling tissue products between Cumbria, Lancashire and North Wales.
HPH’s general manager Steve Sugden said: “We’d been running trucks by the same manufacturer for some years but felt the time was now right to take a look at what the competition can offer. Having also seen and heard a number of reports about other operators making significant fuel savings with the Actros, we were particularly keen to see what the Mercedes-Benz truck could do.
“While I prefer not to quote specific figures, it’s fair to say that Ciceley’s Actros demonstrator performed exceptionally well, its mpg returns putting it ahead of the competition by a clear margin.”
Other factors in his decision were price and driver appeal, he adds, along with aftersales support from the dealer.
Mercedes says the Actros has won 90% of the 310 fuel challenges completed since the first one in 2014, achieving average fuel savings of 7.5%.