It has just added another 4x2 Actros tractor unit and a pair of 18-tonners from the same model range, which have box bodies by Wessex Vehicle Services, of Salisbury.
As previously, Ken White Distribution secured competitive funding from Mercedes-Benz Finance and has signed up to complete service contracts. Its new Actros are now being inspected and serviced at Marshall Truck & Van’s Andover workshop, which has just undergone a £1 million refurbishment so the dealer’s team is better able to support customers.
Established in 1980, Ken White Distribution offers general haulage services but specialises in the transportation of white goods and other electrical equipment nationwide.
Reflecting the light weight of many of the consignments it carries, all 12 of Ken White Distribution’s tractor units are 4x2 models and plated at 28 tonnes GCW. The latest, an Actros 1842 variant with flat-floored BigSpace cab, is powered by a 12.8-litre in-line six-cylinder engine producing 415bhp.
With the exceptions of a pair of 7.5-tonners, all of Ken White Distribution’s rigid trucks are 18-tonners. Its new Actros 1824s have aerodynamic StreamSpace cabs and employ 235bhp 7.7-litre ‘straight-sixes’.
Key to the company’s decision to switch to Mercedes-Benz, were the promises of industry-leading aftersales back-up it received from Marshall Truck & Van. “The maintenance contracts are very cost-effective and the service we receive from the team at Marshall Truck & Van’s Andover workshop is absolutely fantastic,” enthused Ian Reeve. “They’re very flexible and when an issue crops up, as one always will from time to time with even the best trucks, they can always be relied upon to resolve it quickly and efficiently.
“We still have our own workshop, but we entrust the maintenance of our Mercedes-Benz trucks to the Dealer because it makes our lives so much easier.”
Reeve continued: “Our Mercedes-Benz trucks have proved impressively reliable, are good on fuel, and look great. We employ a number of long-serving drivers and I’ll admit there was a bit of resistance to the introduction of MirrorCam from some of them. But they were quickly won over when they started using the system and now, because the visibility is so much better, they all think it’s brilliant.”
Other technology on board includes Active Brake Assist 5 with its pedestrian recognition capability and a revised version of the fuel-saving Predictive Powertrain Control system.
Completing the picture, the operator also relies on Daimler Fleetboard telematics, principally to map and track its