Chilled and ambient supply chain business Fowler Welch has taken delivery of four Euro 6 Mercedes New Actros tractor units, which it is evaluating against four other marques.
The New Actros 2545 BigSpace tractors, supplied by dealer Rossetts Commercials, are powered by 449bhp straight-six engines mated to PowerShift 3 automated transmissions.
They have been specified with Daimler FleetBoard telematics and Predictive Powertrain Control (PPC) systems.
PPC uses 3D GPS mapping to read 3km of topography ahead – then optimises speed, braking and transmission to boost fuel efficiency.
Fowler Welch runs a mixed-marque fleet of 340 trucks. Most are 44-tonne tractors, but this is its first Mercedes-Benz order for several years.
"We'd heard good reports about the New Actros and tried a couple of demonstrators at Euro 5, which went well," comments Paul Allera, head of fleet at Fowler Welch.
"Rossetts also impressed me with their determination to do business, so – despite the fact that it's been many years since we last dealt with Mercedes-Benz – we decided to include New Actros in our latest evaluation programme."
For Allera, the key to the final choice will be fuel efficiency, but aftersales support and uptime are also being monitored, as is driver feedback.
"These are still early days but the New Actros trucks are working well and clearly tick all the boxes," confirms Allera.
