Supplied by dealer Intercounty Truck & Van, the Northampton-based operator’s new additions are the subject of a CharterWay contract hire from Mercedes-Benz Financial Services. All are Actros 2545 models with StreamSpace cabs and straight-six, 450bhp engines driving through PowerShift 3 automated gearboxes.
The Actros tractors are the first vehicles that Global Road Runners has secured directly from a main dealer. Previously, vehicles were leased from a rental firm, but, as founder Adam Barnell explains: “Business growth prompted us to decide that sourcing our vehicles from a main dealer, rather than a third party provider, is now the best way to go.”
Fuel performance is living up to the promise, Barnell confirms: “The Actros is widely recognised as the most economical truck on the market right now, and this reputation has certainly been borne out by our own experience with the two GigaSpace cab units we are still leasing from our previous supplier.”
Fully-freighted at 44 tonnes gcw for most of the time, the Actros are pulling new Cartwright curtainside trailers and are returning between 10.5 and 11 mpg – in part due to the “superb” instruction from Intercounty’s driver-trainer, says Barnell.
The operator is now hoping to boost performance further by using Mercedes’ FleetBoard telematics to measure driving style and target training where needed.