The Actros 2543 LnR, supplied by dealer Northside Truck & Van, was specified with the range-topping GigaSpace cab and has been fitted with a chrome grille, light bars top and bottom, air horns and alloy wheels.
It was mounted with an SB Components mega-cube box body 9.0 metres long and 4.0 metres high, as well as a 1,500kg Dhollandia tuckaway tail-lift.
Managing director Kevin Hopper Hopper is enthusiastic about Mercedes trucks, highlighting their reliability, safety and fuel-efficiency.
In June he tweeted: “We now run over 30 Mercedes trucks and our [Brian Yeardley] fleet average has risen since we started running them in 2014 from 8.6 mpg to, last month, 10.26 mpg. Looking forward to replacing other brands with Mercedes when they come of age. Worth noting other brands are still returning 8.5 to 8.7 mpg, pulling the average down.”
Hopper is a keen user of FleetBoard telematics and also specifies all vehicles with Mercedes’ optional Predictive Powertrain Control system and the Classic Safety Pack, which includes Active Brake Assist 3 (the autonomous system that exceeds the requirements of current legislation), as well as Proximity Control Assist and driver’s airbags.
“Having the edge is what makes the difference... Running efficiently has never been more important, and our Mercedes-Benz trucks play a big part in helping us to do this,” he says.
Brian Yeardley also took delivery late last year of six low-riding Actros 1848 LnR tractor units, for pulling mega-cube trailers. They were among the first UK-registered vehicles to be powered by the second-generation version of the 12.8-litre, six-cylinder OM471 engine.
“The new engine is fantastic,” says Hopper. “Those six trucks are returning between 11 and 12 mpg on long, pan-European journeys, which puts them a mile and more ahead of our previous Actros, and way clear of our Swedish- and Dutch-brand trucks, none of which get close to double figures.”
All Truckingby Brian Yeardley Mercedes-Benz HGVs are on R&M contracts with full European cover.
“We have very few issues but any that do crop up are invariably dealt with quickly and efficiently by Mercedes-Benz, which appreciates the fundamental importance of minimising downtime,” states Hopper.
And he adds: “I came into the transport business when I was 21 and I’m 58 now. I can honestly say I’ve never worked with a manufacturer that has such a strong commitment to its customers, and to the development of its product.
“That’s why, going forward, we’ll only be buying Mercedes-Benz trucks.”