Supplied by dealer MBNI Truck & Van, the truck has been specially built to meet the requirements of owner-driver Sam Beldom (pictured), including upwards of 40 optional extras.
The vehicle was modified by the manufacturer’s custom tailored trucks (CTT) division, which is based at Molsheim, in France. Beldom wanted a flat-floored BigSpace cab, which usually comes with an additional sub-frame – but this would have reduced the tipper’s payload capacity.
So CTT’s engineers flitched, or strengthened, the truck’s chassis, to enable Beldom to have the cab he wanted and still keep a 19-tonne payload.
The Arocs is powered by a 523bhp, 12.8-litre OM 471 straight-six engine, paired with a 12-speed PowerShift automated transmission. The aluminium tipping body is by Wilcox Commercial Vehicles, of Peterborough.
Extras include a twin-plate clutch, high performance engine brake, light bars, air horns and alloy wheels, with interior options including leather seats and high-spec entertainment system and sat nav.
“I love my new Mercedes-Benz,” says Beldom. “It looks fantastic, and goes really well. The engine is amazingly quiet, so much so that you can easily forget you’re in a truck. It’s also very responsive, though, with plenty of power when I need it, while the transmission is impressively smooth and easy to use.
“These are still early days but the Arocs is already returning nine to the gallon, and that’s a figure I’m certainly happy with.”
The truck is also specified with a two-year Mercedes-Benz R&M contract and four-year manufacturer’s warranty.