Delivered by the local branch of Intercounty Truck & Van, these 6x4 chassis have been fitted with gritting bodywork by Ripon-based Econ Engineering, which also supplied demountable snow plough blades.
Both are Arocs 2632 ClassicSpace rigids with Mercedes’ 7.7-litre straight-six 320bhp engines driving through PowerShift AMTs (automated manual transmissions).
Skanska fleet manager for commercial vehicles Adrian Pinsent says the firm operates some 30 sikmilar gritters on contracts around the UK.
“Given the time-critical nature of winter maintenance operations, it’s essential that our gritting fleet is available for work when we need it,” states Pinsent.
“Mercedes-Benz chassis offer proven reliability and are fully fit-for-purpose, as well as being competitively priced and cost-effective to run.”
Pinsent also praises Skanska’s Fuso 7.5-tonne Canter, three more of which – two tippers and a traffic management vehicle – have now joined the firm’s 20-strong fleet.
His latest small trucks – all 7C15s with DUONIC automated transmissions – were fitted by Wessex Vehicle Services, of Salisbury, with large lockable toolboxes immediately behind their cabs.
“They’re used by our road gangs, are impressively fuel-efficient and offer an exceptionally high payload,” states Pinsent.
“The Canter’s relatively small footprint is also a factor that weighs in its favour… When you’re using cones and closing lanes to traffic, the fact that the truck is that bit narrower than a conventional 7.5-tonner is a definite advantage.”