The new 6x2 tractor, plated at 44 tonnes, was commissioned to celebrate his 35th year in business, and will be used on the general haulage side of the business.
Brown’s new tractor joins a fleet of some 40 tractor units and drawbar combinations, all but three of which are Mercedes-Benz trucks.
Most of the existing tractors are 4x2 variants plated for operation at 38 tonnes gcw. Brown explains that the Worksop-based company mostly specialises n the transportation of bulky, lightweight goods.
Indeed, its trailer fleet includes three extra-long 14.6m curtainsiders by SDC, which offer the same 56 IBC carrying capacity as a drawbar rig with a 12-tonne Atego prime mover.
WIT usually buys new vehicles, but this latest Actros is an ex-Mertrux demonstration unit, now fitted with lightweight Alcoa alloy wheels and Kelsa LED light bars, as well as colour-coded and chrome trim. Other top of the range equipment includes a fridge and microwave oven.
WIT is taking advantage of the free, two-year Mercedes-Benz R&M contract that came with its new Actros.
As for his rigids and older tractors, the firm carries out inspections and routine maintenance in its own workshop, using Mertrux for warranty work and regular parts deliveries.
“Mercedes-Benz trucks have always been exceptionally reliable and, particularly in recent years, impressively fuel-efficient,” states Brown, adding that since it’s difficult to buy a bad truck these days, the relationships and quality of after sales from the dealer are critical.
“I’ve been a very loyal customer of Mertrux and have lost count of the number of vehicles I have bought from its key account manager Martin Stock over the years,” he says.
“We also speak regularly to Steve Allen, after sales manager at its Mansfield branch, who leads a first-class team.”
In fact, Brown still has an invoice for the first vehicle supplied by the Mertrux to the company previously known as Worksop Industrial Tippers. The £5,700 bill relates to a 7.5-tonne Mercedes-Benz 608D delivered in 1979, two years before he acquired the business.