Other recent additions to the line-up include three Atego 7.5-tonners and an Actros tractor unit, as well as a Sprinter van.
Crestchic manufactures and supplies load banks, crucial pieces of electrical testing equipment for customers such as the Ministry of Defence, hospitals, banks and dockyards, that require highly reliable power sources. Based at its headquarters in Burton and a second depot in Rochester, the trucks are used to deliver these installations nationwide.
The new Actros has a 10.7-litre straight-six engine that produces 290 kW (394 hp), and is fitted with a platform body, by Central Crane Technicians, of Chesterfield. A rear-mounted 34 tonne/metre Fassi F365 crane mounted is used to offload Crestchic’s products.
Thanks to its ClassicSpace L-cab with 320mm engine tunnel, and 70-series low-profile tyres, the truck has a relatively low floor and driving position that translate into excellent direct visibility. Drivers also benefit from Mercedes-Benz Trucks’ innovative MirrorCam system, a standard feature on all new-generation Actros and Arocs models.
MirrorCam’s cameras relay a clear and broad field of vision to a pair of 15-inch screens on the cab’s A-pillars. Crucially, the streamlined camera housings are compact and mounted at roof height, so they also eliminate the forward-facing blind spots caused by conventional mirrors that drivers of other trucks have to contend with.
The truck has earned a four-star Direct Vision Standard rating. Transport for London’s Direct Vision Standard employs a star ratings system – from zero to five – which is based on how much drivers of goods vehicles over 12 tonnes GVW can see in relation to other users. Regulations that would have left trucks in the lowest category requiring additional safety systems in order to operate legally in London were due to be enforced from this month, but due to the intense demands placed on operators by the pandemic this has been put back to March 2021. By 2024, the minimum requirement increases to three stars.
“We had the Direct Vision regulations very much in mind when specifying this truck, but we were looking at the bigger picture too,” said transport supervisor Paul Howlett. “Safety is much more than just a box-ticking exercise for us, so the impressive contribution made by the vehicle’s Active Brake Assist 5 system was another key attraction.”
The latest addition, and most of the others, were delivered by Derby dealer Mertrux Truck & Van. “We put in a lot of work with Mertrux and Mercedes-Benz Trucks to get the specification of this Actros absolutely right, and the result is a vehicle that’s perfectly suited to our requirement for working in busy urban areas,” continued Howlett.