The new additions are all 6x2 Arocs 2545 models with ClassicSpace cabs and 450bhp six-cylinder engines paired with Mercedes PowerShift 3 automated transmissions.
They pull new SDC dropside trailers with rear-mounted Palfinger crane grabs, and are being used to deliver paving products and bulk aggregates throughout Ireland. Three are based at the operator’s headquarters in Fivemiletown, Co Tyrone, one at nearby Ballygawley, and the remaining two at a depot in Co Antrim.
They have joined a fleet of rigid tippers, tractors and bulk tipping trailers, tipper-grabs, and flat-bed vehicles and trailers with grabs, in which two other truck manufacturers have previously held sway.
“These smart new trucks are impressively robust and well-suited to the work,” says AG’s operations manager Lyle Cairns. “They are also fuel-efficient and have been well received by our drivers, while dealer Mercedes-Benz Truck & Van (NI)’s Dungannon workshop is conveniently located.”
In another first, this is the first time that AG has opted for contract hire – the Arocs are supplied on seven-year CharterWay agreements through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services.
Cairns says the trucks’ early performance is “encouraging” and they are already returning 8.9 mpg.