New Actros not just good on paper for C&H (Hauliers) 03 April 2013

Paper distributor C&H (Hauliers) has sealed a £4-million replacement deal for its commercial vehicle fleet by buying 40 Mercedes-Benz tractor units and 34 high-volume SDC curtainside trailers.

The trucks were supplied by dealer Sparshatts of Kent, and are the subject of a Mercedes-Benz Financial Services operating lease. All are New Actros 2545 models with GigaSpace cabs and the firm's new 450bhp straight-six engines.

The Used Commercial Vehicle Centre, at Wentworth Park, near Barnsley, took back 24 of C&H (Hauliers) previous Actros 2544 Long Distance units, all of which have since entered service with new operators.

C&H managing director Steve Mercer explains that the company runs 113 tractor units, mostly Mercedes-Benz, and trialled a New Actros seed vehicle for six months before committing to this latest order.

"I'm always reluctant to talk about fuel figures, because you need to let a fair amount of time pass before attempting to come up with an accurate fleet average," comments Mercer.

"However, initial results suggest our Euro 5 New Actros are already about 0.3 of a mile per gallon more fuel-efficient than their predecessors, which is certainly encouraging as they should improve further as they bed in," he continues.

"What's beyond any doubt is that our latest trucks look tremendous, with their colour-coded bumpers and mirror housings. Driver feedback has also been exceptionally positive. The latest Mercedes PowerShift automated transmission seems to be more responsive than the version it's replaced."

Author
Brian Tinham

Related Companies
Mercedes-Benz UK Ltd
SDC Trailers Ltd

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