Bartrums new Actroses

Economical Euro VI Mercedes-Benz New Actros equipped with the manufacturer’s full armoury of fuel-saving technology are helping Suffolk haulier Bartrums to slash diesel consumption and exhaust emissions.

The Eye-based operator has added 20 New Actros 2545 tractors with aerodynamic StreamSpace cabs to its fleet of 150 trucks. The overwhelming majority of these vehicles are 6x2 Mercedes-Benz units supplied, like the latest arrivals, by Ipswich Dealer Orwell Truck & Van.

Thirteen of Bartrums’ latest trucks are on general haulage duties but seven are specified for bulk tipper work. All are powered by state-of-the-art 330 kW (449 hp) straight-six engines and fitted, for optimum fuel efficiency, with Predictive Powertrain Control (PPC) systems as well as Daimler FleetBoard telematics.

“These are our first Euro VI trucks but we know the Mercedes-Benz technology is already well proven in operation,” says Fleet Engineer David Reid. “Based on our experience of running New Actros units at Euro V we had every confidence that their fuel consumption would be very low, and so it has proved.

“The units on general haulage work are already returning 10 mpg, while the tippers are averaging 8.6 mpg and two of them are hitting the nines, which in that application is really exceptional. There’s every reason to suppose they’ll maintain this performance – we have a 13-plate Euro V Actros, our first truck with PPC, which has returned an average of 10.2 mpg from day one.”

PPC is a clever cruise control that employs 3D GPS mapping to read three kilometres of topography ahead, then responds by controlling speed, braking and the transmission to maximise fuel efficiency. It is optionally available on all New Actros models at a cost of £1,349 or, if specified as part of a Mercedes-Benz Financial Services contract hire package, for just £2.50 a week – equivalent to the price of a cup of coffee.

The “far-sighted” system really comes into its own when the vehicle is travelling up or down hill – on downward slopes it makes maximum use of the truck’s standard-fit EcoRoll function and applies carefully judged single or double downshifts of gear at an early stage. Mercedes-Benz says PPC reduces fuel use by approximately five per cent, although some operators are reporting even bigger savings.
           

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