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Mick Hancock, MD, Transload UK Transload UK runs a fleet
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of six, including five Actros tractor units. The company is five years old, and Mick Hancock splits the fleet into two groups. Three 2543s, of which two are Megaspaces, handle container work out of Immingham, while the other three trucks haul papers and magazines out of Peterborough for the Johnson Group.
Hancock buys three-yearold trucks directly from Wentworth Park, and as a qualified engineer and Member of the Institute of Road Transport Engineers, he knows a good truck when he sees one.
The latest addition to the fleet is a 2543 Long Distance with just 23,000km on the clock, "I bit their hand off when I saw it." he says.
"We buy trucks that are three years old and keep them for three years before sending them back to Wentworth Park."
The vehicles are currently serviced at Fengate Commercials but Hancock is opening his own workshop to minimise downtime. This will perform the six-weekly inspections and any basic work, saving drivers' vital time getting their trucks to and from the dealership.
When asked what mechanical problems have been encountered with the Actroses he ponders for a few moments before mentioning air valves, a gasket and a clutch.
While fuel economy inevitably varies depending on the work, the fleet's figures range 8.0mpg to 10.0mpg.
That's not bad considering the vehicles generally arrive with more than 200,000km on the clock and run for up to seven days a week. The three vehicles on the paper and magazine work virtually 24 hours a day.
Mark Currie, owner-driver The Actros 2543LS Long Distance used by Mark Currie for container work landed in his lap after a fellow OD went belly up: "He'd spent money putting on all the fancy stuffextra lighting, fancy interior cab, decals... but he saw the writing on the wall and couldn't bear to see his pride and joy taken by the bank. The money from the truck kept him going, but only for awhile. He bought a Renault Premium three months before he packed up with the wolves at the door" That was two years and the five-year-old Actros, minus decals, lamps and velvet interior, returned to its factory colour of white. "It's not me, all that fancy stuff," says Currie. "I looked like a Christmas tree!
"It's worked well and I'd buy another. I had to replace the clutch earlier but Ithink that was down to the driver, not the manufacturer. Apart from that and a few light bulbs it's as was when I got it."
Currie gets around 8.5mpg running across the south of the UK from his Essex base and believes this motor has kept him in business: "If anything major had gone wrong I couldn't have afforded to fix it and would have gone under myself."
Barrie Travis, senior editor, CAP Red Book At it's launch the Actros range of tractor units, particularly the 2543 6x2, was aimed at longdistance owner-drivers rather than fleet operators. Travis says after some initial fears, mainly centred round the gearbox (the old Electronic Power Shift generated some frightening bills when it went wrong), the Telligent electronic gearshift proved to be less troublesome and many of these misgivings proved to be groundless.
At a time when the mighty Oat XF range began to dominate this sector of the market the Actros continued to fare well. Proving itself to be pretty reliable and well up in the economy stakes, the Actros is holding its own in the used market. As far as residuals are concerned this tractor holds its own with the competition, he reports. Used examples are sought after by discerning operators, At the turn of the century a more and more late nineties stock was returning to the market. These were predominantly 35s, but 40s and 43s were also appearing in growing numbers.
It was then that Mercedes implemented one of the most imaginative re-marketing initiatives seen in the heavy commercial vehicles sector. It put together an eminently affordable contract which included repair and maintenance.
This proved to be so popular that, almost at a stroke, its stook of Actros reduced from a surfeit to an easily manageable level In fact at times there was a shortage. While it's tempting to compare the Actros to the Axor, he points out that the Axor is aimed more at the fleet market, However, Travis reckons that the Axor has proved to be a worthy competitor In that sector too.
Jeremy Martell. HGV and plant manager, Mantieim Auctions The only Actros 2543 products with the Long Distance or Megaspace cab that roll through Manheim's sites are from repossessions. An average of four or five might crop up in a month and they will be between two and four years old.
Its big cab and 400hp-plus output makes it an instant favourite with auction goers: the buyers are as likely to be dealers who handle M-B products as end users or the rental market. Martell is keen on them and they are normally among the first vehicles to be listed when advertising ahead.
"They sell every time,he reports. 'First time in and first time out A 100% hit rate. They are good on price—above CAP average for a comparison."
With previous owners likely to be one man bands or operators, rather than major fleet or
rental businesses: the examples tend to be
a little more individual but nonetheless top notch in terms of quality, Martell finds. About 25% of them return with bells and whistles; the Long Distance variant is the favoured vehicle with previous owners. When it comes to selling, he says it stands its ground with the best of the rest with late-year models (two years old) selling regardless, while four-year-old offerings do better if they're well speeded.