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Enthusiastic driver feedback and competitive fuel costs from a demonstration unit persuaded the multi-faceted Lewis Day Transport PLC to place a breakthrough order for its first Mercedes-Benz trucks.
The high-profile company is now running four Actros 2546 tractor units with range-topping, flat-floored MegaSpace cabs, and a pair of 18-tonne Axor 1824 rigids with curtainside bodies by Colliers Truck Builders, of Malden, Essex, and tail-lifts.
All six trucks have BlueTec® Euro 4 SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) engines. Lewis Day recognises that SCR is the most fuel-efficient system for truck operations, and the technology adopted by most manufacturers to maximise mpg performance while minimising harmful emissions.
Proponents of the rival EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system employed by two manufacturers claim the non-toxic AdBlue reduction agent required in the SCR process to convert pollutant nitrogen dioxides into harmless nitrogen and water represents an unnecessary, additional burden for drivers and operators.
For Lewis Day Sales & Marketing Director Nigel Davison, though, this argument is flawed. “AdBlue is easily handled, cheap to buy and consumed so slowly that the benefits of using it in terms of reduced fuel consumption far outweigh any downsides,” he insists.
Lewis Day Transport’s new Mercedes trucks were supplied by Hatfield dealer S and B Commercials and are now working from the operator’s depot in Swindon, one of 17 nationwide. The tractors are being double-shifted, and will each cover 80,000 miles a year; the rigids are assigned to more local distribution duties.
Mr Davison continues: “S and B provided us with an Actros demonstrator and it was very well received by the team at Swindon, especially the drivers who loved the big, well laid out MegaSpace cab.
“We are delighted with our new Mercedes, and with the support we’ve received from the dealer, and now look forward to developing our relationship over the months and years to come.”
A member of the Freight Transport Association and the Road Haulage Association, Lewis Day offers a wide variety of services, ranging from same-day parcels delivery in several cities using motorcycles and vans, to national and international distribution for ‘blue chip’ customers. Its total fleet extends to more than 1,800 vehicles.
And although these are the first Mercedes trucks it has owned outright, Lewis Day is no stranger to the three-pointed star – it also operates an executive car and VIP chauffeur service, and runs a fleet of Mercedes E- and S-Class limousines. |
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