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Kent-based civil engineer FM Conway has turned once again to Mercedes BlueTec® SCR technology for the latest additions to its tipper fleet.
The six ‘green giants’ are all 32-tonne eight-wheelers – four Actros 3236s and a pair of Axor 3240s with HMF grab loaders – and were supplied by Sittingbourne dealer Sparshatts of Kent.
FM Conway holds road and footpath repair contracts with most of London’s borough councils and runs a large fleet of Mercedes trucks, including 50 eight-wheelers and more than 100 Atego 7.5-tonners.
All of the new tippers are equipped with BlueTec 4 SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) technology – the system adopted by Mercedes-Benz, and most other truck manufacturers, as the most fuel-efficient way to cut emissions to strict, Euro 4 levels.
FM Conway was also one of the first in its field to adopt the Euro 5 standard, which does not come into force until 2009. Its latest delivery truck, a 6x2 Actros 2532L with Chelmer Truck Bodies platform and rear-mounted HMF brick grab, is equipped with a BlueTec 5 SCR engine.
Plant and Asset Manager Roy Hedderman explains: “We anticipate a service life of at least 10 years for this truck. Running at Euro 5 might seem like a ‘luxury’ now, but within the life of this vehicle it will become a necessity. That’s because in London, trucks that don’t meet Euro 4 and Euro 5 standards will face increased congestion charges from 2010 and 2013 respectively.”
Although the company runs both Actros and Axor eight-wheelers – as well as a few remaining trucks of other marques, which are being replaced by Mercedes as they retire – Mr Hedderman says it’s the Axor that is best suited to most of the company’s work.
“These trucks are on muckaway work but in most cases it’s not unduly demanding,” he explains. “They spend almost all of their time on the road and the Axor’s extra half-tonne of payload in comparison to the Actros is a significant benefit.
“Working in London means constantly dealing with our two biggest problems: city-centre congestion, which slows journey times, and restrictions on where and when we can work. On some sites each vehicle is effectively limited to three or even two loads per day, so it’s vital that we be able to shift as much as possible on each trip. But, of course, for those contracts where ultimate off-road performance and chassis strength is called for, the Actros is unbeatable.”
He continues: “We’re very happy with the performance of our Mercedes but a large factor in our commitment to the three-pointed star is the support we receive from our local dealer, Sparshatts of Kent. They carry out most of our servicing overnight to minimise downtime, and provide replacement vehicles where needed. I’ve always said that any truck is only as good as the support behind it: you can have the most reliable vehicle in the world but when it breaks down, as it assuredly will, you need the back-up of a reliable dealer or you’re in deep trouble.”
A constant flow of 8x4 tippers pass through the gates of the Dartford complex every day, loaded with rubble which is then crushed, graded and washed to created ‘new’ sand and gravel. Up to 95 per cent of the waste material Conway produces is recycled, much of it as ingredients for new concrete which often finds its way back into the same hole from which it was excavated!
From its headquarters in Dartford, Conway also operates 8x4 volumetric concrete mixers, vacuum tankers, road sweepers and platform-bodied rigids of various sizes, as well as a considerable number of Mercedes Sprinter and Vito vans. |
These include two new and highly-specialised Sprinter 311CDIs. One, known internally as the ‘welfare unit’, has seats and tables for eight, a toilet and washing facilities, and a kettle and microwave oven. It travels with road resurfacing gangs, to provide a safe and comfortable place for staff to take food and drink breaks. The second, dubbed the ‘communication unit’, carries audio-visual equipment including a large plasma screen. It serves as a mobile training room for operatives but is also used to give presentations to clients and residents in areas where work is being carried out. It has in important second function too; carrying qualified doctors and nurses from Folkestone-based Premier Occupational Healthcare, it tours work sites to provide a medical advice and treatment service to staff.
The 7.5-tonners look after the ‘bread and butter’ work of carrying out repairs to roads and pavements across the capital. The latest 15 are fitted with Hyva tipping bodies, small electric cranes by Penny Hydraulics, lockable toolboxes and chassis-mounted compressors. For larger road resurfacing projects, meanwhile, the company relies on an 80-tonne Special Types Actros heavy haulage tractor with Nooteboom low-loader trailer to deliver road planers, disc cutters, pavers and rollers to sites.
Conway already operates Britain’s only gully waste recycling plant, at Dartford, and this year will see the opening of a second, at Birmingham. There are only two other such facilities in Europe. |
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