The high-profile operator, which is based in Buxton, Derbyshire, placed its first significant order for Mercedes-Benz trucks after hearing positive reports about the product and after sales back-up provided by local dealer Mertrux.

Lomas Distribution has bought 10 Mercedes-Benz Actros 2455s with 550hp V8 engines and flat-floored MegaSpace cabs, and 14 Actros 2448s with 480hp V6s and Long Distance sleeper cabs.

The more powerful units have been specified for long haul continental duties. Pulling bulk tank trailers with ‘donkey engine’ packs, they are being used primarily to collect lime and cementitious materials from Germany and Italy. The V6-engined vehicles, meanwhile, are equipped with PTOs for tipper/blower operation and work with bulk tipping and walking floor trailers.

All of the new tractors have mid-lift axles with small, 17.5in wheels. This axle offers a weight saving of around 250kg compared to a standard 6×2 unit with 22.5in wheels, and is ideally suited to operators such as Lomas Distribution, who need as much space as possible on their chassis for ancillary equipment such as blowers and wet kit. The mid-lift axles were fitted on line at the Mercedes-Benz truck factory in Woerth, Germany, as were Voith retarders.

Lomas Distribution runs 160 trucks – all but three of them 44-tonne tractor units – and some 200 trailers, the majority of them bulk tankers, which it uses to supply customers in the construction and chemical industries.

Managing Director Richard Lomas confirmed: “The package was competitively priced and Mertrux have come to the table with a lot of good ideas, while they’ve also dealt very efficiently with the couple of minor issues that have cropped up.”

He continued: “The initial feedback from our drivers on their new Mercedes-Benz Actros has all been very positive. They tell me the trucks are comfortable and easy to drive; they particularly like the Voith retarders, which are proving to be very efficient.

“The lads also take a lot of pride in their vehicles, and like to keep them clean and smart. There’s no doubt that with their alloy wheels and light bars, these Actros look the part too.”

Mertrux is one of the country’s top-performing truck dealerships and a regular winner of awards from Mercedes-Benz that recognise the quality of its repair and maintenance, parts, and Service 24h roadside rescue and recovery back-up. The company has headquarters in Derby and other dealerships in Leicester and Nottingham, but Lomas Distribution’s trucks are being maintained at its workshops in Mansfield.

[private] Since 1960, truck fuel consumption has been reduced by 30 per cent. In the same period, emissions levels have decreased by up to 98 percent. Similarly, freight transport efficiency has also increased by more than 80 percent while the introduction of fully automated transmission has reduced driver strain and increased driving comfort.  In terms of safety, smart assistance systems have also had a major role to play.

“In the years to come, engineers will have to pull out all the stops, from enhancing the aerodynamics of the truck and trailer and fine tuning the conventional drive systems we know today to using alternative fuels and perhaps partially hybridizing the power train,” Renschler said.

“While a reduction of fuel consumption and emissions is one of the goals, another aim will be to increase performance and torque – factors that have a big impact on a commercial vehicle’s efficiency and economy,” he added.[/private]

Ian Jones, Managing Director Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles announced: “If the CV Show returns in 2011, so will we, and we plan to return to the NEC with a full range of products and services.  The organisers of this year’s Commercial Vehicle Operators Show have stated their intent to reinstate the show proper next year, and it’s important that there is strong support to that initiative.”

The Commercial Vehicle Show 2009 was cancelled by organisers in light of the global recession and its effects on the industry, and the CV Operators Show in 2010 did not have any truck manufacturers in attendance.

Mr Jones continued:  “As a global business we ensured that Research and Development teams were properly-funded, to guarantee that we don’t reduce the commitment needed to keep the next generation of Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles at the top of their respective sectors.

“If there is another economic downturn we will obviously need to review the decision, and the CV Show will only be viable if other manufacturers join us in committing to the exhibition.  A lot clearly depends on the health of the British economy in the next 12 months of course, but it is our clear intent to return to the CV Show in 2011.”

The CV Show is the latest exhibition attendance announced by Mercedes-Benz UK, and is part of an ongoing commitment to meeting its customers and contacts around the country.  The truck division will feature prominently at Truckfest Peterborough, held at the East of England Showground on Sunday 2nd and Bank Holiday Monday 3rd May.  The large show stand will include a wide range of the company’s latest trucks and vans, along with experts from Mercedes-Benz UK on hand to answer questions and to talk trucks.

Ian Jones said:  “Truckfest remains a highpoint in our event calendar, and is an excellent way to meet operators, drivers and their families.  At 4,500 square metres, this year’s stand is the biggest we’ve ever had and there’s plenty to fill it.  Alongside the business elements, of course we plan to have some fun for all the family.  There will be face-painters, our MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula 1 simulator, and lots more besides – plus amazing mountain bike displays from the Animal Relentless bike tour!”

Van Experience, a two-week ride-and-drive event held in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, will run from 14-25 June.  Here, guests drive Mercedes-Benz Vans in a range of challenging conditions designed to highlight the myriad safety systems fitted as standard to every Mercedes-Benz Van.

Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles is also exhibiting at a number of specialist shows including: FutureSource, formerly known as the IWM Show, in London’s ExCeL; Green Fleet Arrive and Drive at Rockingham Raceway; RWM at the NEC; with dealers being the main point of contacts at the four regional Truckfest shows held around the country throughout the summer.

Veolia Environmental Services ordered the fleet of Actros after winning a prestigious, £640-million contract from Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority which, working as part of the Merseyside and Halton Waste Partnership, is responsible for the disposal and recycling of the region’s municipal waste.

Under the 20-year contract, Veolia is operating a network of 16 Household Recycling Centres as well as a pioneering Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) at Bidston, Wirral – Veolia will also deliver a new £16-million flagship MRF and Visitor Centre at Gillmoss, Liverpool.

Supplied by Warrington dealer Enza, the new Mercedes line- up comprises 22 double-drive Actros 2644S tractor units and 13 8×4 Actros 3236K rigids. They are being used to transport waste and recyclables within the region’s infrastructure network.

The tractors, 12 of which have yet to enter service, have hub reduction axles and are on full steel suspension. The rigids, meanwhile, are fitted with Hyva hook loading gear and work with high capacity containers.

Power from the trucks’ low emission BlueTec® Euro 5 engines is transferred via the new, offroad version of the smooth and fuel-efficient 12-speed Mercedes PowerShift gearbox.

Actros last year became the first truck range to be equipped with an automated transmission as standard but this applies only to distribution models; on 6×4 tractors, and 6×4 and 8×4 rigids, the ruggedly reliable Mercedes PowerShift offroad is offered as an optional alternative to the standard 16-speed manual range change gearbox with splitter.

The first automated transmission to be purpose-designed by Mercedes-Benz for construction and associated applications, the new system makes very fast gearchanges to minimise tractive force interruptions. Not only does this prevent the vehicle from becoming bogged down or losing speed on inclines, it also protects the clutch and drivetrain.

The rebranding follows a decision by Hanson to merge its Castle Cement and Civil and Marine slag cement businesses into a new division, Hanson Cement, and phase out trucks in the red and white colours of Castle or the blue of Civil and Marine.

Andrew Bridge, Distribution Director at Hanson Cement, explains: “There were obvious synergies to bringing the two powder businesses together and creating a single operating unit, and this process was completed earlier this year.

“The new livery is clean and simple, but at the same time eye-catching, and the early feedback from customers and others who have seen our latest Mercedes on the road has all been very positive.”

Supplied by Peterborough dealer Intercounty Truck & Van, the new trucks are all high-roofed 6×2 Axor 2543 models.

Hanson Cement operates a fleet of 170 articulated tractors, most of which pull powder tank trailers at the maximum 44 tonnes gcw. These vehicles work from four distribution sites and three production facilities – at Padeswood in Mold, north Wales; at Ribblesdale in Clitheroe, Lancashire; and at Ketton, in Stamford, Lincolnshire – all of which boast industry-leading environmental performance with the lowest levels of CO2 emissions.

In addition to bulk cements, Hanson Cement offers an extensive range of packaged products, including cements, concretes, mortars and limes, and GGBS (ground granulated blast furnace slag), a by-product of the steel manufacturing process used in the manufacture of concrete.

Mercedes-Benz commands an 80 per cent share of the Hanson Cement fleet – it is the operator’s policy, under its four- yearly replacement cycle, to allocate the remaining 20 per cent of its new vehicle orders to a second brand.

Bridge continues: “We favour Mercedes trucks because they are outstandingly fuel-efficient, an attribute that translates into reduced emissions; our latest Axor, for example, are always fully freighted but returning an impressive average of 8.25mpg.

“They are also very reliable, which means we are consistently achieving our goal of 95 per cent ‘uptime’ across the fleet. And although we maintain our trucks in house, the support we get both from Mercedes-Benz UK and its dealer Intercounty Truck & Van is first class too.”

Like the rest of the construction industry Hanson Cement has been hit by the effects of the recession, but Bridge now feels able to strike a note of cautious optimism.

“It’s certainly been a difficult trading period but the market appears finally to have stabilised in terms of volumes,” he says. “We have restructured the business and are now a lot leaner. But we’ve also retained our infrastructure, so that when the market picks up again we’ll be well placed to take advantage by servicing the increasing demand.”

Supplied by Newtownabbey dealer Mercedes-Benz Truck & Van (NI), the 26-tonne Actros 2532 has lined up alongside the Hillsborough-based company’s three other Actros, all of which are from the previous model generation.

Andrew operates its trucks for four years, during which they are serviced under Mercedes-Benz repair and maintenance contracts; it replaces one unit every 12 months on a year on a constant rolling programme.

The new Actros has a Banbridge Coachworks box body and Ratcliff tail lift, and is transporting food products, including flour and other bakery ingredients, to customers throughout Ireland.

International Truck of the Year 2009, the latest Actros sports a redesigned cab and is also the first truck range to be fitted as standard with an automated transmission.

Managing Director Tim Andrew was already a strong advocate of auto ‘boxes in trucks, and is delighted they are now a standard fitment.

“In multi-drop applications like ours, with constant stopping and starting, they make perfect sense,” he says. “This is a tough job and we do everything we can to make our drivers’ lives easier.”

John Bradford, who has been with the company four years but has 20 years of experience behind the wheel, was handed the keys to the new Actros and is already impressed, especially with the latest Mercedes PowerShift 2 transmission.

The 4×2 Econic 1828LLG is on a six-month loan, after which Britain’s Favourite Baker will have the option of adding the vehicle to its national fleet on a long-term lease.

Group Transport Manager Mark Sutcliffe says: “Mercedes-Benz is a relatively new brand to Warburtons, but I have worked with the manufacturer in previous roles and know from experience that its trucks are built to a very high standard.”

As well as assessing the strikingly-liveried vehicle in terms of the reduction in carbon emissions it offers compared to a diesel-powered truck, Warburtons is also considering its operational suitability.

“We’ll be monitoring its performance closely and won’t have the full picture for some time,” says Sutcliffe. “But it’s fair to say that the early signs, and initial reactions from our drivers, are positive. The low-entry cab, with its easy access and excellent visibility, has certainly been well received.”

Warburtons has been operating gas-powered and dual-fuel trucks for 10 years. A quarter of its 100 tractor units and a number of its 800 delivery trucks, which range in size from 12 to 15 tonnes gvw, run wholly or partly on gas.

The 18-tonne Axor 1833 and 12-tonne Atego 1224 arrived via the Exeter dealership of Mercedes-Benz dealer for the south- west, City West Commercials.

Both vehicles have sleeper cabs and are powered by low-emission BlueTec® Euro 5 engines. Their box bodies, which by Hills Bodyworks, of Exeter, are fitted with tuckaway tail-lifts.

J&K Aquatics runs an all-Mercedes fleet of 11 rigids – the line-up also comprises another two 18-tonners, four 12- tonners and three 7.5-tonners – as well as a pair of Sprinter vans.

All are on private registration plates and none is more than a year old – “Given the high mileages they cover we like to keep our vehicles up to date,” explains Managing Director Paul James

They are used to deliver J&K’s comprehensive range of aquariums, ponds and related products, as well as tropical and cold water fish, to retailers throughout the UK and Ireland.

James and his wife Judy founded J&K Aquatics in 1984. It is now a £10-million turnover business employing 73 people.

The firm trades from Bathpool, Taunton, but to meet increasing demand is planning a move to a new, £3-million purpose-built headquarters in North Petherton, Bridgwater, offering twice its current warehouse capacity.

“Business is good, and Mercedes-Benz continues to play an important part in the J&K success story,” confirms James. “We have been buying Mercedes trucks and vans since the mid and they have never let us down, while they’re also popular with our drivers.”

Ernie will keep his ‘personalised’ Mercedes Axor X for 12 months, after winning Sainsbury’s 2009 Driver of the Year competition.

Nearly 600 drivers took part in the contest. A series of local events saw them whittled down to just 15 – each representing a different depot – who battled it out in a grand final staged at the Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground in Leicestershire and supported by Mercedes-Benz UK.

Ernie emerged victorious after an action-packed day which, as well as truck manoeuvring tests, included skid car, 4×4 and oval circuit challenges.

He and wife Alice had already enjoyed their prize of a luxury weekend hotel break, complete with Mercedes SLK- Class sports car. So the arrival of his new truck, which was presented to Ernie as he finished a night shift run to Aberdeen and back, came as a complete surprise.

“I still can’t quite believe it,” says Ernie, who has been driving trucks for 22 years, the last six of them with Sainsbury’s. “The Axor X is a really nice drive, very spacious and comfortable. It’s also a real head- turner and is attracting a lot of comment – our standard cab colour is white, of course, so the other drivers I work with have dubbed my truck the ‘Black Pearl’.”

The fuel-efficient Mercedes Axor is the tractor unit of choice for several of Britain’s biggest supermarkets. Sainsbury’s took delivery of its first 130 Axor in 2007; it now operates a fleet of nearly 650 and recently ordered another 135, all of which are due to enter service by December.

Launched last year, the Axor X boasts a host of additional features aimed at drivers, including a multi- adjustable air-sprung driver’s seat, a Bluetooth-enabled stereo, a dash trimmed in high-quality brushed steel- effect trim and an electric sunroof with tinted glass, as well as the acclaimed Mercedes PowerShift 12-speed automated transmission.

The £300-million, five-year contract covers large stretches of the M5, M6, M50, M54, M40 and M42 motorways as well as major thoroughfares such as the A46, A45 and A500.

As well as performing routine maintenance, traffic management and incident response duties, Amey is also responsible for updating and improving technology systems and equipment across the region.

To service this contract, Amey has invested in a new fleet of 20 Mercedes 18-tonners – comprising 11 low-entry Econics and nine Axor – all of which were supplied by Mudie-Bond, Oxford.

Two of the Econic 1824s are barrier replacement rigs and fitted with Palfinger cranes, while the remainder are traffic management vehicles. All bristle with high-tech fittings and equipment. Each has a GPRS tracking device and CCTV cameras to provide ‘live feed’ of any incidents to the network control centre. They also carry traffic management equipment such as cones, signs and scene screens to prevent ‘rubber-necking’ by passing drivers, and can be loaded with reinforced ‘tank matting’ used to provide additional space off the carriageways of roads without hard shoulders.

The Axor 1824s are incident support units, five of them dedicated impact protection vehicles equipped with energy- absorbing crash bumpers.

Mudie-Bond enjoys a long-standing relationship with Amey – unlike many of the vehicles it has supplied previously to the national highway operator, these latest trucks are based within the dealer’s area so will return to its workshops for all servicing and maintenance.

The Fareham-based operated has assigned its latest 32-tonners to a prestigious new contract with Cemex, the leading supplier of cement, readymix concrete and associated products. The deal will see it deliver around half a million tonnes of aggregates a year, to construction sites and fixed outlets along the south coast.

The Axor 3236s are fitted with lightweight alloy bodies by Wilcox Commercial Vehicles, of Peterborough, and are being serviced under five-year Mercedes-Benz repair and maintenance contracts by supplying dealer Pentagon Commercials, whose workshop is a stone’s throw from TJ Transport’s headquarters.

They have joined a fleet of 70 trucks, comprising skip loaders, grab lorries, tippers and tractor units, that work with tipping and ejector trailers. Several marques are represented. “We like to keep a mix of vehicle brands,” explains Operations Director John Gosling, “because certain trucks are better at some things than others.”

The firm bought its first Mercedes-Benz 12 years ago and the three-pointed star has been ever-present on its fleet since; today, in addition to the new Axor, it also operates 8×4 Actros tippers with steel bodies for muckaway work, and a double-drive Actros tractor unit.

“These are our first 8×4 Axor and they are proving productive and cost-effective to operate,” Mr Gosling continues. “They’ve been specified for aggregates work so payloads are the right side of 20 tonnes and we’ve been pleasantly surprised by the fuel returns, which are in line with what Pentagon told us we could expect. We’re getting mpg figures in the early 8s, which is pretty good for this type of work.”

He adds: “Pentagon provide a high standard of service, maintaining our Mercedes through the night, so that they’re always available when we need them. And on the rare occasion we’ve had a problem in the past, its 24-hour emergency response service has always performed well.”

TJ Transport is part of the TJ Group of haulage, recycling and waste management companies, which was formed in 1995. It operates primarily within a 40-mile radius of Fareham and has vast experience in the transport and disposal of a wide range of inert and hazardous waste materials, as well as supplying customers with land-sourced, sea-dredged and recycled aggregates.

Mounted on a stretched 4×2 Mercedes-Benz Econic chassis, the cone-handling technology was jointly developed by Leominster-based specialist Highway Care and a partner based in the United States.

A typical road maintenance closure can entail laying 450 cones, which, because the contractor is invariably working to a tight deadline, must be set in place as quickly as possible.

Standard UK-specification cones are also taller and heavier (at 9kg) than those used in Europe and America, so the risk of injury to the two- and three-man crews who have to perform the task manually by dropping cones from the backs of trucks, is high.

Automated systems are already in operation in many other countries but until now none met the stringent guidelines for cone laying machines set out by the UK Highways Agency. Highway Care has secured the UK distribution licence for the new, computer-controlled technology, which was unveiled at a recent presentation to Highways Agency officials and is now undergoing trials by the Government-backed Transport Research Laboratory.

The Econic 1824 was chosen for its low-entry cab and reliability. The chassis was supplied by Cardiff Mercedes-Benz, dealer Euro Commercials, then sent to Chassis Developments, of Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, where its wheelbase was lengthened from the standard 4.8 to 6.7 metres. The finished truck is just under the 12-metre legal maximum length.

Capable of placing and collecting cones and building and collecting tapers, it can be driven and operated by a single individual, thus reducing the labour required to establish a regular length traffic closure by 60 per cent.

Highway Care Managing Director Nigel Bullock has high hopes for the new system. “There is mounting pressure on the industry from the Health & Safety Executive to find a way of automating the job of cone deployment and thus reduce the incidence to crews of repetitive strain injury (RSI) and other strains,” he says.

“We have identified a potential market of several hundred vehicles for our new system. It won’t be appropriate for every situation in which cones have to be laid, but it will certainly be right for the majority of them.”

And he adds: “We’ve based the equipment on a Mercedes Econic because from a safety point of view it’s preferable to have a low-entry cab that can be accessed from both sides.

“Reliability is also crucial, because if a machine were to break down the operator could face severe financial penalties. Mercedes-Benz has an outstanding reputation for reliability which, having bought several other Mercedes from Trevor Gardiner, the municipal sales specialist at Euro Commercials, we know to be well founded.”

Highway Care is a pioneer in the field of road safety products. Its range includes fixed and vehicle-mounted crash cushions – it introduced the first lorry-mounted crash cushion to the UK – and temporary and permanent barriers.

The Fareham-based operated has assigned its latest 32-tonners to a prestigious new contract with Cemex, the leading supplier of cement, readymix concrete and associated products. The deal will see it deliver around half a million tonnes of aggregates a year, to construction sites and fixed outlets along the south coast.

The Axor 3236s are fitted with lightweight alloy bodies by Wilcox Commercial Vehicles, of Peterborough, and are being serviced under five-year Mercedes-Benz repair and maintenance contracts by supplying dealer Pentagon
Commercials, whose workshop is a stone’s throw from TJ Transport’s headquarters.

They have joined a fleet of 70 trucks, comprising skip loaders, grab lorries, tippers and tractor units, that work with tipping and ejector trailers. Several marques are represented. “We like to keep a mix of vehicle brands,” explains Operations Director John Gosling, “because certain trucks are better at some things than others.”

The firm bought its first Mercedes-Benz 12 years ago and the three-pointed star has been ever-present on its fleet since; today, in addition to the new Axor, it also operates 8×4 Actros tippers with steel bodies for muckaway work, and a double-drive Actros tractor unit.