Dirt brokers turn to Mercedes-Benz Actros

The Actros is working in a part of the EPH business that deals in dirt logistics. EPH Managing Director Michael Willson says this division acts as a dirt broker: “It’s like the stock market, but with dirt.”

Mr Willson adds: “If a customer is digging a hole somewhere and they need to get rid of dirt, we can put them in touch with the closest person who wants clean fill. We can find the best possible option for the customer and it is good for them and it is good for the environment because it means much of the material can be re-used.”

“It represents quite a significant change for us,” Mr Willson says. The drive experience is very different, he explains. “It is like getting out of a 1970s car and into the latest model Mercedes.”

Mr Willson says the Actros is a perfect fit for its business, which does a lot of work in the city and the suburbs. “It is a hell of a lot easier to operate than our other trucks,” he says.

“A lot of our work is in the metropolitan area and when you are going down residential streets, the tight turning circle the Mercedes has, compared to other trucks, the ease of operation, in forward and reverse, these are really significant in metropolitan areas.”

EPH Fleet Manager Ben Paganoni says the maneuverability of the Actros, the excellent visibility and the level of refinement in the cab mean it is a lot less taxing on the driver.

There is a lot less fatigue,” Mr Paganoni says. “Our driver gets out of the truck feeling brand new and wants to wash it every night.”

He mentions the cab is considerably quieter than its existing American-style models.

“When you are using the hands-free phone system people don’t even know you are in a truck, they think you are in a car,” he says. “In the American-style trucks, the hands-free system is just about useless because you can’t hear it.”

Mr Willson says the robustness of the Actros is also a huge plus, adding there was not a single problem with the test truck during the nine months it was working. This is crucially important for EPH, which needs its trucks working every day the sun is shining, because in this line of work, very little work can be done when it is raining.

The company has signed the Actros up on a full maintenance agreement, taking some pressure off the in-house workshop, which does a lot of work maintaining its current fleet of American-style models.

Many of the EPH drivers are “die-hard fans” of American-style trucks and took a while to warm to the Mercedes-Benz test truck when it first arrived.

“When we got the demo truck they were almost ridiculing the guys who were driving it and then when it was their turn they were quiet for a while and when the new truck was being delivered there was almost a fight over who was going to drive it,” Mr Willson explains.

EPH added some extra chrome and stainless steel elements to the Actros truck in line with driver preferences.

“The drivers are critical to us,” Mr Willson says. “They are taking your very expensive asset out and off they go,” he says. “If they are happy, they also look after the truck better.”

Contact:

James Stanford
Head of Public Relations
Daimler Truck and Bus
0466 414 751
Email: james.stanford@daimler.com