Rhys Ford and his “Muck Monkey” Arocs

The company colour is white. Usually. However, for the company’s 20th anniversary, James Ward and his son-in-law, Rhys Ford, wanted something completely different: with a jet-black paint job from the roof to the wheel hubs, an Arocs 3248 8x4 now delivers a real contrast to the depot. And despite this, it has no reason to hide. The signal horns and light bar on the roof are just as much a part of the look as the eye-catching red elements in the radiator grille and red headlight guards.

The “Muck Monkey”.

The truck, with its 12.8-litre engine and 350 kilowatts of performance, is on the road in the south-west of Great Britain, where Rhys Ford delivers soil and stones in his Arocs. This is also where the name of the truck comes from: Muck Monkey. It’s all rounded off with the unmissable, angry monkey face on both sides of the cab.

Inside, things get classy: leather upholstery, a refrigerator and a stationary air conditioner add to the comfort. The Multimedia Cockpit, interactive was chosen for the instrumentation. Rhys Ford: “The dashboard with the big 12-inch touch display is brilliant. It looks great and the screens are very easy to use. It’s like you’ve got a tablet at hand. I can set some things, such as the cabin temperature, much more accurately with the digital displays.”

Adieu mirrors.

Rhys was sceptical about MirrorCam. “Why should you replace what works fine as it is? But it didn’t take long for me to appreciate how much better the cameras are compared to conventional mirrors. The view out back is so much better, and I love the manoeuvring view!”

James Ward started the company and relied on Mercedes‑Benz three- and four-axle vehicles from the very beginning: “We are particularly happy with the Arocs. Our Muck Monkey is an amazing truck.”

Photos: Impact