One of Britain’s busiest grain merchants has invested in its first New Actros tractor units from Mercedes-Benz. Nidera’s latest five vehicles are all New Actros 2545 models with aerodynamic, flat-floored StreamSpace cabs and fuel-efficient 450 bhp engines mated to state-of-the-art Mercedes PowerShift 3 12-speed automated transmissions.
Pulling bulk tipping trailers, they are now making nationwide deliveries of cereals, oilseeds and protein to customers in the food, feed and bio-energy industries.
Ipswich-based Nidera runs a fleet of 44 6×2 tractors, all but a handful of which wear three-pointed stars. Its New Actros arrived, like their predecessors, via local dealer Orwell Truck & Van, which will be inspecting and servicing the trucks under seven-year Mercedes-Benz repair & maintenance contracts.
Nidera also has six more New Actros on order, set for delivery next year. Tim Capey, the company’s general manager, industrial operations, said: “We’ve heard a lot of good things about New Actros, particularly in terms of fuel consumption. Mercedes-Benz was talking at launch about an improvement in economy of up to seven per cent – given the fact the previous Actros is itself a highly fuel-efficient vehicle, if the new model comes even close to that figure then it’s an easy decision.
“They’ve only been on the road for a few weeks, so it’s too early yet to comment on the mpg returns, but we’re certainly very pleased with our New Actros,” Capey continued. “They look fantastic and the drivers, who typically spend two or three nights away each week, are delighted with their comfortable cabs and beds, as well as the smooth performance of the trucks.”
Nidera’s New Actros are also equipped with Daimler FleetBoard telematics systems. FleetBoard analyses driver performance against a range of criteria, including over revving, harsh braking, idling, speeding and ‘green band’ driving, and highlights areas in which improvements can be made.
Nidera has also retro-fitted all of its trucks with FleetBoard hardware within the last year and calculates as a direct result of the data produced, and the targeted training it has then delivered to address shortcomings in driving style, it has achieved a 17 per cent saving in fuel costs.
Nidera is an international trading company and has been operating in the UK for more than 20 years. The company is active at every stage of the grain supply chain, originating all types of arable crops from farmers and marketing and distributing them to consumers throughout the UK.
