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Value for money was the crucial factor in persuading the City of Edinburgh Council to place its first orders for Mercedes trucks.
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Eight wheels…the Actros 3236 is fitted with a hook lifter.
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The high-profile ‘conquest’ deal represents a major breakthrough for Mercedes-Benz and prompted celebrations at Broxburn dealer Western Commercial.
The City Council is now running five new Mercedes rigids – two 18-tonne Axor 1824Ks, a 26-tonne Axor 2629K, and a pair of 32-tonne Actros 3236Ks – all of which have low-emission BlueTec® Euro 4 engines.
The four- and six-wheeled Axor have been assigned to the local authority’s road services team. They have steel tipping bodies and are now being used for general maintenance work, typically carrying tar, gravel, cement, blocks and the like; the 26-tonner is additionally equipped with a Palfinger crane, which is mounted immediately behind the cab.
These vehicles can also operate with interchangeable QCB gritting bodies and snow plough equipment.
The eight-wheeled Actros, meanwhile, boasts an Autotrans automated transmission and is fitted with a Multilift hook lift for handling the 40 cubic yard containers used on Edinburgh’s waste disposal sites to collect glass, cans and other commodities which are then recycled.
Assistant Transport Manager Jim Lambie explains: “We tender our fleet replacement programme requirements each year and then evaluate the responses very carefully.
“We know from talking to other local authorities that Mercedes vehicles are strong, reliable and cost-effective to operate. The manufacturer has also made a number of changes to the specification of its trucks, particular in respect of the Axor’s cab, which was recently redesigned, that make them more suitable to our operation.
“And of course, not only did these Mercedes meet our exacting technical requirements, they were also available at the right price.”
Mr Lambie continues: “It’s easy to compare purchase prices but it’s crucial that we look beyond the ’up front’ figures to identify those vehicles likely to incur the lowest ‘whole life’ costs over a minimum of seven years. That’s what we did in this case, and that’s why these orders went to Western Commercial.”
The City of Edinburgh Council operates a mixed-marque fleet of around 1,000 commercial vehicles. According to Mr Lambie there is every prospect of Mercedes-Benz making further in-roads when it places the next round of orders.
“These are early days, of course, but we like what we’ve seen so far of the trucks and of the dealer,” he says.
The City Council is now running five new Mercedes rigids – two 18-tonne Axor 1824Ks, a 26-tonne Axor 2629K, and a pair of 32-tonne Actros 3236Ks – all of which have low-emission BlueTec® Euro 4 engines.
The four- and six-wheeled Axor have been assigned to the local authority’s road services team. They have steel tipping bodies and are now being used for general maintenance work, typically carrying tar, gravel, cement, blocks and the like; the 26-tonner is additionally equipped with a Palfinger crane, which is mounted immediately behind the cab.
These vehicles can also operate with interchangeable QCB gritting bodies and snow plough equipment.
The eight-wheeled Actros, meanwhile, boasts an Autotrans automated transmission and is fitted with a Multilift hook lift for handling the 40 cubic yard containers used on Edinburgh’s waste disposal sites to collect glass, cans and other commodities which are then recycled.
Assistant Transport Manager Jim Lambie explains: “We tender our fleet replacement programme requirements each year and then evaluate the responses very carefully.
“We know from talking to other local authorities that Mercedes vehicles are strong, reliable and cost-effective to operate. The manufacturer has also made a number of changes to the specification of its trucks, particular in respect of the Axor’s cab, which was recently redesigned, that make them more suitable to our operation.
“And of course, not only did these Mercedes meet our exacting technical requirements, they were also available at the right price.”
Mr Lambie continues: “It’s easy to compare purchase prices but it’s crucial that we look beyond the ’up front’ figures to identify those vehicles likely to incur the lowest ‘whole life’ costs over a minimum of seven years. That’s what we did in this case, and that’s why these orders went to Western Commercial.”
The City of Edinburgh Council operates a mixed-marque fleet of around 1,000 commercial vehicles. According to Mr Lambie there is every prospect of Mercedes-Benz making further in-roads when it places the next round of orders.
“These are early days, of course, but we like what we’ve seen so far of the trucks and of the dealer,” he says.
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