T Barry nets fuel bonus with New Actros from Mercedes-Benz
The first Mercedes-Benz New Actros tractor units to wear the colours of Gloucestershire bulk haulier T Barry have made a flying start, setting new standards for fuel efficiency from the outset.
Leading the way is the operator’s 510 hp New Actros 2551 flagship. Within 10 weeks of entering service it was returning 6.97 mpg, compared to a fleet average of 6.4 mpg.
T Barry’s second New Actros, a 2542 model with 420 hp version of the same, state-of-the-art straight-six engine, arrived six weeks behind the first. It is now averaging 6.91 mpg.
“Bulk haulage will never be the most fuel-efficient of applications, so a saving of half a mile per gallon is worth a great deal,” says Managing Director Bob Barry. “In fact, it equates to about £4,600 a year for a single vehicle. Multiply that by the 20 tractors on our fleet and you’re talking about £92,000 – that sort of figure can make all the difference to our bottom line.”
Both trucks are fitted with wind-cheating, 2.3m-wide StreamSpace cabs – a 2.5m version is also available – and have been supplied by Rygor’s Swindon branch, the operator having taken advantage of the competitive funding available from Mercedes-Benz Financial Services.
Rygor Swindon has also just supplied T Barry with a pair of 440 hp tractors from the current Actros range. These 2544 Long Distance units are the subject of a CharterWay contract hire agreement from MBFS.
With headquarters at South Cerney, Cirencester, T Barry was founded with a single vehicle in 1960 by Mr Barry’s father Terry.
The company operates a couple of eight-wheeled rigids alongside its tractor units, and provides regular work for a number of owner-drivers. In addition to its bulk tipping fleet, it runs a general haulage operation, using curtainsider trailers and a quartet of ‘spot-hired’ 6x2 tractors, three of them Mercedes-Benz Axors.
However, the four trucks just delivered by Rygor following successful trials by T Barry of a couple of demonstration units fitted with tipping gear, represent the operator’s first investments in vehicles bearing three-pointed stars for many years.
Says Bob Barry: “We’re very pleased with our latest Mercedes-Benz trucks and particularly the New Actros, which look great and have been a big hit with the drivers.
“I’m happy too, with the back-up we’re getting from Rygor. The dealership inspects and services the vehicles overnight so they’re always available for work when we need them, and provides vans for our drivers to take home while their trucks are in the workshop, then return in the next morning. This means we don’t have to do a thing, and there’s no loss of earnings for our business.”
Rygor is one of Britain’s leading commercial vehicle dealers. The company employs some 600 people and operates from headquarters in Westbury, Wiltshire, and 11 other facilities across West London, Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset and Worcestershire. As well as the award-winning Mercedes-Benz truck and van ranges, Rygor also sell and supports popular Fuso Canter light trucks.
