Mercedes-Benz trucks look good on paper and in practice
No-one could accuse TGM Environmental of jumping aboard the waste management bandwagon – it’s been shredding and recycling paper for customers of all sizes across London for more than 100 years.
What is still relatively new, though, is the Charlton-based company’s conversion to Mercedes-Benz trucks.
Latest to arrive from Sittingbourne dealer Sparshatts of Kent is a 26-tonne Axor 2533 with curtainside body by JC Payne (UK) of Aldridge, West Midlands. It carries a Moffett Mounty fork-lift and is used to collect bales of paper and cardboard that can weigh anything up to 600kg, from customers’ premises.
The new six-wheeler has joined a fleet that includes a pair of Mercedes-Benz Axor 2543 high-roofed tractor units and two more Mercedes-Benz vehicles – a 13-tonne Atego and a 3.5-tonne Sprinter – with box bodies and tail-lifts, all of which have entered service since the beginning of this year.
TGM Environmental is also waiting to take delivery of a second 26-tonne Atego, this time a 2529 model, which is being fitted with a Dennis Eagle refuse body. It will work from a depot in West Horsley, Surrey, and be used primarily to make collections from commercial printers.
The door to the TGM fleet was opened by another Axor 2543 tractor, which the company set on the road in 2005. The subject of a contract hire deal with Mercedes-Benz CharterWay, the manufacturer’s commercial vehicle finance arm, it has been used to pull walking floor trailers.
“We decided to give Mercedes-Benz a try and they’ve certainly made the most of the opportunity,” confirmed Operations Director Bill Thorne. “That truck has been the most cost-effective and trouble-free on the fleet, while Sparshatts’ after sales service has been every bit as good.
“Indeed, the quality of the dealer’s back-up has been instrumental in persuading us to place this year’s orders for Mercedes-Benz trucks. The workshop team at Sparshatts’ Dartford depot look after us very well – our vehicles are always ready on time and they’ve never let us down.”
TGM Environmental has purchased all of its new vehicles and signed-up to five-year Mercedes-Benz repair and maintenance contracts.
The company invests constantly in the best processes to separate, treat and recycle waste, minimising the amount sent to landfill. As one of the longest-established businesses in its sector, it also plays a leading role on industry associations that advise government on future waste initiatives.
