Lomas weighs in with first Mercedes-Benz truck order
Mercedes-Benz has clinched a breakthrough deal for 24 premium specification Actros tractor units with leading bulk powder and liquids haulier Lomas Distribution.
The high-profile operator, which is based in Buxton, Derbyshire, placed its first significant order for Mercedes-Benz trucks after hearing positive reports about the product and after sales back-up provided by local dealer Mertrux.
Lomas Distribution has bought 10 Mercedes-Benz Actros 2455s with 550hp V8 engines and flat-floored MegaSpace cabs, and 14 Actros 2448s with 480hp V6s and Long Distance sleeper cabs.
The more powerful units have been specified for long haul continental duties. Pulling bulk tank trailers with ‘donkey engine’ packs, they are being used primarily to collect lime and cementitious materials from Germany and Italy. The V6-engined vehicles, meanwhile, are equipped with PTOs for tipper/blower operation and work with bulk tipping and walking floor trailers.
All of the new tractors have mid-lift axles with small, 17.5in wheels. This axle offers a weight saving of around 250kg compared to a standard 6x2 unit with 22.5in wheels, and is ideally suited to operators such as Lomas Distribution, who need as much space as possible on their chassis for ancillary equipment such as blowers and wet kit. The mid-lift axles were fitted on line at the Mercedes-Benz truck factory in Woerth, Germany, as were Voith retarders.
Lomas Distribution runs 160 trucks – all but three of them 44-tonne tractor units – and some 200 trailers, the majority of them bulk tankers, which it uses to supply customers in the construction and chemical industries.
Managing Director Richard Lomas confirmed: “The package was competitively priced and Mertrux have come to the table with a lot of good ideas, while they’ve also dealt very efficiently with the couple of minor issues that have cropped up.”
He continued: “The initial feedback from our drivers on their new Mercedes-Benz Actros has all been very positive. They tell me the trucks are comfortable and easy to drive; they particularly like the Voith retarders, which are proving to be very efficient.
“The lads also take a lot of pride in their vehicles, and like to keep them clean and smart. There’s no doubt that with their alloy wheels and light bars, these Actros look the part too.”
Mertrux is one of the country’s top-performing truck dealerships and a regular winner of awards from Mercedes-Benz that recognise the quality of its repair and maintenance, parts, and Service 24h roadside rescue and recovery back-up. The company has headquarters in Derby and other dealerships in Leicester and Nottingham, but Lomas Distribution’s trucks are being maintained at its workshops in Mansfield.
