S&B Commercials has supplied Palletways with 67 new Mercedes-Benz trucks, as the network ups the proportion of its fleet on long-term contract hire.
Palletways traditionally spot hires much of its fleet, but the network said it had been operating Mercedes trucks on a rental basis for a number of years, and that its experiences had been "entirely positive".
The network has ordered 28 new Actros tractor units. The majority of these are 428hp vehicles with StreamSpace cabs, with four BigSpace cabs boasting 476hp.
Rigids make up the rest of the order, with a mix of 18- and 26-tonne Antos trucks.
At the smaller end of the scale the network will have eight 15-tonne and four 7.5-tonne Ategos.
The rigids are all fitted with Lawrence David bodies and curtains and go to Palletways on contract hire from Mercedes-Benz finance.
The majority of the trucks have been delivered, and will be working in Palletways' depots in Oxford; Bristol; Glasgow; Cardiff and Edinburgh.
Proximity Control Assist and Active Break Assist 4 have been fitted to all of the new vehicles except the Ategos, along with Predictive Powertrain Control systems designed to save fuel.
Palletways' director of owned operations Zac Brown said: "By specifying the latest fuel-saving technology we are demonstrating our commitment not only to operational efficiency, but also to the environment, through the reduction in emissions that we expect to achieve.
"Meanwhile, hugely impressive systems such as Active Brake Assist 4, with its ground-breaking pedestrian recognition capability, underline our unstinting focus on safety.”
Brown added that the Mercedes-Benz trucks had been well received by drivers, and that he was encouraged by the partnership formed between the network and Palletways with this deal.
He said: “These are still early days, of course, but we are very encouraged by the new partnership we have forged with Mercedes-Benz Trucks UK and S&B Commercials; certainly, both have done everything we could have asked of them.
"We now look forward to benefiting over the months and years to come, from the customer-focused back-up of the Mercedes-Benz Dealer Network.”
