AAD splashes out on Mercedes-Benz Actros Edition 1

Haulage firm AAD Transport has added a Mercedes-Benz Actros Edition 1 to its fleet.

Supplied by north Scotland dealer BLS Truck and Van via a Mercedes-Benz Finance contract hire package, the flagship model will be used for general haulage in the UK and abroad.

It is fitted with a GigaSpace cab and a 625hp 15.6-litre engine. It features a gloss black grille, darkened headlamp covers and rims and a branded sun visor with four extra LED main-beam headlamps.

The interior comprises black leather trim, a polished and brushed aluminium dashboard badge, eight interchangeable ambient lighting colours of ambient lighting and an “industry-leading” 900mm-wide bed.

Based in Kirriemuir, near Dundee, the firm operates 33 tractor units and the Actros Edition 1 – of which 400 were built and 35 sold in the UK – is its only current Mercedes.

The truck has been assigned to driver Gordon Taylor, who has worked for the company since 2015. Commenting on its MirrorCam digital mirror replacements, he said: “I’ve found the system very natural and easy to get along from the first day I sat in the truck. The more I use it, the more I like it. The cameras and screens provide a very clear view of what I need to see, particularly when reversing or making tight turns with a trailer.”

“Our drivers are all multi-taskers,” added MD Alan Davie. “They could be pulling a refrigerated trailer one day, and a step-framed low-loader the next, and are often away from home, be it in the UK or Europe, for a week or more at a time.

 “We pushed the specification [of the Actros] even further by adding an optional coffee maker, microwave oven, home cinema system and Viesa cab cooler, which provides air conditioning at night without the need to run the engine.”