Owner-driver Rob Bill has praised the Mercedes-Benz Actros BigSpace tractor he bought new in 2014. Bill said: “Three quarters of a million km and not a day lost; not a single breakdown, no brake pads. Who knew Mercedes-Benz would be such a great move?”
Working as a subcontractor for Suffolk haulier Bartrums, Bill was persuaded to look at an Actros by a contact in the firm. The 2445 Actros features a small-wheeled mid-lift axle and is the first truck he purchased from new.
Having previously driven Swedish brands, Bill often felt short-changed. However, with the Mercedes, he said: “It’s the most comfortable vehicle I’ve driven and lived in.”
As well as the red exterior paint scheme, the Actros wears side skirts and a Hatcher air management kit, a chrome-trimmed grille and sun visor, lightbars and wheel trims. Since its acquisition, the Mercedes has pulled a variety of products in curtainside trailers between 38-tonne and 44-tonne GCW.
The purchase of the Actros was made easier by the East Anglia dealer, Orwell Truck & Van, as Bill was quickly sold by its demonstrator. “After three days the fuel consumption figures looked impressive, and a couple of days later, I asked the dealer to sort me out a price.”
Five years on, despite being told the choice to buy the Actros would “be a move I’d regret”, Bill described the Mercedes as a fantastic truck, which consistently returns between 9.5mpg and 10mpg – an improvement on his previous truck.
