News from Mercedes-Benz: One of the first new-generation Mercedes-Benz Atego light distribution trucks to hit UK roads is now hard at work in the colours of Great Yarmouth-based commercial laundry, Camplings Linen Services.
The Euro-6 Atego wears a fresh new face, its revised bumper featuring integrated daytime running lights. Camplings’ truck is a 12-tonne Atego 1223 with ClassicSpace day cab. It arrived via the Norwich branch of East Anglian Dealer Orwell Truck & Van and is the subject of a CharterWay contract hire agreement from Mercedes-Benz Financial Services.
A long-standing Mercedes-Benz operator, Camplings runs a combined fleet, with sister business Swiss Laundry, of Cambridge, of 14 trucks. Most are 7.5-tonners although the line-up also includes an 18-tonne Axor downplated to 15 tonnes, while Orwell is currently processing an order for a second, this time a Euro-6 Antos model. The company also has three Mercedes-Benz Vans, a couple of Luton-bodied Sprinters and a 109 CDI from the Citan range launched last year.
Logistics Director Paul Edleston said, “Growing demand for our service has meant that we’ve started to increase carrying capacity and our latest 12-tonne Atego has replaced another 7.5-tonner. We’ll be changing more of the smaller vehicles over time but will have to retain a few, because access to some customer locations is restricted and we would struggle to get bigger vehicles in.
“We choose Mercedes-Benz vehicles for their outstanding reliability and durability, and for their competitive whole life costs. Our latest, low-emission Atego also complements perfectly the culture and environmental strategy of our business; we take this issue very seriously and strive constantly to reduce water and power consumption at our factories.”
The new truck has a 231hp Euro-6 engine which drives through a six-speed Mercedes PowerShift 3 automated transmission and offers high torque, even at low revs. It is now collecting and delivering laundry for customers including hotels, restaurants and holiday parks throughout East Anglia.
Despite a 90% reduction in particulate and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions compared to the previous Atego range, the new models consume significantly less diesel and up to 40% less AdBlue. The fuel-efficiency of Camplings’ latest vehicle is further enhanced by a full air management kit, by Hatcher Components, of Framlingham, Suffolk. This includes a fuel-saving Freddie cab roof-mounted spoiler designed in conjunction with experts from Mercedes-Benz UK and Cranfield University.
The truck’s purpose-designed laundry body is the work of GK Harvey Coachbuilders, of Attleborough, Norfolk, and features a side loading door, specialist racking, and a 1,000 kg Ratcliff column tail-lift with safety gates and hinged side-loading ramps for handling roll-on containers.
