The largest privately-owned haulier in the busy Avonmouth area has hailed as “priceless” the training given to drivers of its four new Mercedes-Benz Actros tractor units.
Wrings Transport’s first Euro-6 trucks are Actros 2545 models with flat-floored BigSpace cabs. Two are on long-distance curtainside work and two on container duties. They were supplied by local Dealer City West Commercials, whose driver-trainer Justyn Marshman has also delivered instruction sessions, with more planned.
Within a week of the training, fuel returns from the two long-distance units shot up from 9.75mpg and 9.49mpg, to 10.22mpg and 10.17mpg respectively.
“We saw an incredible improvement in fuel efficiency on those two vehicles as a direct result of Justyn’s input,” said Managing Director Stuart Wring. “The training we’ve received so far has been priceless.”
A general haulier and transport contractor, Wrings Transport runs a dual-marque fleet of 32 tractor units. Wring continued, “Our first Euro-6 Actros units are performing roughly one mile per gallon better than the Euro-5 Actros models, and more often than not are also comfortably ahead of our Swedish-built Euro-5 units.”
As well as planning for a second visit by Justyn Marshman, Wrings Transport has promoted one of its own experienced drivers, Shaun Mulhall, to the position of in-house driver-trainer. He, too, will receive instruction from Mercedes-Benz on how to get the very best from the Euro-6 Actros.
Marshman commented, “It’s important to emphasise that I’m not teaching people to drive – they can already do that. It’s all about promoting a defensive style at the wheel, which makes the best possible use of momentum and helps drivers to extract the maximum benefit from the different transmission modes and other technology on the latest Mercedes-Benz trucks.”