Four more Actros trucks for F Vitale

The F Vitale and Sons fleet of 40 trucks had been dominated by bonneted trucks until General Manager Frank Vitale decided to purchase four 2653 Actros trucks from Daimler Trucks Somerton mid last year.

Mr Vitale said he was so impressed by the fuel economy of the high-output 13-litre trucks and the warranty and servicing support that he recently ordered four more Actros models.

“Those first four trucks, which have done 120,000km each, are getting around 2.4km per litre running as B-doubles between Melbourne and Sydney, which is brilliant,” Mr Vitale said.

Mr Vitale also appreciated that his Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks come standard with free Best Basic servicing for five years or 500,000km, whichever comes first.

“The support is very good with the Mercedes-Benz,” Mr Vitale said. “The free servicing offer and servicing intervals are excellent as is the warranty support,” he added.

The ease of operating the Actros, which comes standard with a 12-speed automated transmission and features an ergonomic cabin design and a range of comfort features, was also a big plus for Mr Vitale.

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He says the drivers of the Mercedes-Benz trucks are less fatigued than those in some of the company’s other trucks on the same runs.

F Vitale and Sons uses fatigue-monitoring cameras that alert the driver and the operations team of any fatigue events in order to reduce risk in all its trucks.

This system has not detected one warning in the Actros models operated by the same drivers on the same routes.

“We had not expected this when we ordered the Actros, but given our focus on safety at F Vitale and Sons, it is invaluable,” Mr Vitale says.

“To me, it is clear evidence that the Actros is way ahead in terms of reducing fatigue,” Mr Vitale says.

His drivers, some of whom were hesitant to start with given the smaller displacement of the Actros, now agree.

“None of them want to get out of the ‘Benzes, even the guys who were initially reluctant understand how much less taxing they are to drive,” he says.

Mr Vitale says the standard safety features of the Actros, including the radar-based Advanced Emergency Braking System called Active Brake Assist and adaptive cruise control, provide peace of mind for the business.

“Safety is number one in our business, so an integrated safety solution like the system in the Actros is a big plus for us,” said Mr Vitale.

F Vitale and Sons Transport is a stand-alone transport business covering a wide range of local, intrastate and interstate freight requirements. It also delivers for the family’s bespoke plaster component manufacturing business.