Milestone Actros for Griffith Corporation

Notching up a century is an important milestone in so many areas of endeavour, and the trucking industry is no exception. So when Queensland-based transport firm Griffith Corporation ordered its 100th Mercedes-Benz Actros, it marked the occasion with one very special rig: a black 2663 Actros 25 Driver Edition with GigaSpace cab.

It has now joined the firm’s fleet of over 60 prime movers, which handle overnight express work for a range of clients and haul their freight the length of the east coast, with the occasional run to Adelaide or Perth.

The company has also made a name for itself in motorsport, delivering race cars to race tracks around the country, as well as transporting all sorts of exotic vehicles to individual owners.

The new 2663 Actros milestone truck was delivered by Daimler Trucks Brisbane and immediately put to work pulling the Team Nineteen race transporter that carries the AMG GT of Griffith Corporation raced by Company Director, Mark Griffith (pictured below). It replaces a third-generation Actros that was part of the race transport combination Mr Griffith secured from Erebus.

“It had come up on the lease deal and Mercedes-Benz had the 25th anniversary Actros,” he says. “There were only 25 of them, so we thought ‘Let’s have one of those’.”

Powered by a 16-litre, 630hp engine, the Actros 25 Driver Edition encompasses a range of special additions, including an illuminated Mercedes-Benz logo, Alcoa Dura-Bright wheels, dark chrome highlights, a light bar with driving lights, stainless steel highlights, leather seats and woodgrain trim.

Meanwhile, the GigaSpace cab offers 2.13m of interior height, providing ample space for even the tallest of drivers, along with extra storage space.

Griffith Corporation’s fleet comprises mainly Actros prime movers, which the company switches over every four years. It also utilises Daimler Truck Financial Services and its guaranteed buy-back program.

“We get a guaranteed future value at four years, so we finance them for four years, then hand them over and get a new one,” Mr Griffith says.

“It’s a good thing to know that at the end of the term they are going to give you X amount and you can plan for it.”

Customers have the flexibility to take advantage of the guaranteed buy-back option, keep the truck or sell it themselves.

“When COVID was on, people were giving you more money than what the payout figure was, so we did [sell them], but if it is less than that you can just hand it back and walk away,” he says.

Apart from the certainty of knowing how much it will cost, Mr Griffith is just happy he doesn’t have to sell the trucks.

“I don’t need to be arguing about the price of a second-hand truck. We are better off doing what we do and let the truck salespeople do what they do,” he says.