New Actros a true Show pony
Brisbane Show encounter leads to Mercedes-Benz Super B for Neil Beattie and Cameron InterstateThe 2021 Brisbane Truck Show has been in the news recently, mostly for all the wrong reasons, but one company that’s singing the Show’s praises is Mercedes-Benz Trucks.
A new Mercedes-Benz Actros Super B combination has hit the road recently and it’s the Brisbane Show that’s being credited for its existence.
The Actros 2663 has been purchased by long-time Glen Cameron Group subcontractor, Neil Beattie, who has been entrusted with a new Vawdrey Super B trailer set.
Mr Beattie, who owns four trucks operating for the company, fell in love with the new Actros on the stand at last year’s Brisbane Show.
“When I saw that truck on the stand in Brisbane, with all those iPad-style screens and everything else, I was just blown away,” he says.
“I said on the spot to my mate that I was going to buy one, and here we are,” Mr Beattie added.
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A run in a Mercedes-Benz demo truck sealed the deal and Mr Beattie ordered a unit through Whitehorse Truck Centre in Dandenong.
He chose the top-of-the-line 2663, which features a 625 horsepower 16-litre six-cylinder engine meeting Euro 6 emissions ratings, teamed with a 12-speed automated transmission.
Like all Actros models, it comes standard with Active Brake Assist, a radar/camera system that can perform full emergency braking for vehicles and even initiate braking for pedestrians.
Mr Beattie’s truck also uses Predictive Powertrain Control, which uses topographic map data to help the truck anticipate terrain and select the optimum shift pattern and engine response for maximum fuel economy.
Beattie says the truck performed well on its first few runs between Melbourne and Sydney: “This is a state-of-the-art machine,” he says. “It does everything you could possibly want,” he adds.
He likes it so much that he’is looking at adding another Actros to his fleet.
The “iPad-style” screens Mr Beattie refers to are what Mercedes-Benz calls the Multimedia Cockpit and consist of two high-resolution screens, including one with touch-screen technology, which display a vast range of information in an easy-to-read manner.
Mr Beattie never thought he would ever see anything so futuristic in a truck in his lifetime and says it is also very intuitive. “It really is very easy to use,” he says.
The new Actros is running as a PBS 68.5-tonne combination, which includes a 4.2 metre high double drop Super B trailer set with 42 pallet capacity. The trailer set features steerable axles and the combination tracks well on the road, says Mr Beattie.
Mr Beattie has driven for Glen Cameron since 1997 and says he is happy to make a long term investment in the new Mercedes-Benz Actros, the tenth truck he has bought to run in the company’s distinctive yellow paint scheme.
“I’ve always been paid each and every week, they never a miss, and I’ve always felt like I’ve worked in a family business,” he says.
“Cameron’s have always done the right thing by me, I respect them and it’s a true partnership,” he added.
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