Euro 6 Actros units deployed to QLD sugar belt

Five sugar cane spec'd New Mercedes-Benz 2646 Actros trucks paired with purpose-built tilt up trailers have been introduced to operations for NDL Transport.

Five new New Mercedes-Benz 2646 Actros trucks have joined the harvest for a sugar hauler in North Queensland.

The commercial vehicles operated by NDL Transport are based at Brandon in North Queensland and use special purpose-built trailers.

As both ends of the trailers tilt up, the cane is dropped onto a conveyer where it is pushed into bins.

The operation involves moving sugarcane from pads at the edge of local cane fields to railway sidings. From here they are delivered to one of four mills in the Burdekin region.

NDL Transport purchased the trucks from Daimler dealership RGM Maintenance in Townsville after looking into the productivity of available models.

“We chose the Benzes because of their low tare weight, which gives us an additional 500kg payload for every single load,” said NDL Transport Operations Manager Luke Zarb.

“With five trucks running all day every day, that extra 500kg on each run really adds up,” he said.

The trucks, which have been on the road for three months, have been well received by the drivers according to Zarb. They appreciate the spaciousness of the cabins and the comfort levels.

“They just love them,” he said.

“The guys reckon they are the smoothest and most comfortable trucks they have ever driven and many of them have been driving for 30 years,” said Zarb.

The new Actros models also have a Multimedia Cockpit consisting of two large customisable tablet screens that present information in super crisp detail, giving the driver more control and information in a clear and stylish manner.

NDL chose the 2646 new generation Actros model, which run a 455hp version of the 11-litre six-cylinder OM470 engine teamed with a 12-speed Automated Manual Transmission.

The new generation Benz AMT features a crawler function, which makes easing up to docks or bins trouble-free.

Like all Mercedes-Benz truck engines, the 11-litre unit meet Euro 6 emission standards, which are far stricter than the existing Euro 5 standards that are currently mandated in Australia, delivering dramatic reductions in nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions.

“The fact that these engines are Euro 6 rated is a really big plus for NDL Transport,” said Zarb.

“It is quite a simple way for us to reduce our impact on the environment.”

The Australian sugarcane industry has been working to reduce its environmental impact in recent years, making the Euro 6 Mercedes-Benzes a good fit.

The cane harvest season started in the first week of June and will run through until the first week of December.

Zarb said the workload has not dropped off at all despite the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

“Sugar is something that really is essential, so it really hasn’t been affected at all,” he concluded.

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