The Prudhoe-based company has assigned the purpose-designed 8x4 tipper to its contract with Sunderland City Council. The truck makes short trips between the company鈥檚 own asphalt plant at Hendon and road surfacing sites across the city.
The Arocs 3240K has a 290kW (394hp) 10.7-litre engine, which drives through the latest Mercedes PowerShift 3 automated transmission. The truck鈥檚 double-skinned and insulated aluminium body is by PPG Fabrications of Peterborough.
聽鈥淲e need a vehicle that鈥檚 going to give us maximum 鈥榰ptime鈥�,鈥� said transport manager Stephen Atkinson. 鈥淥ur vehicles typically make short journeys, with lots of stopping and starting, so while fuel efficiency is clearly important it鈥檚 not our only concern. Rather, given the demanding nature of the job, what we want above all else is a truck that won鈥檛 let us down.鈥�
He added: 鈥淲e like the automated transmission, which will make the driver鈥檚 life easier when negotiating city centre traffic, because he鈥檒l be free to concentrate fully on what鈥檚 going on around him rather than worry about which gear he鈥檚 in.聽聽
鈥淥ur trucks have to access some very uneven sites and the Arocs鈥� excellent ground clearance will also help protect it from the sort of minor damage that can result in costly trips to the workshop.鈥�
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