The Dacorum Borough Council in West Hertfordshire used to run a very diverse fleet of waste collection vehicles, but all that has changed since it began operating Mercedes-Benz Econics in January 2020. The 11 vehicles fit all the Council’s requirements at a competitive price, but their ability to stay on the job compared very favourably to the other trucks in the fleet, which spent “significantly” more time in the repair shop.
Now, the Council has ordered 14 more Econic bin collection vehicles, bringing the number of Mercedes-Benzes in Dacorum’s 32-truck fleet to 25.
“The vehicles we took on last year have not missed a beat,” says Dacorum Transport Manager Simon Smith. “They start first time each morning, and that’s crucial as our teams start work at 6:30 a.m. In doing so, they have borne out my previous experience with other local authorities that also operate Econics.”
Benefits Of Standardisation
The Council’s new Mercedes-Benz Econic 2630LL trucks were supplied by Motus Truck & Van, formerly known as S & B Commercials. They’re equipped with dual-compartment Geesinknorba MF Series 21H25 compactors and Terberg OmniDEL Triple lifts, whereas the 11 Econics purchased in 2020 have single-compartment Geesinknorba GPM IV compactors and Combi Split bin lifts.
Besides being more reliable, the three-axle Econics simplify the service and parts requirements of the fleet and reduce the amount of cross-training necessary for workers to operate multiple makes and models of trucks. “This means our bin collection teams don’t have to familiarise themselves with different vehicles and sets of controls,” Smith says. The new trucks are based at the Council’s Hemel Hempstead headquarters and a depot at Tring.
Safety First
A low floor makes it easy for workers to enter and exit the Econic’s four-passenger, air-conditioned cab in one step. The cab’s panoramic windscreen provides remarkable visibility, as does its ISS four-camera video system with both live-view and recording functions. Cyclear detectors alert the driver to others on the nearside of the street.
Among the standard features of the new Econic lorries is Mercedes’ Active Brake Assist 5 emergency braking system. It uses radar and a camera to detect objects in the lane ahead at speeds of up to 90 km/h (56 mph. It warns the driver with visual and audible alerts, but will also slow down and stop the vehicle with its hazard lights on if the driver fails to act. Active Brake Assist 5 can bring the Econic to a complete stop from speeds of up to 50 km/h (31 mph) should a pedestrian be detected in the vehicle’s path.
Finally, an automatic hold function prevents the Econic from inadvertently rolling from a standstill, and its Electronic Parking Brakes are applied automatically when the engine is switched off.
The Econic Range
The Council’s new Econic 2630LLs are powered by a 220-kilowatt (299-horsepower)], 7.7-litre, inline six-cylinder diesel engine. It uses AdBlue diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) and catalyst technology to comply with Euro 6 emissions standards regarding diesel particulates and oxides of nitrogen.
The Dacorum trucks’ six-speed automatic Allison transmission features a crawler function optimised for the stop-and-go pace of waste collection. The 6x2 Econics’ rear-steer axles shorten the vehicles’ turning radius for tighter turns on narrow streets.
Mercedes offers two- and three-axle Econics with gross weights of 18 and 26 tonnes (19.8 and 28.7 U.S. tons), four axle variants, and wheelbases of 3.45 to 5.7 metres (11.3 to 18.7 feet). Besides the waste disposal market, the Econic can be configured for local distribution, fire and rescue, airport, and construction site applications.
The Econic’s 7.7-litre OM 936 diesel engine is available with 200- to 260-kW (272- to 354-HP) power levels and 1200 to 1,400 newton-metres (885 to 1,033 pounds-foot) of torque. Another option is a cleaner-burning, 222-kW (302-HP) M936G natural gas or biogas engine with a low 80 dB(A) noise level, ideal for early-morning rubbish collection or deliveries. Besides the Allison six-speed automatic gearbox, there’s a semi-automated PowerShift transmission option with 12 forward gears and four in reverse.
Find The Right Mercedes-Benz
Truck Locator hosts a varied selection of new and used Mercedes-Benz trucks for sale, including Econic models such as the 2630.
Source: Mercedes-Benz