FSW Storage & Distribution Pays Respect With New Mercedes-Benz Actros 2551 Tractor Units
West Midlands-based FSW Storage & Distribution recently added three new-generation Mercedes-Benz Actros 2551 tractor units to its fleet. The trucks mark two firsts for the fourth-generation freight, shipping, and warehousing specialist: The trucks’ chrome Kelsa light bars are the first non-essential equipment FSW has ever added to its vehicles, and the trucks are the first the company has ever named. “Boxer,” “Goliath,” and “Tommy Boy” honour the shire horses that Fuller & Sons founder Thomas George Fuller used to haul coal in the 1920s. Fuller & Sons established FSW in 2005 to serve the United Pallet Network (UPN).
“We’ve pushed the boat out with these latest Actros, and made a bit of a feature of them to create a good impression so that customers can see how the company is progressing,” says Stuart Fuller, FSW director and great-grandson of Thomas George Fuller. “Also, of course, they should help us to retain drivers and attract new ones. The feedback so far has been entirely positive. The guys love the trucks, and particularly the new dashboard.”
“Highly Reliable”
The Actros are equipped with the Mercedes-Benz Multimedia Cockpit dashboard with two screens, one of which is a touchscreen. FSW also specified its 2551s with an enhanced version of Mercedes-Benz’s Predictive Powertrain Control System, which allows for up to 5% fuel savings by accounting for topography, corners, and other driving conditions. FSW also added the emergency braking Active Brake Assist 5 system, which uses a camera and radar and provides enhanced pedestrian recognition capabilities. The trucks have flat-floored BigSpace cabs and Jost sliding fifth wheels, and are powered by 510-horsepower (375-kilowatt) 12.8-litre in-line six-cylinder engines paired with 12-speed speed automatic powershift transmissions.
Mercedes-Benz dealership Midlands Truck & Van supplied the trucks, which join FSW’s 16-vehicle fleet of 18- and 26-tonne (19.8- and 28.7-U.S.-ton) tractors and rigids—FSW reports that all but one of its trucks wears the Three-Pointed Star. Two of the new Actros 2551s replaced older trucks, and the firm acquired the third to meet increased demand. The trucks make collections and deliveries during the day around Birmingham and the Black Country, and handle trunking duties at night to the UPN hub in Lichfield.
“FSW has been pretty much an all-Mercedes-Benz operation since we set it up 17 years ago,” says Fuller. “The Actros suits us perfectly. It has proved to be highly reliable, while the servicing costs are also competitive.”
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Source: Mercedes-Benz