The Czech transport company VCHD Cargo has acquired new Mercedes-Benz Actros vehicles. This 5thgeneration truck, the winner of the prestigious Truck of the Year 2020 award, offers a digital interface between the vehicle and the driver, partial autonomous driving mode and state-of-the-art safety features. VCHD Cargo has invested over EUR 500 000 in the new vehicles and plans to buy another 15 trucks of the same brand before the end of this year.
The VCHD Cargo fleet currently includes 160 trucks of various brands, all of which meet the EUR 6 standard and have an average age of 3.3 years. The company recently acquired three Mercedes-Benz Actros 2548 L6x2. The configuration selected by the company has a 3-axle chassis with driven middle axle and a lift axle in the rear. The vehicle has a 12.8-litre stroke engine with 350 kW power and 2.300 Nm torque. VCHD Cargo plans to use these vehicles with swap bodies on its regular international routes.
“We decided to invest in this new generation of vehicles after careful deliberation and evaluation of all options available in the market,” says VCHD Cargo a. s. Board Chairman Ing. Petr Kozel adding that “these models convinced us by their sophisticated technologies, especially those that increase safety and driver comfort. We were especially attracted by modern solutions that help our drivers do their job such as a generous cabin for long-distance hauls.” Unlike other trucks in the VCHD Cargo fleet, the new Actros does not have rear-view mirrors but rather a MirrorCam system – cameras located on the vehicle’s exterior transmit the image to screens in the driver’s cabin. The system gives the driver a better view of the situation around his vehicle while improving the truck’s aerodynamic properties.
The Actros also comes with a groundbreaking dashboard that no longer includes traditional gauge indicators and controls but has instead of two integrated tablets that show all crucial information such as speed, rotational speed, heating and ventilation, all of which can also be displayed on a mobile phone. The tablets can also be used to download updates and applications from Mercedes-Benz or other providers. The flat-floor L BigSpace cabin offers a range of functions that increase the driver’s comfort and driving safety – comfortable, air-suspension and heated seats, multifunctional steering wheel, rain and light sensor, predictive cruise control, traffic sign assistant and independent air-conditioning. “An additional bonus should be lower fuel consumption thanks to the predictive cruise control function and better aerodynamics,” Petr Kozel explains.
VCHD Cargo has so far acquired three Mercedes-Benz Actros vehicles. Before the end of this year, the company’s fleet should increase by another 30 new trucks from Mercedes-Benz and, most probably, Scania and Volvo. VCHD Cargo has already bought 13 new vehicles this year.
