Mercedes-Benz is working hard to regain market share in Australia and New Zealand, and its venerable workhorse, the Actros 2646, is leading the charge.

This particular Thursday in the pre-dawn light, the Brighton Transport Hub on the northern outskirts of Hobart bustles with trucks coming and going from the container yard. In the distance, black- bellied cumulonimbus clouds loom forebodingly on the horizon, hiding the towering Mt Wellington. Occasionally, the long, deep rumblings of thunder echo in the distance.

Stuart Pearson, or ‘Stu’ as he prefers, wheels his Mercedes-Benz Actros 2646 into the parking area at the Brighton weighbridge with a loaded container he’d collected a few moments earlier.

Stu quickly suggests that we get going, as he has a few containers to deliver in the morning before heading to the Coal Valley to load a container with export vegetable seeds bound for Holland later that afternoon.

The Mercedes-Benz Actros 2646 is aimed squarely at the single trailer market with a gross combination mass of 62.5 tonnes, and is available in sleeper cab and day cab configurations. As one of the pioneers of vehicle safety globally and a leading voice in the Australian safer trucks debate, it’s no surprise that the 2646 has the full suite of safety systems. This model includes Telligent Stability Control, Telligent Brake System with ABS and ASR (anti-skid), active brake assist, which applies full brake force in an emergency situation and Telligent Proximity Control and Lane Assistant – radar-controlled cruise control, and camera to warn if the truck changes lanes without indicating, respectively.

“Hop inside; in my opinion, you’ll quickly find one of the best-kitted-out European truck cabins on the market,” says Stu.

The 2.3m-high cab offers ample space for the driver to move through the cabin effortlessly. To maximise cabin ergonomics, the dashboard features a wraparound design. It is equipped with all the necessary controls, which are within easy reach and have a logical layout.

The driving position comprises a traditional wraparound console, creating an authentic ‘cockpit’ feel for the driver, which has the advantage of placing all switches and buttons within easy reach. Also dash-mounted is the park brake controller, just to the left of the wheel, allowing for quick and easy release of the brakes, while the PowerShift automated manual transmission (AMT) comes with a hill holder function. Stalks on either side of the wheel take care of wipers and indicators (left), and engine retarder and gear selector (right). The steering wheel is large but thickly padded for comfort, with a four-spoke design offering plenty of wrist support, along with thumb buttons to control audio, telephone and cruise control functions and multimedia functions.

Stu says the dash layout quickly becomes second nature, especially since the most-used buttons are placed closest to the driver.

The sleeper compartment boasts a full inner-spring mattress. However, Stu says there is little time to spend in the bunk on the short run from Hobart to Burnie but adds that it’s a handy asset.

Nuts and bolts

Under the cabin is the all-new OM470 11L in-line six-cylinder engine which produces 335kW (455hp) and 2200Nm (1623 ft/lb), with nearly the entire pulling power on tap from about 900 to 1400rpm.

The engine has a ribbed, grey, cast-iron block. The head is made from compacted graphite iron (CGI) and uses 38 clamping bolts to handle cylinder pressures of more than 2900psi. The single-piece pistons are made of steel and travel inside wet cylinder liners, and the gear drive is mounted on the output side of the engine. It turns hollow dual overhead camshafts made of composite materials to minimise rotational losses.

Getting all this power to the back wheels is the task of the Mercedes-Benz G281 Powershift 3 automated manual transmission with a 12-speed direct drive, upgraded versions of the already successful transmissions of the previous model. These new gearboxes are tweaked to offer a faster and more precise response. On the road, the automated transmissions are a competent ally and require minimal intervention.

The rear axles are Mercedes-Benz 440-hypoid drive, which have run successfully in previous models. This particular Actros came with long legs at 2.846:1, specced for optimum fuel economy.

On the road

There is no question that the vision from the Actros is first class. The inclusion of wide mirrors gives terrific rear vision, and in addition, these can be moved in small increments for reversing. The ride in the cabin is excellent. There is virtually no engine or road noise.

When a driver approaches a ‘Trucks Must Use Low Gear’ section of the road, they must prepare for the descent just as they would in a manual truck, selecting an appropriate gear before driving down the hill. In the case of the Actros 2646, a driver can prepare for downhill descents by dropping the cruise control down to the desired speed, for example, 40km/h; the computers will manage braking and gear shifting to maintain the set speed automatically.

This is where the AMT offers an advantage over the traditional manual drivelines, as the computers can monitor all systems on the truck simultaneously and adjust as needed, rather than relying on driver interaction.

“Once we had some instruction on how to set up the Actros’ Ecoroll function to operate through its maximum parameters, we really started noticing huge fuel economy gains,” Stu explains.

Sideloader

Container handling is a crucial aspect of the global logistics and shipping industry. Efficient and safe container transportation is essential for the smooth functioning of supply chains worldwide. Hammar sideloaders have emerged as a valuable solution to enhance container handling operations’ efficiency, safety and versatility.

Stu explains that Hammar sideloaders are renowned for their speed and efficiency in container handling. His sideloader’s design allows him to load and unload containers from the side of the vehicle without the need for additional equipment or the repositioning of containers. This significantly reduces turnaround times, leading to faster loading and unloading operations.

The flexibility of Stu’s sideloader enables him to handle various container sizes, including standard 20ft and 40ft containers, as well as specialised containers such as flat racks and open-top containers. A hydraulic ram inside the trailer chassis slides the lifting rams along the chassis to suit the container length.

When Stu arrives at the Bejo Seed warehouse in Coal Valley, he lifts the 40ft container from the trailer and places it on the ground. As soon as the container doors are opened, forklifts hurry out from the warehouse with pallets of seed bound for Holland.

Thankfully, the threatening rain has held off. Stu returns the loaded container to his trailer and passes a few pleasantries to the forklift drivers before leaving for the container yard back at Brighton.

He admits that the ride in the Actros 2646 is by far the best he’s experienced, especially over corrugated dirt roads. The visibility and driveability of the Actros have pleasantly surprised him. In the meantime, the fuel economy from the OM470 11L engine is among the industry’s best in this class.

Stu concedes that the ease of entry in and out of the cabin is another favourable aspect of the Actros 2646, making this an ideal truck for his metro application delivering containers and single-trailer intrastate runs.

The Actros 2646 is now a mature model in the Mercedes-Benz truck model line-up, and its popularity is evident in the fact that used Actros 2646 models are scarce and typically snapped up quickly once listed.