Mercedes-Benz trucks has reported that Melbourne-based freight company CoolTrans has added one of the truck maker’s new Actros ProCabin models to its fleet and it claims to have already noticed extra savings.
CoolTrans is a company that delivers a range of food products up and down Australia’s east coast as well as across to South Australia and Tasmania, and is one of the first companies in Australia to take delivery of the new aerodynamic ProCabin, which first hit the road in February hauling B-Doubles.
“The previous Actros really set the standard for fuel economy, but this new one is more efficient again,” said CoolTrans’ general manager, Jono Hookway.
“It’s a clear improvement, which is great for us,” he added.
Hookway said driving down fuel consumption is critical, clearly particularly in light of the recent spike in fuel prices as a result of the Iran conflict
“Saving money on fuel has always been important but it is even more so now with the price of fuel,” he said.
“It just makes sense to reduce the costs you can control,” he said.
CoolTrans said it also has a strong focus on sustainability, having switched to Euro 6 emission level trucks when it started purchasing Actros models back in 2018, ahead of any legal requirement to do so.
“Sustainability is a key part of our operation, 
which is another reason we choose Mercedes-Benz trucks,” Hookway said.
CoolTrans selected a 2663 model this time, choosing the taller GigaSpace cab fitted with an approved DuraBar bullbar, sourcing the truck from Daimler Trucks Dandenong.
While Cooltrans said that efficiency was a leading driver the company also places a sharp focus on safety.
“Safety is absolutely at the centre of everything we do at CoolTrans, so Mercedes-Benz is a natural choice given how much safety technology they have in their trucks as standard,” Hookway said.
Mercedes-Benz pointed out that all Actros now feature the Active Brake Assist 6 Advanced Emergency Braking Systems (AEBS) safety package that includes five radars providing a 270-degree view around the vehicle and allows for optimum operation of the Active Side Guard Assist 2 (ASGA) system.
The company said that the backbone of this safety suite is a new electronics platform that it says can process data 20 times faster.
Mercedes-Benz has said that the new Actros ProCabin has been shaped for maximum fuel efficiency through aerodynamics, featuring a rounded nose and smooth panels to cut consumption.
Daimler Truck Australia Pacific vice president of sales, marketing and operations, Andrew Assimo, said he was glad to hear how well the Mercedes-Benz ProCabin was performing for CoolTrans.
“We knew the ProCabin would use less fuel, but to hear our customers tell us how they are benefitting is just brilliant,” Assimo said.
“Driving fuel costs down has never been more critical to business success, which makes the ProCabin an even smarter choice,” he added.
The CoolTrans ProCabin Actros is a 2663 featuring a 630hp 16-litre Mercedes-Benz engine teamed up to a 12-speed automated manual transmission (AMT) with the taller GigaSpace cabin.
Mercedes-Benz said part of the secret behind the new efficiency in the ProCabin comes from its 80mm extension on the front of the abin and the rounded off face to reduce drag.
The ProCabin design has also seen the removal of unwanted gaps and joints which guides air either around the cabin or straight into the truck’s cooling system and this concentration of the airflow maintains the cooling effectiveness of the Actros.
There are also new sail-shaped side air 
deflectors at the rear of the cabin and a new roof spoiler as well as a new under-cab spoiler, and along with the new exterior design, the company says these features reduce air turbulence and improve air flow.
