Daimler Trucks has revealer that Deniliquin based customer, the Purtill Group has taken delivery of two new Mercedes-Benz Actros ProCabin 2663s for its fuel deliveries in the Riverina.
The family-owned and operated business, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, has put the two trucks to use hauling 30m A-double fuel tankers between Melbourne Victoria and Deniliquin, Hay and Griffith in New South Wales.
The new 630hp 16-litre ProCabin models were delivered by Kevin Mutton of Daimler Trucks Shepparton (TriStar).
Purtill Group owner Neville Purtill says the Actros ticks all the boxes.
“We always want to use the latest technology and when you look at the Actros you can see that it is at the forefront when it comes to comfort, efficiency and safety,” Purtill said.
Purtill added that safety is a critical element for the entire Group business, but especially its fuel delivery operation.
“The high standard of Mercedes-Benz active safety features in the Actros was especially assuring,” he said.
Daimler Trucks said that all of its MercedesActros trucks, including the ProCabin, feature a new electronics platform that it says can process data 20 times faster than before.
The company tells us that the trucks also feature five radars that provide a 270-degree view around the vehicle as part of the Active Brake Assist 6 package that includes the Active Side Guard Assist 2 (ASGA) warning and braking system.
The Purtill Group revealed that it decided to look into buying a Mercedes-Benz when one of its drivers suggested they check one out given his experience in an older Actros that operated in a different part of the business.
“He liked it and suggested we take a look, so we got in touch with TriStar (Daimler Trucks Shepparton). Kevin (Mutton) came out with a demo truck 
to show us and we were pretty impressed,” Purtill said.
Another positive for the company was the way that the TriStar team helped it specify the truck.
“TriStar did a lot of work on what we would need to make sure the truck met the requirements to operate as an A-Double tanker and sourcing a bulbar locally that would fit but also provide additional side protection from kangaroos,” he said.
“The other reassuring thing was that the TriStar network (including Albury, Wagga Wagga, Canberra and Shepparton) covers a very large part of where we operate,” Purtill added.
Daimler told us that the Purtill Group fuel trucks deliver to service stations, as well as a number of farms, and also operates primarily as A-Doubles but running with a single trailer in order to get into some farms that have limited space.
Purtill said he was also encouraged by his experience of Mercedes-Benz technology in a different application.
“We ran a bus business from 1951 through to 2019 and we had a very positive experience with Mercedes-Benz buses, so we know their technology is good,” he said.
The Purtill Group operates a range of different business in Deniliquin including an Ampol service station site that also features an automotive museum called The Depot and a 1950s-themed diner.
