It sounds like a lot of hard work has paid off for Intercounty’s Truck Sales Executive Amit Verma, beating the competition to a ten truck order. The buyer, WH Barley, quoted reliable, cost-effective performance from its previous Mercedes-Benz Actros, as well as Amit’s persuasive sales pitch as being instrumental in convincing the Milton Keynes-based firm to grow its fleet by ordering another 10 Actros tractor units.
The Truck Specification
Intercounty Truck & Van delivered the trucks on 1 March. All are Actros 2545 variants with StreamSpace cabs and 12.8-litre, in-line six-cylinder engines that produce 450 hp. The subject of a Mercedes-Benz Finance contract hire agreement, they will be inspected and maintained at the Dealer’s Milton Keynes workshop.
WH Barley’s new tractor units are already hard at work for clients from the retail, wholesale and health sectors, hauling a variety of goods in curtainsided and refrigerated box trailers. Double-shifted, and running seven days per week, they will be expected to stand up to heavy use and high mileages without complaint.
The Truck Buyer
The Palletline member’s fleet of more than 70 tractor units and rigid trucks includes another 16 vehicles by Mercedes-Benz. The new Actros, though, are its first since 2018.
WH Barley Director Emma Barber, whose father Peter established the family business in 1970, said: “We’ve been running a pair of Actros tractor units for the last three years, and they’ve been exceptionally reliable, economical and popular with our drivers. We also enjoy a very good relationship with the service team at Intercounty Truck & Van’s local dealership, who have kept the trucks running smoothly, with minimal downtime.”
Competitive Buying Process
She continued: “Other manufacturers have raised their games too, though, so this latest order was definitely ‘up for grabs’. The fact that we’ve chosen to put our faith in Mercedes-Benz is largely down to the very impressive presentation and attentive, professional customer service of Intercounty’s Truck Sales Executive Amit Verma and his colleagues, as well as the attractive contract hire rates.”
WH Barley has high hopes for its new trucks’ ground-breaking technology. “Fuel efficiency is crucial,” said Ms Barber. “While our established Actros deliver excellent returns, we’re looking forward to seeing the additional contributions that MirrorCam and enhanced Predictive Powertrain Control can make toward reducing running costs.
“The camera housings give the trucks a clean, modern appearance too, and I’ve no doubt that equipment of this kind will become the norm before very long. We’ll also be gauging how much it helps our drivers in their day-to-day work, but the initial feedback has been very encouraging.”
