Industry News

D and K Scott Transport turn to MirrorCam Mercedes-Benz to move massive tyres

An independent Hills District commercial carrier in Sydney has added a second Mercedes-Benz Actros to its fleet.

The new 16-litre new generation Actros, delivered to D and K Scott Transport, will specialise in the haulage of mega tyres from Port Botany to the mines in the Hunter Valley.

It complements a 13-litre 2653 Actros that has performed above expectations in the unique application that involves pulling custom-made trailers built to carry tyres measuring 4.2 metres tall and 2 metres wide for use on off-road mining equipment.

The tyres feature GPS sensors to monitor exactly how many kilometres they cover.

D and K Scott Transport Managing Director, Darren Scott opted to replace his side mirrors with small cameras as part of the new generation Actros MirrorCam system.

MirrorCam has been designed to improve vision by removing the blindspot in the driver’s view caused by a traditional mirror. It can also reduce noise and improve aerodynamic efficiency.

Standard technology on the Actros includes a radar system, which can automatically brake in an emergency, and detect and fully brake for pedestrians, as well as lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control.

“We are going out to the mines, where safety is paramount, so it is especially important that we have the safest equipment available,” said Scott.

“Systems like the Autonomous Emergency Braking are very important and the additional visibility provided by the MirrorCam system is also of great value,” he said.

D and K Scott Transport, as part of company policy, is committed to using the best gear available.

“We want to be at the front of the pack when it comes to technology,” Scott added.

The new Actros also features the Multimedia Cockpit as standard, made up of two new high-resolution tablet-style display screens on the dashboard, replacing the centre screen and speedo and tacho cluster.

The new Actros also uses the fuel-saving Predictive Powertrain Control system, which uses topographical data and GPS to help the transmission pick the right gear for the terrain.

The 580hp 16-litre six-cylinder engine, which features variable high-pressure injection, an asymmetrical turbo and turbo compounding and is linked to a 12-speed automated manual transmission.

Driver Diego Manzo appreciates how quiet the cabin is when he is out on the road, especially when making phone calls.

“It is just like having a hands-free phone conversion in a car. It is that clear,” said Manzo.

“The truck does a lot of the work itself.”

Manzo, who has been driving a B-double driver since the 1990s in which losing sight of the back of the back of the trailer can be par for the course when backing up, is an immediate convert to the MirrorCam system in the new Actros.

“I get better visibility to the back of the rear trailer with MirrorCam because I always have sight of it when I am backing it in. I reckon this is great,” he said.

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