More Arocs for SRC Aggregates
Family-run firm moves early for another five fuel-efficient Mercedes-Benz Arocs trucks
WHEN SRC Aggregates acquired their first Mercedes-Benz truck, it was with the intention of running it for a year before deciding whether to buy more – but just eight months later the Essex-based company returned to Dealer Orwell Truck & Van with an order for a further five 8x4 Arocs.
Particularly impressive for the family-owned operator has been the original tipper’s outstanding economy. The company says the Mercedes-Benz is returning just over 8.5 miles/gal, a performance that puts it three-tenths of a gallon ahead of the best of the rest of the 92 trucks in the SRC fleet.
Like their first vehicle, four of SRC Aggregates’ latest Arocs are 3243K models with ClassicSpace M-cabs and advanced 10.7-litre straight-six engines that produce 315kW (428hp) and are paired with Mercedes PowerShift automated transmissions. Their steel tipping bodies are by Boweld. The fifth truck, a 3243B variant with the same cab and engine combination, is fitted with a Putzmeister concrete mixer drum.
All the Arocs feature the company’s distinctive green and white livery, with painted grilles, sun visors and LED running lights. The six vehicles now acquired from Orwell Truck & Van – together with a single, pre-built 6x4 Arocs mixer advertised online and purchased directly from the bodybuilder earlier this year – are all working from SRC’s Crown Quarry, in Colchester.
SRC Aggregates’ transport director, Clint Layzell, said: ‘We’d not run Mercedes-Benz trucks before, so took a bit of a gamble when we ordered our first Arocs. It’s certainly paid off though, because that truck has been the most fuel-efficient eight-wheeler in the fleet – it’s at least 0.3 miles/gal ahead of our established vehicles, which is pretty impressive.
‘Ultimately, of course, reliability and after-sales back-up are going to be every bit as important as economy, if not more so. We’re the sort of company that needs suppliers who will work with us. For a dealer, this means having the rights parts in stock and an all-important ‘can do’ attitude, so that our trucks come out of the workshop on time, in a clean condition and ready to go to work.’
All the Arocs are the subject of Mercedes-Benz Complete Service Contracts, which means they are being inspected and maintained at Orwell Truck & Van’s local workshop.
Mr Layzell continued: ‘These are still early days, of course, but it’s fair to say that Orwell Truck & Van, and Mercedes-Benz, have made a good start. From a sales perspective we’ve been looked after very well by the dealer’s representative, Ben Sheldrake, while its service team are also sticking to the commitments they’ve made – we’re dropping the vehicles off in the afternoon and picking them up again at 6am the next day, with everything having been done to the high standard we expect.’
Founded in 1994 by brothers David and Donald Rees, Sewells Reservoir Construction was dedicated to building water storage solutions for farmers and agricultural concerns. Major expansion into quarries started in the early 2000s with the promotion and development of Crown Quarry, and the acquisition by Aggregate Industries of a 50% stake in the business.
In 2014, five years after the company’s rebranding as SRC Aggregates, cousins and current owners Oliver Rees and Louise Yeates bought out Aggregates Industries, thereby restoring the company to 100% family ownership.
Today, with their headquarters at Highwood Quarry, in Great Dunmow, near Stansted Airport, and four other quarries in Essex, SRC Aggregates offer a comprehensive portfolio of high-quality aggregates, waste disposal and recycling services. They also have a well-established pedigree in construction and civil engineering projects, and specialize in the planning and development of quarries.
