New Actros 2553 for Lovie Quarry & Concrete Products
Scottish quarrying firm’s affair with Mercedes-Benz trucks takes fresh course with new dealer
LONGSTANDING Mercedes-Benz truck operators Lovie Quarry & Concrete Products are running their first vehicle from the newest member of the manufacturer’s dealer network.
Based just outside New Pitsligo, near Fraserburgh, and with a network of quarries across north-east Scotland, Lovie have relied on Mercedes-Benz trucks since the 1970s. The arrival of the new Actros 2553, however, represents the start of a fresh chapter in this historic relationship.
The truck was supplied by BLS Truck & Van, who began trading in July from a dealership on Aberdeen’s Altens Industrial Estate.
Michael Lovie, a partner in the family-owned business, said: ‘Although we also took on a couple of new 8x4 Mercedes-Benz Arocs mixers earlier in the summer, the Actros is the first vehicle we’ve purchased from BLS Truck & Van.
‘We’re very happy to give the new dealer the opportunity to demonstrate what they can do. This helps to explain why, despite the fact that we have our own workshop here in Fraserburgh, BLS will be inspecting and maintaining our latest tractor unit under a Mercedes-Benz Complete Service Contract.’
Mr Lovie has high hopes that BLS Truck & Van will deliver the top-quality sales service and backup his business needs, not least because he and his colleagues already have strong relationships with several members of the dealer’s team – including head of truck sales Andrew Rennie, and head of after-sales Colin Birnie.
‘Having operated Mercedes-Benz trucks for many years we have every confidence in the product,’ continued Mr Lovie. ‘We’ve also been given all the right assurances about the support we can expect to receive from BLS, and now look forward to seeing them deliver on these promises.’
The new Actros replaced a Mercedes-Benz that had been going strong for nine years. ‘We tend to run our trucks for a long time,’ continued Mr Lovie. ‘Experience has proved they are built to stand the pace, and compared with other brands represented in our fleet they are also highly competitive in terms of unladen weight and fuel efficiency.’
Powered by a 390kW (530hp) 12.8-litre engine, the truck is now delivering sand, aggregates, stone, concrete blocks and precast products across the north-east of Scotland and occasionally beyond. ‘We recently delivered a boat-load of specialist bunker sand to a golf course in Majorca,’ said Mr Lovie.
The Actros is fitted with revolutionary Mercedes-Benz Uptime maintenance technology. Thanks to an array of sensors that constantly monitor the truck’s condition, the BLS Service team will know precisely what is required before it reaches the workshop and can order parts in advance, whilst allocating sufficient time during a single visit to complete all tasks.
Lovie also benefit from the manufacturer’s Zero Tolerance on Downtime commitment, included in all Euro VI Complete Service Contracts, which entitles the customer to a free replacement vehicle (or financial equivalent) if their vehicle is not back on the road within 24 hours of a breakdown.
