40 new Actros tractors for Sostmeier

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Daimler Press Release / July 16, 2015

With 40 new Mercedes-Benz Actros 1843 tractors in the corporate colour of orange, Sostmeier Transport is modernising and enlarging its exclusively Mercedes-Benz fleet.

Based in Lotte, near Osnabrück in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the transport and logistics contractor has been a Mercedes-Benz customer for over 30 years.

The company has a fleet of 220 tractors and 355 semi-trailers.

“The Actros impresses with its high standards of quality, durability and technical innovation, complimented by excellent after-sales service,“ said Wilfried Sotta at Sostmeier when he took delivery of the new trucks at Mercedes-Benz’s Wörth plant in July.

The Actros sets standards in comfort, driving dynamics and efficiency.

The Sostmeier trucks are spec’d with fuel efficient 10.7 litre OM 470 engines rated at 315 kW (428 hp).

Thanks to Predictive Powertrain Control (PPC), which enables the Mercedes PowerShift 3 transmission to use GPS map data to match the shift points and cruise control speed to the topography, Sostmeier's new Actros will be even more fuel-efficient and eco-friendly in operation.

Equipped with the “Safety Pack Top” package, the 40 tractors are equipped with every available safety system including Stability Control Assist (ESP), Lane Keeping Assist, Proximity Control Assist, Attention Assist and Active Brake Assist 3.

“We in our industry bear a great responsibility for both human safety and the environment. I feel this obligation at all times to make sure that our vehicles are safe, efficient and economical on the road,“ says Wilfried Sotta.

Wanting to provide his drivers with an ideal work and living environment, Sotta spec’d the largest Actros cab configuration (GigaSpace), along with auxiliary air conditioning, premium level seating, premium bedding, refrigerator and many other extras designed to offer the best possible conditions for life on the road.

All future Sostmeier drivers will also be given induction training by professional Mercedes-Benz instructors when the trucks are picked up from the plant in Wörth, in order to familiarise them with their vehicle and its technology and to enable them subsequently to utilise it to optimum effect.

“We need to invest in training and comfort, because happy drivers who are loyal to our company are part of the Sostmeier philosophy,” says Sotta.

Record-setting Actros with two million kilometres on the clock is indicative of highly positive experience with the Mercedes-Benz brand

What exceptional mileage a committed and motivated driver can get out of a high-quality, long-living vehicle is demonstrated by a company record that has just been set at Sostmeier: two million kilometres have been completed by a long-serving Mercedes-Benz Actros 2, model 1841, built in 2005 – with a remanufactured engine, but without any other notable failures.

This feat was achieved by the two professional drivers Udo Kefrig and Ralf Anacker, who have been employed at Sostmeier for 38 and 17 years respectively. A long-established two-man team, they take care of special transport tasks with weekly round trips between northern Germany and Switzerland.

“Sostmeier normally replaces its vehicles between 900,000 and a maximum of 1.2 million kilometres, depending on use. However, our remarkable duo were agreed that they could better that and bet me they could pass the two-million mark,“ says Wilfried Sotta with a grin.

Having won the bet, the two colleagues have also switched to a brand-new Actros and are, of course, aiming to set the next mileage record for their company.

Sostmeier's new Actros tractors will be used predominantly on long-distance routes throughout Germany.

The company specializes in “just in time“ shipments for the automotive, steel, paper, plastics and chemical industries, and has branches in Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Russia, Switzerland and Hungary.

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