Biffa, an integrated waste management company in the United Kingdom, recently expanded its fleet with 43 new Mercedes-Benz Econic trucks.
The British refuse collection and recycling specialist now boasts a fleet of 1,500 refuse vehicles in active operation across the UK, and a large part of that fleet consists of Econic trucks, Mercedes-Benz said.
The majority of the newly delivered Econic vehicles are refuse collection trucks based on the Econic 2630L and feature a steered rear axle and compactor body.
“The Mercedes-Benz Econic is our vehicle of choice for refuse collection,” said Colin Bagnall, fleet project engineer at Biffa. “It is reliable and cost-effective in operation, while our crews appreciate its comfortable, air-conditioned walk-through cab.”
Alongside the 38 three-axle, 26-tonne (28.7-US ton) trucks with compactor bodies, Biffa also ordered two “novel” vehicle—skip loaders and hookloaders based on the low-entry Econic chassis. The five new refuse collection vehicles—three two-axle Econic 1827L skip loaders and two Econic 3235L hookloaders with four axles—currently are being tested in London, Mercedes-Benz said.
By equipping the trucks with a steering front axle, a tandem axle unit with two driven rear axles and a single-tire trailing steered axle, the Econic hookloaders are well-suited for waste collection in heavy urban traffic thanks to good maneuverability, which this combination offers, the company maintained.
“Initial feedback from the drivers was encouragingly positive,” Biffa claimed.
Biffa’s new Econic vehicles are powered by OM 936 LA six-cylinder inline engines with 7.7-liter displacement. Engine output on the refuse collection vehicles is 220 kilowatts (299 horsepower). Skip loaders boast 200 kW (272 hp), and hookloaders deliver 260 kW (354 hp), Mercedes-Benz said.
A fully automatic Allison 6-speed transmission handles gearshifts on the 2630L trucks, and the skip loaders and hookloaders are equipped with a 12-speed Mercedes PowerShift 3 transmission.