A leading transport operator, Griffith Corporation, has marked a significant milestone with its fleet hitting the ‘ton’ thanks to taking delivery of its 100th Mercedes-Benz Actros recently.
According to Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Griffith Corporation director Mark Griffith decided to mark the milestone by ordering a special black 2663 Actros 25 Driver Edition with GigaSpace cab.
Griffiths Corporation operates more than 60 prime movers, with the majority handling overnight express work for a raft of long-term customers including Tamex, DHL, Mainfreight and Northline, mostly up and down the east coast, along with runs to Adelaide and Perth.
As well as running there trucking operation, Mark Griffith is also a prominent participant in Australian motor racing, particularly in GT racing where his Team Nineteen campaigns an AMG GT, which he regularly pilots in major events including the Australian GT Championship and the annual Bathurst 12 Hour GT enduro race.
The company also operates eight transporters, which it sends to race tracks around the country, moving Aussie race cars, targa cars and production cars, in addition to providing exotic vehicle and supercar transportation for individual owners.
The latest, new 2663 Actros milestone truck was delivered by Daimler Trucks Brisbane and was immediately put to work hauling the Team Nineteen race transporter that carries the Mark Griffith AMG GT.
The 16-litre 630hp truck replaces a third-generation black Actros prime mover, that was part of the transporter combination Griffith bought from Erebus Racing.
“It had come up on the lease deal and Mercedes-Benz had the 25th anniversary Actros, there were only 25 of them, so we thought “let’s have one of those”, Griffith said.
According to Mercedes-Benz, the Actros 25 Driver Edition comes with a range of special features including an illuminated Mercedes-Benz logo, Alcoa Dura-Bright wheels, dark chrome highlights, a light-bar with driving lights, stainless steel highlights, leather seats and woodgrain trim.
It also features the optional GigaSpace cab, which has 2.13 metres of interior height, providing ample room for the tallest drivers and adding three large cupboards built into the front of the truck cabin.
The majority of the Griffith Corporation fleet is made up of Actros trucks, which are switched every four years to ensure the company is always operating the most modern, safest and fuel-efficient models.
Griffith Corporation said it takes advantage of Daimler Truck Financial Services and its guaranteed buy back program, which is part of its finance offering.
“We get a guaranteed future value at four years, so we finance them for four years, then hand them over and get a new one,” Griffith said.
“It’s a good thing to know that at the end of the term they are going to give you X amount and you can plan for it,” he added.
Customers do have the flexibility to take advantage of the guaranteed buyback option, keep the truck or sell it themselves.
“When Covid was on, people were giving you more money than what the payout figure was, so we did, but if it is less than that you can just hand it back and walk away,” he said.
Apart from the certainty of knowing how much it will cost, Griffith said he is just happy he doesn’t have to sell the trucks.
“I don’t need to be arguing about the price of a second-hand truck, we are better off doing what we do and let the truck salespeople do what they do,” he said.
Griffith said the Actros trucks are excellent on fuel as well as being comfortable, and also come loaded with advanced safety technology including a fully integrated Advanced Emergency Braking System, which uses radars and cameras to perform emergency braking.
