A Sydney-based trucking and construction company, Eather Group has reportedly made a key sustainability step forward by putting a Mercedes-Benz Actros into service on its operations
The family-run Eather Group claims to have a focus on construction and major infrastructure projects, as well as haulage, bulk material management and land rehabilitation, and says it recently rolled out the first stage of what it calls its ” Green Transport Plan”.
The company claims that the first step of its initiative was to purchase a Euro 6 Mercedes-Benz Actros 2658 to join conventional trucks in the fleet that it says don’t meet the same standards for emissions or fuel economy.
“We are always looking at what we can do better, especially from a sustainability perspective,” said Eather Group marketing manager, Divinia Eather.
“We are not ready for electric (trucks) yet, but Euro 6 is the basis for our next step and that is something we can do straight away and it makes a big difference.,” she said.
The company also says its plans to look to the future extends to safety, given the high level of safety features required for it to win and work on major government infrastructure projects, expecting that these standards will only 
become stricter in the future.
Eather Group says it has added a lot of third-party safety features for its trucks and trailers, but adds that the fact that the Actros already comes with a full suite of integrated active safety features that are standard made it a good choice.
“Safety is really important to us, so the safety tech built into the truck is really next level,” Divinia Eather said.
“The fact the Actros is so comfortable and quiet also means that the driver is less fatigued and that is also important,” she added.
The 2658 is powered by a 16-litre six-cylinder turbo diesel, mated to a 12-speed AMT and Daimler reports that data is showing the Euro 6 Mercedes-Benz is recording the best fuel economy on the Eather Group fleet, which is mostly made up of conventional American-style trucks.
The driver of the new Mercedes-Benz, Rob Matuszewski, says he was a lifelong fan of another truck brand in the Eather Group fleet, but reckons he is happy to be driving the Actros 2658.
After a day in the Actros Matuszewski told his Eather Group bosses that they need not put him back in the other truck, declaring that he was staying in this one.
Eather said that part of the Actros’ appeal is the comfort.
“Rob said the work takes much less of a toll on him in the Actros than it does in the other trucks,” Eather said.
Eather Group was established in 2010 by husband-and-wife duo Peter and Sally-ann Eather, and now employs more than 40 people with a fleet of more than 20 trucks, in addition to an array of earthmoving equipment.
The company says it has an ethos of creating opportunities for people who are underrepresented in the industry.
“Our team has always been diverse because we give people a go,” Eather said.
“The industry average is 13 per cent female, with just two per cent actually on the tools, while currently, in our business, the rate is 36 per cent including four female drivers and three female machine operators.”
Eather points out that importantly, 28 per cent of employees its current employees are involved in on-job learning and upskilling.
