Nolan’s Interstate Transport, a fleet that has long been a dyed in the wool Volvo operator, probably sent a ripple of anxiety through the Swede’s Aussie HQ in Wacol when it became known that the Queenland company had bid ‘willkommen’ to some of Germany’s best, by adding three top-of-the-line Mercedes-Benz trucks to its fleet.
Nolan’s is well known on major East Coast highways with its striking prime movers finished in a classic two tone green paint schemes and fruit bowl logos emblazoned across the doors and on the trailers. There is certainly no way you would miss seeing a Nolan’s truck on the road and they have long been great ambassadors for the Volvo brand.
In fact just nine months ago Nolan’s was showcased as the buyer of the 50,000th Volvo produced at the company’s Wacol factory and the company has had the Swede as the centre of its fleet since Volvo opened the doors at Wacol back in 1970. Until the Mercedes Actros trucks were added Nolans had a fleet of trucks and except for a handful of Kenworths all of the trucks were Volvos.
The first Nolan vehicle was a horse drawn cart way back in the early 1900’s, carrying cream, wood and milk across the Lockyer Valley. From those humble origins, Nolan’s Interstate Transport is now a fifth-generation operation and one of the largest family-owned and operated Transport businesses in Queensland. The company currently operates a fleet of around 150 trucks of which around 120 are currently Volvos and it is likely that it has owned many hundreds of Volvos over the past five decades.
However the Lockyer Valley-based business, which specialises in hauling the bountiful produce from around that region all over the country, recently took delivery of three 2663 Mercedes-Benz Actros models following a positive experience with an Actros demo from Daimler Trucks Brisbane.
Four additional 2663 units will join the three Actros already on the fleet in the next few months.
“I’ve had a long relationship with Daimler’s sales manager Steve McDonald and he suggested we have a go with an Actros demo,” said Nolan’s Interstate Transport Director, Adrian ‘Flea’ Nolan.
“We put it on and we were really impressed. The fuel consumption was the biggest thing, but the drivers really liked it too, which is important,” he said.
The 2663 Benz Actros features a 16-litre six-cylinder engine with 625hp and 3000Nm of torque that meets Euro 6 emissions standard and is mated to the 12-speed Daimler Automated Manual Transmission and is equipped with a refined crawler function for easy low speed maneuvering.
According to Daimnler, the Nolan’s Interstate Transport Actros’ also feature the innovative Predictive Powertrain Control system, which uses topographic map data to help the truck anticipate terrain and select the optimum shift pattern and engine response for maximum fuel economy.
Nolan’s Interstate Transport says it places a high importance on safety, which has also always been a priority for Mercedes-Benz nd for that matter Volvo.
The Actros features the fifth generation Active Brake Assist radar/camera Advanced Emergency Braking System (AEBS), which can now automatically perform full emergency braking for vehicles and pedestrians.
Mercedes-Benz has included the AEBS system as standard specification in Australia for 10 years, and the tradition continues with the new truck.
All new Mercedes-Benz Actros models are supported with a complimentary Best Basic service plan that applies for 500,000km or five years, whichever comes first.
