DPD trebles Mercedes-Benz Actros order as online deliveries soar

DPD has ordered an extra 100 Mercedes Benz Actros tractor units to help manage the continuing e-commerce boom.

These will add to the 50 units it has already ordered this year.

All vehicles will be 4x2 variants with Active Drive Assist technology.

The company said the public’s increasing reliance on internet shopping had resulted in soaring demand for a seven-day-a-week, nationwide next-day delivery service. This trend shows no sign of slowing, it said, with established online retail customers experiencing a sales boom and new customers developing their own online propositions.

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DPD head of transport Dave Winchcombe said: “We talk to our drivers all the time, and they’re very enthusiastic about the new features on these vehicles. MirrorCam gets a particularly big ‘thumbs up’ for the much-improved rear-facing visibility it provides – they love the fact that you can set the camera to the back of the trailer – and because by replacing mirrors it’s eliminated some major blind spots.

“They also think the Actros looks fantastic. With aids like Active Drive Assist and new Predictive Powertrain Control, it’s a very simple truck to drive nowadays. From the company’s point of view, meanwhile, being able to offer a state-of-the-art vehicle like this helps us to attract new drivers to our business. That’s a very big plus, given the scale of the recruitment campaign in which we’re now engaged.”