The year was 1998 when the first Actros landed on our South African soil, fast-forward to 2023, we have subsequently introduced 5 new generations, each boasting ground-breaking innovations and having the honor of being bestowed with the highly coveted International Truck of the Year title. At the core of each introduction has been our unyielding commitment to meet our customers’ ever changing business requirements. Here is to celebrating 25 years of innovative firsts in South Africa!
A very big thank you to all of our customers for the continued support over the years.
Customer Stories
Cargo Carriers
Our valued customer Cargo Carriers shares some insight on their long standing relationship with Mercedes-Benz Trucks.
Biddulphs International
Our valued customer Biddulphs International shares some insight on their long standing relationship with Mercedes-Benz Trucks.
Van Gess Transport
The valuable feedback shared by Van Gess Transport highlights their positive experience and satisfaction with their well-established relationship with Mercedes-Benz Trucks. The reliability, performance, efficiency, safety features, and exceptional customer service provided by Mercedes-Benz Trucks have all contributed to their continued collaboration and success. Van Gess Transport's feedback serves as a testament to the quality and excellence that Mercedes-Benz Trucks consistently delivers to its customers.
Faber Vervoer
This customer story further reinforces our commitment to providing the highest quality service to our customers. Faber Vervoer has been a loyal partner of Mercedes-Benz Trucks for many years. They have worked closely with the company to develop innovative solutions for their operations. The partnership has proven to be mutually beneficial, with both companies benefiting from the success of the collaboration.
Actros in South Africa
Actros 1
In 1896 Gottlieb Daimler invented the first truck. Exactly 100 years later, in 1996 Mercedes-Benz Trucks introduced the first generation of Actros, which came to South Africa for the first time in 1998. What made this introduction special was the fact that the Mercedes-Benz Actros was the first computerised truck, the beginning of a new era of trucking. From the start the Mercedes-Benz Actros was a leader in its class when it won the 1997 Truck of the Year award. This marked the start of a model series which until this day is at the spearhead of its market segment.
Actros 2
In 2004 the Second generation Mercedes-Benz Actros was launched in South Africa, offering the first automated transmission as a standard option to customers. Other highlights of this generation included Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keeping Assist and a new stowage concept. Cementing itself as one of the leading long distance trucks, the second generation Mercedes-Benz Actros won the Truck of the Year Award, for a second time in 2004.
Actros 3
The third generation Actros was launched in South Africa in 2009 and was the first truck that offered customers our in-house telematics system called Fleetboard. This generation Actros made the Guinness World Records as the most fuel-efficient 40-tonne truck and also won the Truck of the Year accolade for the third time, in the same year 2009.
Actros 4
The fourth generation Actros was launched globally in 2012 and won the Truck Of The Year in the same year. In 2018, Mercedes-Benz Trucks knew that this generation would redefine what efficiency means locally. Efficiency is the sum of its detail: Low Total Costs, Greater Safety and Maximised Use. A collective term Mercedes-Benz Trucks coined as RoadEfficiency. Meeting the demands of long distance travelling, it was the first time that Euro V engines were sold as a standard model offering in South Africa.
Actros 5
In 2020 the fifth generation Actros was launched in South Africa. It was the first truck that replaced conventional mirrors with MirrorCam technology. In addition to the MirrorCam, other core innovations included Active Brake Assist 5, Multimedia Cockpit, Predictive Powertrain Control and Mercedes-Benz Uptime with Fleetboard services as a standard, making it more fuel efficient and safer than ever before. For the 5th time the Mercedes-Benz Actros won the Truck of the Year award, reinforcing that it sets the new standard in trucking.
Actros 5
Today, the Mercedes-Benz Actros boast the second generation Mirror Cam and further enhances driver safety with the introduction of LED headlamps as a standard. As we look back at the past 25 years, we are grateful for the passion and commitment that our customers have shown and we are excited to see what the future will hold.
