Deniliquin’s Purtill Group has added two Mercedes-Benz Actros ProCabin 2663 prime movers to its fuel delivery fleet, with safety technology, driver feedback and regional service support influencing the purchase.
The family-owned business, celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2026, is using the new trucks to haul 30-metre A-double fuel tankers between Melbourne and the NSW centres of Deniliquin, Hay and Griffith.
Powered by 630hp, 16-litre engines, the trucks were supplied by Kevin Mutton from Daimler Trucks Shepparton, part of the TriStar network.
For Purtill Group Owner Neville Purtill, the appeal extended beyond pulling power.
“We always want to use the latest technology and when you look at the Actros you can see that it is at the forefront when it comes to comfort, efficiency and safety,” he says.
Safety drives the decision
Safety is a priority across Purtill Group’s operations, with particular importance placed on the vehicles transporting fuel to service stations and farms.
“The high standard of Mercedes-Benz active safety features in the Actros was especially assuring,” Purtill says.
The Actros ProCabin features a new electronics platform that Mercedes-Benz says can process data 20 times faster than its predecessor.
Five radars provide a 270-degree view around the vehicle, supporting the Active Brake Assist 6 package and Active Side Guard Assist 2 warning and braking system.
For Purtill Group, the specification process also addressed the practical risks of regional operation, including animal strikes and the requirements of its tanker combinations.
A driver’s recommendation starts the process
The purchase began with feedback from a Purtill Group driver who had experience in an older Actros operating elsewhere in the business.
“He liked it and suggested we take a look, so we got in touch with TriStar (Daimler Trucks Shepparton). Kevin (Mutton) came out with a demo truck to show us and we were pretty impressed,” Purtill says.
That recommendation led to a closer assessment of how the Mercedes-Benz trucks could meet the fuel fleet’s requirements.
Purtill says the dealership’s work on specifying the vehicles was another positive.
“They did a lot of work on what we would need to make sure the truck met the requirements to operate as an A-Double tanker and sourcing a bulbar locally that would fit but also provide additional side protection from kangaroos,” he says.
Matching the truck to the delivery task
Although the trucks primarily operate as A-doubles, the fleet needs flexibility to serve customers with different access requirements.
Deliveries to some farms require a single-trailer configuration because of limited space, making suitability across both operating arrangements an important consideration.
Support coverage also helped reassure Purtill that the trucks would be backed across the fleet’s operating area.
“The other reassuring thing was that the TriStar network (including Albury, Wagga Wagga, Canberra and Shepparton) covers a very large part of where we operate,” he says.
The selection brings together several considerations familiar to regional transport operators: driver acceptance, safety equipment, application-specific preparation and access to service support.
A familiar brand in a new application
While the ProCabins are new additions to the fuel operation, Purtill Group’s experience with Mercedes-Benz stretches back to its former bus business.
“We ran a bus business from 1951 through to 2019 and we had a very positive experience with Mercedes-Benz buses, so we know their technology is good,” Purtill says.
Today, the group’s Deniliquin businesses include an Ampol service station, The Depot automotive museum and a 1950s-themed diner.
The two new Actros ProCabins will support the fuel distribution side of that business, combining long-distance A-double work with deliveries to regional service stations and farms.
