Mercedes Benz Actros at a large construction site

Road transport and construction site: Alfred Schuon GmbH swears by its Actros 1848 LS trucks. The crucial factors are low fuel consumption, high payload, good manoeuvrability, maximum safety and good driving comfort on the road, and high traction on difficult terrain

Constantly in operation at the large construction site for one of the most important hospital projects in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Two Actros dumper semitrailers convey up to 300 tonnes of excavated soil daily to landfill sites. Drivers delighted with innovative equipment like MirrorCam, the digital multimedia cockpit and safety assistance systems like Active Brake Assist 5 and Sideguard Assist

Stuttgart / Böblingen – Two new Mercedes-Benz Actros 1848 LS tipper semitrailers work non-stop for the project of the new Airfield Hospital in Böblingen-Sindelfingen. Since September 2020, Alfred Schuon GmbH has been using them to transport thousands of cubic metres of excavated soil to municipal landfill sites throughout the region, as far as Deißlingen near Rottweil. The two Actros 1848 LS do six to twelve trips to landfill sites per day, with about 26 tonnes of excavated soil on board. Each Schuon truck travels about 400 kilometres per day and transports a daily load of up to 150 tonnes of earth, which have to be removed from the excavation pit and taken away from the site. On the return journey, the two tipper semitrailers then bring large quantities of gravel and chippings which are needed to compress the earth on the construction site.

At this huge building site next to the A 81 Stuttgart to Singen motorway, a highly-modern all-purpose hospital for the whole district of Böblingen is due to be completed by the end of 2025. Schuon carries out the excavation transport, under the leadership of E. Gfrörer & Sohn Schotterwerk GmbH & Co. KG from Empfingen: Gfrörer has overall responsibility for the excavation of the construction pit.

Schuon has been using Mercedes-Benz trucks for many years. “We’ve had the best experience with them, and we’re really proud that with the first two Actros tipper semitrailers in our fleet, we’re part of this prestigious mega building project in Böblingen,” says Frank Wohlgemuth, fleet manager at Alfred Schuon GmbH. “MirrorCam, safety assistance systems, Hydraulic Auxiliary Drive and many other innovative features are absolutely indispensable to us for fulfilling the high demands of our work there; that’s particularly because we have to work to a tight schedule to help make this ambitious new hospital project a success.”

One of the largest construction pits in Baden-Württemberg

Approximately 70,000 cubic metres of earth have been dug out so far for the construction of the new Airfield Hospital – that’s about 70 percent of the whole construction pit. The remaining excavation will follow when the building shell is built in mid-2021. So that this target can be met within the set schedule, two diggers remove up to 5000 tonnes of material per day from the pit. Numerous trucks, most with a Mercedes star, then take the earth away. The excavation is based on a 3D model of the construction site and is GPS-guided. This ensures that the removal of material from the pit is carried out with precision to the centimetre with consideration of ecological aspects, and last but not least that the logistical processes on the airfield site and the neighbouring delivery and removal zones can run smoothly and calmly.

Mercedes-Benz Actros 1848 LS meets highest standards when transporting excavated earth

Schuon places great emphasis on low fuel consumption for its construction vehicles, plus high payload, good manoeuvrability, the combination of maximum safety and good driving comfort on the road, and high traction on difficult terrain. This includes loose, dusty and often muddy, soft or slippery access routes to building sites, for example. “The two new Mercedes-Benz Actros 1848 LS 4×2 with the 12.8 litre OM 471 engine and 350 kW (476 hp) output thoroughly meet our expectations,” Frank Wohlgemuth says happily. The two Actros trucks have “Stone Master” steel tippers made by Fliegl.

Top visibility, top handling and top traction thanks to MirrorCam, multimedia cockpit and HAD

Dirk Möller and Friedhelm Steinwand, the two drivers of Schuon’s Actros trucks, are both, as older drivers, absolutely delighted with the technical innovations in their vehicles. In particular, the fully networked multimedia cockpit and the camera-based MirrorCam system instead of conventional exterior mirrors, meet with their thorough approval. “At the beginning we were a bit sceptical, but after a short phase of getting used to everything, we’re now really happy,” says Friedhelm Steinwand, who has been driving for 30 years with a preference for Mercedes-Benz trucks. “The MirrorCam gives us a far better view to the front, particularly when turning, at roundabouts, when changing lanes, when feeding into a lane of moving traffic, and for manoeuvring,” he tells us.

Dirk Möller only needed one day to get used to the new system: “MirrorCam is brilliant, I’m so happy with it! Especially the way it follows every turn of the vehicle and it doesn’t get dirty – that’s fantastic,” is his judgement. “And the multimedia cockpit is excellent too, as it gives us all the info we need about the trip and the truck, and it’s clear and straightforward. That simplifies all our communication and makes our day-to-day work much easier.”

Both trucks have engageable Hydraulic Auxiliary Drive (HAD), which was developed for use on roads when unexpected traction issues arise. As an additional traction aid, HAD combines the advantages of all-wheel and classic drive by providing the front axle with additional power via wheel hub motors as soon as the drive axle is in danger of losing its grip. “Particularly when driving in gravel pits and quarries and at landfill sites with steep gradients, I don’t know what I’d do without HAD,” says Dirk Möller. “On unmetalled, muddy ground or on snow, and when rocking free, HAD is just incredibly useful, and the handling is superb.”

HAD is up to 350 kg lighter than engageable all-wheel drive. In addition, there is no synchronous drive axle. This means a considerable saving in fuel consumption compared with vehicles with engageable or permanent all-wheel drive.

Innovative assistance systems enable safe driving on roads and at the big construction site

The Schuon Actros trucks are equipped with an innovative safety package comprising a large number of assistance systems. Active Brake Assist 5, which is part of the standard equipment of the Actros, can respond to both stationary and moving objects such as pedestrians and cyclists in critical situations and carry out a partial or full application of the brakes up to a vehicle speed of 50 km/h. Thus, accidents can be prevented or least their effects mitigated.

In addition, the driver is aided by many assistance systems which enhance safety on roads and construction sites. These include Stability Control Assist (ESP), Lane Keeping Assist, Proximity Control Assist, Attention Assist and Traffic Sign Assist. Particularly for the many overland journeys serving construction sites, the current version of the intelligent cruise and transmission control system, Predictive Powertrain Control (PPC), shows its strength. For drivers it really provides added value, because they can drive safely and efficiently on cross-country roads using the precise 3-D maps combined with GPS data processing.

Sideguard Assist in both the Actros tipper semitrailers belonging to Schuon “can detect obstacles and thus I can rely on it to stop me from overlooking someone when I’m turning,” says Friedhelm Steinwand enthusiastically. The assistance system can warn the driver of pedestrians, cyclists or e-scooters within its radar on the near side, with a step-by-step process of visible and audible warning signals.

New Airfield Hospital project in Böblingen-Sindelfingen

The full-service hospital is being built on an airfield almost 80 hectares in size: it is a former military and civilian airport, centrally located between the two major towns of Böblingen and Sindelfingen in Baden-Württemberg. With a total budget of approx. 573 million euros and about 51,000 square metres of floor space, the “New Airfield Hospital” project is one of the most important hospital projects in Baden-Württemberg. After it is completed at the end of 2025, thanks to its modern equipment and ideal networking of all medical disciplines, it will ensure high-standard health provision for the residents of the areas in and around Böblingen and Sindelfingen.

Alfred Schuon GmbH Internationale Spedition + Logistik

Alfred Schuon GmbH says it is one of Europe’s leading freight and logistic organisations. The family-run medium-sized company is an all-round service provider for freight, logistics and workshop services from one address, and with a consistent green logistics strategy. Alfred Schuon GmbH employs around 500 people and specialises in oversize freight, systems transport and individual logistic solutions. Approximately 350 deployed vehicles operate throughout Europe. The warehouse and logistics depot is approximately 80,000 square metres large. There are branches at eight sites in Germany and Hungary. Alfred Schuon GmbH was founded in 1951 in Haiterbach, Baden-Württemberg, where the headquarters of the company is still located.