Two new Econic vehicles with a special body keep roads safe in Cardiff

The safety of motorists and highway maintenance staff is paramount.

Transport for Wales was looking for two special vehicles to assure traffic safety. The catalogue of requirements was extensive and very precise – and the search ended with the procurement of a vehicle from Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks: the Econic.

Richard Jones, Head of Procurement and Contracts from Cardiff Council, is already a big fan of his "new colleague": "We issued a tender for a low-entry vehicle which could be used for a broad range of traffic tasks, including the setting up of lane closures and road blocks as well as general repair work. When it came to fulfilling our specifications and economic requirements, the Econic was clearly the best solution."

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Impact protection system up to 100 km/h

This is why two new special trucks from Mercedes-Benz were procured for use as so-called "impact protection vehicles". They are based on an 18-tonne Econic chassis which impresses thanks to its low entry. Acklea, a specialist in traffic management vehicles, equipped the vehicles with specially designed add-on parts made of galvanised steel and aluminium – particularly important when it comes to ensuring a long service life – not to mention fitting an all-round LED signalling system and "Traffix Scorpion" damping elements ("crash cushions"). The damping elements are designed to withstand the impact of vehicles travelling at speeds of up to 100 km/h. The curved design of the beams deflects a side impact away from the vehicle.

The fully-glazed folding door on the co-driver side allows drivers to make eye contact with cyclists and other road users at junctions and in unclear traffic situations. Direct visual contact is an extremely important safety feature for road users. The Econic vehicles are 1830 L models and they are both are equipped with a 220 kW (299 hp) 7.7-litre six-cylinder in-line engine and six-speed Allison automatic transmission in addition to air suspension.