Equine Travel Agency, which specialises in long-distance transport of horses, has invested in a custom-built 12-horse transporter based on the new generation of Mercedes Benz Actros.
The 26-tonner will join the rest of the company’s fleet, which moves up to 4,000 horses per year.
The new Actros 2541 has a range-topping, flat-floored MegaSpace cab and was supplied by Sittingbourne dealer Sparshatts of Kent.
The vehicle is powered by a BlueTec Euro 5 engine and features wide ramps to the side and rear.
Co-founder Graham Eggleton, said:“The Actros is on full air suspension, which allows us to make the loading angle as shallow as possible. This is important because one of the most difficult aspects of transporting horses by road can be loading and unloading.”
ETA’s trucks are all equipped with CCTV systems for monitoring the horses, and air-conditioning for temperature control. They have no living accommodation for a crew but all have double sleeper cabs.
ETA sends vehicles to Spain and France twice a month, and to Scandinavia on a regular basis, but its most frequent destinations are Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands. The company also flies horses internationally from major European airports.
The ETA vehicle is equipped as standard with a Mercedes PowerShift 2 automated transmission.”
