Farnborough Air Show...forget the new aeroplanes, keep an eye out for these TAG Mercedes Econic fuel tankers says Biglorryblog!

Next, on reaching the UK, the chassis were sent to aviation fuelling specialist Flightline Support, of Witney, near Oxford, who installed the hydraulics required to pump fuel using the truck PTOs, the interlock systems that prevent the vehicles from being moved while refuelling is in progress, and the limiters that restrict the Econics' speed to 20mph. And for good measure Flightline also painted the trucks in TAG's corporate Moondust Silver.  

The fully-air-suspended Econic is rapidly establishing itself as the vehicle of choice for airport operators not least due to its panoramic low-entry, air-conditioned cab and Allison automatic gearbox.

The new trucks were supplied to ExxonMobil Aviation, which is based in Leatherhead, Surrey, and contracted to supply bulk jet fuel to Farnborough Airport. However, both the trucks and their 36,000-litre Flightline Support tank trailers are operated on a day-to-day basis by TAG Aviation, which manages the airport.

Mike Kay, UK Automotive Manager for ExxonMobil Aviation, tells me: "TAG stipulated when we won this contract a couple of years ago that we should use Mercedes vehicles, so we initially drafted in a couple of second-hand Actros tractors while we developed the Econics in partnership with Mercedes-Benz. They're perfectly tailored to the role. TAG's operatives are in and out of these trucks all day so the low-entry cab is a big plus. Visibility is excellent too, and the fact that he doesn't have to worry about what gear he's in means the driver can concentrate fully on steering."