Supplied by Crossroads Truck and Bus, the two FH 540s have Globetrotter XL cabs specified with Drive Plus and Twin Bed Living packages.
The two 3.9m wheelbase FH tractor units have uprated rear suspension units and ten-tonne front axles to accommodate their PM cranes. For fleet flexibility, one FH has a 40 tonne/metre unit, while the other is 65t/m.
“We are now on our third generation of Volvos and we like to get ten years’ service out of each truck. We remain with Volvo due to the reliability levels we get with the brand,” says Ian Caulkett, Amazone’s logistics manager.
The units haul stepframe and plant trailers, and their performance will be monitored using Volvo’s Dynafleet system. “The loads we carry are not aerodynamic and each combination weighs in at around 25 tonnes empty, so it’s fair to say that we don’t live or die by fuel consumption figures,” notes Caulkett.
The tractors are supplied with a three-year R&M contract and each is expected to cover up to 70,000 miles a year, delivering agricultural and ground care machinery across the UK.