The 18-tonne vehicle has gone into service to help the firm keep up with the busy building trade.
“We had our old truck for 12 years and it never let us down, but there’s no doubt this is a step up,” says Paul Jackson, technical director at Russell Stone Merchants. “As it’s our only truck, it was absolutely vital we got the decision right. We looked closely at four different manufacturers and did our research. The overriding feedback was that Volvo was the best product and could give us the mileage and payload we needed to do the job.”
Supplied by Crossroads Truck and Bus, the FL is powered by Volvo’s D8K engine, producing 247bhp and 950 Nm of torque. It features a six-speed I-Sync automated transmission, and steel suspension.
It has been fitted with lightweight dropside bodywork by Micra Truck Bodies, plus an Atlas 105.2 crane to allow the company to load and deliver its stone supplies to construction sites.
“We go up as far as Berwick maybe once every couple of weeks, but the majority of the work is closer to home,” says Jackson. “Business is very busy at the moment and most days the truck will go out at its full capacity.
“We put the crane on the back of the truck, which gives us a bit more length to get the pallets on, and we specified a lightweight body, to maximise payload potential.”
The FL is covered by a Volvo Gold Contract repair & maintenance agreement, which guarantees the best possible uptime, with servicing being carried out at Crossroads Truck and Bus’s Birstall depot.