Supplied by Thomas Hardie Commercials, the Lancashire-based operator’s new additions will serve 600 Spar stores in the north of England.
The trucks all feature the Volvo 11-litre engine, rated at 410bhp in the tractors and 320bhp in the rigids, plus the I-Shift automated transmission. All are on seven-year Volvo Gold R&M contracts with the dealer. Ian Farnworth, fleet engineering manager, says the tractors are ideal for the delivery operation: “The FM has very good low entry which suits a multi-drop operation.” He adds: “Every vehicle we have is potentially operating in a multi-drop environment.”
Farnworth says the decision was taken to specify the single-drive three-axle rigids, rather than two-axles, to meet the changing profile of the stores the company delivers to – making it possible for them to accommodate a larger delivery vehicle.
The new vehicles join an 86-strong fleet, of which 52 are now Volvo trucks. There is an equal split between artics and rigids, with the artic fleet operating at a maximum gcw of 40 tonnes
The operator runs some Gray & Adams 13.6 metre, dual-temperature, double-deck fridge trailers as well as a number of 11.2m dual-temperature spec tandems from the same manufacturer.