JF Pearce & Sons goes for Volvo tuck reliability 11 April 2012
Superb reliability of its used Volvos and a desire to operate trucks seen as using "uncomplicated SCR [selective catalytic reduction] engines" has convinced JF Pearce and Sons to go for new Volvo vehicles.
The firm ordered 10 new Volvo FH 6x2 rigids from Truck & Bus Wales and West.
Configured as six-wheelers, operating with tri-axle drawbar trailers, the new combinations have been designed to operate at the UK legal maximum of 44-tonnes on brick and block haulage.
Powered by Volvo's D13 500bhp engine and featuring its popular two-pedal I-Shift fully-automated gearbox, the new rigid trucks are equipped with Globetrotter cabs with full-leather interior trim.
"There was a period in which drivers employed in the brick and block business could be virtually guaranteed to be home every night," explains director Joe Pearce. "These days, however, drivers may be away from base three or even four nights a week, and the Globetrotter provides excellent accommodation."
The 6.25-metre alloy body was built in-house by Pearce, as the company has a long tradition of fabricating its own bodies tailored exactly to the tasks.
At the rear of the chassis sits an Atlas 125.2 crane with a Kinshofer brick and block grab, while a V Orlandi hitch mounted at the extreme rear of the Volvo chassis is used to couple the prime mover to the trailer. The tri-axle trailers were built by Truck and Trailer Conversions of Bristol.
The identical body lengths can accommodate just about any mix of product, and Pearce says long experience has shown this to be the ideal size. Any shorter, he says, and the load space can be compromised. But a longer body on the truck would mean increasing the wheelbase and that, in turn, limits manoeuvrability.
Author
John Challen
Related Companies
Truck & Trailer Components
Volvo Group UK Ltd
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