Six months ago, Norway's Tore Aase became the first person to place an order for what Volvo Trucks calls, the "world's strongest series manufactured truck", the FH16-700.
Having undertaken regular operations for half a year, Aase has spoken out for the first time about his experiences behind the wheel.
"It's just like driving a car; and I'm delighted with it," beams Aase, who hauls loads from the base of the Norweigen offshore industry in Stavanger, through the country's hilly west coast.
"The reason we chose the FH16-700 is that we haul loads of up to 50 tonnes. The roads are often narrow and there may be kilometre-long gradients of between 6 and 10 per cent, so you can never really have too much power."
Aase, the boss of the Spesial og Tungtransport AS haulage company, also reveals that he has been saving 5l/100km, compared with his previous truck, before praising the gearbox.
"The I-Shift transmission is simply fantastic. I can't change gear as smoothly or quickly with a manual gearbox," he comments.
"When I return from a long trip, I don't need to lie down on the sofa to relax. I scarcely feel I've been driving a truck for an entire day."
