Supplied by dealer Crossroads Truck and Bus, of Hull, the new additions to ET Morris’s 46-strong fleet have Globetrotter cabs and lightweight pusher axles, and are configured for a low coupling height of 1050mm – giving an overall height of 3.95m when loaded with a 2.89m container.
Jeremy Morris, managing director of the Lincolnshire-based operator, says: “Only Volvo could effectively meet our needs in achieving this. I sat with our local salesman from Crossroads Truck and Bus, Keith Ottley, and Duncan Seaman from Volvo Trucks. We configured the chassis using all standard Volvo components, just in a somewhat different arrangement.”
The FHs are specified with full air suspension on all axles, including the front steer, 315/60R 22.5 tyres on the front, 295/60R 22.5 on the drive axle and 245/70R 19.5 tyres on the pusher axle, all contributing to the required low coupling height.
Morris says: “We operate a lot of Euroliner trailers for carrying steel coils, and both the primary steel works and many of the delivery addresses have access heights of just 4.1m, dictated by the cranes within. We also operate skeletal trailers capable of carrying 2.9m-high containers while achieving an overall height of 3.95m. Through reducing the standard chassis height by some 200mm we have enhanced our capability in terms of the variety of loads we can carry.”
By specifying the lightweight pusher axle and rearranging components – including repositioning the batteries from the rear to the left-hand side of the chassis – the FHs are 150mm shorter than an equivalent wheelbase version and each truck’s unladen weight has been reduced by around 300kg.
“The lower overall height and flexibility of these trucks allows us to couple them to our Euroliner curtainsiders as well as ‘skeles’ for container work,” says Morris, “so they represent a win-win for us.”