Supplied by Wales and West Truck and Bus, the 8x4 FMX is fitted with a Boweld tipper body. The truck also hauls a tri-axle Andover drawbar trailer.
The 454bhp FMX 8x4 has a Globetrotter Cab, a 9-tonne front axle and a rear lift/tag axle. The FORS Gold operator has also specified the new FMX with a lower passenger door glazing panel as well as front, side and rear cameras.
“We wanted the manoeuvrability of a six-wheeler that could tow a trailer and provide a good payload capacity,” says Sean Witheford, managing director at the Evesham-based operator.
“We require our trucks to carry out two roles: firstly, to transport the road planer and, when on site, to remove the material that has been planed from the road surface. The FMX Tridem ticks all the boxes and is probably the first of several Tridems we will operate.”
In particular, the I-Shift gearbox is crucial to Jet Plant’s choice, he adds: “The I-Shift gearbox is a deal breaker when choosing between Volvo and any other marques. Low-speed road planing operations have the potential to burn out a truck’s clutch within a very short space of time. I-Shift has taken that potential issue out of the equation.”
The FMX is supplied with a seven-year Volvo Gold R&M contract.