The truck will be used for crane haulage five days a week, delivering concrete slabs and kerbs from Aggregate Industries’ base in Ashbourne into London.
Bodge Aylestone Ward, Managing Director of Aylestone Transport, says: “We might have gone a bit crazy with this one, but I don’t regret it one bit. It’s a fantastic statement for our company after more than 100 years in business and the driver is absolutely thrilled with it. It’s a far cry from the horse and cart my grandfather began with in 1918!”
Supplied on hire purchase through Volvo Financial Services, the new truck visited the dealer’s specialist body and paint shop in Loughborough for additional colour coding prior to entering service, as well as having crane hydraulics, custom chassis side-skirts and a full catwalk installed at SB Components.
To complement the LED light package from Volvo, and to make it ‘look like an Aylestone’, the truck was also sent to Kelsa for the full ‘Kelsafication’ process, as Bodge calls it. This saw Lazer lights ordered, with inbuilt flashing amber beacons and sidelights. The smaller size of the Lazer lights meant a new grille bar was needed – with Darren Longdon and the team at Kelsa developing an all-new Kelsa Multibar XS; the first of its kind to be specifically designed for Lazer lights. An array of other Kelsa bars, plus a perimeter kit, complete the look and ensure maximum impact on the road.
Prior to entering service, the PDI was completed at the Volvo Truck & Bus South East’s Bardon depot – which will now be maintaining the truck under a Volvo Blue Contract.
The colossal specification includes Volvo’s Long Haul Fuel package – which features I-See predictive cruise control for maximum fuel efficiency – with the Media pack offering satellite navigation and Dynafleet driver coaching. Safety is enhanced with the Visibility++ pack and Active Safety+ pack, adding key features such as Adaptive Cruise Control, Volvo Dynamic Steering, Driver Alert Support, Lane Departure Warning System with corrective steering, Lane Change Support and Stretch Brake – an automatic low speed trailer brake activation system to prevent jack-knifing and improve steerability, particularly on downhill sections and slippery roads.
Ward explains: “I strongly believe that the extra cost of added safety features is easily recouped, but never seen. It’s another reason we run Volvo trucks as they are synonymous with safety.”
The new truck is expected to remain on the fleet for at least eight years, clocking up around 100,000 km per annum.