HST says flexibility is key to Volvo FM eight-wheeler 06 March 2013

Animal feeds manufacturer HST Feeds has added a four-axle Volvo FM Tridem to its busy fleet of eight trucks.

Sourced from Thomas Hardie Commercials, at Middlewich, the FM Tridem replaces a six-wheel rigid truck used to make deliveries to farms with difficult access.

Describing the FM Tridem's operational flexibility as a "major plus", the Cheshire-based company's operations manager Iain Callaghan says that it was the key reason the company opted for the FM eight-wheeler in this configuration.

"Operating the Tridem has allowed us to adapt the transport fleet to meet our customers' needs," states Callaghan, who reports that the turning circle of the Tridem is better than the six-wheeler it replaces.

What's more, an additional benefit is that the Tridem carries an extra four tonnes of payload, he says.

Callaghan explains that the company has not replaced like-for-like. The six-wheeler had a payload of 14.5-tonnes while the FM Tridem eight-wheeler delivers 18.5-tonnes.

"It means we can use the Tridem as a normal eight-wheeler, scheduling in deliveries to those farms with difficult access that we would otherwise have used the six-wheeler for," he explains.

The FM Tridem has been equipped with Volvo's I-Shift automated transmission and the fuel efficient D13C-420 engine, which delivers 2,100Nm of torque between 1,000 and 1,400rpm.

Author
John Challen

Related Companies
Volvo Group UK Ltd

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