The distinctive yellow and black livery applied to the vehicle fleet of the Towens Group of Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, is a familiar sight on the roads of the West Country as the company is involved in a wide range of operations including plant and tipper hire, civil engineering and other associated activities.
Supplied by the Exeter depot of Stuarts Truck and Bus, the new arrival sports additional 25th anniversary graphics and is the fourth FH tractor to join the fleet, which also includes FM/FMX rigid tippers, hook loaders, crane equipped grab trucks and FL skip loaders.
Towens Group carefully specified the FH to meet the demands of its daily operations. The D13K 540 BHP engine with Volvo’s I-shift automated manual transmission system power the single reduction axles riding on rear air suspension.
Company director Nick Towens explains the decision to stay with both Volvo and Stuarts Truck and Bus. “We have used Volvo trucks for many years. They are reliable, popular with our drivers and relatively fuel efficient in what is a fairly tough operation.”
He adds: “We require 6x4 tractors because the artics have to venture off-road at times, but they still need to be capable of handling long distance work as well. The new FH runs between Swindon and Cornwall, fully-laden in both directions, as part of our extensive waste recycling operations.”
Towens sums up: “Of course we do look at the alternatives from time to time, but see no reason to change at present. We are both family businesses and it is possible to pick up the phone and speak to the people in charge at any time, which is a very important factor.”