Volvo FM trucks prove fuel savings at GRS Bagging 25 October 2012

Half a dozen Volvo FM11-450 tractor units are on their way to GRS Bagging, following a three-week demo, where the company says it witnessed an improvement of an incredible 20% in fuel consumption.

As a result of the trial, the supplier of bagged sands, gravels and decorative stone to builders merchants, from Newcastle to the south coast, was able to lift its fuel economy from "the mid-fives per cent" to 7.3mpg with the new Volvos.

"This is heavy work an,d although we only do between 45,000 and 50,000km each year, we operate at 44 tonnes every day," comments Rick Faulkner, operations director at GRS.

"I am always looking for cost reductions and, after three weeks of tough work, the FM11-450 we had on demo turned in a fuel figure I couldn't ignore," he adds.

The new trucks are getting similar approval from drivers too, who are also benefiting from an improved version of the I-Shift vehicle transmission software, as well as a visit from Volvo's driver trainer Dave Taylor.

"I bought 20 18-month-old Volvo FM-430s three years ago, and these six are the first new ones on the fleet," states Faulkner.

"With the stop-start work we do, this fuel benefit is a massive bonus and I'm a big fan of the I-Shift auto box too. Since we moved from manuals, where a clutch would last as little as 12 months, only one of our used FMs has needed a clutch in three years."

Author
John Challen

Related Companies
Volvo Group UK Ltd

This material is protected by MA Business copyright
See Terms and Conditions.
One-off usage is permitted but bulk copying is not.
For multiple copies contact the sales team.