All three have high ride chassis and are powered by the 410bhp Volvo 11-litre D11K engine, developing up to 1,950Nm of torque, mated to Volvo’s 12-speed I-Shift AMT gearbox.
Simon Redfern, transport manager at the Dukinfield, Cheshire-based operator, says the team tried demonstrators from several manufacturers before making its decision.
“Thomas Hardie Commercials initially gave us a Volvo FMX-420 to trial and then later in the process we took a Volvo FMX-410 on a one-week test,” states Redfern.
“In the end we decided the Volvo FMX was absolutely the right truck for us [and] now the trucks have been delivered we are convinced this was the right way to go.”
Redfern explains that Chartrange is predominantly in the bulk excavation industry, also supplying processed aggregates.
“The three new Volvo FMX trucks are each expected to cover some 60,000km per year, hauling both material generated by bulk excavations and processed aggregate from Dukinfield, used for ground stabilisation and for sub-base in road construction,” he says.
All three FMX trucks were supplied under three-year Blue R&M contracts with Thomas Hardie Commercials.