Volvo FE is great addition to Shearline’s fleet

Shearline Steel Strip Ltd – the UK operation of the Bilstein Group, Europe’s leading producer of precision carbon steel strip – has added a Volvo FE 26 tonne rigid to its fleet. The sleeper-cabbed 6x2 rear-steer truck forms a key part of the Kingswinford, West Midlands company’s ‘just-in-time‘ delivery offering on smaller-scale steel deliveries.

“We’d reached the point,” says Shearline’s UK Director, Ralph Batchelor, “where we needed to increase our flexibility and capacity to maintain prompt deliveries on a smaller scale than the main Bilstein mills operation on a just-in-time basis. The next step was to examine the truck market where the FE stood out as meeting Shearline’s exacting standards.

Specialist adaptations to the bodywork include twin coil-wells and well-boards, essential for the truck’s work in supplying first-tier automotive manufacturers. The factory-fitted rear-steer axle has also proved of great benefit in serving the firm’s smaller customers, says Ralph: “Many of our customers have restricted access at their delivery points. Rear wheel steering means greater manoeuvrability which, in turn, means time savings on multi-drop loads, while the sleeper cab gives us the option of delivering anywhere in the country.” The finishing touch is a sliding canopy in the Bilstein Group’s corporate colours with custom Shearline Steel Strip livery details.

The specification is the result of close co-operation with Volvo Dealer Hartshorne Motor Services. “We can’t speak too highly of the professionalism of our Volvo partners, Hartshorne Motor Services and their body builders, Transport Enterprises,” says Ralph. “From Day One, they worked with us and suggested options to ensure that we were getting exactly the right specification. All in all, it’s a great addition to our fleet.”