East Anglia’s first Volvo FE enters service with D E Downham

The first Volvo FE in East Anglia has gone into service with timber distribution company D E Downham of Wisbech. The Euro 4 compliant 4x2 rigid curtainsider joins the company’s fleet of 10 trucks and continues their transition from used to new vehicles, following a Volvo FL which joined the fleet some 18 months ago. Strong dealer support from Volvo Truck and Bus Centre East Anglia was a key factor in D E Downham’s purchase decision.

The 240bhp truck’s curtainsider bodywork is by GB Transport of Wisbech; the FE is equipped with rear air suspension and a sleeper cab. Running in the family firm’s silver and red livery; it also features a cab-mounted air deflector and mirror package, including a front/centre look-down mirror.

According to Director Paul Downham, the latest Volvo addition to the fleet comes in the wake of recent expansion. “My late father set the company up around 35 years ago,” he explains, “but the real expansion has come in the last seven or eight years; we haven’t so much changed our customers as grown with them - as they’ve taken on bigger projects, we’ve needed to offer more trucks.”

The move to new trucks came with a wish to concentrate on running the business rather than maintaining the fleet. “We wanted to start looking after ourselves, “said Paul. “Volvo had taken good care of the FL for us and we were impressed enough with the service we got, the personal contacts we made and the prices we were offered, to build on the relationship.”

Driver acceptance has also been enthusiastic on first impressions. “The driver’s been left to get used to it – it’s early days but the power of the new truck has really made an impression: compared to the 220bhp FL, the 240bhp FE walks away with it !”

Like the FL, the FE will be maintained by Volvo Truck and Bus Centre East Anglia at their Kings Lynn depot on a standard 5-year contract.