Rugged FM 6x4 tractors head for Hills Waste Solutions

Hills Waste Solutions Limited, part of Hills Group Limited, has put two Euro 4 Volvo FM 440 double-drive tractors into service to transport municipal waste and recyclable materials on a contract with Wiltshire County Council from their base near Swindon.

Supplied by Volvo Truck and Bus Centre Wales and West at Calne in Wiltshire, the trucks are covered by a comprehensive 5-year, 100,000 km per year contract maintenance package. A feature of the contract is that Hills Waste Solutions are able to change the trucks mid-term if their contract changes with the end-user / customer.

Peter Moore, Transport Operations Manager for Hills Waste Solutions Ltd specified the FM cabs for their compactness, suitability for the job and strong residual values at the end of term. He said, “You won’t get a better product than Volvo. Volvo’s have always worked well for me. They last extremely well and we have a third one on order as I have no concerns with going with them again. They make a good, tough combination when coupled to our fully-freighted ejector trailers. The FM 6x4‘s have excellent traction for manoeuvring on soft ground and, as a result, are ideal for our application. The drivers also like them. I involve the drivers in deciding the specification of the trucks which gives them serious input and they’re really pleased with the FM double-drives.”

The Volvo’s haul three loads per day each, driving from Salisbury to Calne on cross-country ‘A’ roads. Specified with Volvo’s I-Shift automated gearbox, Peter added. “With lots of gear changes, operating at 44 tonnes and with no opportunity to relax on tight ‘A’ roads, the drivers love the I-Shift to bits as it makes their life easier - and safer.”

Peter continued. “I’ve been running Volvo’s for 20 years and they look the picture, especially in the Hills Red colour. They suit the company image and everything looks right about them.”

Operating out of the Calne depot in Wiltshire, servicing and overnight repairs for the trucks are provided by Volvo Truck and Bus Centre Wales and West. Coupled to 105 yd³ air- suspended tri-axle trailers from United, the highly productive outfits will move around 820,000 yd³ of waste between them over the 5 year contract duration.

Hills Waste will soon take delivery of another FM 440 6 x 4 tractor fitted with a Euro 5 engine in 2008 to add to their growing fleet.