Pearsons put pedal to the metal with Volvo FEs and mountain bike

When Norfolk-based waste and recycling specialists Pearsons (Thetford) took delivery of four new Volvo trucks – an FE rear end loader (REL), two FE skip loaders and an FM hook-lift – they were also presented with a reminder of the firm’s roots: a Volvo mountain bike!

The surprise addition to the fleet commemorates the company’s origin in 1945 as a sideline in scrap metal, run by its founder Cyril Pearson from the basket of his delivery bike. Back in the 20th century, reliability and aftersales support were key factors in the choice of Volvo vehicles.

“Ours is a very hard business,” explains Pearsons’ current Managing Director, Jo Pearson – the founder’s grandson. “The trucks are on and off landfills and building sites or through town centres all the time. It’s tough on vehicles, and Volvo’s are very, very reliable – it’s as simple as that, but it is a huge issue for us.” He also reports excellent driver acceptance. “The drivers love Volvo’s,” he enthuses, “especially the I-Shift transmission. I test drove one in Sweden and, within a minute, I knew this was the way we had to go. They’re such easy trucks to drive!”

The three FE’s all have 7-litre, 320 bhp engines and Day cabs in ‘Comfort’ trim with air conditioning. The REL uses an I-Sync transmission and a 6x4 chassis, to which is mounted a Farid T1 SM22 body with combi-lift, making it suitable for trade and standard refuse collection. The skiploaders are 6x2 tag axle rigids – suitable for drawbar operation – with 9-speed manual gearboxes and use Webbs Extrareach TA12 loading gear including telescopic arms. They are also fitted with heavy duty headboards, a rear bar extension for a twin-bin system and integral hydraulic weighing equipment.

Meanwhile, the FM is an 8x4 B-Ride rigid with a 13-litre, 400 bhp engine and 9-speed manual gearbox plus disc brakes. Its Day cab is finished in ‘Prestige’ trim; the bodywork, by Worcestershire’s MHF (UK) Ltd., includes Boughton lifting gear and a Kwikcova sheeting system.

The gift harks back to Cyril Pearson’s return from war in 1945 to a job delivering wines and spirits, on behalf of a local merchant, to the nearby USAF base’s Officers’ Mess. “He started buying scrap and taking it home in the basket of his trade bike,” explains Jo, “and before long he was making more from that than from his day job!”

The bike was a complete surprise to Jo, he says: “We knew (Volvo Truck and Bus Centre East Anglia representative) Matthew Sadler was planning something when he insisted that both I and my father be there for the handover – but we really weren’t expecting this!”

Bridging the generations between Jo and Cyril it was, fittingly, Jo’s father, Patrick, now 68 but still very active in the business, who took the first ride on the new bike, whose 24 gears, disc brakes and front-and-rear springing make it a far cry from its illustrious predecessor.

The trucks, part of an order for nine to be fulfilled by the end of 2008, will all be maintained, on a two year R&M contract, at Volvo Truck and Bus Centre East Anglia’s Thetford depot – “just a quarter of a mile from our own,” as Jo points out. “That’s a huge factor for us; we get superb backup. When there’s an issue, it’s never allowed to drag on. They’re really easy to talk to!”

Maintenance arrangements for the bicycle are yet to be finalised….