Volvo FH bulk tipper gets fuel miser prize

Westbury, Wiltshire bulk cereals haulage operator Richard Paterson is getting the best fuel returns in his fleet from a new Volvo FH-480 operating at a full 44 tonnes.

Richard said, “The Volvo product is fantastic, it’s the best truck in the fleet on fuel and it’s consistently ahead of my fleet average figure which, at around 7mpg, is not bad for the work we do.”

Operating from West Wilts trading estate in Westbury, Richard runs a mixed fleet including DAF and Scania product hauling grain and animal feedstuffs in Fruehauf bulk tipping trailers. “We operate anywhere south of Birmingham and the truck is away all week.” he said.

The FH’s driver, Pete Johnson, loves the truck and is a particular fan of the latest I-Shift automated gearbox. Richard said, “I wasn’t keen on the auto boxes in the early days, but they have come a long way and they do a great job now. I’ve looked at others, but in my opinion, the I-Shift is hard to beat.”

With a large operating range and trucks clocking up around 130,000 kms a year, Richard is also delighted with the AdBlue usage. “We get by with around 30-35 litres a week on average which is the best I’ve heard of. Everybody else around here has to carry cans of the stuff with them as buying it on the road is so expensive. We get an IBC from Volvo which seems to be the best on price for it.”

The new FH looks the business too, with Alcoa Durabrite wheels and a Kelsa light bar atop the cab, an eye-catcher wherever it goes.