Yorkshire based potato supplier, Braegate Produce, has acquired its first Volvo truck, the FH Globetrotter 6×2 pusher axle tractor unit, as the seventh vehicle of the fleet.
The new addition is powered by the latest D13K Euro VI, Step D engine, producing 500 horsepower, and 2,500 Newton-meters of torque. This enables the Volvo to have good pulling power while providing fuel efficiency and a comfortable driving experience.
Braegate Produce chose Volvo after trialling a demonstrator, as well as hearing positive feedback from other local companies which had also opted for FH tractor units.
‘We have always liked Volvo and were keen to try and get one onto the fleet’, commented Brian Whitaker, the Transport Manager at Braegate. ‘We spoke to the team at Crossroads Truck and Bus and gave them an idea of what they were up against to win the business. What they came back with hit the mark perfectly in terms of both the vehicle specification and the monthly rate.’
The truck was supplied by the Crossroads Truck and Bus Rotherham-based dealership. It has been purchased on a four-year Volvo contract hire deal, with a repair and maintenance package.
The company plans to use the FH to deliver potatoes to supermarkets and regional distribution centres across the UK. It is expected to work between five to six days of the week and cover approximately 140,0000 km every year. Although it will predominately operate on motorways, it will also have to tackle country lanes and access roads, to collect produce from the potato farms.
This particular vehicle has a 12-speed I-Shift automated gearbox, along with a long-haul fuel plus package, and I-See predictive cruise control. Reportedly, Braegate is beginning to see good return figures already.
‘The main focus for us is fuel economy. If the FH can match, or better, the rival manufacturers we have got on the fleet then we will go back to Volvo again,’ continued Whitaker. ‘Obviously, it is a brand-new truck, and it still needs to be run-in, but we are delighted with what we have seen so far.’
