The all-year-round surface cleaning supplier, Aebi Schmidt UK, has added a new Volvo FE 4×2 rigid to its operations. It will be used to transport the company’s extensive demonstration fleet of road sweepers snow ploughs, and hi-spec clearing machinery around the country.
The 18-tonne FE mounted with a beavertail body is replacing a 14-tonne Volvo FL to allow the company to transport larger vehicles.
The new FE is planned to work five days a week, and features a sleeper cab, with air conditioning, Bluetooth communication, for a more comfortable accommodation for drivers. Volvo’s factory-fitted, additional lower grazing panel on the passenger door has taken safety and visibility into consideration.
‘As the diversity of our products has continued to increase over the years, we were starting to reach the limits of what we were able to handle with our 14-tonne box truck. We needed something with a bigger payload capacity, so we took the decision to invest in this new FE and we couldn’t be happier with the finished result,’ commented David Harvey, Technical Sales Manager at Aebi Schmidt UK.
The FE was supplied by Alan Didwell, Transport Solutions Executive at Volvo Truck and Bus Centre East Anglia, and features Volvo’s I-Shift gearbox for a smooth and comfortable driving experience. It is powered by the D8K Euro 6 engine, producing up to 250 hp and 900 Nm of torque.
Aebi Schmidt UK worked closely with Didwell and the team at bodybuilders Sterling GP to ensure the truck met their exact requirements.
‘We relied heavily on Alan, and his experience really helped us. We asked for a very low approach angle for loading, in the region of 12 degrees, as our sweepers all have brushes and are very low to the ground. Together with Sterling, he took all our requirements on board and delivered exactly what we needed,’ Harvey explained.
The truck, supplied through Volvo Financial Services, has been covered for five years by a Volvo Gold Contract, which covers all servicing and maintenance carried out at Volvo Truck and Buse Centre East Anglia’s Peterborough depot.
