Bridgwater-based civil engineering and plant hire firm RK Bell has taken delivery of a new Volvo FMX rigid tipper, supplied by Wayne Bryant, Transport Solutions Executive at the local Volvo Truck distributor, Truck and Bus Wales and West.
The 5,100mm wheelbase 8×4 rigid chassis, which replaces a tipper that had reached the end of its life, has immediately been put to work on muck shifting work in the Somerset and Devon regions, as well as being available on hire.
The FMX was specified with Volvo’s Extra High B-Ride chassis height to protect the vehicle from damage when off road, giving it more ground clearance for obstacles on site. “Tipper trucks do take a battering in general, so the Extra High chassis FMX cuts the cost of damage and offers more visibility for the driver, being up higher,” explains Wayne Salter, Transport Manager at RK Bell.
Powered by a D13K engine developing a maximum of 420hp, The FMX also comes with Winter White painted Day cab, incorporating Volvo’s steel safety cage design. The powertrain also includes an I-Shift automated gearbox and single reduction drive axles with differential and cross locks.
RK Bell already operates a Volvo in its ten-strong truck fleet and its performance has impressed Wayne enough to order the FMX.
As Wayne reports, “I’ve always been a fan of Volvos and was keen to take advantage of the new Truck and Bus Wales and West dealerpoint, which has recently opened in Bridgwater.”
“In my previous working life I drove tippers here and I had Volvos,” Wayne explains. “I always liked the make and I liked driving them. They are comfortable, the layout inside the cab is driver-friendly and so we thought we’d give them another go.”
He adds: “As a standard lorry, Volvo offers more than the other manufacturers. You don’t have to add a lot of extras. With a different truck, you’d have to add on a lot more to get to the same standard as Volvo. This is already very well specified.”
Despite initial reservations about driving an automatic, RK Bell’s driver is now “really impressed,” with the FMX after a day’s training on the benefits of Volvo’s I-Shift automated transmission.
