As part of a fleet upgrade programme, Ardent Hire has replaced 20 of its older Volvo trucks with new FH 500 6x2 tractor units. The company opted for Volvo again thanks to good aftersales care and the reliability and driver comfort offered by the FH. The vehicles were supplied by Matt Kubot, transport solutions executive at Volvo Truck and Bus South and East.
Gareth Clements, group operations director, at Ardent Hire, said: “We have been long-term admirers of the Volvo product, having run its trucks for a number of years now. The FH is ideally suited to our line of work and, following a thorough procurement process, Volvo Trucks came out on top for us again.
“The overall driver experience in the Globetrotter cab is second to none, and we know the FH is as reliable as they come. The aftersales support is also crucial. We run a national operation providing first-class plant equipment across the country, Volvo has an excellent dealer network that helps keep us moving.”
The new FHs are expected to clock up 80,000km annually and will be joined later in the year by 12 Volvo FMX 8x2 rigids. Ardent Hire’s FH 500s are equipped with Euro-6 compliant engines with 500hp and a peak torque of 2,500Nm, paired with an automated 12-speed I-Shift transmission.
To keep drivers comfortable throughout the day and night, Artdent Hire opted for the Drive+ package which features an adjustable steering wheel with neck-tilt, electrically operated fabric interior sun visor and fully electronic air conditioning with carbon filter. The cabin also has a 50mm mattress topper, reclining bunk, fridge freezer and 245-litres of storage.
Ardent Hire delivers heavy plant machinery to construction sites so the vehicles are specified with a high chassis and heavy-duty 3mm high-grade steep bumper with a polypropylene coating.
Clements added: “We operate at STGO Category 2 which allows us to run at 65 tonnes, and we have a special construction specification. These trucks have been carefully built which gives us an end product that we believe is the envy of the industry.”
