Why Hanson Plywood have gone green with Volvo's electric trucks

Whether they are positive or negative, there has been no shortage of opinions from those inside and outside of the transport sector about electric trucks. On the one hand, the jury is still out for a lot of people (much of it based on price, charging infrastructure and range), but on the other hand, manufacturers are pushing on regardless.

Volvo Trucks is proving to be particularly strong in this sector. It already offers a full range of zero-tailpipe-emission trucks, and suitable partners have been sought to evaluate the vehicles and tech in the real world.

One of these is Halifax-based Hanson Plywood. The company was already thinking green, having ordered five electric forklifts, and also signed up to the business certification Planet Mark. For Volvo, as an operator that was already actively looking to boost its environmental credentials and cut its carbon footprint, Hanson Plywood was a match made in heaven.

“We started to look into Volvo’s electric truck because we felt that it was further along the EV journey than other manufacturers,” explains transport manager John Lumb. “Others seemed to be looking more at rigids and, with the product that we sell being very dense, these vehicles would not give us the payload that we needed. Also, Volvo gave us a comprehensive and detailed presentation, explaining the very useful route simulation software. With all things considered, we decided that was the way to go.”

A brand-new electric truck is a far cry from where the company started out in 1987. “Back then, we couldn’t afford to go out and buy new vehicles, so we invested in a second-hand vehicle, which we liveried up with our original branding,” reminisces Gary Scott, owner and MD of Hanson Plywood. “Slowly but surely, over those 35 years, we’ve expanded the business, warehousing, staff and, of course, the fleet of vehicles. The company now runs a mixed fleet of 18 trucks – a combination of artics and rigids.”

f artics and rigids.” Scott says that the new addition took a lot of consideration, but believes it was important to push the envelope on his truck portfolio.

“Volvo built a certain number of electric vehicles and were looking for the right sort of operators and people who could really get to understand how they work and fit into a fleet,” he says. “But it’s all relatively new and getting a battery-powered truck to pull so much weight is a challenge. We’re not sure whether it’s going to be a long-lasting technology on truck fleets, but so far it has gone extremely well. We’re interested in seeing how it does longer term, because it is a trial of the technology. It might be a stepping stone on the way to hydrogenpowered trucks.”