Prompt Transport is to switch its entire articulated truck fleet to Volvo, and has started the process by taking delivery of four new FH 460s.
Commenting on the new trucks, which are all I-Save Globetrotter 6x2 tractor units, Lee Parker, director at the Bristol-based firm, says they are already returning fuel savings of around 1.5mpg over the DAFs they replace.
He says: “We had previously run with one manufacturer for more than two decades. However, we were having one or two issues so at the start of 2022 we decided to trial demonstrators from three other marques and Volvo came out as the clear winner.
“With these four latest arrivals, we are up to nine FHs and are planning to replace the remaining 12 tractor units we operate over the course of the next few years. The drivers absolutely love them, and we are very happy with how the move has gone so far.”
The trucks, which were supplied by Mike Gill, area sales manager at Truck and Bus Wales and West, have the turbo compound engines. Also included in the I-Save package is I-See, which analyses and adapts to gradients in the road ahead, and I-Cruise with I-Roll, which adjusts speed to further optimise fuel consumption.
“The turbo compound engine has helped us unlock some great fuel savings,” adds Parker. “We’re around a mile and half to the gallon better off versus the trucks we were running previously. That’s a real boost for the business, both economically and in terms of reducing our carbon footprint.”
Driver comfort is taken care of with the Drive++ package, which includes an electric sun visor, full leather interior and air conditioning.
The trucks are covered by Volvo Gold contracts, and are expected to cover around 120,000km per annum, carrying out general haulage duties across the UK five or six days a week.
