Warton celebrates 30 years with Volvo FH 500

Haulier Warton Freight Services has made its inaugural order with Volvo by adding an FH 500 8x2 rigid with a 70-tonne/m Fassi crane to its 58-strong fleet.

Supplied by MC Truck and Bus, the FH is expected to be on the road between five and six days a week, covering around 50,000km per year.

The order follows a trial of six seed Volvos during the past two years.

“I was invited for a visit to the Volvo factory in Sweden by our local dealer and I was really impressed with the design and quality of the product,” said Warton’s director Steve Barclay.

“This led us to take on two FH tractors, two FM 8x2 rigids and two FM 6x2 rigids and compare them closely to what we had been running previously. It was the real-world performance that put them in pole position for this latest order.”

The addition coincides with the operator’s 30th anniversary and the truck features a special edition commemorative wrap.  “For our 30th anniversary we wanted to do something a bit different and to have a big crane fitted onto a new 8-wheeler,” added Barclay.

“The crane has the fly jib on there as well, so that allows us to get an assortment of loads onto the truck. It might be moving steels, generators, cabins, anything.”