Volvo’s on dairy duty for Wincanton

Wincanton has added two Volvo FM 8x2 tankers to its milk delivery division.

Both on 5,100mm chassis, they replace two older vehicles from another brand, were supplied on five-year operating from Volvo Financial Services and bodied by Sayers Road Tankers. 

They will be used 24/7 in South Wales, where they are expected to cover up to 180,000km a year and collect up to 89,000 litres of milk a day.

The trucks are powered by the manufacturer’s 430hp D11K Euro 6 Step D engine and fitted with a rear-steering tag axle, adaptive cruise control with forward collision warning, a lane departure warning system and Volvo’s driver alert support system, which monitors the driver’s behaviour and steering wheel inputs and issues a warning if it senses the driver is tired.

They are also fitted with a four-way recordable camera system and dash monitor, rear-facing cameras down each side, an audible reverse alarm, park brake alarm and Brigade’s Cornerscan ultrasonic obstacle detection system, which is designed to flag up objects in the front nearside blind spot.

“These are very high-spec tankers built for a specific contract, and Volvo could meet the precise configuration we needed,” said Wincanton’s technical services director, Dave Rowlands, “they’ll be serviced and maintained through Volvo and we know from previous experience that we’ll receive fantastic support.”

“Quality and safety are also key to milk transportation; it’s something that runs deep within our heritage and Volvo shares the same values. We’re confident these new trucks are amongst the safest and most efficient of their type on the road, offering maximum reliability on a contract where they literally never stop working, except for planned maintenance.”