Barr Environmental Ltd, a waste management operation located in Killoch near Cumnock, Ayrshire, recently brought in two Volvo FM tractor units, two FM hook lift trucks, and one FE rigid skip loader from Volvo Truck and Bus Centre North & Scotland. The FM 6x2 pusher axle tractor units have 13-litre, 460-horsepower engines and feature sleeper cabs, vertical exhaust stacks, and sliding fifth wheels. The 32-tonne FM 8x4 day cab rigid trucks feature 420-horsepower D13K engines, I-Shift transmissions, and Multilift XR26T.55 hook lift bodies. Last but not least, the 18-tonne Volvo FE 4x2 rigid has a 250-horsepower D8K engine, nine-speed manual transmission, and Hiab skip equipment.
Establishing An All-Volvo Fleet
“We moved to Volvo trucks in 2012 when the manufacturer opened its Ayr dealerpoint,” says Gordon Whiteford, operations director at Barr. “Our first Volvo tractor units rewrote the book on reliability and back-up. There was no downtime to report and the back-up service was excellent. The servicing schedules are carried out either on back shifts or night shifts, and that lets us maximise the trucks’ productivity levels. Our 10-strong fleet is now all Volvo. The drivers love them, particularly the I-Shift gearboxes, which are a huge step forward from the old manual units. The Volvos’ standard specifications are really high and the product literally does what it says on the tin.”
Nearby Support
Barr keeps its trucks for five years, largely due to what Volvo describes as “harsh operating conditions,” which is also why they are covered by Volvo Service Contracts under five-year contract hire agreements. Volvo’s Glasgow West dealerpoint, which is located in Cardonald and Ayr, will handle all maintenance, and fortunately, for Barr, “Hiab Scotland travels to the Volvo dealerpoint for any bodywork servicing or maintenance, making the depot a real one-stop shop,” Whiteford adds.
There are hundreds of used Volvo trucks for sale on TruckLocator, including a large selection of FM and FE models.