Tachoblog» Volvo Trucks Archives – The Tacho Blog

Tachoblog Wishes Thomas Hardie Commercials A Happy 25th Anniversary

Tachoblog — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:28:29 +0000

North West England and North Wales Volvo Dealer Thomas Hardie Commercials are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year and Tachoblog wishes them a very happy birthday!

From its roots in Liverpool in 1985, the company has expanded to become the premier dealership in the north west of England and North Wales region with nine Dealerpoints and managed workshops.

Talking to Tachoblog, Managing Director Mark Woosnam said,“Although our business arena saw a difficult year in 2009, we are confident that our focus on working in partnership with customers and continuing to build the trust and good will that is engendered by our long lasting commercial relationships with many companies, will stand us in good stead as the recovery gets underway.”

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Thomas Hardie Commercials has won the ultra prestigious Motor Transport ‘Dealer of the Year’ Award twice – in 1990 and 1999 – an unprecedented feat that has yet to be bettered.

Although times have changed since Mark joined the company in 1991, he believes that its future success is tied in with the positive attitude of its people and the ability to offer customers not just value, but flexibility too: “This is still a people business and we are very proud indeed to have so many customers who were with us in 1985 – and still trade with us today.”

David Kirby, one of the owners of family-owned William Kirby in Orrrell, Wigan, has operated a fleet of Volvo tippers for over 27 years and is typical of the many loyal customers of Thomas Hardie Commercials.

Speaking to Tachoblog David declared himself ‘very happy with Thomas Hardie’, saying: “Their Volvo parts deliveries are very good and they give us technical back-up and advice whenever we need it. We serve private customers and reliable service is a must. Thomas Hardie and Volvo have helped us to achieve that over many years.”

Mick Forbes is Engineering Director of W A Shearing. He speaks of course for the passenger transport and hospitality travel market where Shearings are truly a household brand name which has around two million customers worldwide!

The Warrington based company operates around 121 Volvo coaches. Says Mick, “Our coaches make 5,000 mile round trips to Russia and elsewhere on tours to Italy, Sweden and Germany. Using Volvo coaches provides a measure of peace of mind. We’re working on a fitted parts price scheme with Thomas Hardie to try and fix our costs further on specific jobs. Although we do our own maintenance, Thomas Hardie manages an imprest stock of parts for us. We know that if we have an issue, they will jump on it and they understand the needs of our business. They are certainly one of the best for coach support. Thomas Hardie prepare all our Volvos for MOT and we have a good relationship with their Frontline Technicians. Their advice and support is invaluable.”

The company’s reputation for delivering excellent customer service has enabled Thomas Hardie Commercials to retain many of their customers throughout the last 25 years. The strong focus on local action could be key to the future shape of the business, says Mark Woosnam: “We see future investment likely to be centred on hub and spoke type dealerships feeding several, smaller, efficient maintenance units working on a local level. This way, we can ensure customers should not have to travel too far for scheduled maintenance and inspections. We may also find we work with more customers in joint ventures and partnerships where we run their workshops for them as we have done for Iceland Foods for many years.”

Last word has to go to Iceland Foods Ltd Contracts Manager David Hill who says of his company’s partnership with Thomas Hardie Commercials and Volvo Trucks, “It’s a great product and great service which together make for a great package.”

Volvo Gives Transaid Cash To Save Lives In Tanzania

Tachoblog — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 12:37:04 +0000

Tachoblog is delighted to learn that Volvo Trucks are supporting the Transaid charity to the tune of £5,000 this year. This latest donation is going to help develop a second Professional HGV Driver Training Project in Tanzania.

Sub-Saharan Africa is desperately short of trained HGV drivers and this puts road deaths into the top three premature killers, close behind HIV/AIDS and malaria. The death toll often adversely affects young children and young men. In much of Africa driving is sadly seen as a job of last resort and there is a huge shortage of professional driver training facilities.

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Speaking to Tachoblog, Amanda Hiatt, Marketing and PR Director for Volvo Trucks said, “The issue in Africa is not a shortage of drivers, but the lack of proper training for them. As the UK’s leading road transport charity, Transaid have done marvellous work in getting this issue more widely recognised as well as putting professional training in place. We are naturally delighted to provide this help.”

Chris Saunders CEO at Transaid told Tachoblog, “We have already run a very successful driver training project in neighbouring Zambia and are now in the first stage of replicating the work in Tanzania. This will not only increase the impact of the work but contribute to the harmonization of training curriculum and operating standards along one of the most important trading routes in the region.

He added, “There will be a consortium of companies involved in this project, and the help we have had from Volvo Trucks in the UK has been superb in kick starting this phase.

Volvo Teach Children The Importance Of Being Seen In Traffic

Tachoblog — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:26:23 +0000

60 per cent of all accidents in which a truck collides with a pedestrian or cyclist can be blamed on the driver’s blind spot. Many of the people injured are children. In Denmark, Volvo Trucks and several other organisations have therefore joined forces in a project designed to teach children how to behave when there are trucks around.

It is the middle of the morning rush-hour in the little town of Svendborg on the Danish island of Fyn. At the Byskolen village school, curious children are crowding around a large truck parked in the school playground. The third-graders are having a traffic education lesson.

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“Many of my pupils cycle through the village to school, and it’s important that they learn more about the traffic they encounter,” class teacher Lise Jakobsen told Tachoblog.

Denmark’s largest-ever traffic safety campaign, ‘Traffic Safety at Eye Level’, has arrived in Svendborg. The campaign was launched in 2003 by Volvo Trucks and other organisations. The background was that there had been many accidents involving cyclists and trucks, caused by the blind spot that becomes particularly hazardous when the driver turns right in a left-hand drive truck. In 2003 alone, more than ten people died in Denmark, several of them children.

In 2007 the International Road Transport Union carried out an analysis of more than 600 accidents involving trucks in seven European countries (France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain). The study revealed that 60 per cent of accidents in which a truck drives into a pedestrian or cyclist are attributable to the truck driver’s blind spot. In half the cases, the accidents took place when turning right. Two-thirds of blind spot-related accidents resulted in fatalities.

Speaking to Tachoblog, Peter Andersen, PR manager at Volvo Trucks in Denmark said, “These accidents are very difficult to prevent. That is why we joined forces with several partners to start the campaign and highlight the risks.”

In the beginning the training sessions were held on Saturdays at Volvo Trucks dealerships. However, it was difficult to attract families with young children at weekends. It was only when the campaign started coming to schools that it picked up speed. So far, more than 60,000 children throughout Denmark have done the course.

“As a manufacturer, we want to help ensure that this type of accident never happens again. For instance, we have developed a safety system featuring cameras that monitor the blind spot. However, not everything can be solved with technology and driver training. That’s why we must actively teach cyclists about the risks. That is our responsibility as a truck manufacturer,” says Peter Andersen.

Place: Byskolen village school. Inside one of the classrooms, the pupils in class 3A are sitting in a circle. Their attention is focused on a model road junction on which there is a Volvo truck, scale 1:32. Instructor Jens Hesselvig shows how the truck’s trailer cuts the corner as the vehicle turns right. The aim is to show the children how easy it is to be run over in such a manoeuvre when they are on their bikes.

“I’m a lot more careful about trucks now. These things can actually kill someone,” says third grader Vera Meyer after the lesson.

The biggest danger occurs as the truck slows down and is about to start its right turn. This manoeuvre creates blind spots where the driver cannot see everything that is happening on the vehicle’s right side. Several accidents have happened when cyclists have continued straight ahead at the same time as a truck is negotiating a right-hand turn.

“The cyclists believe the truck driver can see everything. However, there’s a huge difference between a passenger car and a truck when it comes to the blind spot. That is why it is vital for children to come up into the truck’s cab and see the view from the vehicle’s right-hand mirror,” explains instructor Jens Hesselvig.

There is no difficulty getting the children out into the school playground for the next exercise. After a bit of pushing and shoving on the staircase, a couple of boys are the first in the line to climb up into the truck cab. Meanwhile, instructor Jens places the rest of the class along the truck’s right side.

“OK, how many of your classmates do you see in the right-hand mirror? Sit in the driver’s seat and count them,” shouts Jens.

The boys in the cab cannot see more than half the class. It is particularly difficult to see their classmates standing right beside the first pair of wheels, even though they are waving their arms and doing their utmost to be seen.

“It was fun sitting in the cab. But now I understand how difficult it is to see cyclists down there on the road. I’ll probably jump off my bike and get onto the pavement from now on whenever I have a truck beside me,” says Jens Erngard, class 3A.

“When we were told about the course it felt perfectly natural to accept the offer. It’s a good opportunity to learn more about this now that my pupils are at the age that they are beginning to cycle to school on their own. They are more receptive to information about the dangers involved,” says class teacher Lise Jakobsen.

In Denmark the number of accidents involving cyclists and trucks in right-hand turns has dropped since the campaign got under way in 2003. From about ten fatalities a year to just one in 2009. It is of course difficult to quantify precisely how much the campaign has contributed to this result, but today there is immense demand for the course among Danish schools.

“When we started visiting schools in 2005, there were many people who doubted whether this was the right method. After just one year, however, we saw that the project was highly appreciated by the schools. That’s reason enough for us to continue,” says Peter Andersen, PR manager at Volvo Trucks in Denmark.

European Volvo Truck Drivers Tell All To Tachoblog

Tachoblog — Wed, 05 May 2010 10:09:45 +0000

Ever wondered what life is like for European truck drivers? Well, thanks to Volvo Trucks and Tachoblog you can find out!

So sit back for four minutes and find out…

Come To The Volvo Museum With Tachoblog

Tachoblog — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 09:11:34 +0000

On May 28, 2005, when the Volvo Museum was celebrating its tenth anniversary, fifty vintage Volvo vehicles where gathered outside to drive in a procession to the centre of Gothenburg. The vehicles represented a selection of Volvo’s products since the foundation in 1927. If you weren’t there (and Tachoblog suspects that most of you weren’t!) the event was captured on video which you can see on Tachoblog today.

Click below for another video from the same event…

Here’s the second installment…

Volvo FMX Videos From Tachoblog

Tachoblog — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 09:23:37 +0000

Whilst it’s all very well Tachoblog telling you about the new Volvo FMX, it’d be far more interesting for you to see one in action. So here’s some footage of just that.

If you liked that then here’s some more.

Click below to see Volvo testing the FMX…

Like all manufacturers, Volvo runs extensive tests before launching a new model, and here’s some of how they do it.

The New Volvo FMX On Tachoblog

Tachoblog — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 09:07:25 +0000

Volvo Trucks has launched the rugged, new Volvo FMX. Built specifically for heavy construction tasks, this truck will be available on European markets in September, followed by a global roll-out during the rest of the year.

“We are extremely proud of this truck and can hardly wait to see it at work for our construction customers,” Staffan Jufors, President and CEO, Volvo Trucks told Tachoblog. “With the new Volvo FMX, we are truly breaking new ground for us and our customers’ operations.”

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The most obvious change with the new, high-clearance Volvo FMX is its robust, modern exterior. With a new upper grill, aggressive lower front, 3-part steel bumper with 3mm thick steel corners, rugged skid plate and protective bull bar, this is a tough construction truck. For additional functionality, the Volvo FMX also features a powerful tow hook, headlamp mesh protection, new anti-slip steps – just to name a few examples.

“A quick glance at this truck and its powerful stance immediately reveals the close connection between Volvo Trucks and our sister-company, Volvo Construction Equipment – among the world leaders in dumpers, excavators and wheel-loaders,” says Staffan Jufors. “The new Volvo FMX literally breathes construction – reflecting its capabilities, inside and out.”

The new Volvo FMX is based on the very successful FM platform, which is well proven in demanding construction applications, particularly in the Great Britain & Ireland, the Nordic markets, Russia and Eastern Europe. Drivers can look forward to exceptional driveline performance based on the power and efficiency of the 11-litre engine (330hp-450hp) or the 13-litre engine (380hp-500hp). The recently updated construction version of the automated I-Shift gearbox makes it possible to ‘rock free’ from almost any situation. In addition, a new load sensor sends precise load weight information to I-Shift for an optimal gear sequence and smooth gear start. Massive braking power – 375 kW at 2300 rpm – is provided by Volvo Engine Brake Plus on the 13-litre unit.

Speaking to Tachoblog, Göran Nyberg, Managing Director of Volvo Trucks UK & Ireland said, “This is the perfect construction truck – and our customers have largely driven its development. With all the improvements in the Volvo FMX, combined with the development of a strong service offering for the construction business, we hope that our existing customers will become even more satisfied. We also have high expectations that this new truck and our unique total offer for the construction segment will attract many new customers through the UK and Ireland.”

New Volvo FM – Tachoblog Has It On Video

Tachoblog — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:28:10 +0000

Yesterday Volvo Trucks released a new version of the Volvo FM within the regional distribution segment. The truck features a new exterior design with a new grill, headlights and air-intake, plus a full range of cab packages.

Rather than try and describe it, you can see the new Volvo FM for yourself by watching this video.

Click below for another FM video…

This video is what Volvo call ‘Running Footage’…

Posts From Other Blogs That Are Allegedly Related

New Volvo FM – Tachoblog Has It On Video is a post from: Tachoblog

80 Years Of Volvo Trucks Part Three – The 1970s

Tachoblog — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 10:33:22 +0000

As it’s Friday, let’s continue Tachoblog’s series on the history of Volvo Trucks.

If you’ve missed parts one and two that cover the 1930′s and 1950′s, the links you’ll need are at the bottom of this post.

Today we’re looking at the 1970′s, which, according to Volvo was ‘a decade of refinement in the truck industry. The horsepower rating of engines also grew, resulting in increased average speeds.’

For those of you that missed the first two installments, you’ll be wanting to see:

80 Years Of Volvo Trucks Part One – The 1930s

and

80 Years Of Volvo Trucks Part Two – The 1950s

80 Years Of Volvo Trucks Part Three – The 1970s is a post from: Tachoblog

First Two UK Volvo FH16-700 8×4 On Tachoblog

Tachoblog — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 10:22:43 +0000

The UK’s first two Volvo FH16-700 8×4 Heavy Haulage tractor units have entered service with Bristol’s top weight transport specialists Plantspeed Ltd.

Plantspeed Director Paul Lomas told Tachoblog that the firm operates 16 trucks of which eight are Volvo’s, “We run them for the same reason we always run top kit. It’s an advert for the business. It ensures that people remember us when they want something heavy moving. High quality kit also helps retain drivers. Volvo trucks have robust technology and we don’t have any problems. Loads and by extension, trailers, are getting heavier and longer, so the high torque of the FH16-700’s is very useful.”

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Fuel economy is as much an issue for the Heavy Haulage sector as any other, says Paul, “It’s all about fuel. The FH16-700’s deliver more torque at lower revs which helps the economy. Fuel usage is relative. If 3 or 4 mpg at 120 tonnes is the industry norm, we’re more than pleased with the FH16-700’s 5 to 6 mpg. We’ve now got an all Euro 5 fleet and it is more fuel efficient than Euro 3 or 4.”

The vehicles are fitted with Volvo’s Dynafleet Transport Information System. ”We are using it to help reduce fuel usage. For example, we have the engines set to shut down after 3 minutes idling,” adds Paul. “One benefit of Dynafleet is that we can compare the fuel performance of the two 700’s which are on similar duties. Their engine’s spread of torque definitely allows improved fuel consumption.”

According to Paul, an additional benefit accrues from the FH16-700’s rear air suspension which means that they can also be used on more general work. ”The back end deflects sufficiently for them to couple to more standard trailers. It means that we can pull a stepframe, which would be awkward with steel bogie suspension.”

Manoeuvrability may not be something usually associated with Heavy Haulers. However, the FH16-700’s can get in and out of some surprisingly tight deliveries, says Paul. “The 700’s second axle is air over hydraulic and lifts as well as steers. It gives us very good manoeuvrability and makes it a very flexible truck. Sometimes we use two Volvo’s for extra traction such as when we are moving wind turbines, for example. The FH16-660 we have on the fleet has a front of frame chassis extension which facilitates this and the 700’s have a rear mounted heavy duty towing pintle.”

Plantspeed will keep the FH16-700s – which were supplied by local Volvo Dealer Wales and West Truck and Bus of Avonmouth – for 4 -5 years, during which time they will each cover around 500,000 kms. “All technology has a lifespan. It’s important to keep up-to-date, so we like to buy the latest and best kit, although we might not always be the very first. If the technology is still at the forefront, then we might run it on for another year to give the business a bit more flexibility.”

First Two UK Volvo FH16-700 8×4 On Tachoblog is a post from: Tachoblog

Tachoblog» Volvo Trucks Archives – The Tacho Blog

Tachoblog Wishes Thomas Hardie Commercials A Happy 25th Anniversary

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