Burton-based Willshees Waste & Recycling has added three new Volvo trucks – two FM 8×4 rigids and one FH Globetrotter 6×2 tractor unit – to its rapidly growing fleet. The trucks are the first Volvos the business has put into service for several years. They will be joined at the company by two new model FMXs – Volvo’s most robust construction truck to-date – and one new model FH tractor unit later in the year.Dean Willshee, Owner of Willshees Waste & Recycling, says: “Business is booming and we are having to put more trucks on the road in order to keep up with demand. I have run Volvos in the past but not for many a year now.“The bulk of the fleet is with a rival manufacturer but I liked the look and feel of these Volvos; we took them for a test drive and were very impressed. With the FH and two FM eight-wheelers we already have in service, plus the new model trucks to come, Volvo will have a good share of the fleet.”Supplied by Brett Howton, Area Sales Manager at Hartshorne Motor Services, all three trucks are powered by Volvo’s D13K engine, with the FH producing 500 hp and 2,500 Nm of torque, while the two FMs produce 460 hp and a top torque figure of 2,300 Nm.
The 6×2 FH is specified with Volvo’s long-haul fuel package – with the latest generation I-See predictive cruise control and 12-speed I-Shift automated transmission with long haul optimised software – while the interior of its Globetrotter cab benefits from drive plus and single bed living packages. The interior also features a leather steering wheel, luxury sleeper control panel and 33-litre under-bunk mounted refrigerator. The two FMs, built on a 5,100mm wheelbase, come equipped with I-Shift transmission with construction and off-road software, and are fitted with Boughton Engineering hooklift bodies. They are protected with a two-year Volvo Gold Contract, covering all repair and maintenance. “We’ve specified all three trucks with a high chassis to help ground clearance when they’re working off -road,” adds Willshee. “The eight-wheelers will be collecting and delivering skips from various companies around the local area – while the FH will be doing more mileage, towing a walking floor trailer moving waste out of transfer stations onto other sites.“All three have hit the ground running. The drivers are very happy and we are looking forward to the new model Volvos joining them in the coming months.”Willshees is the largest independent waste and recycling company in the Midlands – managingdomestic, industrial and commercial waste contracts for a wide range of customers.