Plant rental and sales specialist Ardent Hire has taken delivery of 20 new Volvo FH 500 6×2 tractor units as part of a major fleet upgrade programme.
Volvo Trucks beat off the competition of two other manufacturers to secure the order, with the customer citing the reliability and driver comfort of the FH, as well as strong aftersales support, as the key reasons for the decision.
Supplied by Matt Kubot, Transport Solutions Executive at Volvo Truck and Bus South & East, the new FHs were handed over at Ardent Hire’s Felixstowe depot and will join its busy UK-wide operation.
Gareth Clements, Group Operations Director, at Ardent Hire, says: “We have been long-term admirers of the Volvo product, having run its trucks for a number of years now. The FH is ideally suited to our line of work and, following a thorough procurement process, Volvo Trucks came out on top for us again.
“The overall driver experience in the Globetrotter cab is second to none, and we know the FH is as reliable as they come. The aftersales support is also crucial. We run a national operation providing first-class plant equipment across the country, Volvo has an excellent dealer network that helps keeps us moving.”
The new FHs are powered by a Euro-6 compliant D13K Step E engine, producing 500 hp and a peak torque of 2,500 Nm, and driven through an automated 12-speed I-Shift transmission.
Ardent Hire operates 24/7, distributing and balancing out depot stock levels overnight, allowing its trucks to be available for customer deliveries and collections throughout the day. To ensure its drivers are comfortable while they work, the business has specified each Globetrotter cab with a Drive+ package, adding creature comforts including fully electronic air conditioning with sun, mist, and air quality sensors with carbon filter, an adjustable steering wheel with neck-tilt and an electrically operated fabric interior sun visor.
Other interior benefits include a premium 50mm mattress topper and a reclining bunk, plus 245 litres of rear cab upper storage and a 33-litre under bunk-mounted fridge/freezer.
To protect the trucks during their work delivering heavy plant machinery to busy construction sites, the FHs are built with a high chassis and feature a heavy-duty bumper. Made of 3mm high-grade steel and partly covered by a thick polypropylene coating, it’s designed to shield the front of the truck from scratches, dents and broken headlights on any terrain.
“We operate at STGO Category 2 which allows us to run at 65 tonnes, and we have a special construction specification,” adds Clements. “These trucks have been carefully built which gives us an end product that we believe is the envy of the industry.”
Replacing 20 older Volvo Trucks models in the company’s 50-strong fleet, the FHs are expected to cover 80,000km per year. They are set to be joined by a further 12 Volvo FMX 8×2 rigids at Ardent Hire later in the year.
