Bristol-Based Kelston Sparkes Group Adds Three Volvo FMX Trucks, Returns To Tipper Transport

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Kelston Sparkes Group recently added three new Volvo FMX trucks with Boweld Taperlite tipper bodies to its fleet. (Photo courtesy of Volvo.)

The Kelston Sparkes Group, an earthworks and earthmoving contractor based in Bristol, recently purchased three new Volvo FMX trucks outfitted with tipper bodies, which marks the return of the company to tipper transport after a 14-year absence. The 8x4 rigids all feature 420-horsepower Volvo D13K engines, I-Shift automated transmissions, single reduction axles, and front and rear steel suspensions on a 5,100-millimetre wheelbase and Extra High B ride chassis. The firm also elected to cover each of its FMX models with two-year Volvo Gold Service Contracts.

Back In The Game

“Our customers are now looking for a complete, single-source supplier package. That’s why we’ve re-introduced tipper trucks back into our fleet,” says Kelston Stark, on-site manager at Kelston Sparkes Group. “At the beginning of the new millennium we ran around 14 tipper trucks, but then it became more viable to use sub-contractors. Nowadays safety and quality standards are paramount for our business, as is the requirement to provide customers with the complete service package delivered by one supplier, so the re-emergence of tippers is the way forward for our business.”

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Each FMX model features a 420-horsepower Volvo D13K engine, I-Shift automated transmission, single reduction axles, and steel suspensions. (Photo courtesy of Volvo.)

Ready For Work

The Volvo FMX trucks all feature Boweld Taperlite steel tipper bodies as well as onboard weighing systems and air-operated tailgates. Kelston Sparkes Group opted for a number of safety features, including five-way camera systems, left turn alarms, side scan systems, white noise reversing alarms, high-voltage cable detection systems, working lights and working lights, and extra LED reversing lamps. The company plans to keep its new trucks in operation for three years.

“In previous years we’ve kept our Volvo trucks for a full lifetime of service; however the industry is changing fast. Tipper vehicles take much more of a daily pounding than the remainder of our fleet,” says Stark. “We’ve always deployed the highest vehicle maintenance and presentation standards, a factor our customers naturally expect. Technology and safety standards are also advancing rapidly, so we predict that three years’ frontline service will tick all the boxes.”

You will find a large selection of used Volvo trucks for sale on TruckLocator, including a number of FMX models.