Valley Traction Services Limited Offers Diverse Range Of Services With Help From Scania R-Series Trucks
Advertising is great, but sometimes word of mouth can do even more to close a sale. Take, for example, the eight high-specification Scania trucks in Norfolk-based Valley Traction Services Limited’s fleet. Established more than a quarter-century ago, the family-run plant and equipment transport firm had no Scania trucks prior to 2018. That was the year owner and Managing Director Shayn Winsor heard another truck operator sing the praises of two Scania trucks he’d recently purchased.
“He said to me, ‘You need to try them—they’re awesome!’” says Winsor. “I listened, and was impressed by what he told me. He was sold on them and very enthusiastic. So, when I got home, I called the sales manager at our local Scania dealer, TruckEast, to find out more. It didn’t take long before I signed up for my first two Scanias.”
The Job At Hand
Valley Traction Services provides self-loading vehicle, trailer, and road haulage services throughout the UK and Europe. Most of the firm’s work is done within the construction industry, but it also handles waste management and recycling jobs, water and fuel tank transport, container shipping, and more, and frequently needs a truck-mounted crane to reach areas with restricted access. The company’s Scania trucks log about 100,000 kilometres (62,137 miles) yearly, but can cover as much as 130,000 km (80,778.3 miles).
“Sometimes, we're attending sites with extremely restricted access, so we need the ability to operate a rear-steer solo rigid,” Winsor says. “On other occasions, it's more about volume, so we specify our rigids as drawbar trucks. Over and above that, some of our work calls for semi-trailers, so we need artics, too. Going on and off sites means its tough work, which places a heavy demand on the vehicles. So, we extend the three-year repair and maintenance contracts that come with our Scania trucks to cover our full period of ownership, which can be seven or so years in the case of our crane vehicles."
The Scania R Series
Valley Traction Services’ eight R-series trucks are based on three specifications. All eight are 44-tonne (48.5-U.S.-ton) trucks equipped with a highline sleeper cab, light bars, and silver and red livery. Two are R 500 8x2*6 four-axle drawbar rigids with steering for the first, second, and fourth axles that feature a 7.62-metre (25-foot)-long flatbed body and mounted crane. The other six Scanias are tractor units, four of which are R 500s, and two of those are equipped with cranes. The other two trucks are R 540 S models, and one of those has a crane, as well.
R-series trucks are available with Euro 6-compliant DC09 9-litre, DC13 13-L, and DC16 16-L engine options in five-, six-, and eight-cylinder configurations and featuring Scania’s XPI injection system. Power outputs range from 280 to 770 horsepower (209 to 574 kilowatts), and the engines can run on hydrotreated vegetable oil, or HVO. R-series gearbox options include 8 and 8+1-Speed rear-change, 12 and 12+2-Speed range-splitter, and Opticruise G33CM. The trucks are available with day low, day normal, sleeper low, sleeper normal, and sleeper highline cab options.
Find Your Next Scania Truck
You’ll find a big selection of new and used Scania trucks for sale on Truck Locator, including a large number of R-series tractors and rigids.
Source: Scania