Williams Transport Marks 50th Anniversary With Custom IVECO S-WAY
RD Williams & Sons Haulage, which trades as Williams Transport, marked its 50th anniversary in 2021 with flair, purchasing a customised IVECO S-WAY tractor. The bespoke truck was the fifth IVECO S-WAY the company has acquired since the product launched in late 2020. Approximately 20% of Williams Transport’s 50-truck fleet are IVECOs, and indications are more will be S-WAYs in the future. The new S-WAY is expected to log just over 100,000 kilometres (62,000 miles) per year with a five-year replacement cycle.
One Of A Kind
The majority of the Williams Transport fleet wears a two-tone ivory and green livery, but the haulage company opted to commemorate its golden anniversary with a return to the blue colour scheme it used when Managing Director Andy Williams’ grandfather started the business in 1971. The 570-horsepower (419-kilowatt) AS440S57TX/FP 6x2 tractor unit was supplied by Guest Truck & Van in Peterborough and received its two-tone blue paint job with white and red accents from MA Harding in Rushden. The chassis, the wheel hubs, the door mirrors, the front grille, and the external sun visor are also colour-coordinated. The yellow outlining and signwriting written in an old English typeface were hand-painted by Wez at Finch Signs in Raunds.
The customisation continues with a three-in-one combination perimeter lighting kit, PTO and custom side skirts from Bailey, and a twin vertical exhaust stack from Truck Max, both from Wisbech. On the front is a colour-matched LightFix Big Nordic protection bar and a roof-mounted Max light bar featuring LAZER Triple-R 1000 spotlights.
Williams Transport also commissioned a matching Knapen EXSIDE trailer, which has a retractable roof, a walking floor, and opening side doors, enabling it to take forklift-loaded general cargo for one job and top-loaded recycling for ejection through the rear for the next job.
"Personally, I really like the looks of the new IVECO S-WAY, they're stunning trucks," says Williams. "We've had good prior experience with the running gear in various Stralis before, and the new cab has made such a difference. Even on short runs, the CURSOR 13 returns great economy. We've got a great 25-plus-year-long relationship with Bal Singh at Guest Truck & Van, so after looking through designs in our original livery together and finding decent availability, we decided it'd look great and went ahead with it!"
A Smooth, Comfortable Ride
To support drivers who spend four to five nights a week on the road, the S-WAY has a reclining lower bunk, Hi-Comfort leather seating with a swivelling passenger seat, LED ambient lighting, and door and bunk curtains. The cab is further equipped with a microwave and refrigerator with 50 litres of chilled storage and 50 litres of freezer space. The truck’s full air suspension allows the driver to increase ride height to avoid debris while working in recycling centre yards. It also allows the inclusion of digital axle load scales to monitor load weight and distribution.
“We've had some fantastic feedback on the IVECO S-WAY so far, drivers like the way it looks, then they get in and really appreciate the extra space in the new cab,” Williams says. “We go for a high specification and everyone we've put in one loves it, which is good for driver retention."
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Source: IVECO