South Gloucestershire Council Taps Volvo FMX 330 Rigids For Winter Road & Car Park Duty
South Gloucestershire Council has purchased nine new Volvo FMX heavy-duty day cab trucks to spread salt and grit on winter streets. The seven 26-tonne (28.7-U.S.-ton) FMX 330 6x4s and two 18-t (19.8-U.S.-t) FMX 330 4x4 rigids each are equipped with a snowplough and Econ Engineering bodywork.
“Reliability and prompt backup from the local dealer are essential for us, as we need to feel assured that our operations are relatively unaffected during any necessary maintenance and downtime, particularly in the colder months,” says Council Fleet Operations Manager Ron Dovey.
Repeat Business
The Council has used a number of Volvo trucks for a decade and plans to get 10 years out of each new FMX. It bought the new trucks outright from Truck and Bus Wales and West. They will be used to plough and treat access roads, delivery ramps, and shoppers’ car parks in areas of Bristol, such as the Cribbs Causeway and Kingswood Malls, as well as the A46, A38, and other rural main roads.
Each of the Council’s new Volvos has a 10.8-litre Euro 6 diesel engine with 330 horsepower (246 kilowatts) and 1,600 newton-metres (1,180 pounds-foot) of torque. The trucks include a six-speed Powertronic fully automatic powershift transmission with a retarder. The 6x4 FMXs have a 4,300-millimetre (169-inch) wheelbase, and the 4x4 models are based on a shorter 3,900-mm (154-in.) wheelbase chassis.
The Information package inside the cab has a dashboard with a 12-in. digital instrument display that offers four user-selectable screen views. A 9-in. infotainment display to the side supplies navigation and camera views, such as from the passenger corner camera that can be activated manually or via the turning indicator.
The Council’s new FMX trucks are equipped with Lane Keeping Support and Forward Collision Warning with an emergency braking feature. They also have Volvo’s Drive package with fully electric air conditioning and dual armrests for the driver’s seat.
The Volvo FMX
Volvo’s FMX is available in tractor and rigid form with two to five axles in 4x2 to 10x6 configurations. The truck’s six cabin options range from a low day cab to an extended crew cab. The truck is available with power levels of 330 to 540 HP (403 kW). Besides the Powertronic planetary gearbox, the truck is available with the fuel-saving I-Shift automated transmission.
Find The Right Volvo Trucks
Truck Locator lists hundreds of new and used Volvo trucks for sale from a wide variety of sellers, including a number of FMX trucks.
Source: Volvo