Maritime Transport has begun to take delivery of a further 355 Volvo FH with I-Save tractor units, adding to the 170 it already has in service and making the Felixstowe-based business the UK’s largest operator of Volvo’s turbo compound engine trucks.
The decision to invest heavily in Volvo’s FH with I-Save follows the success of an initial fuel trial at the end of 2019 and the performance of the trucks it already has in service – which have quickly proven to be among the business’ most fuel-efficient 44-tonners.
All the tractor units in the new order will be Volvo’s latest version of the FH with I-Save and will arrive in batches throughout 2022. The vast majority will be 460 hp models with the Globetrotter cab, however these will be joined by 25 featuring the more powerful 500 hp engine plus the larger Globetrotter XL cab for specific drivers in the Maritime fleet.
Paul Heyhoe, Fleet Director, Maritime Transport, says: “The decision to order a significant number of Volvo vehicles was made when they introduced the turbo compound engine. We ran a comprehensive fuel trial which compared the first generation FH with I-Save with other vehicles on our fleet and we saw some great results.
“Volvo has always produced a quality truck and we have worked with them closely in order to get where we are today, with a specification fine-tuned to drive fuel efficiency and emissions savings in our business.”
The new trucks benefit from a more aerodynamic design, plus an improved map-based I-See system which constantly reads the road 2km ahead to optimise gear changing strategy. All this combines with the Volvo D13TC Euro-6 engine which lies at the heart of the I-Save product. It uses turbo-compounding to allow the driver to maintain lower revs and a higher gear for a longer time.
The new vehicles have been supplied by Volvo Trucks UK & Ireland’s national fleet team and will cover around 125,000 km per year transporting containerised goods from ports across the UK. They are each being supplied on a two-year Volvo Blue Contract covering preventative maintenance, servicing costs and remote workshop connection.
“In total, we are running 1,150 trucks across the fleet currently and when all of the new Volvo units are in that will take their share close to 50 per cent,” adds Heyhoe.
“Our drivers couldn’t be happier. They love the Globetrotter cabs. Each of these new trucks are incredibly well spec’d, including a factory-fitted fridge, microwave oven and the new digital dashboard – including DAB radio and the handy touchscreen side display.”
In addition, Maritime has specified each vehicle with Volvo’s Visibility package – which adds cornering lights in the headlamps to give the driver better visibility to the side, as well as rain sensing windscreen wipers – and added banksman lights to improve safety further.