If you are the largest family-owned truck operator in Wales, the chances are that every truck manufacturer would like to sell you some trucks. Despite not having bought a Volvo Truck for more than fifteen years, it was the combination of the tenacity of the sales team at Thomas Hardie Commercials and the effectiveness of a seed truck that sees no fewer than 60 Volvo trucks arrive at Owens Group’s Manchester site.
This represents a replacement of 90 per cent of the trucks operating out of Owen’s Carrington site in Greater Manchester with Volvo FH460 Globetrotter tractor units. The new vehicles will be delivered in three tranches over the next nine months, as part of a landmark deal cementing the customer’s first Volvo order since 2005.
Proven Fuel Efficiency
David Hill, Customer Solutions Manager at Thomas Hardie Commercials, secured the 60-strong conquest deal after supplying a seed truck which was compared against equivalent models from two rival marques – achieving 11.4 mpg average with the firm’s drivers.
Andy Williams, Head of Fleet & Compliance at Owens Group, says: “We never buy a truck until the product has proven itself within our operation and with our drivers. Thomas Hardie Commercials had full faith in the FH to deliver, and it didn’t disappoint – coming out top on fuel and getting a great reception from our drivers in the process.
“From day one, the whole team at Thomas Hardie demonstrated a strong desire to win our business and build a long-term relationship, investing a lot of time to tailor a truly premium-spec new fleet. It’s exciting to see the first new trucks entering service, and we are confident they will help us to attract and retain the very best drivers.”
The new fleet comes with three comprehensive option packs including full electronic air conditioning, cab parking heater, dimmable interior lighting, and a 33-litre under-bunk fridge-freezer. The drivers will also benefit from twin armrests, additional dashboard storage, 245 litres of rear cab upper storage, bottle holders in the driving and living space, a fixed lower bunk with a wide middle section, ultra-comfy 40mm thick mattress topper and a sleeper control panel.
Volvo’s I-See predictive cruise control enables the truck to use map-based topographical information to manage speed and gear changes in the most fuel-efficient way, helping to drive down fuel consumption.
Fleet uptime is also maximised thanks to a Volvo Gold Contract for each truck, which includes all preventative maintenance and repairs – with routine service work to be carried out at Thomas Hardie Commercial’s modern Trafford Park facility.
The new trucks are being vinyl wrapped in their livery by Owens Group’s in-house team and will join Wales’ largest independent logistics and warehousing company, with a fleet of approximately 500 vehicles and 850 trailers. They will be used for general haulage across the UK, providing a reliable first-class service to a long list of blue-chip customers.