Willenhall, UK: Ten new Volvo FM 6×2 tractors have been delivered to AF Blakemore & Son’s food distribution fleet.
The 44-tonne FMs will mainly deliver ambient, fresh and frozen food for Spar.
Hartshorne Group supplied the trucks which meeting Transport for London’s three-star Direct Vision Standard rating.
Dave Higgs, logistics compliance manager, AF Blakemore, says: “We have a long and successful relationship with Volvo and the team at Hartshorne. It’s a product that we trust and have a lot of faith in. These new FMs are superb trucks – ideal for our distribution work and they fit perfectly into our operation.”
Blakemore specified the trucks with multiple cameras which can be viewed through the driver’s nine-inch side display, plus an added window in the passenger door to improve safety and ensure they are 3-star DVS rated for working in central London.
“We’ve gone for three-star compliant trucks as forward planning on our part because I believe the DVS scheme will be rolled out across more cities sooner rather than later,” says Higgs. “These vehicles are on a seven-year contract hire agreement, so we’re future-proofing our fleet.”
Working with double deck urban trailers, the FMs are expected to clock-up around 120,000km a year. Servicing and maintenance work twill be done by Hartshorne Group onsite at Blakemore’s Willenhall depot.
AF Blakemore & Son is family owned. Founded in 1917, Peter Blakemore is the third generation of the family to lead the company, which currently employs roughly 7,800 people in eight divisions and a turnover of £1.2bn.
