Newcastle-under-Lyme, UK: Sausage maker James T Blakeman and Co has taken delivery of three Volvo FH Globetrotter XL trucks as it switches its entire fleet to Volvo.
The three new Volvo FH 6×2 tractors join three existing Volvos in the seven-vehicle fleet acquired in 2020. All were supplied by Thomas Hardie Commercials which also handles maintenance.
Nathan Hodgkiss, transport Manager, Blakemans, says: “We felt that it was the right move for us to switch to a one manufacturer fleet and it was quite a simple choice to go with Volvo. They are a premium truck manufacturer with excellent build quality, very high safety standards, reliability and excellent fuel economy.
“We get a very good level of service from Thomas Hardie Commercials, which is essential to us in eliminating downtime.
“Driver influence was another big factor. All the drivers really like the Volvos and these new model FHs with the Globetrotter XL cabs just take things up a step further. It’s a great truck and a really nice working environment. We have one more truck to replace, but by the end of the year all seven vehicles in the fleet will be Volvo.”
Blakemans will use the FHs to deliver its sausages to the catering industry clocking roughly 75,000 miles a year. “Our drivers can be out on the road for several days at a time – we go all the way up to Aberdeen and down as far as Plymouth, so it’s important they are happy in their vehicles,” Hodgkiss says.
Blakemans specified the FHs with Drive ++ and Living Plus packages. The trucks also come with Volvo’s I-Park Cool package and the Visibility Plus package.
“We do like to have them spec’d to a very high standard,” adds Nathan. “They really are lovely trucks, combining all the creature comforts you could want for the driver, with good reliability as well – which is so important in our line of work,” Hodgkiss says.
