The most fuel-efficient 44-tonne tractor unit in Volvo’s truck range, the FH with I-Save combines the D13TC Euro-6 Step D engine with turbo-compounding and updated fuel-efficiency features. The engine produces up to 300 Nm of extra torque, which means less acceleration and fuel is required in steady motorway traffic – a perfect fit for the Cambridgeshire-based hauliers’ long distance tanker operation.
The new 500 hp 6x2 tractor unit is also equipped with a factory-fitted Lite pusher axle, helping to maximise payload potential.
“The fuel figures this new Volvo can potentially give us are exciting,” says owner Brian Easey. “Our drivers can be away for up to two weeks on long European journeys, so keeping the fuel costs down as much as possible is very important to us. We like to use top quality trucks and this one certainly looks like it will be a great addition to the fleet.”
The FH Lite with I-Save was supplied by Alan Didwell, Transport Solutions Executive at Volvo Truck and Bus Centre East Anglia, and the company has also received driver training from the dealer’s Fuelwatch Manager, Jonathan Warby.
“The service we receive from the Volvo sales team is second to none,” adds Easey. “Nothing is too much trouble – they deliver exactly what they promise, every time.”
Brian Easey Transport, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, took this latest order after trialling two demonstration vehicles. Joining a mixed fleet of 23 trucks, the new Volvo is built on a 4000 mm wheelbase and is expected to cover roughly 130,000kms a year. Its spacious Globetrotter cab is specified with a one bed living package, and includes a media pack with navigation and a Drive+ package for added comfort.
“The driver loves it,” says Easey. “This is a replacement for an older model from a rival manufacturer and to say he is pleased with his upgrade is an understatement. People usually get these turbo compound Volvos with a 460hp engine, but I like high-powered trucks and insisted to Alan that I wanted it as 500hp so that’s what he delivered. It’s a great looking bit of kit.”
The FH Lite with I-Save includes the Long Haul fuel package with an updated map-based I-See system – Volvo Trucks’ predictive cruise control – that analyses and adapts to gradients ahead and includes gear-shifting software optimised for long-distance applications.
Its D13TC turbo-compound engine features pistons with a patented wave-shaped interior, improving combustion and increasing efficiency by guiding heat and energy to the centre of each cylinder. Excess energy in the exhaust gases are recovered to power the fly-wheel via an additional turbine in the exhaust flow, known as the turbo-compound unit.
The combined efficiency gains of I-Save can unlock fuel savings of up to 7% compared to a standard D13 Euro 6 Step D engine.
The new truck is covered by a Volvo Gold Contract repair and maintenance agreement and is expected to be in service for at least five years. The firm’s blue and white livery was added by Feenix Signs & Graphics and the tanker hydraulic wet kit was supplied by Harsh.
Founded in 2000, Brian Easey Transport specialises in a wide variety of UK bulk transport work that includes moving liquid and solid wastes, biofuels and aggregates using its high-spec trucks and a versatile trailer fleet that includes ADR tankers, walking floors, vacuum tanks and open top tippers.
For further information, please contact:
Martin Tomlinson
Head of Media, Volvo Trucks UK & Ireland
Tel: +44 7775 938063
Email: martin.tomlinson@volvo.com
Volvo Trucks provides complete transport solutions for professional and demanding customers, offering a full range of medium to heavy duty trucks. Customer support is secured via a global network of dealers with 2,100 service points in more than 130 countries. Volvo trucks are assembled in 14 countries across the globe. In 2019 approximately 131,000 Volvo trucks were delivered worldwide. Volvo Trucks is part of Volvo Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines. The Group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. Volvo Trucks´ work is based on the core values of quality, safety and environmental care.