Weaver Transport of Whitchurch, Shropshire has taken delivery of its first ever new truck – a Volvo FH 500 6×2 tag-axle tractor unit – from Hartshorne Motor Services, Shrewsbury.
Managing Director, Nick Weaver says: “My father Graham, who founded the company some 65-years ago, passed away four years ago this May and I wanted our first-ever new truck to be in his memory.”
Nick continues, “He swore by Volvo, so when it came to ‘biting the bullet’ and investing in a new truck rather than used I turned straight to the Hartshorne dealership in Shrewsbury. I must say salesman Tony Churm was really helpful and provided invaluable support and advice when it came to specifying the vehicle. Indeed, so happy are we with this truck, that if we order another in the future we wouldn’t change a thing!”
The Volvo FH with a Globetrotter XL cab and medium height suspension features a tag-axle, which was insisted upon by Nick. “We like tag-axles a lot!” he enthuses. “For our business the tag-axle is so much better than a mid-lift as much of our work is on forest tracks where traction and manoeuvrability are key.”
At the new truck’s heart sits a 12.8 litre Volvo D13K engine producing up to 2,500Nm of torque. The Volvo Engine Brake fitted provides up to 375kW of retardation.
The new Volvo joins eight other Volvo FH tractor units at the company, all of which were purchased through used truck channels. “There is also a tenth truck, an old F12 that I’m in the process of restoring,” confesses Nick.
One feature of the new truck that Nick is keen to highlight is the Volvo on-board weigh system. “We run close to – or on – the GVW most of the time, so a reliable weigh system is invaluable. The system fitted by Hartshorne is really good, extremely accurate and definitely something we’d go for again,” says Nick.
Weaver Transport provides full national coverage, so the Volvo Drive Plus+ cab package, with two beds and high power audio system, incorporating integrated Bluetooth connectivity, have all been specified to provide enhanced comfort for what is one of the company’s longest serving drivers.
“I must say; the driver simply loves this truck,” says Nick. “He thinks its brilliant and his feedback has been 100% positive. This truck has definitely been a great way to honour my father.”
