Volvo Trucks extend key bodybuilder programme
Extended range of fully bodied vehicles cuts delivery lead times from months to days
IN a move that will significantly reduce lead times for a range of waste and construction vehicles, Volvo Trucks are working in partnership with four key bodybuilders to provide selected vehicles complete with bodywork.
After a successful initial scheme with Thompsons, Volvo have extended their programme so that customers can now opt for an FMX 8x4 fitted with a Thompson Loadmaster steel tipper, an FMX with a Boweld Taperlite steel body, an FL 18-tonner with Hyva’s industry-leading skip-loader or an FM equipped with a Boughton Engineering hook-lift.
In a little over a year, three new Volvo FMX eight-wheelers have joined the tipper fleet of Glasgow-based J&M Murdoch, and in each case the company has been able to take full advantage of Volvo’s ‘ex-stock’ availability of fully bodied vehicles.
‘In our business, we need to be able to react quickly to new opportunities,’ said director Andrew Murdoch. ‘This, in turn, means that when we want new trucks, we want them as quickly as possible. With the Volvo key bodybuilder programme, we can get a new tipper on the road in about 10 days, rather than the standard order-to-delivery time of around three months. This makes a huge difference to our capability.’
J&M Murdoch’s FMXs are fitted with Thompson’s all-steel Loadmaster Lite tipper bodies, providing an optimal blend between strength, reliability and payload capacity. Murdoch say they see the Thompsons body as the perfect complement to the rugged Volvo FMX.
‘There’s no point in having fully built-up trucks if there’s a mismatch between the chassis and the body,’ said Tony Cairns, J&M Murdoch’s operations manager (transport).
‘By offering Thompsons bodies, we know that the trucks we get will operate to their fullest potential. The whole truck has to work as one unit, with no compromises. The Loadmaster is absolutely ideal for the FMX chassis, being tough, durable and extremely reliable.
‘As a complete vehicle, we’ve proven that the Volvo/Thompsons package gives us an unrivalled level of performance.’
