West Midlands-based food and drink distribution specialists AF Blakemore & Son Ltd has added 10 new Volvo FE rigids to its fleet.
The 10 Volvo FEs are a mixture of 4×2 and 6×2 rigids. The 18-tonne vehicles use Volvo’s D8K engine rated at 280hp and Comfort Cabs, while the larger 26-tonners benefit from the same engine size, with an increased 320hp output and Sleeper Cabs.
AF Blakemore & Son opted for Gray & Adams and Solomon bodies for the group, which join a fleet of 291 trucks and 205 trailers.
Safety was a key consideration, and the FEs have Volvo’s factory-fitted lower passenger door glazing panels, which offer increased visibility of vulnerable road users. Cycle Alert protective side skirts are also fitted, which provide complete front to rear chassis coverage. The four 6×2 rigids also benefit from increased manoeuvrability levels, with electro-hydraulically steered tag axles.
AF Blakemore & Son will deploy the new FE’s on local and long distance, multi drop distribution of food and drink products. The company anticipate a 10-year retention period for the trucks. Volvo trucks account for more than 60% of the company’s vehicle fleet and its association with the marque stretches back to the 1980s.
The Volvos were supplied by Ian Middleton, managing director of Hartshorne Motor Services Ltd.
Blakemore Logistics’ compliance manager, Dave Higgs, said: “We have enjoyed a good relationship with our local Volvo dealer Hartshorne Motor Services. They have been a favoured truck in our fleet for many years, based on reliability, fuel performance and positive driver feedback.”
