Impressive new 10×4 Volvo FMX goes into service in Ireland. With a 27-tonne payload, is it time to think about this set up in the UK?

 

This press release dropped in this morning, of a very smart new Volvo FMX. In recent years, payloads have been dropping on our 32-tonne eight-wheeler trucks due to extra emissions and safety equipment, not to mention the move to big cabs. Should the UK consider making five-axle rigids available? With a 27-tonne payload at 42-tonnes you’ll get a hell of a lot more work done with these than you will with an 8×4 hauling 20-tonnes (if you’re lucky), even if you dropped the GVW to 40-tonnes. Here is the complete press release on the new truck…

VOLVO TRUCKS ARE A VALUABLE ASSET FOR MARTIN FORTUNE TRANSPORT
County Wexford based, Martin Fortune Transport has relied on Volvo tipper trucks since the business was established back in 2006. The company’s three Volvo 8x4s are complemented
by a pair of five axle FMX 10×4 chassis, both of which come with an impressive 27 tonne payload. Supplied by Joe Baker, Truck Sales Executive at McCarthy Commercials Ltd, the 3.4m wheelbase
FMX chassis are powered by Volvo’s D13K engine rated at 460hp. I-Shift gearboxes and tandem single reduction rear axles complete the powertrain assemblies. The front steel parabolic spring
and rear air suspension prove ideal in a tough operating environment, which includes both on and off road works.

The 42 tonne GVW FMXs’ are also fitted with Fitzgerald Vehicle Body Builders tipper bodies, manufactured locally in Cork. The all-Volvo fleet also standardises on Hyva tipping gear and Alcoa alloy wheels to boost the trucks’ payload figures. In addition to the transport of top soil and stone, Martin Fortune Transport also load frequently from the MSK Silver Sands Ltd. quarry in nearby Ballyraune. Full loads of top quality sand from this location, are sent across the length and breadth of Ireland to equestrian, sports and construction customers. “We order our Volvo trucks with a five year Volvo Service Contract, which is carried out by McCarthy Commercials’ Kilkenny dealerpoint,” reports Martin Fortune, owner at Martin Fortune Transport. “The most important aspect of our business is customer care,” he declares. “McCarthy Commercials provide us with excellent service and back up levels, which in turn let me concentrate on providing a reliable and consistent service to my customer base.”

Martin continues “We’ve just taken delivery of another FMX 8×4 tipper with a 500hp engine and a Fitzgerald body. We also have a 420hp Volvo FM concrete mixer that is contracted to Roadstone. Our fleet averages fairly high mileages and McCarthy Commercials also carry out the required 13-week safety checks. Importantly, our drivers also rate the Volvos’ very highly and they are extremely enthusiastic about the brand’s quality and comfort standards. We always specify cabs with air suspension to help with the latter.”