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It's easy to underestimate the attributes of a fleet tractor when manufacturers pile'em high and sellem 'at a competitive price'... We've driven Volvos FM13.440 to see if it is as attractive to company accountants as it is to the driver.
It's not wise to overlook the means to an end when you are weighing up a package to buy a fleet of trucks. No doubt countless operators have experienced the irony of changing supplier with the promise of a cheaper, yet better deal, only to find the trucks' performance and the dealer's back-up fails to deliver.
Build quality is now a given, and fuel economy can be established during any trial process to ensure you aren't buying into a fiasco. When it comes to cost and aftermarket, sales teams shouldn't have to make any promises. A truck has to be affordable up front, with responsive back-up and service, no extra down-time outside of service dates and inspection, and strong residuals when you finish with it.
If you are not happy with your truck provider, shop around. There is no reason why you shouldn't be able to do so in the same way that you would change, for example, your energy supplier. But you need to ensure your object of desire - the thing you're buying to help you make money - delivers the goods. In that respect, Volvo enjoys a strong reputation as a mass-volume fleet supplier.
They are, along with Daf and Scania, the mass-fleet market leaders in terms of sales in a small field of western-European truck-makers.
The FM first arrived in 1998, driven by the D-series engines [seven, 10 and 12-litre]. They still roam the country, and it's a good endorsement for their staying power. That first generation lasted until 2001, when it was revamped. The D9 engine arrived, derived from the D12, and in 2003 the 460hp was added to the line up, as was the first-generation I-Shift transmission.
In 2005, the current line up was unveiled with an updated look with the D13 12.8-litre engine and second generation I-Shift transmission. Volvo has backed Euro-4 and -5 using selective catalytic reduction and Euro-4 with exhaust gas recirculation.
Our test vehicle is a 4x2 FM-440, Euro-5 using SCR with the D13...