United Utilities return to Volvo for FMX 6×4 tractors

United Utilities has taken delivery of two new Volvo FMX 6x4 tractor for its bulk tipper business.

The Warrington-based firm will use it on the bioresources side of its business and have added them to their 350-strong fleet.

The units will work alongside two FMX 8×4 tippers and are being used to transfer sewage sludge to farmland across the UK.

United Utilities has a had a long relationship with buying Volvo trucks dating back to the late 1980s and has purchased these latest units from Thomas Hardie Commercials.

Martin Shaw, regional logistics and industrial cleaning manager at United Utilities, said: “Our vehicles work on five-year asset management periods, so when it was time to refresh our contracts, we shared our vehicle specifications and requirements with all the major players in the industry. Volvo has been awarded the contract for the past two renewals as its vehicles have consistently proven to be the best fit for our operation.”

“Through Thomas Hardie Commercials, Volvo has an excellent dealer support network in the North West, something we haven’t always experienced with its competitors,” Shaw added.

The trucks will work up to six days a week to help United Utilities’ Bioresources Services transport 2,000,000cu m of liquid sludge and around 400,000 tonnes of sewage sludge cake each year. The trucks have been taken on a Volvo Gold Contract for servicing and maintenance which will be carried out at Thomas Hardie Commercial’s Warrington dealership.

“The new vehicles have proven to be a hugely popular choice with our drivers, and they are particularly impressed with the added safety features. We have recently brought some outsourced operations in-house, so these new FMX tractor units are important additions to our fleet,” Shaw said.

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