170 new cranes and trucks for Travis Perkins

Travis Perkins is investing in 170 Volvo FM 330 6 x 2 rear-steer rigid trucks, each with a Hiab articulating loader crane

Builders merchant Travis Perkins in the UK has ordered a new fleet of 170 Volvo trucks each with a Hiab loader crane.

Travis Perkins is upgrading its fleet with 170 Volvo FM 330, 26 tonne rigid, 6 x 2 rear-steer trucks to deliver building materials and related supplies. Each new truck one will have a Hiab X-HiDuo 158 hydraulic loader crane fitted with a Hiab KM 331 brick stack grapple.

This mid-capacity range crane model is rated at 15.3 tonne-metres and units can be configured to offer an outreach of up to 15.1 metres.

John Bailey, Hiab director for international key accounts and OEMs, said, “With an outreach of 8.1 metres and a capacity of 1,750 kg at that distance, it weighs just 1,975 kg and can deliver unexpectedly heavy loads thanks to its high-tensile steel construction.”

Its HiDuo radio remote control is designed to allow fast load cycles because several functions can be actuated simultaneously, Hiab said.

Deliveries in the TP order are scheduled over the next two years, split as 85 units in 2022 and the remaining 85 in 2023.

Commenting on the deal from Hiab, Bailey said, “Travis Perkins liked our overall offering and sustainability options we supplied with the crane, including the ability to start and stop the vehicle engine from the crane remote control. There is an integrated operator safety platform, automatic speed control and connected services, plus a UK-wide network to service and repair the cranes.”

The new equipment will help TP towards its carbon reduction target, and improve the safety and efficiency of its operations, Volvo said. The trucks have the latest Euro VI Step E diesel engines and can run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). TP’s HVO programme already includes 30 branches and 200 trucks nationwide.

The trucks have nine-tonne front axles, 12-speed automated I-Shift transmission and an improved turning circle versus the 18-tonners they replace, thanks to Volvo’s hydraulically steered tag axle, the manufacturer said.

Load chart for the Hiab X-HiDuo 158 mid-range articulating loader crane