Russell Stone Merchants in Bradford, West Yorkshire, has taken delivery of its first ever Volvo truck, a new 18-tonne crane-equipped 4x2 Volvo FL rigid.

Paul Jackson, Technical Director at Russell, says: “We had our old truck for 12 years and it never let us down, but there’s no doubt this is a step up. As it’s our only truck, it was absolutely vital we got the decision right. We looked closely at four different manufacturers and did our research. The overriding feedback was that Volvo was the best product and could give us the mileage and payload we needed to do the job.”

Supplied by Volvo dealer Crossroads Truck & Bus, Russell Stone Merchants’ new lorry is powered by Volvo’s D8K engine, producing 250HP and 950Nm of torque. It features a six-speed I-Sync automated transmission, and steel suspension.

The enhanced driver workspace in the cab is equiped with the Volvo Drive Package that includes air conditioning, cruise control and an electric roof hatch. There are also roof-mounted amber beacons.

Lightweight dropside bodywork from Micra Truck Bodies, plus an Atlas 105.2 crane, maximise the load the truck can carry and make unloading onsite easy.

Paul Jackson: “We go up as far as Berwick maybe once every couple of weeks, but the majority of the work is closer to home. Business is very busy at the moment and most days the truck will go out at its full capacity. We put the crane on the back to give us a bit more length to get the pallets on and we specified a lightweight body to maximise payload potential.”

The FL is covered by a Volvo Gold Contract repair & maintenance agreement for the best possible uptime, with servicing being carried out at the Birstall depot of Crossroads Truck & Bus.

“The service we got from Jason and the team at Crossroads was second to none,” says Paul. “The driver absolutely loves the truck. It’s looking like an excellent choice so far and in the long run we’re confident the investment will prove great value for money.”

Established in the early 1970s, Russell Stone Merchants supplies all types of high quality stone to house developers, builders and builders merchants.