New Volvo FM for Hills Waste Solutions

A new Volvo FM 8×4 Tridem is the latest addition to the waste collection fleet of Wiltshire-based Hills Waste Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Hills Group Ltd.

The FM Tridem, which was supplied by Truck and Bus Wales & West, Swindon, is used to collect waste from businesses in the Wiltshire area.

“In the past, we used the standard 8×4 rigid chassis,” explained Chris Boyd, depot manager at Hills Waste Solutions. “However, the potential for overloading the rear axles has made us look for a better solution. By moving to the Tridem configuration, the problem of the potential for overloading the rear axles has been resolved.”

He continued: “The best thing about the new FM 8×4 Tridem, from the driver’s point of view, is that it is so manoeuvrable. That makes it safer in rural areas – or urban areas where there may be parked cars. Visibility from the new cab has been improved over the old model FM too.

“Hills Waste Solutions were the first in the UK to operate the Tridem configuration nearly ten years ago, but these latest Tridems are a big improvement over the old FM Tridems, which were very good in their day too – but nowhere near as good as this latest version.”

The FM 8×4 Tridem was specified with the 13-litre D13K420 engine, rated at 420hp, and Volvo’s I-Shift automated gearbox.