Stansted-based operator Mackness Contracting has reacted to increased demand within the business by taking delivery of a new Volvo FH 8×2 rigid. This latest addition to the company’s fleet will be used to help with resurfacing work that the company undertakes around the Midlands and the South of England.
Supplied by Transport Solutions Executive, Stephen Askew at Volvo Truck and Bus Centre London, the rare 8×2 FH is powered by Volvo’s D13K engine with 460hp and 2,300Nm of torque. The truck was also specified with Hyva hook loader equipment and is complemented by a matching beavertail trailer.
In 2009, Mackness Contracting developed the first joint painting machine in the UK, which was adopted by one of the UK’s biggest highways contractors to help resurface major roads and motorways. Today, the company works with the likes of Hansons, Aggregate Industries and Tarmac repairing the UK’s roads with hot bitumen on the joints. Mackness is growing as a business all the time and now offers the ability to repair small patches of road, through the use of a skid-steer loader, with a planer head. The new FH will be responsible for transporting this loader to the repair site.
Company director Doug Mackness, says he was looking for something special to add to what Mackness currently had on the 11-strong vehicle fleet. “Because of what we do with the bitumen spraying, the other trucks tend to get very dirty,” he explains. “I wanted a truck that would stand out, when it comes to the planing – a flagship model for the fleet. It can be kept a lot cleaner because it’s doing a different type of work.”
As Doug continues, “Having this set-up, which I think is the only one of its kind in the country, means that we can improve efficiency and package everything on the truck that we need for the repairs. We can also be more versatile and keep busy with a good driver who, fortunately, loves the new vehicle.”
Mackness Contracting has also taken out a three-year Dynafleet contract and having run the FH for a few months, Doug says he has noticed a marked improvement in fuel economy, compared to other vehicles on the fleet. As he says, “We are really pleased with it and think it’s a great addition to the fleet.”
