As part of a 3-year contract with local Volvo dealership Thomas Hardie Commercials in Wigan, United Utilities will replace their fleet over the coming years with Volvo vehicles.

“The contract went out to open tender earlier this year,” explained United Utilities’ District Manager, Adrian Roberts. He added, “As well as road testing a number of marques, a whole-life cost comparison was produced in order to determine the right product for our application.”

He added that, ”Based on the road tests and whole-life costings which included,  purchase price, maintenance, predicted fuel usage and re-sale value, the results demonstrated that the Volvo product best matched our requirements.”

United Utilities have already taken delivery of their first batch of vehicles from Thomas Hardie Commercials. These consisted of three Volvo FM 8x4 hook-lifts, ten 8x4 tankers, four 6x4 tankers, two Jet Vac’s, and five FM 6x2 tractors. The company now awaits delivery of a further ten FM and FH vehicles, which have interim delivery dates over the next 12 months.

Municipal Sales Manager at Thomas Hardie Commercials, David Greenwood commented that, “We are proud to be supplying United Utilities with their heavier vehicles and hope to build a long-term relationship with them.”

The latest arrivals can be seen across the region as they assist in the day-to-day operations of the company’s Environmental Services department.