VOLVO FM500 – a smooth performer - Home |...

Philip Hawkins and the new Stevenson Volvo wait between the sand hills for a load of sand at Perry Aggregates Tuakau Sand Plant.

VOLVO FM500 – a smooth performer

Volvo’s FM model is becoming a popular truck in New Zealand. For years the smaller sibling to the FH hadn’t been on

the radar of many truck operators, probably because of its initial cost compared to the competition.

But favourable changes in the exchange rate, pressure to supply drivers with comfortable

vehicles and a tendency to move towards safer and more fuel-efficient trucks have combined to make the FM an excellent option for many.

According to Clive Jones, National Sales Manager – Volvo Truck & Bus, “FM is a critically important model for us because it serves both regional and long haul markets. With its high torque drive train, low fuel consumption and

For more than 100 years W Stevenson & Sons Ltd has been shaping New

Zealand. The business continues to be family owned with strong values that

include safety and performance. New Zealand Trucking looks at the latest tool it

has bought to maintain its proud traditions – the Volvo FM.

B Y J O H N M U R P H Y

VIDEOwww.nztruckingdigital.co.nz

18 NZ TruckiNg April 2015

VOLVO FM500 – a smooth performer the same favourable long service intervals as the bigger FH models, we’ve seen a shift from more basic trucks to the FM.

“We’ve recently been approved to offer the 540 engine in the FMx models too, which adds another valuable component to the line up where customers need more horsepower but wish to retain the two step cab entry.

“FMx 540 comes with a standard GCM of 56,000kg, so it’s more than capable of HPMV operations and in that regard it’s unique in terms of low entry cab options in New Zealand.”

The recent high-profile crash where a Volvo FM (operated by Regal Haulage) and five-axle trailer dropped onto a motorway below the

Spaghetti Junction road it was travelling on is testament to the value of Volvo’s safety systems.

News website Stuff reported that police esti-mated the fall was between 15 and 20m and said the truck was carrying more than 26 tonne of fertiliser.

Regal Haulage driver-manager Alan Pye said the experienced driver, who had been with the company for a long time, escaped serious injury thanks to airbags and his seat belt.

Regal Haulage director Brett McHardie said in his 20 years with the company he’d never seen a crash like it. The Volvo was the choice of rig for the company because of its safety features and McHardie said he was happy the “near-new”

April 2015 NZ TruckiNg 19

truck had done its job in this instance.“The most spectacular part of this whole thing

is that he’s walked away from it. He’s a lucky man to have survived. We don’t know at this stage what’s caused the accident. We do know the driver was only a few hours into his shift.”

In a move that was controversial from a mar-keting viewpoint, Volvo put one of several new FH model trucks that had been crash tested on display at the Brisbane Truck Show when it launched the model.

The test markings and cab damage looked out of place among the sparkling highlights of the stand, but emphasised Volvo’s commitment to maximising safety, a factor that is quickly becoming more relevant when it comes to truck-

buying decisions. Stevenson Group Ltd fleet manager Lewis

Clotworthy started with Stevenson at its Drury Quarry back in 1968 and has moved on through the Group over the years.

When it comes to the question of ‘why Volvo’, Lewis says, “I purchased Stevenson’s first F12 Volvo in 1990 to be put into cement cartage. This truck quickly met our expectations.

“The Volvo brand purchases continued until around 2005 when Stevenson changed to the Western Star and MAN trucks. In 2013, we looked at the replacement of these vehicles and decided that the Volvo FM was a better configu-ration for our workload.

“The Volvo product has very good safety fea-

Stevenson Group put its first Volvo into service in 1990, the office walls are adorned with photos of the various units Stevenson has operated, including this NL12

The Transport & General bin carries five to six loads a day.


tures built into the cab, like an energy absorbent steering wheel and dash, solid cab structure, good vision and driver comfort. We also specify Volvo Lane Change Support, which keeps a con-stant eye over the blind spots on the passenger side of the truck, alerting the driver of anything in this area.”

Safety and comfort aside, the FM is expected to be a cost effective asset over the seven to 10 years Stevenson will operate it.

Says Lewis: “The running costs of the Volvo are very good. Little down time for R and M, parts are readily available if required and servic-ing is handy to our operation while the service agent provides after hours servicing.

“Our previous history with the Volvo product on fuel consumption, which is excellent, helped us to decide to return to this brand.”

The new Volvo FM’s driver is Philip Hawkins, a driver with over eight years’ experience with Stevenson and a further six years behind the wheel before he joined the group.

Prior to that he was a landscape gardener, but the 48-year-old says truck driving is the best job he’s had. He still does a bit of gardening on the big section he owns with his wife in New Lynn and claims to “dabble in a bit of brain surgery and rocket science” in his spare time.

The truck operates out of the Stevenson Group Drury quarry in South Auckland, being one of 12 Stevenson truck and trailer units based there. Another three are based at the Huntly quarry and run from the Drury dispatch office.

Stevenson’s Drury quarry is the largest in the Auckland region, supplying between 25 and 30 per cent of the total aggregate consumed in the region. With more than 150 years of qual-ity aggregate available, it fulfils a critical role in Auckland’s future, supplying over two million tonne of aggregate per annum.

The quarry and transport operation employs around 75 people and loads out anywhere from 400 to 550 trucks per day.

Sometimes the trucks work at night to supply a big roading project or aggregates for massive

concrete projects, but mostly it’s day work, with a lot of sub-contractors helping out. Dispatcher and ex-driver Mike Close says 54 subbies were working out of the quarry one day recently although about 20 is more normal.

Mike shows off the photos of trucks adorn-ing the office walls… a history of the fleet in Stevenson colours, including old ACCOs and NL12 bonneted Volvos. They now have Western Star, Iveco and Volvo in the fleet, but the con-ventional Western Stars are making way for the new Volvos.

Philip’s is the first of the Stevenson FMs and has now clocked up 25,000km. Another two FMs have just arrived in the country and are getting their Transport & General bodies and trailers completed. The units are 500hp, six-wheelers towing four-axle trailers – an old school configuration by today’s standards – but Mike points out they do have nine-axle high productivity units. Although they are useful, they cannot access some of the sites the fleet services.

Mike’s dispatch role at the Drury quarry is far from simple; he is responsible for the efficient

From left:Volvo’s cab layout is driver friendly with all the controls within easy reach and many critical ones available without taking a hand off the wheel. The I-Shift lever is mounted on the side of the seat, changing modes and using the lever is simple.500hp is the maximum currently available in the FM, although the FMx can be rated up to 540hp.

Philip operates the bin cover using the telescopic crank mounted on the front of the bin.


running of the large number of company and sub-contracted trucks, most loads travelling on Auckland’s notorious southern motorway.

The quarry entrance is on a four-entrance roundabout where two of the roads head through fairly dense suburban zones, while the other leads to the southern motorway, directly past the CVIU Drury weigh station.

Except for local deliveries, it is company poli-cy to use the motorway route in order to reduce pressure on the local community.

This means they are exposed to high levels of enforcement scrutiny, as a consequence of which the company has strict weight controls; every truck leaving the quarry must pass over the quarry weighbridge.

Traffic volumes on the southern motorway are taken into account when dispatching and the most congested times are avoided. Nevertheless, the notorious holdups that can occur make

accurate scheduling difficult.Philip usually operates a different run to most

of the trucks. He takes the Volvo home at nights and does a run north west of the city to Mount Rex where he picks up sand to bring back to South Auckland each morning before doing general cartage work.

The day we rode with Philip he was ready for an 8am departure after dropping off a load of Mount Rex sand and washing his truck. After a photo session in the quarry, he piloted the empty truck to Perry Aggregates Sand Plant in Tuakau to collect a load of sand destined for Swanson on the western side of Auckland.

Climbing into the FM is easy. The cab is lower than the FH and there are only two steps, an obvious advantage when negotiating the steps several times a day.

Although it’s a day cab, it feels roomy; the wide cab and I-Shift gear lever mounted on the

The four-axle trailer is ideal for operating in tight supply yards.

From left: the drawbeam is fitted with a warning system to let the driver know when the trailer is jackknifed to its maximum safe angle Philip raises the hoist a little to get maximum traction on the drivers when moving off on soft sand.


Volvo Safety Volvo’s driver support systems are complex and innovative. Further information on how they work is contained on the website listed below. It includes video simulations of:• Stretch Brake• Adaptive Cruise Control• Lane Changing Support• Emergency brake light• Electronic Stability Program

http://www.volvotrucks.com/trucks/newzealand-market/en-nz/trucks/volvo-fm-euro-5/key-features/Pages/driver-support-systems.aspx

drivers seat mean there is no clutter, and there’s still adequate space behind the seats for bits and pieces. Vision, especially via the mirrors, is excel-lent and both Lewis and Mike say the drivers all comment on how good the Volvo mirrors are when they first drive the FM models.

The unladen truck rides smoothly and effort-lessly up the Bombay Hill, although traffic pres-sure reduces the speed it is capable of achieving on the steep slope.

Philip handles the traffic comfortably, being well used to it, with this section of motorway much less congested than the traffic he will encounter later in the day.

Volvo’s 12-speed AMT (automated manual transmission), the I-Shift, has been around for years now. It is popular and efficient, and the changes are fast and effortless as we negotiate the traffic.

Philip has found the time to study some of the Volvo’s features and he points them out with his characteristic humour. The cab is equipped with a smoke alarm, which can be overridden for 10 minutes while the occupants smoke by pressing a button.

He hasn’t personally tested it because he doesn’t smoke and, even if he did, Stevenson has a strict smoke-free workplace policy.

The route to the sand plant on the edges of the Waikato River at Tuakau takes us through Pukekohe’s busy rural roads where an interest-ing mix of commuter, school, farm and heavy traffic means we can’t be sure what’s around the next corner on the narrow winding roads with constantly changing speed limits.

Philip and the FM are completely at home with the conditions and form a team that pro-duces safe and efficient driving. This is the same route we’ll be taking on the way back with a full load and may well be where Volvo’s brake pack-age provides its maximum safety benefits.

Volvo takes safety seriously and always deliv-ers way more than the legal minimum. The FM has a full ABS (anti-skid braking system) and ESP (electronic stability program) as well as Volvo’s automatic trailer brake activation sys-tem, known as the ‘stretch brake’.

The stretch brake electronically does what brake experts have been trying to do for years – apply the brakes at the rear of the last trailer first, and slightly more strongly, to eliminate jack-knifing due to the trailer pushing around a truck or tractor unit with locked up brakes.

The narrow bends on Pukekohe’s roads are just the environment that may demand hard

Skillfully jackknifing the unit to drop product in the ideal spot is a regular part of Philip’s customer service routine.


braking when cornering on an inconsistent road surface in an emergency and the FM’s brake system, combined with ESP, is likely to handle it without raising a nervous eyebrow.

On the other hand, it may prove just as effec-tive on a busy and wet motorway, keeping a loaded truck and trailer within its lane when braking is vital.

Philip stops at the sand plant for his 30-min-ute break, before taking the truck and trailer in for a load of sand. While the sand is being loaded, a few drops of rain fall and Philip raises the hoist a little to ensure maximum traction on the way out.

After crossing the weighbridge he rolls the tarps over the bins, the front cover being oper-ated by a handle mounted between the cab and bin. Grant Whisker, National Sales – Customer Support – Marketing for Transport & General, says they have put a considerable amount of R&D into the front roll cover drive system.

The primary advantage of the front of body system is that it provides easy access to the cover handle, eliminating the operator having to climb up the back of the truck tail door to retrieve the cover handle from above the door. The telescopic cover handle allows the operator to stand clear of the vehicle while operating the cover system.

Once the load is covered, Philip returns to the motorway to head across Auckland where he will drop the load out west in Swanson.

Initially heading north on the motorway, Philip discusses the experiments he has been carrying out on fuel saving using Volvo’s I-Roll feature.

Maybe he wasn’t joking about being a part-time rocket scientist. I-Roll is incorporated into the I-Shift transmission and cruise control and, when activated, the transmission will slip into neutral so the truck can maintain road speed on near level surfaces.

Philip has run over 2.4km in neutral in opti-mum conditions and one or two kilometre rolls are not uncommon. Obviously if a driver can achieve 10km or more a day without consuming any more fuel than the engine does when idling, the savings will be significant over a year.

Of course, Volvo has a number of safety fea-tures and when the drive needs to kick in again, it’s a noticeable, but smooth transition. It’s an ideal feature for the environment the Stevenson FM is operating in and having a driver who understands and makes use of it is a valuable asset for Stevenson.

Quietness is another Volvo hallmark and one Philip especially appreciates. Several times he remarks on how quiet it is, especially when compared to the Western Star he was driving previously.

The Volvo engine brake is also quiet and effec-tive and Philip is impressed at how the transmis-sion changes down to assist with engine braking. However, he found the Jacobs Brake on the Cummins engine in the Star had its advantages also when he used it as a “polite horn”.

Volvo’s D13C, 500hp, 13-litre engine is nicely balanced, the torque band reaching its maxi-mum of 2400Nm at a driver-friendly 1200rpm, carrying through to 1700rpm.

On the road, the I-Shift generally changes up well before the tachometer reaches 1700rpm.

At 44 tonne all up, the truck easily cruis-es at motorway speeds, although like all the Stevenson trucks it is speed limited to 90kph. More horsepower wouldn’t make for faster trips in the FM’s environment; it certainly wouldn’t add another load to the average of five round trips Philip gets in each day.

Steep climbs are often encountered, and with a full load the Volvo pulls up Logan Rd in ninth gear at a respectable speed. More horsepower would not be an advantage climbing out of the quarry where speeds are enforced at a maximum of 20kph.

The bottom grille folds down to create a step and the upper section opens to access items such as the washer bottle.


The trip out to Swanson is pleasant, with heavy and light traffic combining nicely togeth-er. At Central Landscape Supplies in Swanson, it’s clear to see why the six-wheeler is valuable. Squeezing the truck and trailer around the tight yard is where Philip excels.

After tipping the trailer load into a bin, a sec-ond run around the yard allows Philip to reposi-tion the combination and skilfully jackknife the trailer to tip off the truck without disconnecting the two.

Transport & General’s jackknife warning sys-tem is fitted. When the driver jack-knifes the unit to tip over the drawbar, the drawbar comes up against a spring loaded lever (mounted either side of the coupling) when close to the maxi-mum angle it can safely achieve. This activates a warning buzzer in the cab.

The warning system prevents damage, includ-ing bending tow eyes. Grant Whisker says that Transport & General also supplies this system in kitset form for retro-fitting to existing draw-beams.

Philip says the live PTO, which is driven directly from the engine, is an advantage and saves a surprising amount of time because he is able to raise the hoist regardless of whether the transmission is in gear or neutral and whether the clutch is engaged or not.

Another Transport & General innovation is the Auto Door Closer, powerful air operated clamps eliminating the need for manual spring bars on bin tailgates. They open and close in conjunction with the tailgate trips, but have the added fea-ture of a switch on the side of the bin allowing them to be manually operated. Grant says they are ideally suited for aggregate based applica-tions and other dry products such as stock feed, coal and fertiliser.

Once the load is dropped, Philip hits the north western motorway for a few kilometres to pick up a different grade of sand to take back out to a yard in Papakura.

The sand is soon loaded and the covers rolled over before a long wait to turn out of the drive-way because of traffic coming off a motorway off-ramp at speed, just another Auckland hazard.

Philip eventually manages to get the truck moving across the road and down onto the motorway.

In his good-humoured and relaxed way, he explains why he chooses the lanes he uses on the motorway, having a reason for every lane change, unlike some of the car drivers he shares the road with. Philip says of them, “It’s hard not to be critical sometimes.”

As a car cuts across two or three lanes in front of us to make a poorly anticipated motorway

The Volvo’s lighting is one of its many strong points.


S P E C I F I C A T I O N S

VOLVO FM13HB6X4 RIGIDTare: 10,450kg (as reviewed), 8390kg (cab & chassis)

GVM: 24,500kg

GCM: 56,000kg (higher ratings available)

Wheelbase: 3700mm

Engine: Volvo D13C 6 cyl. in-line

Engine emissionstandard: Euro 5

Engine Capacity: 13 litre

Maximum power: 500hp

Maximum torque: 2500Nm

Clutch: Single plate with automated operation

Diameter: 430mm

Transmission: Volvo Eu5 I-Shift AMT, 12-speed

Rear axles: Volvo single reduction

Ratio: 2.83:1

Rear axle set capacity: 21,000kg

Front suspension: 2 leaf parabolic springs

Front axles: Volvo

Front axle capacity: 7500kg

Rear suspension: Parabolic springs

Brakes: Disc with ABS & EBS, Stretch Brake

Park brake: Spring operated

Auxiliary brake: Volvo VEB+

DEF tank capacity: 90 litres (LHS)

Wheels: 22.5 ten stud

Tyres: Steer 385/65 R22.5 Michelin XFE, Drive 275/70 R22.5 Michelin XDE2+

Electrical system: 24V

Cab: Mechanical instrument cluster with colour DID, cruise control, ESP package (trailer combinations with ABS), air conditioning, electric windows, fire extinguisher, writing pad, vinyl & textile trim, driver’s seat, heated & air suspended, driver’s seatbelt pretensioner, armrests both sides – driver’s seat, floor mats-rubber, interior white light, front cab suspension-mechanical spring, rear cab suspension-air bellows, electrically heated & operated flat glass mirrors, exterior sunvisor, windscreen stoneguard, integrated driving lights, integrated fog lights

Services: Gateway with 3G & WLAN, TESP (Dynafleet) with transport info, Dynafleet-fuel & environment service, Dynafleet-positioning service, Fleet management system gateway

exit, Philip says, “You’d think those bright signs are only there to add a bit of colour on a drab day.”

There’s yet another safety feature on the Volvo, an option Stevenson has specified, some-thing that may prove extremely valuable in heavy traffic, especially on the southern motor-way.

Volvo’s Lane Changing Support uses radar that checks the blind spot to the left of the truck and warns the driver if there is a vehicle in the vicinity. It is activated by operating the left turn signal and if the area’s not clear, the driver is alerted by a sound and a flashing icon by the left hand mirror.

Philip says he has had it go off once and the audible warning is loud and unmistakable. Any vehicle needs to be surprisingly close to activate the alarm.

Another of the Volvo’s strong points is its lighting. Philip is impressed with the perfor-mance of the headlamps. The distinctive LED strip around the headlamps is one of the most

noticeable features of the model and something that stands out to other road users.

A builders supply yard in Papakura is the load of sand’s destination and it’s another tricky one. Philip has to go the wrong way around the building and drop the trailer to tip the truck first.

Disconnecting and reconnecting the trailer is simple stuff for the driver who credits the other Stevenson drivers with teaching him trailer skills. When he joined the company he didn’t have a trailer licence, but Stevenson’s recognised his ability and encouraged him to upskill.

He says the other drivers are an unselfish bunch and are always helping each other. Philip has plenty of good words to say about the com-pany and the general attitude of the people who work there.

When it comes to summing up the FM Volvo, Philip couldn’t give it a greater compliment. “It doesn’t get any better than this,” he says, “this side of paradise.”


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