Volvo Trucks Increase Efficiency at HST Feeds

HST Feeds is constantly trying to increase efficiency and optimize vehicle uptime, so to help maintain high levels of vehicle availability and overall transport efficiency, the company has recently added two new Volvo FM-420 8X4 rigids to its turned out in-house fleet of eight trucks, seven of which are belong to the same brand.

In order to fix servicing costs, all HST Feeds Volvos are on long-term Repair and Maintenance (R&M) contracts with supplying dealer Thomas Hardie Commercials, whose Middlewich depot look after all their servicing needs. The latest FMs are on 6-year R&M contracts.

“Efficiency is part of our mantra. We need to make sure that farmers do not pay for our inefficiencies. That’s why we are constantly battling against rising costs on behalf of our customers. Monitoring our transport costs and reducing fuel and unscheduled maintenance bills is vital to maintain our competitive position,” says Associate Director Operations Steve Rogers.

The latest FMs are equipped with the D13 engines and I-Shift automated transmissions and were both supplied by Volvo dealer Thomas Hardie Commercials, who has delivered all the vehicle purchases by HST since 2006.

“Our drivers are all long service and know our loyal customer base well. Continuity is important to us and our customers. That’s why we don’t use agency drivers. It’s also one of the reasons why we continue to deal with Thomas Hardie. For example, their Sales Representative, Mark Lingard has provided this element of continuity as he has been our contact for new vehicles since 2006. We also value the continuity of service they provide generally in terms of the people we deal with at their Middlewich depot which is open 24/7. Thomas Hardie service and MOT our vehicles when it’s convenient for us. It’s an arrangement which works well to date,” says Rogers.