An unusual Volvo FM road sweeper equipped with a Globetrotter cab and a host of driver amenities has entered service with Brooking Hire Ltd from Totnes in Devon.
Dubbed the ’Grim Sweeper’, the FM is fitted with the latest state-of-the-art Johnson VT800 bodywork and will spend most of 2012 working at Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Culdrose near Helston in Cornwall.
Major work at the station which includes the up-grading of the main runway and taxi-ways means that the sweeper will be employed on ‘tidying up’ duties until the end of the year.
Owner Martin Brooking said that the overall appearance of the Volvo, the excellent build quality and undisputed driver appeal make it an obvious choice. “Unlike most sweeper operations where drivers leave a depot early in the morning and are home again in the afternoon, ours requires that drivers are away for days or even weeks at a time.”
“The Volvo FM is the ideal chassis on which to mount the Johnson superstructure and the FM Globetrotter cab is the next best thing to the driver’s home during the week,” he added.
Powered by the 11-litre diesel rated at 330hp and driving through the two-pedal I-Shift automated gearbox the Volvo is equipped with polished alloy wheels, a Kelsa Top-Bar with six spot lights, a Kelsa Lo-Bar, roof-mounted air horns and stainless steel mirror guards. Warning beacons and high-intensity strobe lights are also fitted.
The interior of the cab offers the last word in driver facilities and includes leather trimmed seats, walnut dash surround, a refrigerator and coffee maker. Specified safety features include a rear-mounted camera hooked up to a ‘pop-up’ dash-mounted monitor and a hands-free phone kit.
“The Volvo FM and Johnson VT800 complement each other perfectly and offer a superb combination of good looks and functionality,” said Martin Brooking. “Our intention is to add two more units to the fleet with the next 12 to 18-months,” he added.
Supplied by Truck and Bus Wales & West the new Volvo will be supported by Volvo service dealers throughout the south west.
