Volvo FH16 has always had fans among carriers in Romania, but its exclusive character made the number of units sold in one year to be low. During the first half of 2015, the Swedish manufacturer received orders of over10 units, and five of them – in a configuration exceptionally strong for heavy transport, and numerous special elements of design for increased driver comfort – were purchased by Rontransmar. In other words, 2015 was a special year for Volvo FH16, not only because they have been delivered to us more units than usual, but because their configuration is very specialized – in the past they sold only standard equipped units, for carrying general cargo.
Rontransmar made the purchase in increments – we commissioned the first unit and after about two months of operation we chose to go all the way with Volvo and we bought four other units, in an almost similar configuration – and only after having tested them at various fairs. “We’re 10 years on the market, and when buy trucks with at least 5 year life span, we do not allow ourselves to make mistakes: we have to configure them exactly for transportation requirements in the West, because we operate on that market and there are carriers with greater experience, from which we can learn. I think at present the new Volvo FH16 engine 750 hp is the best on the market for transport of up to 150 t total weight – the US does not produce such powerful engines – it also has engine break plus retarder with the total power of 1,251 hP, which for heavy transport is as important as engine power, ” argues Lechinþan Vlad, general manager, who also drives the new model, but not routinely. The company’s drivers also agree that this unit
is the best of the trucks currently produced, and the decision to order other four units was based on good collaboration with the Volvo services. Moreover, Rontransmar had a fleet of other six Volvo FH16 and FH12 trucks in configurations 8 × 4, 6 × 4 and 6 × 2 out of 35 units, some of which with more than 800,000 km board that will soon be replaced because, as evidenced by Vlad Lechinþan, ” oversized transport wares much stronger than general merchandise, and after a certain duration of use, the trucks are not that safe.” In addition, since about 95% of distances cover Western European countries – loading in Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Sweden, Norway, and unload in Austria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia, Turkey – the acquisition of Euro 6 units is required, and the Volvo FH16 truck is the first in the company’s fleet that meets the requirement . “We waited some time after the launch of Euro 6 to see how new engines behaved,” explains Vlad Lechinþan. Volvo FH16 was
delivered in June, four months after order, and since then reached around 16,000 km, being involved in the transportation of wind mills from Rostock (Germany) to Turkey. But it is suitable for any type of heavy goods and can be coupled to any of the 50 trailers that the company owns, as it has from two to nine axes.
Configuaration as durable team work
A whole team worked to reach the final configuration, and negotiations have lasted for about 1 year.
“We had certain requirements, based on our experiance at the time, but the Volvo representative (Mr. Sorin Savos, sales reprezentative for Volvo Trucks in Maramures, Bistrisa Nãsãud, Cluj, Satu Mare and Sãlaj) came with solutions.“ This resulted in an 8 × 4 Pusher Tridem with two steering axes and two tractor axes, of which the bearing axis is also the directory one. The axes are the largest possible, and their report is adapted for a maximum of 150 t. The coupling seat height is adjustable, so the truck can be hooked up to several types of trailers. The 750 hp motor with maximum torque of 3,550 Nm, the largest currently on the market, has a torque sufficient to trigger such a combination, and because at such a total weight it is very important how movement is transmitted to each wheel, and braking force as well, the truck has engine brake VEB + (Volvo engine brake Plus) and retarder with a total braking horsepower of about 1251,2. The 12-speed gearbox IShift was developed by Volvo for low loaders and it includes the I Shift Program ” Oversized Transport ” with GPS (I See centralized data storage) and Advanced Professional Program for rough roads, so the I- See software gives high performance in terms of reducing fuel consumption in such applications.
numerous optional extras are not much of a secret, so that the new truck has Globetrotter XL cab and complete packages. The driver package also includes electric parasols and sunroof, mirrors with heating and electric adjustment, adjustable steering wheel (can be brought almost vertically and convenient for the driver), numerous storage places and easily available, automatic climate and air quality sensor. The interior is leather and the upholstery is soft, black and gray plush. The truck has auxiliary windows on both sides, and in the sleeping compartment – specific for FH16 – there is protective film for windows, so as not to be too bright nor too dark. Rontransmar drivers drive often during the night and rest by day, so the endowment is also provided with autopilot with I-Cruise and Eco Roll, which allows the car to enter idle mode when running on inertia, but a suitable gear can also be chosen for the operation mode. The dynamic steering with 2000 corrections per minute makes the truck very easy to maneuver at low speeds, reduces power steering by 85% and improves directional stability at high speeds, enhancing driver comfort especially when the load is very heavy. Lechintan Vlad’s passion for high end cabins with
laminated glass door that provides a quiet interior, is welcome. The sleeping cabin for two people includes everything: interior dimmable lighting with with potentiometer, which can be set on dim light (featuring soft light for the drive) and De Luxe chair with air suspension, ventilation and heating, preparation for TV, microwave oven and coffee maker, a small table next to the bed bottom, tilt and height adjustable, two holders for bottles, a control panel for the air conditioning, sunroof lights, doors and alarm clock, all operated from the bed. And the advanced audio system has eight speakers and steering wheel controls. The upper bed 700x 1,900 mm is height adjustable, and the lower bed, 2,000 × 815/740/660 can be tilted at 55 degrees and it has mattress protection. The cabin has fully pneumatic suspension and includes spoilers, beacon, antennas and horns, and the adaptation to the superstructure, with heavy duty pedestals, was made by a manufacturer of superstructures from Germany, who made the preparations for diesel tanks- in 8×4 cars
there is not much place for it, but consumption is directly proportionate with the load, so there had to be a special solution to provide the truck with a bigger tank behind the cabin. The truck was purchased with Dynafleet Online services “Fuel and Environment” and “Positioning”. Given that customers who acquire such technical specifications are known and highly educated technically, knowing the value of such an 8x 4 truck , Sorin Savos believes that the model Rontransmar with all these extras is not more than 10% more expensive than a standard FH16 750 hp and the same configuration of axles, because “Volvo packages were designed so that when you want to have something optional, some are offered as bonus. Besides, those who buy these trucks, so well equipped, know that if they configure them well, they can develop their company. ” Other 4 units follow. After approximately two months of operation, Rontransmar has ordered four Volvo FH16 trucks, of which two will be delivered until the end of the year and two in the spring of 2016. These
They are almost similar to the first model, but “because along the way we thought about some things that we need, we made some changes.” Thus, if the first had front and real frame, to be trailed and used and pushed, the following ones have the chassis in the rear, so as to allow coupling. In addition, the first has PTO for the hydraulic gearbox system (PTO forward motion only when the car is in one of the gears), but in the new ones, the PTO is motorized to allow hydraulic couplings the semi-stationary assembly to act in stationary oversized semi-trailer tractor, independently of the gearbox, because there are many maneuvers to position semitrailers during cargo loading and there are situations where the semitrailer has to be left on the spot. The trucks were purchased in five-year lease at BRD, in conditions considered very good by Vlad Lechinþan, and did not involve the purchase of trailers. Then company’s fleet includes about 50 trailers, more than trucks, because ” we constantly buy, refurbish or replace them.”
Oversize transport not recovered yet
Oversized transport market was quite hard in 2015, is arguing Van Lechinþan, and no longer returned in the last 3-4 years. “Working in the West do not reach trucks after each project in the country, because they are not
returns-we try to keep, and i am successful it to achieve the volumes. But it’s not the best, and if we do it now because the trucks must, not because things are going very well. “
