Boughey Distribution has taken delivery of its first Volvo new generation FH vehicles, heralding the start of the roll-out of its 127-strong fleet.

The fleet renewal programme will take two years to complete with the first 25 vehicles being delivered to Boughey by the end of May 2021.  A further 48 vehicles will be supplied by the end of this year.

Boughey completed an £11 million, five-year deal with Thomas Hardie Commercials for the supply of the new fleet.

As part of the renewal, Boughey is increasing its fleet size by a further ten vehicles and the company said it is currently co-ordinating a recruitment campaign to attract new drivers.

Neil Trotter, transport operations director at Boughey Distribution, said: “The specification and the performance of the new trucks is very impressive and there is much anticipation about getting the new vehicles operational.

“We are very fortunate to be in a position to be able to renew our fleet every five years and we have the in-house expertise to co-ordinate a detailed appraisal of the best vehicles on the market in terms of driver safety and comfort, on-the-road performance and maintenance support over the period of the contract.

“Following meticulous scrutiny of the latest vehicles, the new Volvo model ticked all the boxes for us.”

Features of the Volvo vehicle include a 33-litre under-bunk fridge, a microwave fitted in overhead locker and a flat-screen TV, located above the driver door which can be viewed from a swivel passenger seat.

Bougheylast ran Volvo vehicles in 2010. The company’s current fleet is with Mercedes.

The new FH 13-litre 460bhp Euro 6 model went into production this month (April).