1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160 
II Our second drive was rather less commonplace, certainly as
Page 16
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
far as press fleets go. The truck was an FLE 220 18-tonne skip-loader, finished in a rather unlikely bronze metallic paint job. Thanks to that stranded truck—still there after throe hours—we headed north out of Warwick and looped back through the centre of Kenilworth on a shortened route. However, this type of environment proved much more typical of its normal habitat than motorway cruising would have.
Not even its best friends would try to convince anyone that the FLE is state-of-the-art, and even a cursory glance at Volvo's current lineup will reveal who the next candidate for replacement is. But not every sector needs the latest technology, arid there's always something to be said for well-proven hardware.
Access into the cosy day cab is as easy as it needs to be if you're in and out dozens of times a day. The wide range of seat and column adjustments means that even the biggest bacon-buttie fan can get comfortable behind the largish wheel. The cab has lots of space for the oddments of everyday life, and the inevitable paperwork generated by any sort of multi-drop operation is safely accommodated in a large lidded bin between the seats. There's even a custom-made clipboard to rest over the steering wheel, complete with advice not to use it while driving.
The glazed rear cab wall and extra blind spot windows behind the doors combine with excellent mirrors, including one covering the cab front, to give almost uninterrupted MY visibility.
On the road, the combination of 217hp and a sixspeed gearbox doesn't exactly make for stunning performance at 18 tonnes, but if you drive it within the relatively narrow peak torque band from 1,400 to 1,800rpm, it hustles along nicely. As you might expect from a short wheelbase and highish centre of gravity, the ride can bean the choppy side, but bumps are well damped and steering is very precise. Volvo's skiploader proved a much more pleasant experience than expected, and we didn't even hear the chains rattle.