Spruijt Transport increases the loading capacity of the Volvo FH X-Low tractor with a large trailer

MIDDELBURG – Load more volume and power. This is the important reason for Spruijt Transport from Middelburg to choose the Volvo FH 500 6×2 X-Low tractor with large trailer. Trucks and large trailers are a specialty of Spruijt Transport. The Volvo FH was supplied by Volvo Trucks dealer Bluekens Truck and Bus Goes.

Spruijt Transport mainly transports fruit, vegetables and herbs in large trailers. The new Volvo FH is offered with the X-Low chassis, with a fifth wheel height of approximately 1,000 millimeters.

“Our question was to make full use of the loading capacity,” says owner Patrick Spruijt. “Thanks to the leading axle and the X-Low chassis, this is possible. The X-Low chassis is lower and that gives the opportunity to drive a bigger trailer. This allows us to use a higher level of loading and capacity and therefore take more with us. The trailer has an internal height of 2.75 meters so we can hang it up and the load capacity is over three tonnes more than the combination we replaced.”

Big, agile and multifunctional

“With this combination we reach farmers, among others, where the driving space is sometimes very small. That’s why the big trailer has a steering axle so that we can turn it in the shortest possible time. We also have other types of trailers in the fleet and that’s why the Volvo FH this has a fifth wheel lift. It ensures that the truck can be used for many tasks, even though the driver drives a large trailer for it. The truck and trailer have aluminum components around the wheels.”

The main Chereau trailer was produced by Hertoghs Carrosserieën. At Spruijt’s request, the trailer has a steering axle, a Carrier cooling engine and an extended tailgate. “Sometimes we do other work with this big trailer, like transporting countertops. They are often more than three meters long and that’s why we chose a reinforced rear gate and a longer platform.

Mega volume, mega economic

The Volvo FH has an economical Turbo Compound engine. “It’s the fourth truck in our fleet with this engine,” says Spruijt. “We can see from the usage statistics that trucks with this engine are economical. In general, we drive these trucks 1 in 3.7, while the average in our fleet is 1 in 3.5. The driver is also very pleased with the Volvo FH. Sometimes he’s on the road for a few days and then sleeps in the truck.In the cabin of the Globetrotter XL he has everything he needs, including an I-ParkCool air conditioner, a refrigerator and a microwave.

‘Bluekens’ service is more than good’

Spruijt Transport now has seven Volvo trucks in its fleet. Spruijt: “The choice of Volvo is also very dependent on the service of the workshop. At Bluekens Truck and Bus in Goes we have repairs carried out on our Volvo trucks and trailers. The service is more than good. They do what they promise and everything is done with good consultation. This was also case and configuration of this combination. I had an idea in my head, Bluekens Truck and Bus and Hertoghs made it technically possible.

Spruijt Transport was founded in 1995 by Patrick Spruijt and his father Kees. Now the fleet has ten trucks. Spruijt Transport drives to a large number of different customers in the Netherlands and Belgium, but deliveries to further afield in Europe are also possible.

“The work we do is very broad,” says Spruijt. “We do a lot of distribution and volume shipping, but we can also do unique transport and refrigerated transport.”