Volvo is the world’s second largest producer of trucks, and they have been making huge steps forward in that segment with their recent successes in their global market. Add to their success in the sales the recent awards gained by their buses in different parts of the world.

The company has sold more than 105,000 trucks all over the world which surpasses their previous sales record thus making a record. In the entire history of the company, they have never produced such a number as that on all their assembly plants all over the world.

The sales record breaking year rides on the back of increased demands for trucks in their global market. Territories like Eastern Europe and North America have significantly increased their demands for such heavy duty trucks. Add to that the popularity among the consumers of their fuel efficient vehicles and you have the right ingredients to mount a successful year in terms of sales and production. The feat accomplished by Volvo Trucks makes them a serious challenge for the number one truck manufacturer. Their lineup of fuel efficient trucks will have another addition that will surely be welcomed by their customers.

Eastern Europe is still a growing market for the company and this is evident in the 15 percent increase in the number of deliveries made to that territory. Their already strong markets in France, Germany and the Netherlands are still growing while Russia is fast becoming a major market for them which can be seen in the 82 percent jump in the deliveries to the said country while Poland increased their demand by 56 percent.

One of the major reasons for the popularity of Volvo’s trucks is their fuel efficiency and very low emission level which is already meeting standards that will only be implemented in the years to come. This is due to the design of their engines and an efficient exhaust system which includes high quality parts like their Volvo catalytic converter which cleans the car’s emission. Their fuel efficiency is known for thanks to the energy efficient diesel engines the company uses in their trucks.

Volvo Trucks North America has received a 100-truck order for VNL 300 Daycabs and Mack Trucks Inc. has received a 100-truck order for Pinnacle Axle Back DayCabs under an initial phase of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach Clean Trucks Program.

The program calls for 16,000-plus drayage units currently serving container operations to eventually be replaced with modern, environmentally friendly trucks.

The Volvo VNL 300 Daycabs will be delivered to qualified fleets and independent operators selected by the ports. The trucks are equipped with very fuel efficient, productive and clean Volvo D13 engines rated at 405 hp. The Volvo D13 also meets the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) low-NOx idle requirements through its certified sub-30 g/hr NOx emissions. The Volvo VNL 430 has also been selected as one of the approved models drayage operators may select as part of the Ports’ program.

The Pinnacle DayCabs are equipped with a MACK MP7 engine rated at 395 hp and certified to CARB??s requirements. The MP7 is very fuel efficient, with up to 5% better fuel economy on highway than previous engines. In addition, the Mack Pinnacle Axle Back model with 48-inch sleeper will also be available for selection by fleets and independent owner operators operating at the terminals.

According to the ports, beginning October 1, the Clean Trucks Program will bar 1988 and older trucks from entering shipping terminals. By 2012, all 2006 and older trucks will be banned from the Ports, and replaced by a new fleet, reducing truck-related pollution by 80%. To help truckers quickly replace their older vehicles, the Ports are providing financial assistance for the acquisition of newer, cleaner trucks.

Drayage (the transportation from port to receiver of intermodal shipping containers) is a very demanding truck application, with heavy urban-cycle, congested conditions and frequently tight quarters during pickup and delivery of shipping containers. The Volvo and Mack trucks have the visibility needed in such conditions due to the high seat position for the driver, huge windshield and sloping hood. Volvo’s 50-degree wheel cut and setback front axle also give the tractors maneuverability.

Volvo AB’s second-quarter net profit rose 28% as the Sweden-based truck maker’s sales growth in Eastern Europe, South America and Asia offset a slowdown in Western Europe and the U.S.

Volvo said net profit rose to 5.13 billion Swedish kronor ($855.7 million), compared with four billion kronor a year earlier. Revenue increased 13% to 80.43 billion kronor from 71.45 billion kronor.

However, Volvo, the world’s second-largest truck maker by sales after Daimler AG, warned that truck demand is weakening in Europe, its biggest market, even though demand in Eastern Europe remains strong.

“In Europe, the trend that we noticed in the first quarter, toward increased caution among our customers and in certain markets, strengthened — which was reflected in order bookings in the truck operations,” Chief Executive Leif Johansson said. “However, demand for long-distance transport remains high, but there is a weakening in construction transport and construction equipment.”

European truck sales rose 7% to 30.05 billion kronor, but orders fell 54% from a year earlier to 21,948 trucks — hurt by increased uncertainty about the economy, high fuel prices and a slowdown in the construction industry.

In North America, truck sales rose 14% to 6.94 billion kronor, while in Asia they gained 54% to 8.17 billion kronor. Demand for heavy trucks in North America is also slowing because of the weak economy, soaring fuel prices and the weakening housing-construction sector, Volvo said.

Last month, Caterpillar Inc. of Peoria, Ill., said it will stop supplying heavy-duty truck engines in North America by 2010, instead entering a partnership with Navistar International Corp. to make engines for trucks used in areas such as road construction.

In a conference call with reporters, Mr. Johansson said Caterpillar’s exit from this market improves the picture for Volvo trucks in the U.S. “From our point of view, I don’t think we can say it’s anything but good news,” he said. “It means that the marketplace looks a little more positive than before.” Construction equipment, the company’s second-largest unit, saw an 18% rise in revenue to 16.73 billion kronor. Demand for heavy, compact and road-machinery equipment softened in Europe and North America but was strong in other markets.

Rising raw-materials costs have hurt the construction-equipment unit more than other divisions, Mr. Johansson said. “We need to offset that with price increases,” he added.

Volvo’s stock price fell 2.3% to 73.50 kronor Wednesday.

Daimler is scheduled to release quarterly earnings Thursday. Scania AB is due to report results Friday.

Recent figures concerning traffic safety in the continent of Europe shows a reduction of fatalities caused by traffic accidents. The number of deaths has been reduced by as much as 20 percent starting from 2001 up until this year. This shows an increased benefit of safety systems used on vehicles running on the Europe’s roads.

The European Union though aims to continue that trend by reducing the number of deaths caused by traffic accidents by the half by the year 2010. Already, automakers are jumping on the bandwagon of developing safety systems that will help them reach that goal.One of the foremost automakers that come to mind when safety is concerned is Volvo. The Swedish manufacturer of trucks has already taken steps to participate in the battle against traffic accidents.

Volvo Trucks, the second largest manufacturer of trucks and buses, recently introduced two active safety systems that will be integrated into their production trucks. These two systems are the Lane Keeping Support (LKS) and the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). Both of these are developed by Volvo’s safety experts.The Lane Keeping Support is essentially a system that warns the driver of the vehicle if he or she is leaving his or her lane. The technology constantly monitors lane markers and warns the driver with an audible signal when the vehicle is leaving the lane. The safety system is activated when the vehicle reaches speeds of 60 kilometers per hour.

This technology is recommended for large vehicles like Volvo’s trucks since their sheer size makes them hard to steer especially during high speed driving. Claes Avedal, the head of the accident research for Volvo Trucks, expound the seriousness of the threat of a truck without a Lane Keeping Support system. “The driver loses his concentration for a moment and that is when the risk is greatest of also losing control over the vehicle,” says Avedal.

On the other hand, the Adaptive Cruise Control is an improved version of the previous ACC employed by Volvo’s vehicles which may or may not be equipped with a volvo antenna . Well, not that it matters of course. The Adaptive Cruise Control is a safety system which uses radar or laser, (Volvo uses a radar-based ACC) to calculate the proximity of the vehicle to the vehicle in front of it. When the distance reaches a preset constant, the system will slow down the vehicle to a preset speed.

Volvo’s improved ACC features a greater braking force to give the driver maximum stopping power in cases of emergency.

Volvo Trucks North America and subsidiary Mack Trucks say they’ve eliminated freight charges in most cases for shipments of emergency replacement parts from its parts distribution centers (PDCs).

The new program, which the companies say will allow customers now get the parts they need without having to pay additional shipping costs, took effect in the U.S. in mid-January and becomes effective in Canada at the end of March.

This means if a part is not available at a Volvo or Mack dealership, but is available within Volvo’s network of eight and Mack’s seven U.S. and Canadian PDCs, it will be shipped overnight to the dealer at no cost to the customer.

In addition, parts can be ordered after hours and received the next day or ordered on Saturdays for Monday delivery, all with no freight charge. Oversize parts (weighing more than 150 pounds) are shipped via LTL carrier, again with no freight charges to the customer.

“Volvo’s goal is to have better than 90 percent over-the-counter parts availability at its dealers,” said Joy Johnson, director of parts support for Volvo. “If the part is not at the dealer, but is in our industry-leading PDC network, it will be shipped overnight with no freight charge for the customer.”

Adds Chris Gossler, director of parts sales for Mack: “This program eliminates customer freight costs associated with getting an emergency part, on the off chance the part is not in stock.”

Swedish heavy-vehicle maker Volvo reported a six per-cent increase in pre-tax income for the fourth quarter 2007, saying it expected higher demand for trucks in Europe while demand was still weak in North America and Japan.

Pre-tax income was 5.6 billion kronor ($A968.91 million), compared to 5.22 billion kronor in the corresponding period 2006 for the Volvo group that does not include the Ford-owned car division.

Net sales were up 25 per cent to 84.55 billion kronor ($A14.7 billion), compared to 67.27 billion kronor ($A11.5 billion) in the corresponding business period 2006.

For full-year 2007, net sales increased 10 per cent to 285 billion kronor ($A249 billion) while pre-tax profit was 21.55 billion kronor ($A3.6 billion).

Chief executive Leif Johansson said in a statement that “nearly all markets continued to show favourable development, with the exception of North America and Japan.”

Volvo estimated that “the truck market in Europe will grow by 5-10 per cent compared with 2007, with the industry’s delivery capacity as the limiting factor,” Johansson said.

Sales in Asia tripled in the quarter and the region is Volvo’s second largest market.

For North America, Volvo expected sales “on about the same level as in 2007,” Johansson said.

Volvo sold a total of 57,012 trucks during the quarter, up 27 per cent from 2006, with strong growth in Asia, Western and Eastern Europe.

In North America, the overall heavy truck market in 2007 fell 40 per cent to 207,847 trucks owing to earlier purchases of trucks with old engines and lower freight volumes.

The bus division sold 5,173 units, up 13 per cent on fourth quarter 2006 but order bookings in the quarter declined, Volvo said.

The Volvo group had 101,698 employees at the end of December compared to 83,187 at year end 2006. Most of the increase was due to acquired companies.

The group sells trucks and heavy vehicles, buses and construction machinery, and includes the divisions Volvo Aero and Volvo Penta.

Volvo Action Service goes that little bit further reckons Biglorryblog.

Just how far do you think a manufacturer should go to attend a breakdown asks Biglorryblog? Try asking John Pettitt. For little did the Hartshorne Potteries Volvo workshop technician realise that when he was asked by his boss to attend an ‘off-site’ repair, it would involve a round trip of nearly 16,000 miles.

It all began when the Commanding Officer of the Mount Pleasant RAF base on the Falkland Islands contacted Hartshorne’s service department at Newcastle-under-Lyme. The Royal Air Force workshop, he said, needed some technical assistance with the diagnosis and repair to the fuel system of a Volvo FL6 fire tender operated by the base.

Now click through here to read all about it and see a typical Falkland Islander…..

Although Hartshorne’s service team first gave technical advice over the telephone, it soon became apparent they were going to have to send a workshop technician to the Falklands to sort the job out. The RAF have been a Hartshorne customer for some time and the dealer team were delighted to respond positively and travel plans were quickly made.

Having been ‘volunteered’, John was quickly on his way to the military air-base at Brize Norton in Oxfordshire to catch the 17-hour long scheduled flight to Port Stanley—stopping only to refuel at Ascension Island. I wonder what the in-flight film was? A range of Volvo Parts, including an injector set, was also despatched in the hold of the DC10.

On arrival, John was taken straight to the base, which is located about 35 miles from the capital Port Stanley, where he worked with two RAF technicians to diagnose the fault and fix the problem – which turned out to be fuel-pump related.

John tells BLB that his only mistake in the rush to prepare for the long journey was to pack full thermals and winter clothing. Unfortunately, when he arrived, he quickly discovered that it was mid-summer and a baking 80 degrees. However, the welcome he received from the RAF ground crew more than made up for that and he describes the trip overall as a “once in a lifetime experience.”

Allied Transport Establishment has contracted FAMCO (Al-Futtaim Auto and Machinery Company) to supply 30 Volvo trucks for its operations in the United Arab Emirates.

The company, which selected the Volvo FH400 model with I-shift transmission technology, received the first vehicles from the order during a recent ceremony at the FAMCO headquarters in Dubai.

“Our fleet currently includes eight Volvo trucks and we have found these vehicles to be very reliable. With the addition of the latest Volvo I-Shift trucks, we will be able to achieve our objectives with much better economy and improved efficiency,” said Ali Beyat, managing director of Allied Transport.

“The primary reason for choosing these vehicles was Volvo’s superior quality and reliability, supported by FAMCO’s reputation for after-sales service,” he added.

Allied Transport is now planning to provide DHL with the vehicles to boost the courier company’s fleet network in the Middle East and support the recent increase in demand for express deliveries in the region.

“This order is part of our five-year strategy with DHL,” said Beyat. “We anticipate the supply of over 500 trucks for DHL’s requirements over this period time. The vehicles will be used to meet the growing demand for the company’s express service across the GCC and Levant countries and North America.”