DUBLIN, VA (Aug. 18, 1998) - Roadway Express gave the keys to new Volvo VNM tractors to 55 of its drivers during ceremonies at Volvo’s New River Valley truck assembly plant. The drivers, honored for driving 3 million safe miles, get exclusive use of the trucks for as long as they are employed by Roadway.
The trucks are part of an order of 400 trucks Volvo is building for Roadway Express, which still has some 1984 Volvos still in line-haul service, according to Tom Parks, fleet maintenance engineer. Roadway has an option to purchase 1,100 more Volvo trucks.
The new trucks include safety features such as daytime running lights, antilock brakes, easy-adjust heated mirrors, splash and spray control, a design that allows the engine and transmission to move underneath the cab during a collision, an energy-absorbing steering column and a deformable steering wheel.
Other specs include the driver’s choice of a Detroit Diesel or Cummins 370-horsepower engine, 144-inch wheelbase, Eaton Fuller RT-14609A transmission, and Meritor axles front and rear.