Treemendous
Truck & Driver|Christmas 2020
When DA Garnham needed a new truck for timber haulage it resulted in this superb Dutch-influenced Volvo FH 540
Dougie Rankine
Treemendous

At a glance

Operator: DA Garnham, Diss, Norfolk

Make & Model: Volvo FH 540

Engine: DC13C540 12.8-litre six-cylinder

Power: 540hp @ 1450-1900rpm

Torque: 2600Nm @ 1050-1450rpm,

Gearbox: I-Shift 12-speed auto with construction and off-road software

Operator: D.A Garnham, Diss, Norfolk

Some trucks just look right. This flat-roofed, twin-wheeled tag-axle Volvo FH has that star quality. It has already scooped silverware at home and abroad during 2020. It won a third place on its debut at Party on the Pitch, then scooped a first place at Truckfest Peterborough before going on to pick up a total of seven trophies.

Marc Corbyn is the lucky guy who gets to drive the Volvo every day and while he’s delighted with the way the project turned out, he’s even more taken aback at the reception the truck has received.

And now, the truck has been awarded the trophy for Truck & Driver Truck of the Year – we asked for nominations and there were none more excitedly written than the ones that came in for this. We were able to photograph the truck just before it went into service this summer, and T&D reader Ian Moxon got a couple of snaps of it at work in the forest in October. This is no pampered showpiece, nor does it have a comfortable life on the highway running from one RDC to the next, this truck disappears each day into the forests of Thetford with Marc where he loads up with timber using the trailer-mounted Palfinger crane.

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