Caulfield Contractors confirms commitment to Volvo with the purchase of 22 new excavators.

Following the successful trial of six ECR355ELs in 2019, Caulfield Contractors have purchased an additional 22 new Volvo excavators, ranging from 8 to 35 tonnes in operating weight...

With the two key principals of ‘truly understanding our client’s requirements’, and ‘going the extra mile and exceeding our client’s expectations’, Managing Director Nick Caulfield states: “We continually provide an unparalleled level of service to our clients, with steadfast commitment to quality, cost, safety, health and the environment.” 

Operating on a three year machinery renewal policy, the Caulfield Contractors fleet is now entirely comprised of Volvo machines. Commenting on the decision to go with Volvo, Nick adds: “We like Volvos, and have had success with them in the past. With a number of high-profile highways projects secured for the forthcoming years, we needed our latest purchases to give us a combination of good reliability, good productivity and be as environmentally friendly as possible.”

The new additions to the fleet are: 4 ECR88Ds, 4 ECR145ELs, 10 ECR235EL and 4 EWR150Es. While the new additions will help out with everything in Caulfield Contractors’ order book, around 80% of the new machines have been deployed on a major drainage contract for the Costain and Galliford Try joint venture, which is currently upgrading a 23 mile stretch of the M1 between Junctions 13 and 16, as part of a Smart Motorway upgrade scheme.

Commenting on the range of machines purchased, Nick adds: “Because we’re working within a highways environment, it’s a very confined working space. We’ve only got the hard shoulder and the verge to work in really, so we need zero tail machines.” Continuing, Nick adds: “All through the range, from the 8 tonne up to the 35 tonne, there are zero tail Volvo machines which suit our needs - especially the 15 tonne EWR150Es, which are very tidy and agile machines. But the whole of the industry, especially highways, is changing from onsite to offsite construction. By the nature of having offsite construction, such as prefabricated manhole chambers, these units are incredibly heavy, so we need the larger machines to do that heavy lifting.”

With a keen interest in mitigating Caulfield Contractors environmental impact, all 22 new machines are powered by Stage V compliant Volvo engines, and are fitted with auto-idlers.

In addition to ensuring that the entire fleet exceeds the high-standard safety specifications required to comply with the Highways England ‘Raising the bar’ initiative, the machines are also all equipped with height and slew restrictors, rated capacity indicators, travel alarms and 360 live view camera systems.