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PTS, a UK haulier specialising in Scandinavian traffic, has added five new Volvo FH Globetrotter XL tractor units to its fleet - all equipped with I-Shift automated transmission.

"The I-Shift is great because it lets drivers concentrate on driving," says MD Robert Gaunt. "The facilities in the XL cabs are excellent for long trips like ours. We've been running Volvos for 10 years or more now, initially because our core market is Scandinavia and it seemed appropriate. We run 18 vehicles and  only four of them aren't Volvos."

The firm operates a one driver, one truck policy. "All our vehicles run on personalised plates and we're keen to give [the drivers] good vehicles - our approach is that if we look after the drivers, they'll look after the trucks. And if you expect guys to be out four or five nights a week, they need a cab they're happy with," says Gaunt. "We tend to buy outright and depreciate over five years, at the end of which we expect to show a profit in the marketplace."

The striking red and yellow 480hp 6x2 units also have the firm's unique 'Eric the Norseman' logo on the side of their cabs. The Volvos will operate in the UK only as PTS trailers travel to Sweden and Denmark on unaccompanied ro-ro ferries, they will also run at 44-tonnes GVW. The firm has warehousing and packing facilities at Ipswich and Immingham and a yard in Grimsby.