To commemorate Volvo Trucks’ North American milestone, company officials presented the new Volvo VN, assembled at Volvo’s New River Valley plant in Dublin, Va., to Wilson Trucking Chairman Chuck Wilson, President Guy Wilson and members of the Wilson Trucking staff. Wilson Trucking’s Volvo VNL 300 is equipped with a Volvo D13 engine, I-Shift automated manual transmission and one-of-a-kind badging to distinguish the truck as the 500,000th Volvo assembled in the U.S.
“It’s a great honor to build the 500,000th Volvo assembled in the U.S. here in our New River Valley plant, where every Volvo truck sold in America today is produced,” said Patrick Collignon, Volvo Trucks Chief Operating Officer. “The fact that it’s for Wilson Trucking, a neighbor located not too far up the road from the plant, who we’ve gotten to know very well over the years, makes this event even more special.”
“We’re pleased to share this important milestone with Wilson Trucking,” said Ron Huibers, Volvo Trucks’ senior vice president of sales and marketing. “Our history together dates back a long time and we’re proud that Wilson Trucking continues to choose Volvo trucks to wear Wilson’s signature green and red colors.”
Several important Volvo milestones highlight the longstanding relationship with Wilson Trucking. In the late 1970’s, Wilson Trucking purchased the first Volvo F86 sold in the U.S. In late 1981, Volvo established a U.S. production presence and in 1982 Wilson purchased the very first Volvo – an F7 – to roll off the line at the New River Valley plant in Dublin, Va. Wilson again purchased a “first” in 1996 when Volvo introduced the VN model.
“We’ve always enjoyed working with Volvo and we appreciate the way Volvo trucks are built – safe, comfortable and quiet,” said Chuck Wilson, Chairman of Wilson Trucking. “It’s easy to retain top quality drivers when they have a top quality truck to drive. Now we’re adding trucks with the Volvo I-Shift transmission, which is yet another comfort our drivers really like – and it helps with fuel efficiency.”
Founded in 1926 by C.G. “Boss” Wilson, Wilson Trucking Corporation is headquartered in Fishersville, Va. and operates more than 740 trucks and 1,500 trailers from their 35 terminals throughout the Southeast.
Volvo VNL 300, the 500,000th Volvo truck assembled in the U.S.
(left to right) Patrick Collignon and Ron Huibers present keys of 500,000th Volvo to Chuck and Guy Wilson
500,000th Volvo and 1st Volvo produced in the U.S.
Representatives of Wilson Trucking and Volvo Trucks during presentation of the first Volvo truck assembled in the U.S.
Volvo Trucks North America’s operations and products are guided by the company’s three core values: Quality, Safety and Environmental Care. The Volvo VN and VHD trucks are assembled in the United States at the New River Valley Plant in Dublin, Virginia, while Volvo engines for North America are assembled in Hagerstown, Maryland. Both plants are certified to ISO14001 environmental and ISO9001 quality standards.
Volvo Trucks North America is part of the Volvo Group, one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks, buses and construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications, aerospace components and services, and one of the world's leading producers of heavy-diesel engines (9-16 liter). The Group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. The Volvo Group, which employs more than 90,000 people, has production facilities in 19 countries and sells their products in more than 180 markets. Volvo Group sales for 2010 amounted to $36.7 billion. The Volvo Group is a publicly-held company headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo Shares are listed on Nasdaq OMX Nordic Exchange and are traded OTC in the U.S.
May 25, 2011
For further information, please contact Brandon Borgna, Volvo Trucks North America, phone 336-393-2143, email brandon.borgna@volvo.com
www.volvotrucks.us.com