Test Drive: Volvo’s VNR Could be an Urban Legend (in the Making)
Volvo’s new VNR 640 with a 61-inch sleeper provides drivers all the comfort and storage options they’ll need for week-long excursions. Photos: Jim Park
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Volvo’s new VNR 640 with a 61-inch sleeper provides drivers all the comfort and storage options they’ll need for week-long excursions. Photos: Jim Park
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The introduction of Volvo’s new regional lineup is as much a mindset upgrade as a mechanical one. With its previous regional truck platform, the VNM, just turning 20 years old, Volvo has elevated the status of the regional truck from utilitarian workhorse to flagship chassis set to meet the new economy head-on.
Volvo predicts the regional market is set to explode, driven by a combination of shortening supply chains and a strong push from drivers for shorter hauls and more home time. At the April VNR launch event in Montreal, Quebec, Volvo Trucks North America President GÕran Nyberg said the industry is shifting toward a hub-and-spoke or a relay-type of operation to attract drivers.
“Many drivers are leaving the industry because they aren’t happy being away for weeks at a time,” he said. “Relays and hub-and-spoke will get drivers home regularly and more often, and many fleets are already tailoring their operations that way to attract the best drivers.”
VTNA now has just the truck it believes will help attract top-notch talent to the burgeoning number of regional jobs, and the VNR will likely play a big role in keeping them there.
The VNR was clearly designed with driver comfort, convenience and safety very near the top of the priority list, but fleets will benefit as well with improved aerodynamics, reduced maintenance and some clever damage mitigation innovations.
The truck is offered in three base configurations; the day-cab VNR 300, a flat-roof sleeper model called the VNR 420 that comes with a 42-inch sleeper compartment for overnight trips, and the VNR 640, which features a 61-inch mid-roof sleeper intended for week-long excursions. It has enough room for a 42-inch mattress, a …Read the rest of this story
