Just Story Guys Experience Review Story
Sand and gravel trading attachment transportation company Patrick van den Hoeven of Woerden put five new Scanias with a powerful 530 hp V8 engine to work. The special thing about this is that all its drivers are allowed to choose their own configuration. Except for two conditions: it must be suitable for the job and none of the five Scanias can ever be the same.
In addition to concrete mixers, Patrick van den Hoeven mainly drives his own products, namely sand, gravel, cement and paving materials. Most are intended for construction. “What we often do is supply raw materials to companies that build cement screeds and liquid-resistant floors,” Patrick said of his company. “Starting from trailers that load all raw materials, including water, and mixing and pumping installations. These people make the type of cement needed on site at the construction site and pump it into the room where the flooring will be built. It can be overwhelming in an apartment building. We have three silos from which these companies get their raw materials. But we often had to return to the construction site in the middle of the day to restock. But we also provide finished concrete, because we also have five mixer trailers.”
‘I want it later too’
Anyone who knows Patrick will not be surprised by his choice of V8 engine. “We have been driving no different for the last 10 years. In my youth I watched Peter Kempen drive through the village in a big V8. (It was still Zegveld.) Even then I thought ‘I want to do it later’.”
Read also: ‘Barnfind’: Scania factory new 144 530 V8
The fact that Van den Hoeven is now buying five new 530 hp Scanias at once has less to do with the fact that the former needs to be replaced than with the fact that he was able to sell four of his seven Scanias very well. “Usually we drive between 125 and 160,000 kilometers per year and I want to cover about a million kilometers on a tractor. But the used truck market is so busy right now that I can’t help myself. Meanwhile there was a truck with only two tons on the counter.”
‘museum V8’
Now Patrick could easily do that too. Because he still has a lot of vehicles in the warehouse. “First of all, I already have 12 Scanias running with V8 engines as a collection. I have one from every generation. Tell me the Scania V8 museum is on my page. In addition, to commemorate our 30th anniversary, there is also a new 770 hp V8 in torpedo version! So basically I bought six new trucks. My car makes money not only in transportation but also in trade. Sometimes I can sell one that shows the value of investing in Scania V8. I must say that I can only take this step because my people are willing to take a step back for a while. Because it’s true: if you step back from the 580 hp Scania from the last generation in the 4 series, you’ll know why the new car is called the ‘Next Generation’. Some of our trucks had to manually move again. It’s sort of like time travel, but backwards.”
Alle truck anders
As a driver, it’s certainly a bit of a hassle. But the downside is that the drivers involved will soon get a new car that is exactly what they wanted. “The only thing I made as a requirement was that it had to be 530 hp and that was up to the job. So soon we will have the 530S as a 4×2 with a highline cab, 530S as a 6×2 with a steerable and liftable rear axle and a normal roof, R530 as a 4×2 with a highline cab, R530 as a 6×2 with a rear axle. double air and normal cab height and spoiler and R530 as 6×2 with leading axle and normal cab height without spoiler.”
The fact that two out of five trucks drive as 4×2 is because Patrick is also often in Germany. “Three axles are useless there because of the weight. At the same time, the driver chooses the highest cabin because sometimes they sleep all night.”
Structure
Naturally, the truck is well equipped. “It goes a little further than just air suspension, retarder, ACC and LED lights,” says Patrick. “With us, love for cars is important and some drivers opt for the old skool look with the light box, others for the Swedish look with the bull bar and Danish bumper. But again no light alloy rims: we love the color-painted metal wheels with stainless steel rings inside.”
All five trucks were supplied by Scania Utrecht, with whom Patrick also signed a maintenance contract.
