FM7, FM10 and FM12

It was not until the spring of 1998 that the next step in the total renewal of the heavy-duty Volvo truck programme was presented to Volvo customers. Then, the new 'FM' family of distribution/construction/multi-purpose trucks proved that the renewal of the Volvo truck range had been successfully completed.

More than a successor
The FM vehicles were introduced as successors to their famous low-built predecessors the F86, the F7 and the FL7/FL10/FL12. The FM shared the same characteristics of these trucks such as a low level cab for easy entry and exit together with the same expected reliability and service life (now increased even further thanks to superior design and vast development resources combined, with experience from the production of more than one million Volvo trucks).

But the FM is more than just a successor to its predecessors, thanks to its very close relation to the heavy-duty trucks in the Volvo range, in the first instance the FH trucks.

Maximizing features with sufficient resources
Devotion to ultra-efficiency in the development of the FM trucks had been facilitated by the parallel development of powerful components which are extensively utilized in a wide variety of Volvo trucks, including low-built FM trucks, high-built FH trucks, American Conventional VN trucks and conventional NH trucks.

Utilization of major components for a wide range of vehicles is the only way to guarantee that sufficient resources are available to maximize features such as reliability, service life, economy, safety, ergonomic and environmental characteristics.

Designed for many tasks
The FM is a truck which can perform more transport tasks than any other Volvo truck before it. That is not only because the span of horsepower ratings is very wide (from 250 to 420 bhp in its original executions), but also because the range of cab models had been expanded compared with the cabs available for the previous FL7/FL10/FL12 trucks.

With the new Globetrotter option for the FM, together with the day cab and the 'normal' sleeper cab, there was always a suitable driver workplace available, for long-distance transport operations where two drivers need living space for several days, as a functional workplace for distribution or for construction drivers in normal transport not involving an overnight stay for the driver.

The choice of competent drivers
The wide range of transport applications are also facilitated by the many chassis models available, including two, three and four-axle configurations, manual and automatic gearboxes, etc.

The FM has met wide acceptance, and seems to have become as popular with efficient transport companies and competent drivers as previous low-cab Volvo heavy-duty trucks, such as the F86 and the F7.