For decades conventional wisdom said vocational truck drivers and owners only cared about dependability. Considerations like safety, efficiency, comfort, and body design couldn’t be part of the decision when choosing a dump truck or mixer. Volvo Trucks’ engineering team decided to ignore conventional wisdom when they began work on the new Volvo VHD series. They set out to build a vocational truck that has it all.

“No doubt, the VHD works in rough, demanding environments,” says Alex Henriques, Chief Exterior Designer for the project. “So, we needed to make the robustness more evident, but also highlight the innovations it offers. We continued building on the Volvo Trucks family look and brought in the brand elements we’ve been developing on other products.”
Features such as new headlamps, fender flares, grille design, air intakes, and bumpers make the redesigned VHD progressive and robust.

" 
"

"We continued building on the Volvo family look and brought in the brand elements we’ve been developing on other products."

Alex Henriques, Chief Exterior Designer

They didn’t stop there. The new VHD comes with Volvo Dynamic Steering (VDS), a revolutionary Volvo innovation that greatly improves performance on a job site and on the road. VDS dramatically reduces the driver’s steering effort on rough and tight job sites. The reduction of steering feedback from the road enables drivers to navigate with ease.\

“Our customers demand we do everything we can for the driver—increasing comfort while also minimizing the chance of accidents,” says John Felder, Product Marketing Manager on the project.

Another driver’s aid is Volvo Active Driver Assist (VADA), offering an integrated and comprehensive forward collision mitigation system, reducing the risk of an accident by 82%.VADA issues visual and audio warnings to alert the driver of an impending collision. If the driver doesn’t react, the truck will automatically downshift, throttle down, and apply brakes to help avoid collisions.

The VHD’s new LED headlamps link the truck visually to the recent body design evolutions in the VNL and VNR models. Not only do the new headlamps illuminate a job site better and throw more light down the road, they shape light so less glare spills into oncoming vehicles, making the road safer for everyone. While the sun is up, the VHD’s daylight running lamps shine brighter with a graphic signature familiar to the Volvo Trucks family. When the turn signal is active, the white daytime running lamp shifts to high-visibility amber to signal a turn, a touch associated with premium vehicles. Also, the new headlamp boasts a longer life than incandescent and halogen lights. A thick bezel around the sealed headlamp provides protection and durability.