In a production hall in Joure, the Netherlands, technicians are busy modifying truck chassis. At Wierda Voergtuigtechniek (WVT), custom trucks have been built since 1988 based on a standard MAN chassis. “If you’re wondering why these specials aren’t simply built by MAN itself,” says owner/director René Wierda. “For a large manufacturer like MAN, that’s not interesting. Speed is crucial in the production process, which is set up to build large numbers of trucks within certain standards. MAN has a few partners who are involved in custom conversions of trucks for customers with special requirements. We are one of them.”
Wierda can call itself MAN Trucks Qualifizierte Umbau Lieferant. For the client, this means a guarantee that his truck meets the quality requirements of MAN Trucks – and that the factory warranty applies. Wierda Voertuigtechniek is also recognised by the RDW as a manufacturer, with the abbreviation WVT as brand name. Wierda is allowed to issue chassis numbers themselves, which are stamped into the chassis during production.
The fact that trucks in the Netherlands have a maximum permitted mass of 50 tonnes initially meant that WVT was justified. Installing an extra axle on a tipper chassis and/or increasing the distance between the axles means an increase in maximum vehicle weight and load capacity. For sand drivers, who are paid per tonne, this is the key to profitability. The more cubic metres you can take, the better the journey is paid for. Wierda is certainly not the only company that carries out these types of modifications, but due to market conditions, the choice of transporter is becoming smaller.
The modification orders for Wierda have expanded considerably over the years. An extra axle, raising or lowering vehicles, extending the chassis, hydropneumatic suspension, radiographic control, WVT is not afraid of anything. Self-built software for calculating axle positions, weights, load capacities and steering angles offers endless possibilities. “We don’t actually do that much sales. The MAN dealers do that for us,” says René Wierda while a mobile TGS concrete pump rolls out of the factory hall in the background. “You can see us as an engineering firm. We design the ideal truck for the customer and after approval we build it here in Joure. A growing number of our trucks are therefore exported.”
In the reception we pick up the WVT brochure with most of the axle configurations that Wierda delivers, from a 6×4 to a 12×4. But the activities in the most recent factory hall have not yet been mentioned. “About ten years ago we asked ourselves: what would the truck of the future look like,” says Wierda. “That meant the start of our activities with electrification.”
Around 2018, Wierda Hybrid Technology was created. Let’s correct a possible misunderstanding: “By hybrid we do not mean hybrid drive of the axles. Until recently, that remained 100% diesel. But what is on top of that becomes electric. Everything that is driven via the PTO, so to speak. We started with three electric concrete mixers and we continued from there.” Hybrid Wierda trucks are constantly being developed. In new models, the diesel engine stops automatically as soon as the software notices that only the PTO drive is needed. This is then powered by the battery. “Clean and quiet. Pleasant for the driver and less annoying for the environment.” In the new hall with six production lines, Wierda is now gaining a lot of experience with electrification. The logical next step is: fully electric vehicles. “Our customers love diesel, but you can’t stop progress.” Wierda proudly looks at one of the first Wierda vehicles that is equipped with an electric drive. To be continued.
