EcoOperator: 'The most useful course I've been on'

"If I’m honest, when I first climbed aboard the new EC380E about a year ago, I just put my foot to the gas. I operated the machine the same way I’ve always done. My only thought about fuel consumption was to fill the tank when it was empty! So the rpm has always been high – to get the oil flowing and for the machine to have the required surplus.

My employer, Arkil, purchased the machine from Volvo with a Gold Customer Service Agreement. As part of this, I was invited to Volvo’s next EcoOperator course in Sweden. I enjoy learning and snapped up the chance to visit the demo area at the Volvo Customer Center in Eskilstuna. I didn’t have any particular expectations for the training but I’ve always been interested in mechanics and improving my skills, so the course turned out to be just the thing for me and I really got something out of it.

My old machine responded quickly and violently to my joystick commands and I had brought my old habits with me to the new Volvo. However, the fuel consumption figures from the test in the training showed me that fuel costs were mounting with my way of operating the machine.

My old approach was that when you enabled a feature, something happened right away – it was a little aggressive. Now, I’m getting used to more gentle acceleration so that the Volvo computer can deliver the oil to the hydraulics. It’s much more economical that way.

On the whole, I take the way the machine feels far more seriously than before. You always have to adapt the gas to the task. The float function, for example, saves fuel but also contributes to a more fluid and comfortable workflow. All in all, it’s the most useful course I’ve been on in my time as an operator."

To find out more about EcoOperator, please visit the global Volvo operator training page.