They arrived via north-east dealer Bell Truck and Van, which is now processing orders for a further 30 following ‘stress testing’ by the company to assess the speed and efficiency of Mercedes-Benz’s emergency after sales back-up.
“People promise a lot, but we were about to make a substantial investment so it made sense to test the breakdown service before committing,” explains operations director Jim Forrester (pictured).
“We did so three times in different parts of the country, and I’m delighted to say that I couldn’t fault the response from any of the dealers,” he adds.
Forrester says his company, which handles fleet rentals and long-term contracts, is executing on an ambitious growth plan and is about to open a second vehicle hire mega-depot on a four-acre site in Manchester, with a third earmarked for London in 2017 – adding to its national network of 121 local branches.
“Given the volumes involved and the duration of the contracts it is crucial we have full confidence in the vans we supply to our customers, and that we keep them on the road,” continues Forrester.
“You only get one chance when you’re competing against the big PLCs so our service levels have to be better, and our products fit for purpose and exceptionally reliable.”
And talking of dealer Bell Truck and Van, he says: “One of our key service differentiators is the speed and flexibility with which we can respond to customer demand... The Bell team have already proved their ability to support us in this respect, and we look to developing our partnership with the dealer as GAP Vehicle Hire continues to grow.”