The deal provides Loomis with fixed costs, as well as round-the-clock R&M back-up, including Mercedes’ MobiloVan roadside assistance.
The Sprinters, of various ages, had been assigned to Loomis’ fleet management partner Contract Vehicles, which in turn negotiated the Mercedes service deal that covers the vans until they are eight years old.
The same is true of Loomis’ other 400-plus Sprinter vans, all of which were supplied by Roanza Truck & Van and are also managed by CVL – as will be 16 Citan vans due to enter service later this summer.
“No other manufacturer to my knowledge ... would commit to a comprehensive repair and maintenance contract for such an extended period,” comments Loomis technical services manager Howard Oakley.
“The Sprinter is the vehicle of choice for the cash-in-transit industry, and those we took on as a result of the acquisition were a good match for our fleet profile,” he continues.
“It’s worth noting, though, that they had previously been maintained by various third-party providers, not Mercedes-Benz dealers [yet] the manufacturer was still prepared to put them on contract.”
Most of Loomis’ Sprinters are converted 3.5-tonne panel vans although the operator also runs box-bodied 5.0-tonne chassis cabs. All were specified with varying grades of security protection, reflecting their roles.
Mercedes-Benz also supplies all but a handful of Loomis’ 250 trucks.
Commenting on the criticality of reliability from its Mercedes-Benz vehicles, Oakley adds: “Our vehicles are looked after by factory-trained technicians fitting only Mercedes-Benz genuine parts.
“The fact that so many Mercedes-Benz workshops operate on a 24/7 basis is also important in helping us to restrict downtime to an absolute minimum.”