After an initial trial phase six years ago, vehicle safety specialists Sentinel Systems now kit out more than 150 new vehicles each year. Over 750 vehicles now have Sentinel equipment installed.
Sentinel’s in-house installation team liaises directly with ND Brown’s various body builders and fit the solution appropriate for the vehicle type, before delivery to ND Brown. Side vision cameras, with cycle hotspot systems, and side protection solutions, provide drivers with a clear view while driving and manoeuvring the rental vehicle. When required, Sentinel also provides additional systems, for example, cameras for 360-degree vision with in-cab monitors, recorders and playback.
ND Brown operations director Harry Brown said: "Sentinel liaises directly with our body builders so it’s stress-free for us. All new vehicles are fully ready for hire when delivered and have passed our internal audit process."
Sentinel’s knowledge of FORS requirements means the exact vehicle safety requirements are met on every vehicle. As a result, ND Brown became the first commercial vehicle hire firm in the UK to be accredited with the FORS Silver Standard.
Brown went on to say: "Having our fleet accredited with FORS is great for us, in fact, nearly all of our customers insist on it, so it’s useful we were so ahead of the game with fitting Sentinel’s equipment to all new vehicles. They’ve also advised us on many compliance issues when we’ve had queries from customers."
Sentinel ensures all maintenance and repairs are carried out by the same in-house team that installed the systems. Fleet & maintenance coordinator, Alex Gallan added: "We appreciate that Sentinel is able to react quickly when a vehicle is damaged during operation. The support team help us to quickly get our vehicles out for re-hire, which is vital for us."