Transflex hits the road with Bell Truck and Van

Van rental specialist Transflex may be an entirely new business venture – but its managers knew they could trust the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and local dealer Bell Truck & Van to help provide customers with the best possible service.

The team leading Stockton-based Transflex drew on their many years of industry experience before placing a series of orders for new Sprinter vans, the latest of which saw the delivery of a dozen 313CDI models.

Transflex specialises in business-to-business rentals rather than ‘spot hire’ to casual users. Its vans, tippers and minibuses are typically hired out on long-term deals, and a couple of the new Sprinters have been assigned to a two-year contract with a local civil engineering firm.

Established earlier this year, Transflex purchased its first vehicles in April and already has more than 150 available for hire – Sprinters account for a significant percentage of the fleet, which includes tippers, minibuses, Lutons and panel vans, as well as small car-derived vehicles.

Managing Director Peter Abdale spent 30 years working in senior roles for one of Britain’s biggest rental firms before launching Transflex. "The sales service we’ve received from Bell Truck and Van has been absolutely fantastic," he said, "and the all-important back-up is first class too."

Transflex’s latest order was for a dozen Long-bodied Sprinter 313CDIs, powered by fuel-efficient 129hp Euro 5 engines – as well as being cleaner and more powerful, the 313CDI is 15 per cent more economical than the equivalent model from the previous Sprinter range, an improvement that equates to an extra 4.5 miles per gallon.

"The Sprinter’s whole-life running costs are also the lowest of any vehicle in its class, while the three-year, unlimited mileage warranty underlines the manufacturer’s faith in its product," continued Mr Abdale.

"It’s crucial to the success of our business that when our vans are not actually out with customers they should always be available to rent. The service team at Bell play their part by maintaining our vehicles outside our working hours – they’re dedicated commercial vehicle specialists, so they appreciate the importance of eliminating costly downtime.

"And in the unlikely event that any of our Sprinters ever suffers a breakdown, the dealer’s Mercedes-Benz Service 24h emergency response team are on hand around the clock."

He concluded: "A key strength of our business is the level of service we provide to our customers. We’re able to give operators our best because we have the support of Bell Truck and Van and a top-quality product in the shape of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter."

Like all Mercedes-Benz vans, the Sprinter comes as standard with a market-leading armoury of active and passive safety features, including the Adaptive version of the ESP® electronic stability system, which adjusts its settings to take account of a vehicle’s changing load status.