Commercial vehicle repairers Sapphire Vehicle Services has launched a new fleet management division which it hopes will take the stress out of the day-to-day running of delivery vehicles.
Sapphire Fleet Services will allow operators to concentrate on running their business rather than their vehicles.
“For many companies, owning and operating a fleet is not their core business,” explained Sapphire’s head of fleet services, Paul West.
“Those who make or build products need to get their goods to their customers, for example – but their expertise tends to be in manufacturing not distribution. By allowing Sapphire Fleet Services to take over the management of their entire delivery operation, they can rest easy in the knowledge that not only are their vehicles being deployed with optimum efficiency and safety, they are also guaranteed to be legally compliant,” West added.
The Derbyshire-based firm came up with the idea for a fleet management service after Sapphire was approached by one of its existing customers – which runs a line-up of trucks to provide traffic management and other services to utility contractors.
“We were already looking after the repair and maintenance of the vehicles, but the customer asked whether we would consider taking over management of its fleet. With our expertise, experience and national network of facilities, it was clear we were ideally positioned to offer a high-quality, cost-effective and hassle-free solution not just to this business but to others too,” West said.
Sapphire Fleet Services can take over responsibility for maintaining trucks or vans with service planning and MOT scheduling, vehicle inspections and DVSA tests. Sapphire Vehicle Services already maintains more than 28,000 trucks and vans in 19 dedicated Vehicle Maintenance Units and independent workshops across the country.
“There are literally tens of thousands of trucks and vans out on the roads, which are kept running smoothly by Sapphire workshops. So even customers who have never heard of us can have complete confidence in our exemplary standards of support. By adding a full fleet management service to the packages we offer, Sapphire is becoming a true one-stop shop for everything truck and van operators need,” West added.
