Jeremy Kaplan
Every industry is different, and therefore the vehicles needed can vary significantly in size, purpose and customization.
Sometimes, highly customized vehicles are required to carry out certain tasks and ensure projects are completed on time, and in these circumstances the need to access them at short notice is paramount.
One key area where specialist vehicles are required is construction, with a variety of extras that can help to increase vehicles’ capabilities and ensure conformity with legal requirements.
Racking, beacons and chapter 8 livery are all commonly requested among these vehicles, and this extends to a range of sectors, including utilities, telecoms and rail.
One Northgate customer required a significant increase in its fleet numbers following the awarding of a new contract that saw employee figures quadruple.
In addition to an increase in the number of vehicles, the company also needed semi cap equipment to help fulfill the various requirements of its engineers – something that was achieved quickly and with minimum downtime due to Northgate’s extensive UK network of vehicles and branches.
Bridging the gap
Ultimately, high-end vehicles help to bridge the gap between the core requirements of a business and the specific needs of certain projects and specialist work. This can range from the addition of beacons and stickering that ensure compliancy with site working, to towbars for pulling generators.
In areas such as traffic management, needs can vary significantly and are often bespoke – a customer may require a dropside, but also need h-frames, LED lights, chapter 8 livery, and fall and rest rails, all the way to health and safety equipment such as handwash units.
Adding all of these to an owned vehicle to create a high-end upgrade can prove expensive and, when spread across an entire fleet, the outlay may even outweigh the benefit of taking on a contract or project requiring the semi-cap.
Regardless of the customer’s specific requirements, Northgate can work out a rate that suits the customer, with no upfront cost and a range of benefits that each provide peace of mind.
As well as having a fully maintained vehicle through an all-inclusive service, maintenance and repair offering, downtime is minimised; when the vehicle goes off the road, work is able to be carried out at a nationwide network of wholly owned and warranty approved workshops.
For fleet managers, it helps to take away a degree of pain by enabling them to plan in the start of a new contract and not incur new costs until the contract starts, which would usually be a major cost burden.
Removing the hassle
Northgate helps to remove the hassle, with a dedicated team that can be consulted about requirements beforehand and answer questions about anything from minimum compliance specification to industry-specific queries, which means customers can hit the ground running on the first day of the contract.
Another boon is that vehicles that already have semi-cap on can be further upgraded to ensure they meet changing requirements and are capable of carrying out tasks.
The range of options and flexibility available means that focus and finances can be diverted to other parts of the business, as Northgate takes away the headache and provides peace of mind.
High end does not need to mean high cost – flexible long-term van rental and leasing can provide transparency over costs and delivery and help to ensure that customer demands are met.
Contact us to find out about flexible and long-term van rental and leasing today.
