Working on busy motorways and trunk roads gives traffic management specialist Lagan Operations & Maintenance little room for error. Motorway hard shoulders are among the most dangerous places to spend time on motorways.

Operating reliable and well-specified vehicles helps Lagan’s crews work safely in this difficult environment. The firm recently purchased six new dropside vans to be based at its East Kilbride depot, from where they undertake road maintenance projects all over Scotland.

Unsurprisingly, Lagan’s van of choice was the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. The new vans are all Sprinter 313 CDI long wheelbase chassis cabs with custom dropside bodies. These include access steps and safety rails for staff working at height in the rear of the vehicle.

Area Manager George Miller, who is responsible for the new fleet, said:

“Although this operation only began around 18 months ago, my own experience of traffic management work goes back over 15 years.

“In that time I’ve seen vehicles from all the major manufacturers and it’s clear to me that Mercedes-Benz vans are head and shoulders above the competition. They are the most reliable by a margin, which means they spend a lot less time off the road undergoing repairs.”

To enhance the safety of the firm’s crews when working on busy roadways and construction sites, Lagan has specified twin, rear-facing side cameras linked to full colour screens on the vans’ dashboards. These automatically show a view down the relevant side of the vehicle if the driver indicates left or right.

The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has won numerous awards for safety and, with its reassuring armoury of active and passive systems, is widely acknowledged as the market leader when it comes to the protection of occupants and other road users.

Leading UK veterinary wholesaler Centaur Services has completed its transition to an all-Mercedes-Benz fleet of 60 vans.

The company supplies more than 22,000 products to veterinary practices across the UK from its headquarters in Castle Cary, Somerset, and depots in Carlisle, Ivybridge, Letchworth and Stoke-on-Trent.

The firm’s first ever Mercedes-Benz Citan and Vito vans have recently jointed its fleet, but the vast majority of its vans are Sprinters. While most are 3.5-tonne 313 CDI models, the line-up also includes a number of 5.0-tonnne 513 CDI variants.

Over recent years Centaur Services has invested heavily in its warehouse and distribution network. With the exceptions of two mid-size Vito 111 CDI crew vans, which have second rows of seats and are used by its VetSpace practice management software division to attend shows and exhibitions, its vehicles make multi-drop deliveries of food, drugs and consumables.

Typically, a van will service 17 veterinary surgeries each day. The company’s single, small Citan, a 109 CDI, is based in Inverness and covers the Highlands, where there are fewer drops and much longer distances between them, so fuel efficiency is more important than carrying capacity.

“We moved to Mercedes-Benz because of its reputation for reliability and its vehicles have certainly lived up to that promise,” said Lisa Derbyshire, Director of Supply Chain and Operations. “Not only are they much better in terms of build quality than the vans we were using previously, but the drivers much prefer them and they lead the market when it comes to safety – that’s something we’re very conscious of, given our Duty of Care to employees and other road users.

Centaur Services’ Mercedes-Benz Sprinters are fitted with tracking devices and limited to 70 mph – each covers around 60,000 miles per year.

“The Sprinter is very cost-effective and economical,” continued Lisa Derbyshire. “Those working in towns and cities will use a bit more fuel but across the fleet they’re averaging 32-33 mpg, which is great.”