A Melbourne transport operator has endorsed Daimler’s Elite Support initiative saying the program enables the company to keep its trucks on the road longer.
Director of ABS Transport, Terry Warn has backed the Daimler Trucks Elite Support program, saying it ‘has had a clear positive affect on the way his business operates’.
The ABS fleet, includes nine Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks and is based in the Melbourne suburb of Carrum Downs, with the fleet operating all over the country. The company’s trucks are mainly supported by two Elite Support certified dealerships; Daimler Trucks Somerton to Melbourne’s north and Daimler Trucks Adelaide.
Elite Support is a joint initiative by the Daimler Truck and Bus and the Daimler Truck dealer network that delivers a new level of service for Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner and Fuso customers across Australia.
A key feature of the Elite Support that is of most value Mr Warn and the team at ABS Transport is called Express Assessment. This service means that within two hours of a service write-up, the dealer will communicate primary diagnosis, check parts availability, and provide an estimate of cost and repair time.
“Being able to get such a quick response from the dealership has made the world of difference to us,” Mr Warn says.
“I’ve had other truck brands and I can tell you the support that we get for our Mercedes-Benz products is just incredible. It allows us to keep our trucks on the road for longer and continue to serve our customers,” he adds.
Mr Warn, who started his career as a diesel mechanic at a truck dealership in Dandenong before building ABS transport with the help of his wife Celeste and three children Aaron, Shannon and Bianca, has been extremely pleased with his Actros models that are now in their third year of operation in his fleet.
“We analyse all the data very closely and the Mercedes-Benz trucks are extremely cost-effective and we are really pleased with them,” he says.
“That, combined with the support we receive means we will certainly be looking to stay with Mercedes-Benz when the time is right to replace them.”
In order to qualify for Elite Support certification, dealers must meet 129 stringent criteria, which are based around consistent communication, robust parts availability and range of other measures designed to deliver a premium in-dealership experience.
Elite Support was introduced by Daimler Trucks North America in partnership with its dealership network and many of the Elite Support certified dealers across the country attribute involvement in the initiative as improving their customer satisfaction levels and helping them run better businesses.
There are now seven Daimler Trucks dealerships with Elite Support certification across Australia, with many more in process of achieving certification.
