What happens if your ice cream van is damaged in a crash?

It happens. Ice cream vans, dual control vehicles, hackney cabs - they’re all at risk on the roads.

Specialist vehicles aren’t invulnerable to accidents. And while our partners at Europcar can provide nearly any make and model of car or van, no single company has the ability to supply every single kind of roadworthy vehicle at a moment’s notice.

And specialist vehicles really are the livelihoods of those that drive them. . You can’t provide a driving lesson in a single control vehicle, even if said vehicle is a perfectly maintained luxury rental.

So how do we get everyone back on the road, regardless of what they’re driving, when no single company has the ability to provide every single kind of vehicle we require?

Simple. We don’t just partner with a single company.

No vehicle too weird, no vehicle too wonderful

Cogent Hire is here for everyone, no matter what they drive. And that means we’ve had to look far and wide for partners. Not just partners who can lease specialist vehicles to our credit hire customers, but partners who share our values, and our outlook.

Because specialist requirements shouldn’t add friction to the process.

Cogent’s MD Kirsty McKno explains:

“We never turn a customer away. It’s our job to provide every single customer a like-for-like vehicle on time, and help them get back on the road. And while Europcar have the capacity for all manner of cars, commercial vehicles and luxury cars, they’re focused on meeting the needs of the largest number of potential customers.

That means that we needed to find additional support to provide the kinds of vehicles it just doesn’t make sense for a large hire company to have in their fleet. We’ve needed to replace weird and wonderful vehicles from ice cream vans to farriers vehicles with mobile forges for shoeing horses. And to do that, we’ve needed partners who understand what we’re trying to do and who share our values.”

Fortunately, values like transparency, honesty and collaboration are appealing, and we’ve found a range of specialist partners who share those values. Partners like Magna, Novo, Proximo and Chief Vehicle Rental.

We all want a frictionless process

Cogent Hire’s promise is to put drivers back on the road in the right vehicle as soon as possible. So anything that adds friction to the credit hire process works against our promise by stretching out the time it takes to get drivers back on the road.

Fortunately, our partners are just as committed to speed and efficiency. Some are even developing their own tools to reduce friction - as Chief Vehicle Rental’s Martyn Cresswell explains.

“Chief Vehicle Rental supplies replacement specialist, electric and taxi plated vehicles for the insurance sector, so we know how much friction is present. We share Cogent Hire’s values of cost efficiency and reduced friction, and were happy to share our bespoke platforms with them.

CVR provides its ‘Fasttrack vehicle deployment portal’ to Cogent Hire to make it easier and faster to source a specialist vehicle, and together we’re acting as a force for good in what’s traditionally been a very aggressive environment!”

It’s not just CVR who decided to partner with Cogent Hire because of shared values. Gavin Cooper of Proximo is keen to explain that our partnership is one based on personal trust as much as good business sense:

“The Cogent Hire team’s background, experience and knowledge of the credit hire industry made it an easy decision for us, as a specialist vehicle supplier, to work with them.

We never forget the importance of providing a personal service, and our experienced team is happy to share knowledge and offer support. Proximo’s range of products is designed to provide added value every step of the way, and we’re committed to strengthening our relationships with drivers by offering the highest levels of service.”

It’s a common theme. Jodi Daubney of Magna Accident services knows that for her family business, the values she and her collaborators hold are just as important as the vehicles they supply:

“I want Magna to be known for the service we provide, for our ability to source even the most challenging commercial vehicles. But also that we will always do the right thing for our client.

Cogent Hire’s approach to business has so many similarities to our own, and I’m determined to work with like-minded people and companies who share our values.

The fit seems right.”

A true collaborative specialist vehicle network

With partners like Proximo and CVR who are willing to share their expertise, tools and talent, with partners like Magna and Novo with their years of experience in the specialist vehicle sector, and with a solid set of shared values that always put the customer first, Cogent Hire is able to get any driver back on the road quickly. No matter what they’re driving, and no matter where they are.