Latest news with #Mercedes-BenzSprinter
Boston Globe
14-07-2025
- Automotive
- Boston Globe
Driver killed Sunday in Concord, N.H. crash
Emergency responders freed Avery from the wreckage and brought him to a nearby hospital, authorities said. Investigators determined that Avery, who was driving an orange 1979 Volkswagen Bus, crashed into the back of a 2023 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van as traffic slowed around them. The driver of the Mercedes-Benz was taken to the hospital for a precautionary evaluation. The southbound side of the highway was closed for approximately three hours. Advertisement Truman Dickerson can be reached at
Wales Online
12-07-2025
- Wales Online
He filled in for his sick colleague. When his van was checked by authorities he regretted it
He filled in for his sick colleague. When his van was checked by authorities he regretted it It was 'through no fault' of the warehouse worker that he accidentally committed a criminal offence, his solicitor said Total Asia Food Cardiff in Lyon Close, Grangetown, Cardiff (Image: Google ) A warehouse worker agreed to fill in for a sick colleague by taking over a delivery. After authorities stopped him mid-route he ended up with a criminal conviction. Mathew Jenkins, a 37-year-old employee of wholesaler Total Asia Food Cardiff, got behind the wheel of a van overloaded with food products on March 26 and fell foul of a routine check by officers from the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency). His solicitor Craig Bond said: "He had worked there for six months and he still does. He works in the warehouse but on this day the driver was ill. "He was asked if he would drive the vehicle from Cardiff to Swansea. The vehicle was already loaded when he got in. "It would appear there was a routine check from the DVSA, which had organised a series of checks for that day." Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here. David Haines-Burke, of the DVSA, told Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates' Court the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van was stopped at Miskin, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and found to be "laden" with food products. Article continues below The manufacturer's plate on the van showed its weight should not exceed 3,500kg but the DVSA officers recorded a weight of 4,600kg. Mr Haines-Burke said overloading can put "undue pressure" on tyres and reduce a vehicle's ability to stop. Jenkins, of Bluebell Drive in Llanrumney, Cardiff, and his employer Total Asia Food Cardiff both pleaded guilty to breaching road vehicles regulations. "He has no previous convictions," said Mr Bond. "He was very nervous about coming to court today. "To be fair his depot manager Mr Lee has attended court today – partly on behalf of the company but partly because he feels responsible for Mr Jenkins being here. "He asked Mr Jenkins to stand in as a delivery driver and through no fault of Mr Jenkins he has been involved in this offence." Mr Bond, who also represented the Grangetown-based company, went on: "This was a one-off incident. The food delivery company uses a forklift that weighs products that go into the back of the Sprinter van. "The forklift was broken on the day and unfortunately the system used was to estimate the amount of product by the human eye. Clearly that estimation was totally wrong and the company apologises." The solicitor said the forklift has been repaired and the company has brought in a policy that drivers must sign to confirm a vehicle is compliant whenever it is loaded. He assured the court the crime would not be repeated. Article continues below The court heard Jenkins earns £1,500 a month. Presiding Justice Jeffrey Edwards took this into account and handed him a £346 fine, £147 in prosecution costs, and a £138 victim services surcharge. The company was ordered to pay a £880 fine, £324 in prosecution costs, and a £352 victim services surcharge.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
If you plan on buying multiple cars, consider this Turo host's approach
Stephen Carter isn't your typical car owner. Not only does he own five vehicles, but he rents them out on Turo (think Airbnb for cars). But last fall, Carter didn't qualify for auto loan approval for that fifth vehicle. The other four were on his personal credit report, which meant that his debt-to-income ratio was out of whack. Eventually, Carter learned about a lender that offers a unique product: an auto line of credit. 'When Carputty came along, it was a godsend,' says Carter, who's based on the Gulf Coast and financed a 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van last October. He adds: 'My business year to date is almost twice what I did last year with just an additional vehicle.' Whether you need a fleet for your business or prefer multiple sets of wheels for your personal life, Carter's journey might help you understand alternative financing options. Before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in 2020, Carter got into Turo 'by accident.' His car was giving him problems, and a friend suggested he trade it in for a Mercedes Sprinter. The large vehicle could be used for his transportation and logistics gig for his government contractor work. 'Then, the pandemic hit, all government contracts kind of froze,' says Carter, who also worked as a car salesperson for 10 years earlier in his career. 'And I was like, 'Now, what am I gonna do with this car note on the vehicle?' A friend suggested that he list the vehicle for rent on Turo as a way to generate income. 'And 240,000 miles later, it's still — I think right now it's in Tennessee somewhere,' Carter says. 'So yeah, I just fell into it.' The Turo business has proven lucrative enough for Carter to keep at it, continually adding to his fleet of vans, which are routinely rented by large groups. 'That typically is my clientele, the family that's going somewhere… the church group that's going to a baseball game or a football camp or a water park,' Carter says. 'I get those calls regularly.' Carter previously used auto loans to finance the purchase of each new vehicle in his Turo fleet. But with four such debt accounts on his personal credit report, his debt-to-income ratio made lenders wary of funding a fifth vehicle. When Carter encountered auto loan lenders that didn't want him as a new or repeat customer, he considered alternatives. After all, his rental business was thriving, and he wanted to reinvest in it. One realistic option was an unsecured personal loan from a reputable national lender. 'With American Express, I would basically only get enough to do maybe one or two cars, three really cheap cars… and AmEx was at 10 percent [interest], almost 11 percent for a third of the money,' Carter says. Eventually, while browsing a Reddit forum for Turo hosts, Carter came across a mention of Carputty, which requires a minimum credit score of 680 and operates nationally (except in California, Mississippi, Nevada and Washington). The nature of its auto line of credit — up to 15 cars and as much as $250,000 for personal use and $800,000 for LLC operators — gave him the flexibility to avoid another lump sum debt on his credit report. Carter was thrilled to secure an interest rate below seven percent. The only issue he experienced was skepticism among car dealers. No one had heard of Carputty, a fintech that was founded in 2020. 'Craziest name ever… I had at least two dealerships just hang up on me, just saying, 'I never heard of it, click, it sounds like a scam,'' Carter recalls. Average number of cars per Carputty 'Flexline' Consumers, personal use 1.7 Consumers, commercial use 2.2 Carter says his goal is to refinance all of his vehicle loans to house them on the Carputty line of credit, which can be used to buy new or used cars, refinance auto loans or buy out leases. As for the Sprinter van he most recently financed through Carputty? 'I couldn't even tell you where it is,' Carter says, 'but it's been gone [rented] since October.' In most cases, if you're looking for an auto loan and having trouble qualifying, it's likely a sign that you're not ready to borrow. After all, traditional car loans are the best way (besides paying in cash) for most of us to finance our vehicles. And their eligibility criteria are meant, in part, to keep you from borrowing a loan you can't afford to repay. But if you're in a situation like Carter's, where you have strong credit and still can't find the ideal loan, consider being flexible about the type of financing you're seeking. Carputty's line of credit is a unique option — you can finance multiple cars on one account, even if you're not a small business owner — but this company doesn't have a monopoly on atypical financing. Some lenders offer commercial auto lines of credit (Ally Financial and National Business Capital, for example) or business auto loans. The keys are to consider your options, shop around with various types of lenders and prequalify to limit any impact to your credit. Carter's advice on becoming a Turo host 'Now, if you're going to buy a couple of $5,000 cars, and you can afford to pay them off, that's different, but … you may want to do a little bit more research before you just buy that dream car and put it on Turo, because I see the horror stories. And we talk amongst the hosts about people buying used Ferraris because they thought it was a niche market for an antique car, and they're stuck with a note.' — Stephen Carter As Carter did, it's wise to consider all of your options, including auto loans and lines of credit as well as personal loans for cars. Consider the pros and cons of various financing types. A line of credit might give you more flexibility, for example, while a loan might carry a lower interest rate. Once you find the right product for your situation, you can spend more time on finding the right vehicle and calculating your potential loan repayment. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Daily Mirror
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Zoe Ball's stark warning to Scott Mills when he took over BBC Radio 1 job
Breakfast show host Scott, who took over in January, says Zoe had a few words of wisdom for him before he started Scott Mills has revealed that Zoe Ball gave him a stark warning before he replaced her on BBC Radio 2, telling him: 'It's a lot - you've always got to be on.' Scott, 52, was unveiled as the new Breakfast Show host last year after the shock news Zoe was stepping down after six years at the Radio 2 helm. And in spite of more than two decades of experience on the airwaves, he admitted he still struggles with the pressure to deliver the best show possible. Scott told the Mirror: 'The show is a lot, it's hard work. It's a treadmill every day. 'I remember when Zoe finished, she said to me: 'Look, doing breakfast on Radio 2 is quite a lot. It's quite demanding, and you've just always got to be on.' She was right. The amount of guests we have - it's continuous. When she said it to me, I was like: 'I'm ready'. And I am, it's my happy place. 'But of course there's pressure. I think that if you're not feeling any pressure, then you probably shouldn't be doing that job. But that's good. I want to be at the top of my game, and I have that inbuilt into me, I always put pressure on myself. I'm not getting mad pressure from the bosses at all, far from it. But I want to do the best show I can possibly do. 'There is an old saying - I don't know if it's an acting phrase - but it's basically: 'You're only as good as your last show.' And I know it's quite old school, but I do think that. If I've had a bad show - for reasons a listener maybe wouldn't even notice, like maybe I tripped over my words - I really get annoyed. You can get beaten up about it.' Scott has opened up in the past about his struggles with mental health, admitting he grappled with intense anxiety and depression as a young man. And speaking this week on new Mercedes-Benz Vans podcast Under the Bonnet, he revealed he still experiences dark periods - but uses exercise to help him cope. Scott, who is hosting the podcast, said: 'Exercise is definitely something I lean into to help my mental health. I've really noticed when I don't do it. Now at school, I was the last to be picked at sport - it's not my thing, but it's not about that. It's about that feeling I get after I've been, it's a bit of a high that you get. And it's (exercise) what I try to do now after the Breakfast Show, because I've been in some low places before with depression and anxiety over the years. 'Thankfully not in recent years, but I know if a dark time is coming - you can just feel it. So I honestly believe that exercise has helped me know, and I make time for it.' The Under the Bonnet podcast is the UK's first exclusively for van drivers. The series, recorded in a specially adapted Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van, has been launched to celebrate 30 years of the Sprinter and discuss the Under the Bonnet report, which shows how van drivers have become a barometer for modern Britain. The report has found that the average van driver has less than five conversations a day, compared to the average person's 27 conversations. And 80% credited improvements in their mental health to team sport. Scott went on: 'I could really relate to that because of my own experiences. Some of the drivers I spoke to were telling me about being on the road for 20 hours at a time, and how lonely they felt. 'And it reminded me of when I was working my way up in radio, as a presenter. My first job was on radio in Southampton when I was 16 and then I got asked by a radio station in Bristol if I wanted to go there. So I moved to Bristol not knowing one person. And apart from when I was recording my show, I spent all of my time completely on my own. And then I moved from Bristol to Manchester and I mean, I'd never been north of Birmingham - I was a proper Southerner. 'So once again, you uproot your life, you rent a flat and you don't know anyone. And this is, like, early 1990s, so mobiles weren't really a thing. You weren't really in touch with people, you know, day-to-day. I can remember my Mum coming to visit me, and crying because I was so lonely. She asked if I was going to put a Christmas tree up, and I told her I would, but that no-one would see it. It was a very isolating time. "I made those moves to better my career, but at the back of my head I was always thinking: 'At what cost?' Obviously, it's all worked out great, but you don't know that as you're doing it. Now people will say to me: 'Oh, you're on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show,' but they don't realise that I've spent years trying to get up that ladder. "To be honest, it still blows my mind that this has happened to me. It's been a wild four months since I took over the show, and we're only just getting started.' Off the airwaves, Scott is also celebrating his first wedding anniversary this month, after he married husband Sam Vaughan last year. And revealing plans to whisk Sam away to celebrate at their Spanish wedding venue, he told how their partnership works because they help each other. He went on: 'Our first year has been great. And I'll tell you why it's been great, because it's just so easy. Me and him are just a great team - we just help each other out all the time, which is the way it should be. It's been a busy time lately, with Eurovision, etc. 'But I love it, and I love coming home after bonkers days, and everything just being calm and normal - that peace of mind that someone is always there for you. I adore it. 'We were chatting about this last night, and I was like: 'That's been a pretty good first year of marriage.' And I mean, it's whipped by - it's gone by in a flash. 'This weekend I am taking him back to the place where we got married - in Spain. So he doesn't know this yet, but tomorrow, we are going there. 'Right now, I'm the happiest I've ever, ever, ever, ever been. I really feel like all the stars have aligned for me, and I couldn't be happier. I'm literally having a ball.' Scott Mills is hosting the Mercedes-Benz Vans podcast Under the Bonnet, the UK's first podcast exclusively for van drivers. The podcast has been launched to mark the 30th anniversary of the Sprinter van and to discuss the findings of the Under the Bonnet report.
AU Financial Review
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- AU Financial Review
This extravagant Lexus is an A-Lister's dream ride
A trend among celebrities is to own a van that is anonymous on the outside, and extravagant as all get-out within. Some movie stars, rappers and famous-for-being-famous people have reputedly spent $US1 million-plus pimping them out. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a favourite among the aforementioned elites, not least for its cathedral-esque headroom. This has enabled, for example, various celebs in outrageous couture to stand up all the way to New York's Met Gala.
