KAWARTHA COURIER Connecting Peterborough to Toronto and beyond Fog turns into drizzle, drizzle turns into hammering rain. Kawartha Courier’s parking lot is a minefield of mud puddles. But no rain cheques issued here. Whether five skids of cargo need to get delivered to Hamilton or an envelope to downtown Toronto, owner Dylan Mader keeps shipments moving in all weather patterns. Based in Peterborough, ON, racing against time is a daily reality for Mader and his drivers at Kawartha Courier. Windy highways, muddy country roads, winter storms, and urban traffic don’t stop business and have proven no match for the Sprinter and Sprinter 4x4 vans. In 1998, Mader started as a small local courier, and recognized a need for same-day delivery within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) – something the large courier companies couldn’t do. The niche was secured, but Kawartha Courier still wrestled with fitting all of its shipments into domestic cargo vans. “We originally started with minivans, and quickly grew out of those to typical cargo vans. We couldn’t fit everything we needed in those,
so we bought more vans. We were still struggling every day,” explains Mader. Seeking to gain better business efficiency, Mader researched vehicle options that would allow him to downsize his fleet, yet carry the same amount of cargo. His search stopped at the Sprinter. Today, Mader operates out of one Sprinter and one Sprinter 4x4 van, and he gets more work done now than he did with five smaller vans. And he’s doing it on less fuel, too. “We were previously
running on natural gas, so we had to fill up twice per day. Once when we left Peterborough and then again in Toronto before we headed back. Now we fill up in the morning, go to Toronto, do all our deliveries, and come back. So we’ve cut down – that saves time and money,” says Mader.
hit the road in all seasons and conditions. Mader explains, “In the past, we struggled every winter, because we go no matter what. Getting stuff back and forth to Toronto every day, the national companies can’t do that. Time-sensitive delivery is really what has formed our business.”
But it wasn’t only space Mader needed to contend with – as a courier service, Kawartha Courier’s drivers need to
Initially, Mader was sold on the Sprinter’s sheer amount of cargo space, and when he heard about the Sprinter 4x4 model, he knew it would prove to be a crucial asset to his courier service, especially in slick winter conditions, “Being able to get around in the snow and have that traction, with the 4x4, you just take off as if you’re on dry pavement.” Consistency and reliability – it’s the foundation upon which Kawartha Courier was built. And it’s what Dylan sees in his Sprinter and Sprinter 4x4. As the Mercedes-Benz vans fleet helps him operate more efficiently and keeps his drivers safe on the back roads during the winter, they can keep doing what they do best: keep their customers happy.
From large freight to small envelopes, Dylan Mader and his Kawartha Courier drivers go the distance. With a Sprinter and Sprinter 4x4, they’re delivering packages and customer satisfaction on time, every time. See how Mercedes-Benz helps keep them moving at FuellingBusiness.ca.