I’m thinking of jumping ship as I’m bored of doing the same contracted trunk night after night. I’ve spotted an advert for heavy recovery drivers with training given for those who have not worked in the recovery industry before - which I have not. The company is called Mansfield.
Before I send off my CV, can anybody shed light on this type of work or the company?
I’m looking for a balanced insight - that is the negatives AND positives. There have to be some positives 
.
Thanks in advance.
Negatives,
Positives,
Well, you did ask.
Trukkertone:
Negatives,
- being on call day and night.
- lying underneath trucks trying to undo propshaft bolts that have never seen a spanner since manufacture.
- trying not to get killed by every other vehicle that passes by while you are picking up the stricken vehicle.
- and it is usually either peeing down, or has been peeing down, and you have to lay down in it.
- or it is snowing and freezing and you can’t feel your fingers.
- then you have to take vehicle to the tiniest yard in the country and try to put it where the customer would like it, usually in the dark.
Positives,
- Errrrrrrrrrr,
Well, you did ask.
Did we work for the same company lol.to the op recovery is to most a stop gap as companys use drivers until they burn out and replace them.the hours are long and so is the pay for whats involved.you may like it but i know id have swapped my recovery job for a easy trunk job anytime
Give it a go and get it under your belt,you never know…good luck.
I worked for them for 4 years. I have answered this question before if you search recovery ob here. Which depot is it for?
rgt1973:
I worked for them for 4 years. I have answered this question before if you search recovery ob here. Which depot is it for?
Northampton.
you wont know if you’ll enjoy it until you’ve tried it,
Sorry that’s not much help, but its that kind of job!
its about a lot more than driving, i would say 40-50% is “spanner work” removing propshafts/half shafts, blowing air in the tanks (not always easy), where to lift, where NOT to lift, chaining down, winching etc etc
Places like Mansfield will take anyone on with a licence saying they will train you, this is BS!
If you are mechanically competent then you have half a chance of enjoying it, if not you wont last 5 mins
Saying that if you are good at it you will enjoy it, if you enjoy it, it will get in your blood & then you’ll never leave!!!
I worked for them a few years ago doing heavy recovery. Now things ‘may’ have changed since bidvest took them over, but if they havent:
Expect shift patterns, might be mon-fri days/nights with every other weekend on call, could be 4 on 2 off rota. each depot was run differently.
The end of your shift time means nothing, if a long recovery comes in an hour before you should go home tough! off you go, go home when you get back. Oh and make sure you’re back in at the right start time for next shift.
If a big job comes in, eg rollover etc, same rule applies, you go home when the jobs done.
When not doing heavy recovery you will be doing locals, probably police job with the hiab truck.
Keep a close eye of how many hours you work during the month, then marvel at the complete difference on your payslip. You wont get paid for all the hours you do, also look for deductions for using the company mobile phone. Doesnt matter you phoned the controll room or a customer, they’re still being deducted. £100 a minute dont you know!
They’ve locally been randomly finishing drivers on made up reasons (lack of work)
Staff turnover is amazing, most people leave on payday never to return.(if you leave properly ie give notice, then the cost of the uniform is greater than your last months wages)
Cant think of any positives sorry!
aa are after slide bed drivers in Northampton , 3 week training will probably be 5 on 3 off in that yard having spoke too one off there drivers wednesday
Just from reading this, it sounds like a crap job. I know nothing about mechanics, but recovery work intrigues me, is it just this company or are most recovery companies this bad?
G6Bob:
Just from reading this, it sounds like a crap job. I know nothing about mechanics, but recovery work intrigues me, is it just this company or are most recovery companies this bad?
The ones ive worked for are the same.at this time of year until march or april you wont be home much
Turbo:
I worked for them a few years ago doing heavy recovery. Now things ‘may’ have changed since bidvest took them over, but if they havent:
Expect shift patterns, might be mon-fri days/nights with every other weekend on call, could be 4 on 2 off rota. each depot was run differently.
The end of your shift time means nothing, if a long recovery comes in an hour before you should go home tough! off you go, go home when you get back. Oh and make sure you’re back in at the right start time for next shift.
If a big job comes in, eg rollover etc, same rule applies, you go home when the jobs done.
When not doing heavy recovery you will be doing locals, probably police job with the hiab truck.
Keep a close eye of how many hours you work during the month, then marvel at the complete difference on your payslip. You wont get paid for all the hours you do, also look for deductions for using the company mobile phone. Doesnt matter you phoned the controll room or a customer, they’re still being deducted. £100 a minute dont you know!
They’ve locally been randomly finishing drivers on made up reasons (lack of work)
Staff turnover is amazing, most people leave on payday never to return.(if you leave properly ie give notice, then the cost of the uniform is greater than your last months wages)Cant think of any positives sorry!
I can pretty much second all of the above.
I will add though, I really did enjoy the job, the challenge, sure you get the same old crap, but you get thrown a few nice curve balls too.
BUT, I wouldn’t do it for Mansfield ever again, maybe it’s different with the AA or someone, but if not then I would avoid recovery, but the job itself is very interesting and challenging.
Wages are poor for what you do, hours are long, weeks are longer, you get cut, scratched, bruised, battered, filthy and WET!, and if that’s 1 hr into your shift, TOUGH!
I’ve never considered a recovery job myself, but I’ve found this thread very interesting.
That’s what this site should be about , describing jobs and employers in details, naming them, warning other drivers, so these employers either improve terms and conditions or they will be left to carry all the work themselves.
I wanted to thank every one who’s contributed to this eye opening thread.
All the best
Sorts the men out from the boys,im out 
I was recovered last month by a firm from Stoke. Lets just say they were not very complimentary about Mansfield.
So what should a heavy recovery bod aim to earn in the northampton area?
There has got to be something a bit odd about a driver who thinks that he needs to drive along with his womble lights on when the ‘recovery’ is sitting on the back of his slide bed.
It must be: “Look at me, I’m a big-wheeler man”.
cav551:
There has got to be something a bit odd about a driver who thinks that he needs to drive along with his womble lights on when the ‘recovery’ is sitting on the back of his slide bed.It must be: “Look at me, I’m a big-wheeler man”.
Your spot on!
It like “look…here’s another one I couldn’t fix!”
To the OP, if you really fancy it and have the basic skills, I would start with a smaller firm that does commercial recovery and learn from someone that has the time to teach you,
degsy4wheels:
I was recovered last month by a firm from Stoke. Lets just say they were not very complimentary about Mansfield.
To be fair you could be recovered by most of the firms in the UK and they would not be complimentary about the Mansfield group!
The Stobarts of the recovery world!