The rules for having vehicles statutory removed from the network are quite straight forward.
If the vehicle is in a live running lane (fully or partly) and cannot be moved to the h/s or safer area, then it’s immediately stat recovered once HATO arrives on scene.
If the vehicle is on a ‘Nodel point’ (Sensitive location, would possibly be a high risk for terrorism hit - certain viaducts / motorway interchanges) it can also be immediately stat recovered, although we don’t tend to do so.
After an RTC if the drivers recovery cannot get there quickly enough. (some insurance companies are absolutely useless to deal with, believe me!)
If it is apparent that the driver has no chance of any sort of assistance attending within the 2 hour rule, and doesn’t have the means to roadside join a recovery service.
If the vehicle has been abandoned it will be given 2 hours from when we first know about it, then it can be removed.
During the hours of darkness if there are no lights on the vehicle it can be immediately stat recovered, but usually HATO will put cones & lights behind the vehicle once drivers own recovery ETA is confirmed acceptable, and it’s fully on the h/s.
Anything in a live running lane will get reported to either the HA or police (Who in turn send it to the HA) and will be attended to as above.
Anything on h/s, will start the clock running once we know about it, and 2 hours will be allowed before sending HATO to check on it.
A driver that informs us that they’ve broken down via an SOS phone, we’ll call his recovery / company for him, and arrange their attendance, it does focus the attention of company transport manager, when you tell him that they have 2 hours to attend, often they think they have all the time in the world. All recovery companies are aware of the 2 hour rule, and 99.9% of the time we don’t have a problem with them.
If a HA stat recovery operator attends, and also the drivers recovery actually arrives on scene, unless the vehicle is partly loaded up, the drivers own recovery can take it. The HA will then have to pay for the stat recovery turning out.
All stat recoveries for being over the 2 hour rule depends on the availability of HATO being able to attend. RTC’s, and live lane incidents take preference, so it can go well over 2 hours sometimes before a HATO is freed up to attend. HATO has to be on scene to request stat recovery.
The 2 hour rule actually states that the vehicle can be removed once 2 hours is up, in practice once the times goes over that, HATO goes back to the vehicle and orders stat recovery unless we can contact the drivers recovery and it’s imminent. The ETA for the HA recovery is usually 30 - 45 mins, so the vehicle will have been there going on 3 hrs minimum before it’s actually lifted.
Vehicles get reported to us via police, breakdown operators, members of public, CCTV, HATO on route to / returning from, a live lane job, that’s when the log is made and the clock starts.
Biffo is correct, the Highways no longer Routinely patrol, apparently 