I know this has been on here before but I can’t find anything through the search facility (This site is getting so big now)
Can anybody give me any infomation on what Commercial vehicle recovery is like as one of the local firms is recruiting. I know they do a lot of bus breakdowns!! (Still can’t get away from the buggers 
) From what I know they are purely recovery, not breakdown repairs.
They are quoting £500pw for 45 hours. Is this good or not (remember this is Cornwall…the £6per hour land)
PM some of teh wreckers on here, the onlyone i can think of at the moment is wrechtech, there are a few more on here but i cant remember thier names (sorry lads)
I dont a bit of light recovery quite a few years ago I was a controller for the recovery and breakdown side as well.
You dont tend to work from certain start to finish times and will probably be on call a lot, you could have just done a 10 hour shift and go home to be called back in again if you are needed accidents can happen any time.
I believe they are still tacho exempt but you need an HGV licence now, you didnt need one a few years ago, when I dont it they were considered agricultural vehicles running on red diesel and £30 a year tax hence the lack of tachos and licence needed.
Used to work in the recovery industry. Have to admit I loved it and hated it all in the same time.
Did recovery work of all shapes and sizes, ie everything from motorbikes to the biggest trucks on the road. Simple breakdowns to total carnage after fatality recoverys.
As Jammy said its the hours. You may have a start time but finish well could be at set time but could be hours later. Tacho rules changed but there a grey area, something stupid like must run one if operating over certain distance from base but within it then dont need one.
Very enjoyable when doing heavy recoverys especially when you get one thats on its side etc. Somebodys misfortune sadly, but best part of a recovery workers job. No 2 jobs are the same thats one great aspect of the job.
I always used to hate recovering coaches and buses though! Weak and flimsy things most of them great care needed not to damage them.
I agree with what was said above, I did it for 5 years and it is a love/hate thing. Although it can be great as a challenging and enjoyable job with a lot of variety it is rarely good for someone who values their social or home life.
I wouldn’t rely on the tachograph laws regulating your working hours, as said above although they brought them into recovery a few years ago it hasn’t made a big enough differance.
I know this has been on here before but I can’t find anything through the search facility (This site is getting so big now)
If you put VEHICLE AND RECOVERY AND COMMERCIAL into the site search it comes up with 10 results and opening each result in a new window means that you don’t have to lose the original 10 
you’ll love it…your family may not.
long hours,interesting work with lots of self reliance and iniitiative called for.pay scales can be good but £500 for 45 hrs is very good going…expect a few through the night jobs to be thrown in there.and will the rate still be so good in the winter when the tourists head for home?
tacho’s are just the same as the truck drivers,there is an exemption within 100km from your base,but you still have to adhere to WTD and domestic drivers hrs.if you exceed the 100km then the tacho must be in at the start of the shift and stay in for the rest of the shift.you can’t just pop it in at bristol and take it out again on the way back down.
i drive a heavy wrecker but not very often at the moment.i had to blow the cobwebs off the other day when i went out with it.i do a lot of service van work,and use the wreckers to bring jobs into the garage.
recently a few contractors have gained large contracts with big area’s which they must cover from the likes of the RAC and greenflag.these area’s are making them desperate to get more staff as they are fined for failing eta’s etc.
training is not as common as you’d think as staff turnover is high at most recovery companies,especially large companies,so expect to learn on the job.
have a look at ALL COMMERCIALS website,there is a recovery drivers forum on there,some great pictures and lots of opinions offered.
good luck with your application.