Do you work for, or personally know a heavy recovery operator? I’m looking to speak to them for a CM piece giving them chance to defend their rates - we all hear so much about how scandalous people consider them to be, so now it’s time to give the “other side” a fair hearing.
Basically, what I need are people who can approach their friend/boss and test the water, rather than me cold calling at random. I always give copy approval to operators who work with me, and have no intentions whatsoever of doing a hatchet job on anyone.
If you’d rather not post publically, feel free to drop me a PM. Thanks!
They can tell you better than I can about how equipment and fuel costs, training, competition, terms of contracts/tenders etc affect the rates. And how some firms end up towing trucks home for less money per mile than the haulage firm get for doing the run.
Neil [ex-recovery driver]
I used to work for ‘The Mansfield Group’ (funny, I’m wearing the t-shirt today…)
All I can say, is the vehicle costs a fortune, it sits around the yard 99% of the time, it has to be equipped for all types of jobs - like a mecano set when you’re setting it up, but it has to pay or it wouldn’t exist.
Also, the actual job of recovering someone in a heavy is bloody annoying, gotta drop the drive shaft or a half shaft off, then build the bloody mecano thing up, then take them where they’re going, then put half / drive shaft back on.
Taking a drive shaft off a tipper that’s just blown its clutch on a landfill site is 1 of the nicest things I ever had to do - NOT…
They can tell you better than I can about how equipment and fuel costs, training, competition, terms of contracts/tenders etc affect the rates. And how some firms end up towing trucks home for less money per mile than the haulage firm get for doing the run.
Neil [ex-recovery driver]
Fabulous! Why didn’t I think of that?
I basically know the answer to the question ie. why the rates are as they are, what I need is company bosses prepared to stand up and say so and be named. Past experience with haulage companies tells me the best way to get beyond bog-standard TM level and up to talking with the organ grinder is by working your way in from the bottom, hence the request for help!
i left a recovery company a month ago after being with them for 10 years from when i left school. its fairly easy towing a truck the most annoying part is removal of prop and half shaft. you dont have to use a spec frame most company pick up on front axle using forks i was paid 9.25 a hour. But i have left to go night trunking where im staying clean not getting called out and have weekends off for more money…
There are anumber of recovery industry publications about aswell. There’s not many out there in which you won’t find people discussing rates, contracts etc. It’s always an issue, especially when an awful lot of the time it’s not the recovery company setting the rates that they work for.
I’m sure you’ll not have a problem finding people willing to stand up and have their say and voice their opinion on the subject!
