I’m new to this forum but I’m sick of getting stupid statistics from job websites so I thought I’d ask here in the hope that some real life experiences might pop up in the replies.
I’m wanting to get into Heavy Recovery and I’ve even seen a few jobs advertised near to where I am (Doncaster area)! I know the hours are very ‘flexible’ given the nature of the job and I’m ok with that, but my question is though, what’s the job like salary wise? According to indeed and totaljobs, the salary is ‘competitive’ and can range from £24k - £36k per annum! Im not sure if people get annoyed by these things as much as me but if I’m applying for a job, I’d kind of like to know the details beforehand! If you’re saying is competitive because in actual fact it’s not very good, then maybe that needs to be addressed! I understand salaries are very regional these days as well but again, if the job is in Doncaster I don’t see why you can list the salary for that job specifically in that area!
I haven’t done recovery work, and nor would i want to, filthy dangerous with unpredictable hours.
Last time i got recovered we got chatting about pay and packages, he got a basic salary of some £35k and then a percentage of the recovery charges on top, so he could make some good money.
However he would have been getting home at about 9pm that night after being called out during the previous night and could easily get called out again before he’d finished he dinner, so like a lot of these jobs if the lads are earning decent money you can be sure they deserve every penny, hell of a lot to learn too.
My relatively simple easy recovery with empty artic took him a total of 6 hours for which he’d have earned about an extra £80/100 on top of his basic, so potential of serious earnings if you can keep the pace up.
That was a midlands based high profile recovery outfit which invests heavily in equipment.
I did this for a while and I fully enjoyed it, what got me was the call outs where ridiculous hours to work. as there was not enough drivers on call except for yourself when it was your turn. Apart from that I enjoyed it and the money was great because the hours are not regulated by tacho rules. It is not for everyone especially in bad weather, but I would go back to it if I could just cover days only.
You need to speak to James Sparrow at sparrow recovery. He has depots up that way. I have done alot of training with him and hes spot on. He was looking for drivers not that long ago.
outcast:
You need to speak to James Sparrow at sparrow recovery. He has depots up that way. I have done alot of training with him and hes spot on. He was looking for drivers not that long ago.
Sparrow recovery call out is ridiculous. Work a full shift, then get called out through the night and expected to be in for your normal shift with less than a few hours sleep. Hard graft but enjoyable and interesting work but the call outs kill the job and burns you out. Should have a night shift and a day shift as there is plenty of work to cover this.
Certainly not for everyone but I had a mate that did it for years and absolutely loved it.
Very challenging at times but it made for great stories in the pub. He just couldn’t get enough.
Almost like a drug.
It it really appeals give it a go. A lot to learn and mistakes could be costly.
Can only echo what’s been said. When i did it i earned a basic salary then got a percentage of every job i did. I worked on a on call basis for a set number of days. The rules have changed now in that if you operate within a 60miles radius of your base you are tacho exempt. If you go out of that area you then have to use a tacho and be on tacho regs for the rest of your shift days until a weekly rest period. You will have a very steep learning curve and will need to come up with solutions to problems whilst in a sleep deprived befuddled state. It’s not for everyone but i loved my years doing it but it takes its toll on you. [emoji16]
Heavy recovery isn’t just a job, it is a way of life.
If you want to get into it then it’s to be assumed you know a little bit about it.
I assume that you know nothing about it, & that little bit of it that you think you know is probably wrong.
When you are woken at 02:30hrs & informed that your services are required to help recover a 40ton casualty on its side down an embankment, it’s raining cats & dogs, -4deg C & a howling gale is blowing from the east, then if your first thought is “what’s in it for me”, then it is probably not the job for you.
Lots of (the better) workshop fitters do it for a short time as a part of building their experience. Lots do it for a few weeks until they finally get called out to that 40ton casualty lying on its side down an embankment. The ones that stick it out are the ones that can see the job for what it is.
I know a few long term heavy recovery operatives that earn £50k+ a year & love every minute. I know a few who tried it & either failed miserably or backed out gracefully.
Heavy recovery isn’t just a job, it is a way of life.
You will also need a VERY understanding wife/partner. I, at one stage, did M/way recovery in the roadworks. 3 months away at a time. I did early Jan to late march. Live in Somerset and closest I got to home was Brum
I know a couple of blokes with over 40 years experience each, they build their own vehicles, trailers, bodies and recovery trucks. Its all they know, it has become a family affair and a way of life. their turnover of staff is quite low as they know what to expect before they recover their first car.
Its not a job you can turn up and drive out of the gate in a shiny wrecker, the name wrecker is misleading, you are like a vehicle paramedic, you have to recover the patient and get it to the workshop, police compound or to a ferry port, obviosly working alongside medics and police investigators.
Sparrows also have a local depot to me and they may train someone up if they have the right attitude, don’t mind lying in 2 feet of slurry to attach a wire rope or digging a trench to get an airbag into position, its blowing a gale, raining, dark and -3°C
bloke i know does it his own firm, when his son came of age the local trainer was put under pressure to get him thru the test even tho the lad had bad eyes /wore pebble glasses .Somehow he passed !, later I heard that the lad loved driving a wrecker so much if he drove by a lady on the footpath in t shirt big ■■■■■ his eyes always remained straight ahead
Lot of hassle. Unpredictable hours. manual labour i.e having to remove halfshaft. Which can often mean beating the ■■■■■■ with a hammer. Under trucks constantly that may often be dripping with mud, water, oil and sometimes blood.
All for pay that is about market average for being a truck driver.
It’s also just more risk. You got your own daily checks to ensure your truck is safe. Then you also have to ensure the vehicle your towing is safe which sometimes is not possible.
For example. I seen an axle split on the rear of artic trailer. Now how do you recover that? What the guy did in the end was use a load of rachet straps to hold the axle to the body. But that’s dodgy as ■■■■ to tow back. Personally, I would not be willing to tow that back.
adam277:
Lot of hassle. Unpredictable hours. manual labour i.e having to remove halfshaft. Which can often mean beating the [zb] with a hammer. Under trucks constantly that may often be dripping with mud, water, oil and sometimes blood.
All for pay that is about market average for being a truck driver.
It’s also just more risk. You got your own daily checks to ensure your truck is safe. Then you also have to ensure the vehicle your towing is safe which sometimes is not possible.
For example. I seen an axle split on the rear of artic trailer. Now how do you recover that? What the guy did in the end was use a load of rachet straps to hold the axle to the body. But that’s dodgy as [zb] to tow back. Personally, I would not be willing to tow that back.
No different to having a lift axle up on a trailer.
Is that hard won experience from watching Trucking Hell on telly
adam277:
Lot of hassle. Unpredictable hours. manual labour i.e having to remove halfshaft. Which can often mean beating the [zb] with a hammer. Under trucks constantly that may often be dripping with mud, water, oil and sometimes blood.
All for pay that is about market average for being a truck driver.
It’s also just more risk. You got your own daily checks to ensure your truck is safe. Then you also have to ensure the vehicle your towing is safe which sometimes is not possible.
For example. I seen an axle split on the rear of artic trailer. Now how do you recover that? What the guy did in the end was use a load of rachet straps to hold the axle to the body. But that’s dodgy as [zb] to tow back. Personally, I would not be willing to tow that back.
No different to having a lift axle up on a trailer.
Is that hard won experience from watching Trucking Hell on telly
I think it was actually. Def on TV maybe I can find the clip.
Also factor in the stroppy driver who’s been sat there for 4hrs moaning at you when you get there (as if you’ve been deliberately sat round the corner for the fun of it!)
ajc263:
Also factor in the stroppy driver who’s been sat there for 4hrs moaning at you when you get there (as if you’ve been deliberately sat round the corner for the fun of it!)
Sent from my SM-A705FN using Tapatalk
Do they really exist?
I’ve always been glad to see the recovery and tyre lads when needed, where possible i find or fix 'em a brew whilst they do the business and help any way i can.
ajc263:
Also factor in the stroppy driver who’s been sat there for 4hrs moaning at you when you get there (as if you’ve been deliberately sat round the corner for the fun of it!)
Sent from my SM-A705FN using Tapatalk
Do they really exist?
I’ve always been glad to see the recovery and tyre lads when needed, where possible i find or fix 'em a brew whilst they do the business and help any way i can.
Oh they exist my friend. I once turned up to recover a fella who’s two nearside wheels had been eaten by a pothole, problem was I turned up 5 hours after his initial call. To add insult to injury he was a senior police officer and I was driving with a plaster cast on my right arm! He was prepared to overlook the insurance implications of that because he was quite rightly ■■■■■■ off and wanted to just get home. Anyway within 30 minutes of journey start my natural charm had won him over and he clambered from his sulking seat in the back of the crew cab and into the front with me. He also bunged me £50 when I finally got him home!
