I drive an 18t curtain sider doing multi-drop pallet deliveries, just been offered a job in recovery on a 7.5 tonne, picking up broken down cars and wrecks. Does anybody know the industry that can say if this is a good move? The basic pay is the same, but the recovery work have additional targets that can boost me well above £28k!!
I’m sick of the multi-drop, 12+ deliveries per day, I’d rather go from job to job, instead of having a list of work still to do, if you get me?
7.5t work doesn’t bother me and the recovery industry really seems exciting. I know that it’s more stable in this country than in the US where as soon as a car breaks down there’s a swarm of pick-ups. It’s more regulated here. The hours are long but I’m not work shy.
BWMDriver:
I drive an 18t curtain sider doing multi-drop pallet deliveries, just been offered a job in recovery on a 7.5 tonne, picking up broken down cars and wrecks. Does anybody know the industry that can say if this is a good move? The basic pay is the same, but the recovery work have additional targets that can boost me well above £28k!!
I’m sick of the multi-drop, 12+ deliveries per day, I’d rather go from job to job, instead of having a list of work still to do, if you get me?
7.5t work doesn’t bother me and the recovery industry really seems exciting. I know that it’s more stable in this country than in the US where as soon as a car breaks down there’s a swarm of pick-ups. It’s more regulated here. The hours are long but I’m not work shy.
i did a stint on the aa and loved it, a different job every time,
down side, you get wet, you have screaming kids in the truck, long hours, miserable people, having to park up with miserable people on your break, explaining why you took so long to get there to recover miserable people, some recoveries are a bit gruesome,
UP side, meeting people who are glad you are there to get them home, really nice people that engage in conversation, people that come back from the services / café that you found for them while you take your break with a sandwich and a coffee for you, tea and biscuits when you get them home, the funny story of how the car ran away or locked its self or how it just blew up, kids that are interesting some even want to be a recovery driver, and if they seem like every day work type people maybe a gift in your hand.
Thanks for that, now I’m not expecting to hit targets, certainly not straight away, so I’m expecting no change with the money, but I’d be going from Monday to Friday 7am - (anywhere from 4pm to 8pm finish), to 4 on 2 off, 12 hour shifts each day.
The company have got AWFUL employee reviews but I think these people are just work shy, I mean honestly, what can you expect?? The only thing I don’t like is that November, December and January are NO HOLIDAY months, but that’s because it is busy!!!
I’m really exited… I’m probably going to accept the offer on condition that THIS YEAR ONLY I get 3 days off over crimbo…
Anybody else? It’s not with the AA but they do work for the AA, RAC, Green Flag, Police etc… 200 recovery vehicles in London and S.E.
I personally think you are making a mistake. Sure multi drop is crap. But the hours are normally quite predictable and you can work your life around the job. Apart from working with The AA direct, try saying that working for any other recovery company. Its not normally just shift work. Some will put you on call out after you’ve finished your ‘shift’. They’d have you working 24/7 if they could. You’ll probably find yourself doing quite a lot of hours for little money. They’ve probably got bad employer reviews for a very good reason.
One thing that put me off was the organisation I saw by one of the big contractor companies when a friend broke down with green flag just off the top of the M62 and was heading east to nottinghamshire. This is a woman on her own so supposedly a priority so they claim.
First they sent out a van who decided they couldnt be bothered to tow it so made up what turned out to be a false excuse. Person waits for truck another 2 hours and nicer guy turns up, says first one could easily have sorted it but puts them on a truck.
Now however he has to pickup another car in the wrong direction at Bury, take it down to Stoke by the M6, before going across to Derby then miles up the M1 to the orig destination!
Took 8+ hours to get home from first van turning up instead of 2-3 hours as it should have been. Apparently this wasnt unusual for him either.
Now imagine you’re the second guy with a family broken down in the rain and having to explain to them that you’re not going direct, but several hours the wrong way first. Thats likely why the reviews are bad if they similar.
This one has the same name as a town in Nottinghamshire beginning in M.
Working for AA or RAC or even a smaller company is prob better, but AA do relay so not ideal for people miles from home. RAC seem the best in terms of treating customers best and thus less stress for you.
No vacancies with RAC in my area, I applied for the AA earlier in the year but never heard back, this could really be a good way into the recovery industry.
Most Recovery drivers hate it,i was on the m1 broken down last week ,the guy dropped me at a service station said im finished,Thankfully , after only 16 hours ,got in his truck to yet another call.Trouble is within 50 km there is no tacho so fully expect to be used and abused locally…
breakdown vehicles - specialised breakdown vehicles working within a 100km of their base
But there is still the daily duty limit of 11 hours.
EDIT - This is correct right? Exempt from EU regs, still subject to GB Domestic, 10 hours driving, 11 hours duty, and in a 7.5 tonn’a the smart card must be used, so how did this guy have a 16 hour shift?
hhmmm , would i be correct in thinking that it sounds like M*nsfi*ld R*c*v*ry ' per chance :question: . Go for it mate, if you dont try it , you will never know. Another string to your bow and all that. Just make sure you work Safely , and treat ALL drivers of ALL types of vehicles around you with due caution when loading and unloading. Stay Safe :exclamation: . The Company you go to work for should - and I hope they do - give you a Safety Working induction course prior to you be let loose and going out alone. You may also have to be prepared to be flexible in your approach to working hours and shifts - Recovery is a 24/7 365 industry Operation , and your new employer may in time ask you to accommodate different shifts and types of runs. . If by chance you do take this job with them , and they Dont give you a Safety Induction , please feel free to ping me private message relating.
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This game is no different to general haulage , the lads and lasses are quite often chasing better hourly rates/wages -better working conditions / hours , employer benefits , better organised Co, equipment /trucks / blah blah etc etc .
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If your prepared to sample it and don`t mind making adjustments , with an open approach to flexible working , then so beit.
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Good luck and enjoy , you can take us all out for a beer when you reach your 1st millions wage packet
Usually just peruse threads but this one seems relevant to me… Worked 7.5t recovery at 21-22 yrs old , quite liked it and was earning about £450 p/w (20) yrs ago… Great money then but the reason was that I worked 40 hrs a week then was “on call” every other week…
So getting home after 5.10 pm ish I’d sit down to dinner and mobile would ring…get home after 2 hrs and…same thing… Was like a zombie , (couldn’t do it now at 41 yrs old!) but was probably the whipping boy back then as I was new… So got my Hgv licence and never looked back…(I do multi drop now) Yes the Recovery game was a bit gruesome / wet / tiring at times but a job that could be good if the company are fair… Good luck if you go for it
If it is for the previously suggested company , I would think long and hard about it. I did 5 years for them and I can assure you the employee reviews are only the tip of the iceberg! You may not be work shy but prepare to work with no breaks, maybe on call. I have worked 22hr days and that still happens as I know staff still there. The recovery industry seems to have a complete disregard for drivers hours regs and likes to think they are exempt or work a log book system which is open to abuse! Some people love it , but it’s that sort of job. If I can help with anything else just ask.
I worked recovery for a few years just outside london for the company previously mentioned but its older name ( should be able to guess who). Rgt 1973 is spot on, the hours are ridiculous especially when the bad weather sets in, if you have a family i would recomend not doing it as youll never see them, but if your sungle give it a go, but kiss your social life goodbye
If it’s Ka****gh don’t even bother wasting your time.
I worked there for 8months, it’s an absolute joke of a company who do not care one bit about there drivers, expect to be talked to like your a piece of s**t by the control room, rushed, and forced to work overtime everyday.
They will send you jobs 15 mins before your finish times that will take you 2 hours to complete and not bat an eyelid not even an apology, the controll room don’t give a monkeys.
By the time I left I was completely drained I was starting at 7 and not getting back till 9 or half 9 every day ( you NEVER finish on time), you only get 1 weekend of a month so you’ll never see your family or have any sort of social life.
The bonus thing is a load of crap you’ve gotta average I think it was 6 or 7 jobs a day, I don’t think the whole time I worked there I ever did that many in a day, it’s just to get you through the door.
The moral on the firm is terrible, everyone hates there job
There are plenty of decent recovery firms about, this is definaty not one of them, iv got a load of other story’s so if you want to find out more or have any questions pm me.
(Plus you’ll be driving about in a Isuzu all day, the most uncomfortable bone shaking truck made today, you’ll have no back left after a week)
Also there “training” is a joke, we were sat in a meeting room for 2 days watching videos being taught by the directors PA who had never recovered a vehicle in her life, then sent out with the company old boy re delivering insurence jobs from the yard.
Then you were sent out on your own and left to work it out for yourself, how they thought this was safe was unbelievable.
hhmmm , would i be correct in thinking that it sounds like 
