As we countdown to the big day, commercial fleets tend to experience a huge spike in demand from mid-November onwards. This comes from the natural surge this time of year for online shopping, Black Friday sales and wholesale deliveries all in time for Christmas. However, as traffic surges throughout December, so does an increase in vehicle breakdowns.
The worry of being off the road, falling behind schedule and having your drivers stranded is not something a fleet operator wants to think about during the Christmas period.
For some businesses, a breakdown could lose them one or two hours work, whilst others could end up losing 24 hours plus. Ultimately, it depends on how easy it is to have a vehicle recovered, transported and repaired. But when it comes down the logistics, it may be easier and much quicker than you think if you partner with the right business.
What are the chances of having a vehicle breakdown in winter?
Looking at recent road safety data released by the Department for Transport (DfT), key factors such as poor lighting and road conditions have been known to impact road accidents and breakdowns during the winter months in particular.
The ‘Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain’ report highlights that accidents which occur when driving in fog or mist have the highest accident severity rate, with 27% involving a serious collision, followed by a 23% accident severity rate when it’s snowing. It also highlights a 14% severity rate when driving in high winds; a significant concern for HGVs as their high profile means that they are more vulnerable to being blown over, causing damage to cargo but – more importantly – posing a serious risk to life.
Aside from weather conditions, the lack of light during the winter months can also cause an impact too, with the data showing a severe accident rate of 37% when driving in the dark without light at all. This is despite there being generally less traffic on the roads when it’s dark, as it makes distance and speed much harder to judge accurately.
Are commercial vehicles more likely to breakdown?
As commercial drivers could be on the road non-stop, much more often than passenger cars, they are statistically more likely to breakdown, but not necessarily more.
According to the RAC, data shows there is a three-in-10 chance that commercial vehicles will break down on an annual basis, with the 18% of those issues relating to batteries. This could be a battery that’s just gone flat or one that’s reached the end of its life.
The second most common issue is with tyres at 13% (as many vehicles either don’t have a spare wheel, or a wheel which a driver can’t change by themselves) followed by emissions faults, starter or alternator errors and alarms not working properly.
What do I do if my commercial vehicle breaks down?
That’s where we come in.
At Egertons, we’re experts in all things roadside repair, and our fleet is equipped with the latest tools to make your recovery as quick, safe and efficient as possible.
We pride ourselves on running an effective telephone triage system; this means that as soon as we take your initial phone call, we’ll go through some key questions to help identify exactly what the best type of recovery service is that we can offer, whether it’s a roadside repair, recovery of a vehicle to a secure location, or specialist assistance.
Our expert team will be ready to deploy the right vehicle to the scene immediately, whilst sending you regular incident updates throughout the recovery too.
In other words, you make the call, we’ll do the rest.
What if I breakdown in the middle of nowhere?
Not a problem, we’ll get to you.
We operate a nationwide service 24/7/365, meaning that no matter the time, vehicle, circumstance or location, we can confidently say that we can recover any vehicle, anywhere, any time.
What if I breakdown at the roadside?
It’s completely normal. 76% of commercial vehicle breakdowns we attend happen at the roadside, and our average response time is just 55 minutes from the initial notification to us arriving at the scene.
How quickly can I get moving again after a vehicle breakdown?
Our job is to get you, your vehicle and your cargo moving again as soon as possible after a breakdown. And as one of the UK’s leading vehicle recovery operators, we do it well.
Not only will our fleet recover any size of vehicle, but we’ll also work with you to arrange a new vehicle to finish your journey. For example, if you experience a breakdown in a refrigerated vehicle and have a perishable load, then we can arrange for an identical vehicle to be sent out in its place so you can continue your delivery without any damage to the goods.
So, why choose Egertons?
Our track record speaks for itself.
Egertons is one of the UK’s leading vehicle rescue and recovery operators. We’re a dynamic organisation at the forefront of change within the recovery industry, and we’re proud of our 55-year vehicle recovery heritage.
But what truly sets us apart is 300-strong fleet, vast range of equipment and the technology it is equipped with. This is supported by our 24-hour control room, and having invested in industry leading software, we can seamlessly track the progress of all our vehicles and allocate jobs straight to the recovery technicians.
We’re here to make your job easier; whatever you need, whenever you need it.
We’re always ready.