When it comes to vehicle mishaps, every situation demands unique expertise for a safe and efficient recovery. From common roadside breakdowns to complex accidents involving heavy commercial vehicles, we make it our priority here at Egertons to offer the very best in specialist recovery services, and always get your drivers, vehicles and their loads to safety.
Accidents involving heavy commercial vehicles present a unique set of challenges that demand specialised attention. Whether it’s lorries tipping over, vans crashing into ditches in rural locations, or vehicles carrying dangerous goods and materials which breakdown across busy motorway stretches; each situation can be completely different to the next, and therefore may require a completely different recovery approach, different equipment and different rescue vehicles.
So, how do we do it?
We find out the full extent of the incident
Our triage process will kick-start by our call operators working to understand exactly where the breakdown has happened, as knowing the exact spot of the incident helps our recovery teams figure out the best way to clear the scene, keep traffic flowing and ensure everyone is safe.
For example, if a vehicle has broken down on a busy motorway, or is blocking a junction or lane, it’s not just an inconvenience, it’s a recipe for chaos, as so many other vehicles could be in the danger zone too.
Likewise, if a vehicle has got stuck in a ditch or impaled on something, it’s not just a matter of towing it away as accessibility could be a real problem. It’s the same for countryside accidents, where limited roads and rough terrain could require special vehicles or equipment to reach the scene.
And then there’s the condition of the vehicle itself. For example, if it’s flipped over, is badly damaged or even poses as a fire risk, as this could require a very specific recovery process to set things straight – literally!
We determine how dangerous the situation is
At any times where a heavy commercial vehicles has been involved in an accident or breakdown, rescue operations can often be difficult and time consuming, more often than not because the vehicle load itself poses a threat if damaged.
This is essentially because for commercial vehicles with heavy loads, there’s more chance of items moving unintentionally and becoming unstable during the journey.
Any shift in load can significantly affect a vehicles handling on the road, plus the centre of gravity of a loaded goods vehicle tends to be much higher than a passenger car, making a loaded commercial vehicle more likely to roll over than a car, even when travelling at the same speed.
Because of this it’s essential that a rescue operator understands the stability of a load such as how it was secured in the first place vs. what damage the accident has caused.
Heavy commercial vehicle loads could also contain dangerous goods too, as the latest Domestic Road Freight Statistics report highlighted that out of the 485,900 registered HGVs in the UK in 2020, 4% of all goods lifted domestically were declared as dangerous goods. This accounts for 53 million tonnes of assets from flammable liquids such as alcohol (67%) gasses (16%) and corrosive substances (6%).
In situations like this where a commercial vehicle breaks down, urgent recovery is of the upmost importance, not only for the business themselves, but also for the safety of the driver and other road users alike.
Any leak of hazardous materials can be a severe threat, so it’s essential that a rescue and recovery operator is experienced in how to safely handle a vehicle without causing any further damage or potential chemical reactions.
We then have heavy commercial vehicles carrying loose bulk loads such as wood chippings, pellets and grain, or machinery such as steel and plant loads which could be extremely serious if they shift during transit.
Because of all these potential risk factors, it means that greater time and care must be spent during the recovery process. The exact right rescue vehicles must be deployed, and the area must be safely evacuated before the vehicle is moved, which, if this were to happen on a busy main road or motorway, unfortunately means a long wait time for other road users to safely resume their journeys.
We deploy the exact right specialist recovery vehicles
Once we have all the essential information, our team get straight to work on determining which is the most appropriate emergency response vehicle to deploy out to the scene.
Our 300-strong fleet is fitted with the most cutting-edge technology to repair or recover any vehicle, and includes everything from our trusty 4×4 which are perfect for rescuing smaller vehicles that have been stuck in mud or snow, and our Service Vans which carry out everyday duties at the roadside for car and van repairs. Not to mention…
- Commercial Service Van, which is used for repairs on any commercial vehicles. This long wheel base van is used for commercial repairs due to the tools and equipment required, in comparison to your everyday roadside breakdown in a car.
- Heavy Underlift, with a crane which goes under the casualty vehicle and lifts it up. This vehicle is perfect for the recovery of heavy commercial vehicles either from the roadside, or to move them from A to B.
- Low Loader, with a unit and trailer used for vehicle movements and recoveries. By far this is one of our most used incident support vehicles, mainly for trailers or heavy commercial vehicles which can’t be towed away by the underlift.
- Slidebed, used for both cars and vans as it has a spec lift which enables us to tow two vehicles with just the one resource.
- 7.5 Tonne Slidebed, which is very similar to our larger slidebeds, but used to carry weights less than 12 tonnes.
- Rotator, mainly used for accidents where a heavy commercial vehicle has rolled over, as it features both an underlift to tow , and a crane to upright a vehicle too.
- And the Hiab Accident Unit which is used for more serious accidents as it has a crane on the back to lift vehicles rather than just a winch. This is a huge piece of equipment, but gives complete peace of mind knowing that this highly capable truck allows to recover whatever serious incident our teams are faced with.
To name but a few!
We appoint the best highly skilled technicians to take on the job
All our rapid response repair and recovery technicians have undergone extensive training to ensure they’re well skilled and highly experienced in dealing with the most complicated of incidents keeping all parties and assets safe during recovery.
Once they arrive on scene, they’ll quickly evaluate the situation with the help of onboard diagnostic equipment and latest vehicle tooling to resolve the problem quickly and efficiently.
By working like this, we can aim to facilitate a roadside repair quickly and safely, rather than prolong the downtime of your vehicles or needing to tow them to a workshop. For our customers, this means that we’re able to use the exact right equipment, tools and technician expertise there and then, getting their vehicles back on the road as soon as possible.
What’s more, operators can also rest assured that any roadside repair is also carried out to the very highest industry standards, as we also hold PAS 43, ISO 9001 and NNHS Sector 17 accreditations and all of our technicians are fully qualified in commercial vehicle repairs.
But, if in the situation where a roadside recovery is not an option, don’t worry. We’re still committed to getting your load to its final destination safely.
This means if we can’t repair your vehicle at the roadside, we’ll help deliver your cargo, driver and vehicle to the most appropriate locations to get your day back on track as quickly as possible.
In fact, our experts can even facilitate drop offs to separate locations too, whether it’s the original planned destination, company depot or preferred workshop.
In other words…
We’re there when you need us, no matter what
Egertons are one of the UK’s leading vehicle rescue and recovery operators, with services stretching from breakdown recovery to specialist assistance, available 24/7/365 service across the country.
But the main reason choose us? Because our fleet of incident response vehicles, range of equipment available on hand and the technology our fleet is equipped with, allows us to deploy the exact right vehicles, first time, helping to keep your vehicle downtime to an absolute minimum and ensure recovery takes place as safely and efficiently as possible.