Call us the moment a vehicle stops
Ring 01332 916028 as soon as a vehicle stops or a driver reports a fault that isn't safe to drive on. Mechanical failure, an air leak that won't hold pressure, a tyre that has let go, brake trouble, an electrical fault or damage after an incident all go to the same number, and that number is answered at three in the morning on a bank holiday exactly as it is at eleven on a Tuesday.
The sooner we hear about it, the more options there are. A vehicle that has limped another ten miles with a fault often needs more work than one that pulled over when the warning light came on.
What to tell us when you call
Three things decide what we send and how quickly the job gets finished, so getting them right first time saves a second visit:
- Where the vehicle is. The road, the direction of travel, the nearest junction or marker post, or a postcode or what3words if the driver has it.
- What the vehicle is. Tractor unit, rigid, trailer, coach, minibus or van, the make if you know it, and whether it is loaded.
- What it is doing. Warning lights, noises, smells, air pressure, whether it will start, and whether it is causing an obstruction.
If the driver is on a live lane or the hard shoulder, their safety comes first: hazards on, out of the cab on the side away from the traffic, and behind the barrier if there is one. We would rather take the details a few minutes later than have anyone standing next to moving traffic.
Repair first, recover second
We go out intending to fix the fault where the vehicle stands. Our vans carry the tools and the common parts, because a roadside repair gets the load moving the same day and a recovery rarely does. Plenty of what stops a truck can be repaired at the roadside by someone who turned up prepared for it:
- air system leaks, couplings, suzies and valves (see our guide to trailer air brake faults)
- electrical faults, failed lights and wiring (see electrical faults on HGVs)
- flat batteries and charging faults (see alternator and battery checks)
- tyre damage and blowouts (see tyre blowouts and sidewall damage)
- fuel and no-start problems (see no-start and fuel contamination)
When a repair at the roadside isn't safe or isn't possible, recovery is the right answer rather than the fallback, and we have the equipment for the heavier end of the fleet. We can take the vehicle to our workshop at Melbourne, or to your own yard if your fitters would rather finish the job.
Heavier vehicles need heavier kit
General recovery operators are set up for cars and light vans. An artic, a loaded rigid, a trailer or a coach needs equipment rated for the weight and someone who has moved one before. That is the work this business does every day, which is why operators ring us directly rather than going through a call centre or a network.
After the breakdown
Once the vehicle is moving again, we tell you what failed, what we did about it and whether anything else needs attention before its next inspection. If the fix was temporary to get you home, we say so while the technician is still with the vehicle, not afterwards. Faults that keep coming back are usually a maintenance question, which is where servicing and planned maintenance and fleet maintenance contracts come in.
Signs to stop before it becomes a breakdown
Some faults give a warning first. Pulling over and ringing us early is usually cheaper and safer than driving on:
- a low air pressure warning, or a buzzer that won't clear
- a brake that pulls, drags or feels different under the foot
- warning lights for the engine, emissions or AdBlue, especially with a loss of power
- the temperature gauge climbing, or steam from under the cab
- a smell of burning, or smoke from a wheel
- a vibration or noise that wasn't there at the start of the shift
Where we cover
We work across the East Midlands and South Yorkshire from our base at Melbourne, just south of Derby, close to the M1, A50, A38 and A42. That puts Derby, Burton upon Trent, Castle Donington and the logistics parks around junctions 23a and 24 of the M1, Loughborough, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Swadlincote, Long Eaton, Nottingham and Leicester on our doorstep, with Mansfield, Chesterfield and Sheffield further up the M1. For recovery we travel further. Ring with the location and we will tell you straight away what we can do, rather than leaving you waiting on a maybe.
