WHETHER IT'S ON THE MOTORWAY OR DOWN A REMOTE COUNTRY LANE, HIGHWAY RECOVERY HAS IT ALL COVERED THROUGHOUT YORKSHIRE. AND IT'S A COMPANY THAT'S UNDENIABLY IN ITS PRIME.
If you have seen Highway Recovery’s latest fleet addition on the roads of Yorkshire recently, you will probably have remembered it – the 150-tonne gross train weight DAF XF 8×4 wrecker with Boniface Trident recovery equipment is undeniably impressive, particularly in the company’s striking red livery with yellow detailing.
Unsurprisingly, this truck is used for its heaviest rescues, such as those of commercial vehicles and cranes, says Mark Carnevale, group operations director. “This has all the bells and whistles on it inside and out,” he says. “It’s an impressive vehicle.”
The DAF is one of five trucks joining the fleet in recent months – and five more are scheduled to arrive before the end of the year – the other current additions being two 7-tonne Iveco Dailys and two 12-tonne MAN TGLs. These have brought the total number of vehicles on the Highway Recovery fleet to 50, ranging from service vans upwards.
As the recent vehicle purchases show, Mark is not wedded to a single marque. “We favour Iveco for the smaller vehicles,” he says. “We can spec them with crew cabs so we can have passengers in the back. We’ve tried various other brands, but we’ve always come back to Iveco.
“We favour MAN for the 12-tonne and 15-tonne chassis,” he continues. “They are reliable trucks and we work closely with our local MAN dealer which really looks after us, providing great sales and aftersales service. And for the heavier stuff, we tend to go for DAF – we’ve had DAFs on the fleet for 40-odd years. We do have five Scanias as well, but DAF is the marque we have most of. Some of our drivers prefer Scania to DAF, but others prefer the DAFs.”
BOTH INTERNAL COMBUSTION AND ELECTRIC POWER ARE MOVING FORWARD FAST AT VOLVO, AS A RECENT EVENT IN GOTHENBURG DEMONSTRATED.
Volvo Trucks recently launched two all-new 13-litre engines, one diesel and the other gas-powered, and has promised to introduce a hydrogen-powered version of this design before 2030. At a launch event in Gothenburg, it also showcased its latest battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), offering greatly extended ranges and higher gross vehicle weights than previous BEVs. The truck maker also said that hydrogen fuel cell versions were undergoing testing and would be launched in 2030.
The new D13 engine replaces the current 13-litre Volvo unit fitted to the FH, FM and FMX models and the 11-litre engine in the FM and FMX ranges. While Volvo is investing heavily in battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell drivelines, the introduction of the new diesel and gas-powered range shows that it believes internal combustion engines will remain at large for decades to come.
The outgoing D13, in single turbocharger and turbo-compound form, has earned a reputation for good fuel consumption, particularly when combined with the wind-cheating FH Aero cab range. The aerodynamic cab design, launched in early 2024, has proven a success in most markets with over 68,000 sold in just over two years.
Volvo claims the new 13-litre lump will give a 4% improvement in fuel consumption, on top of the 5% improvement the Aero cab produces over the existing FH cab, making it its most fuel-efficient engine ever. It is also ready to meet or exceed the forthcoming EU noise level requirements and Euro-7 emission limits.
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ASK RECOVERY BEGAN WITH JUST TWO VEHICLES IN THE CORNER OF A TRUCK DEALER’S YARD. TODAY, IT OPERATES A DIVERSE FLEET FROM FOUR DEPOTS ACROSS SOUTH AND EAST WALES.
Before striking out on his own, Andrew Archbold (better known as Archie), spent over 30 years learning the recovery and roadside assistance business, playing a pivotal role in a major recovery operation for an employer in the Cardiff area. But when it was time for the owners of that company to sell up, Archie was not even considered as a potential buyer.
And that gave Archie exactly the incentive he needed.
ASK Recovery, established in 2011, was initially based in the corner of the local truck dealer’s yard, with just one Land Rover and a used Volvo FM heavy wrecker to its name. It was full on from the start, with Archie driving the heavy himself and completing 700 jobs in the first year, helped by his son Kieran – many of his customers being people he had dealt with in his old job. Fifteen years on, he now operates a diverse fleet from four depots in Bridgend, Barry, Caerphilly and Cardiff, with his two sons, Kieran and Scott, working alongside him.
“I completed an apprenticeship as a vehicle mechanic when I left school, and like most garages back then, the business was also involved in vehicle recovery,” Archie tells us. “I found I really enjoyed that side of the work, especially the day-to-day challenges it brought — and I suppose the rest is history.”
That business expanded and became Dragon Rescue; it was part of a group of companies with a range of interests including an Iveco truck and van franchise. And the recovery operation expanded with it.
ON SCENE ARGUES THAT DESPITE THE LAUDABLE EFFORTS OF EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS LIKE BONIFACE, THE UK's CONSTRUCTION AND USE REGULATIONS MUST BE CHANGED TO ALLOW RECOVERY VEHICLES BETTER SUITED TO THE JOB.
The design and layout of modern heavy recovery vehicles have evolved over the last 40 to 50 years to meet demand for equipment that can cope with intensive operation over a long service life.
UK firm Boniface Engineering has been a leader in this market for virtually all of this period, designing and building state-of-the-art equipment, in recent years in conjunction with its US parent Miller Industries. Its designs are well proven and have undergone regular updates to increase their capacity and functionality, and many of the changes stem directly from consultation with end users.
The recovery business has become far more intensive in recent years. Higher traffic volumes have meant breakdowns and accidents can quickly cause serious congestion, making it more important than ever to clear the roads as quickly as possible. So heavy recovery vehicles are often worked intensively in multi-shift operations, and can be operated by several different staff each week.
Recruiting and retaining staff with the skills and experience required to deal with the unexpected at short notice has become a serious issue for many operators, which is often reflected in higher levels of pay and other fringe benefits. And purchasing high specification vehicles with the right equipment on them is equally important; you need to operate top quality equipment to attract the right people. Such purchases obviously come at a relatively high cost, however, requiring high levels of utilisation to justify.
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OASIS RESCUE HAS BEEN BASED ON FIRM FOUNDATIONS, BEING SET UP BY AN EXPERIENCED COUPLE WITH A REAL COMMITMENT TO QUALITY RECOVERY SERVICES AND A STRONG WORK ETHIC. AND NOW IT'S ADDED
A FOURTH DEPOT TO ITS OPERATION.
To say it’s been a busy time in these past few months for Rayan Owais and Anya Ijaz (inset), the husband-and-wife team behind Oasis Rescue, is an understatement.
In addition to the day-to-day issues of running a successful recovery business, the pair have been finalising the addition of a fourth depot to the operation in Droitwich, as well as welcoming a new arrival in the family.
“I always believe things happen for a reason and the deal just came to me,” Rayan says. “Some customers were saying they wanted help in the Droitwich area, and asking if we could provide it, so we took the opportunity when it was offered. It’s added more stress for us, but I feel that if the opportunity and work are there, why not?”
The opportunity that presented itself was to take over an existing depot from a company that had gone out of business. Initially, Rayan was hesitant, but he eventually decided to take the plunge. “I got an email the day my daughter Ayla was born whilst I was sitting in the hospital, with an offer. And I replied back to it,” he says. “Later I mentioned it to Anya and she said, ‘why not?’
“A child is a blessing; they bring good things into your life. So, it seemed right I should just go for it. Plus, having a girl now after two boys, we need to make some money to be able to live a lifestyle!” he laughs.
The Droitwich site works nicely with Oasis Rescue’s three existing depots in Birmingham, Coventry and Northampton, opening up more territory in the Black Country and Worcestershire. This adds to territory stretching along the M6 from Birmingham to Coventry and down the M1 to Northampton, and encompassing parts of Leicestershire, such as Hinckley.
THE PAST 13 YEARS HAVE SEEN MANCHESTER BREAKDOWN SERVICES GROWING EXPONENTIALLY, RISING FROM JUST THREE RECOVERY VEHICLES TO 50. ON SCENE FINDS OUT HOW IT HAS PULLED THIS IMPRESSIVE FEAT OFF.
Some people in business spend their whole career looking for the secret to success while for others, the answer is right in front of them.
Having established Manchester Breakdown Services (MBS) more than 30 years ago, MD Gerard (Ged) Queenan had – in the back of his mind – grand plans of building up the firm to be a big name in vehicle recovery. But with just three recovery trucks on the fleet, it was still missing something – or someone – to take things to the next level.
Step forward Scott Evans (inset), a qualified truck mechanic with a CV that already included time at Volvo Trucks, Scania, British Airways and many others before he set up his own vehicle repair business. “I got into recovery almost by mistake about 18 years ago when I bought myself a recovery truck,” admits Scott, who is now general manager at MBS. “In my own business, I was sick of having vehicles recovered back to me and getting charged extortionate fees for the privilege.”
A meeting of the two minds proved beneficial to both. “I was already doing some work for Ged with the breakdown work he was getting, but I didn’t really have the funds to push the recovery side by myself – much as I enjoyed it,” recalls Scott. “He saw an opportunity for us to help each other out and before too long, we decided to close my business and he bought my recovery truck – and the rest is history.”
Their working relationship began 13 years ago, when the business was very different and considerably smaller than today. “The recovery element was a sideline to Ged’s main business at the time – Orion Travel, a coach and minibus hire company that is still running today,” confirms Scott.
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