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During the workshop Costing and Pricing Vehicle Recovery Services, organised by the Polish Roadside Assistance Association (SPPD) at HOL-EXPO at Expo Kielce, participants viewed examples of some of the most challenging recovery operations.

The photographs show operations involving heavy-duty recovery trucks, cranes, winches and teams of several operators working simultaneously. In some cases, one vehicle recovers the tractor unit while a crane stabilises the trailer. In others, an overturned lorry and trailer combination is lifted in stages using large, low-pressure lifting bags to minimise the risk of further damage. There are also situations where the road must be cleared, spilled cargo collected or goods transferred from a damaged trailer before the recovery itself can begin.

These examples show why, in heavy-duty vehicle recovery, the number of kilometres travelled says little about the scale of the work involved. The operation depends on the conditions at the scene, the vehicle’s weight and position, the equipment required, the number of operators involved and the time needed to complete the job.

Documenting More Than Just the Outcome

The SPPD workshops also repeatedly highlighted the importance of documenting the work carried out. Photographs of the scene and successive stages of the operation, along with details of the equipment used, the number of people involved, the time spent on the job and the routes taken by the vehicles, can later help explain how the costs were calculated.

Roadside assistance and recovery business owners should therefore document their operations not merely for their own records. Such evidence can be particularly important if an invoice is subsequently reviewed or some of the costs are challenged.

Photographs presented at HOL-EXPO as part of the training workshop Costing and Pricing Vehicle Recovery Services, delivered by the Polish Roadside Assistance Association (SPPD).

Source: Archives of an SPPD member, Transdźwig Zawadzcy, based in Augustów.

(BB)