bythomson

hi looking from some advice
i'm considering starting a vehicle recovery and accident recovery service in my local area. i also would like to do race day hire i.e transport to track and back
what insurance do i need and what companies can provide this.
i plan on gettin a transit crew cab with beaver tail and 5ton winch think that should suffice most cars and smaller 4x4s except monsters like lwb shoguns and stuff like that
any tips greatly appreciated
thanks
blair

YOREVOL

look through old posts this has been discussed at great length before.
you need goods in transit insurance,tacho and probably something bigger than a transit due to weight.

24vcossiemat

you can have goods in transit insurance, but the company i used to work for had a disclaimer form that said whilst the vehicle is in the recovery process we accept no responsibility for any damage or loss and they would sign it.. my mate runs a small recovery service as a one man band, he just rang any commercial insurance company and told them what he did and they advised him what he would need and tailored a policy for him. its basicallly commercial vehicle insurance, public liability insurance ( which you do need, if your winch fails and they car goes flying off down the road an hits someone, and trust me i used to do recovery and it does happen) and goods in transit insurance.. if your gonna do this then have a vehicle check form made up, so you go round the casualty vehicle and check for any scratches or dents first and the customer signs it, trust me, customers can be fuckers, if they think they can get there car painted at your expense then they will blame you.. don't do it without it.. if you need any other advise mate message me. i have been involved in recovery for years. dont do it now but can advise you.
PS, always put the casualty vehicles handbrake half on, then if the winch dissengages itself the car will roll off but stop quite quickly reducing any damage likely to happen. Have plenty of small wooden planks with you then if a vehicle is low you can use them to load it. always wear a high viz jacket as it will save your life. motorists would sooner run you over than hit another car if they fuck up. and remember if your recovering at night, that your rear loading lights can dazzle motorists approaching you so they cannot see you stood in the road, even with a high viz jacket.
and watch your payload, vosa are at this precise minute clamping down on recovery vehicles for being over weight. but apart from all this I love recovery work, it is varied and no 2 jobs are ever the same if you get a police contract. go for it mate. good luck mat

Lambchop

iTrader: (1)

doesnt look like you could get better advice than from mat above

bythomson

hi mat thanks a lot that is very concise and straightforward advice.
yeah think will be safety conscious with the hi vis stuff like dont fancy gettin mushed by some crazy driver. will do some research into insurance and other costs. i like the idea of the disclaimer aswell as the check list before taking the car onboard so to speak

thanks again
blair

bigal1978

a good transit cant carry much more than 1200kg a mondeo is heavyer than that

24vcossiemat

i agree that transits don't carry much. if you get a 7.5 tonner you can carry more weight but you must stay within a 100km (62m) radious of where the truck is kept then you can run it without getting into tacho rules, as soon as your out of that radius then you have to have one in. you can buy very lightweight aluminium beds now which are a tad expensive but worth it, like this
http://www.boniface-eng.com/Boniface...es/New/FS2.htm
these are bigger than you may think aswell, you can get a normal saloon car on it. but it won't be able to pull cars out of ditches.

but if you bought a half decent 7.5 tonner then you would be sorted, and it should do between 15 to 18mpg if you treat it right.

bythomson

hi thanks for input, dont have a 7.5 tonne licence thats why im gonna have to stay in a lower bracket for the mean time but i should still manage to make a living doing lighter stuff till i get a heavy licence then get a heavy truck then expand ... well thats the plan

utternutter

go for a spec lift i have a transit spec ive been using for few years, anything heavy rear lift, there quick and easy to use plenty of locker space will be needed for recovery / rescue work.

lee
WWW.NEEDATOW.CO.UK

24vcossiemat

thats true, and ya don't need an mot on a spec lift

utternutter

yes you do far better to have one, just an excuse and too much legislation behind it

24vcossiemat

you don't if you are solely doing recovery work.. but you do if you doing vehicle transportation I.E dealer transfer's things like that.. a spec lift cannot be used for carrying anything else only cars or bikes therefore if just for roadside recovery it is mot exempt, because it is then classed as an emergency service vehicle and you get road tax at a lower rate. my 7.5tonne renault midlum crew cab recovery truck was 165 quid a year.

bythomson

yeah i originally intended on the spec lift but i dont have a trailer licence or 7.5 tonne licence so think that the car being towed becomes atrailer and spec lift vans are quite heavy... is this right or not

utternutter

na mines not heavy, mines got a ally back so its not too bad to be honest, also remember techicly they can carr more weight as there only lifting a certain percentage but yuou have to be carefull on rear axle weight.

theres so many things you can get caught out for if running exempt its just not worth the hassle, also you cant transport your own cars or do trade work etc,. atleast mine i can nip to shops if i want to etc.

ive been stopped by vosa recently and trust me they go all over the trucks so id rather have pice mind to be honest.

you just have to make sure you use blocks to unload incase of bumper damage, allways use handbreak and put it in gear when dropping so it doesnt run off.
i love my old truck id rather have it than a new shape any day

rubinsbin

you dont have a 7.5 licence??why -how old are you??

24vcossiemat

ideal that truck, i'd have a spec lift if i was doing it myself now, less hassle than a slide an tilt or beavertail but obviously badly smashed cars you struggle with unless they have 2 rolling wheels left, and you can get motorbikes on a spec if you know what you doing.

bythomson

forgot to mention im only 22 so dont have a trailer licence could i still use a spec lift
yeah id prefer the spec lift to be honest it seems like a better idea dunno why just seems more proffesional

utternutter

transits are ace just check for rot, uprsted rear springs are good mine arent to be honest there a little weak ish but still does the job did intend to do it but never bothered in end. i paid £2800 for mine 18 months ago, before that i had one that looked the same but older j reg.

hers a working pic as you can see springs are weak but nther the less she still works, normally id rear lift that but i was having a lazy day lol

those beemers are heavy fuckers








and a funny one i got clamped so i loaded it on and got the angle grinder out pmsl

kris-rs

and a funny one i got clamped so i loaded it on and got the angle grinder out pmsl

[/quote]

quality

24vcossiemat

if you don't have a trailer licence then you can't have a spec lift

bythomson

yeah had a feelin that the dvla would class spec lift as a trailer oh well transit beavertail it is and then use company money to pay for trailer licence then 7.5 t licence then move on to bigger stuff i know that i'll only be able to lift 1500kg but hey that will have to do for now thanks everyone for input

Dal69

Hi, I just joined this forum because i was reading this discussion, Im nearly 41 and am myself looking into doing recovery, breakdown, dealership transfers etc so im guessin i will need an MOT on a vehicle, whats the ins n outs on the insuances that I would need? I do know from reading the discussion which ones I will need! If I was to get a transit with a 16 ft back would that totally limit what I could pick up, should I look into getting a spec lift? A 7.5 tonner what is the issues with them when it comes to overnight parking and using the tacho? Any help on these matters would well be appreciated.
Regards
Dal

Dal69

Sorry but I know the insurance I nedd through reading this discussion its the ins n outs and Is it going to cost a small fortune to get all insured up??
Regards
Dal