ROGER DYSON - SALE OF THE YEAR
Roger Dyson has instructed Malcolm Harrison Auctioneers to conduct an auction of recovery equipment including Including wheel lifts, transporters, slidebacks and heavy underlifts plus more than 250 lots of :- Ancillary equipment to include hydraulic components, lifting chains, tow bars, snatch blocks, winches, damage free lifting frames, also new and used vehicle parts to include cab panels, bumpers, wheels and tyres and various chassis parts. See The STOP PRESS section of the ROGER DYSON web site for further details.

CMG and Spire merge.
Two well-known Buckinghamshire recovery companies have merged. CMG Rescue Services of Milton Keynes has this month joined forces with another local firm, Spire Vehicle Recovery.

The merger is designed to help both companies meet the growing demands facing recovery operators, as well as servicing the requirements of an ever-growing number of customers for both firms. The nationwide operations will be administered from one central control facility, and will draw on the companies' resources in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire.

For the immediate future the combined fleet of some 50 vehicles will be operated under the CMG and Spire names.

Terry Jones, managing director of Spire Vehicle Recovery for many years, is taking the opportunity to reduce his commitment to the business but will continue to support the new organisation as a consultant. Jason Brice, who was Spire's general manager, becomes contracts and after-sales manager for the combined operation.

Terry Crampton, business development manager of CMG Rescue Services, says: "This is an exciting step forward in our endeavour to meet the ever-increasing demands made upon the recovery industry and to provide a means whereby the high standard of service which our customers are rightly entitled to expect is delivered."

Green Flag leads in speed and performance.
If you work at the roadside, take heart from the latest research carried out for Green Flag. It shows that for stranded motorists the performance of the technician who comes out to attend their vehicle is the most important consideration - even more important than a speedy response time.

That shouldn't really be surprising. While prompt responses are clearly important, they are of little use if the man who gets to a stranded car in 10 minutes then just stands and scratches his head because he doesn't know what's wrong.

And Green Flag says that the survey of breakdown assistance companies reveals that it leads the way in key areas, including speed of arrival and performance of the mechanic.

The research was carried out by MORI Telephone Surveys who spoke to 1,001 breakdown customers, divided equally between those using the services of Green Flag, AA and RAC. All had experienced a breakdown in the previous 12 months.

It showed that Green Flag's customers were more satisfied than those of other breakdown providers with the service they received and how quickly help arrived. It also revealed that they would be more likely to renew their membership of Green Flag and recommend the company to family and friends.

Performance of the mechanic was the most important consideration for Green Flag customers with 68 per cent rating their mechanic's performance as excellent.

Attending the scene of the incident in the shortest time was the second most important consideration for Green Flag customers. Research revealed that a higher percentage of Green Flag customers (93 per cent) were attended to within the hour than those of the other two organisations included in the survey. For overall satisfaction Green Flag took the highest score with 68 per cent describing the service as excellent, placing the company above its main competitors.

Green Flag spokesman Nigel Charlesworth says: "The results of the survey are very encouraging and highlight the areas we excel. Our independent network gives us national coverage and employs local knowledge, backed up by skilled advisors to pin-point customers in need and get to them as quickly as possible with the right equipment for the job."

The research also revealed that more than two-thirds of Green Flag customers would recommend the company to a friend.

Last October Green Flag launched a campaign to promote the introduction of branded recovery vehicles to its network, and last year it celebrated 30 years in the vehicle rescue business. The company has also launched plans to offer customers using mobile phones a SMS text messaging facility when their cars break down.

IVR sets AGM date.
This year the Institute of Vehicle Recovery's AGM and dinner dance are once again being held at the Warwick Hilton. The date is Saturday 16 March.

The AGM will start at 1300hrs and will be followed by an open discussion during which fellowships will be awarded to long-standing members. Certificates for various achievements will also be presented. After coffee an informative speaker is promised.

In true recovery industry style, the evening dinner is a chance to see old faces again - as well as the new ones who have joined. There will be a five-course meal plus a round of drinks for £36, and the entertainment consists of a comedian, a live group and a DJ. The dinner dance, incidentally, is open to recovery operators who are not IVR members.

The IVR is 21 years old in 2004 and a special 21st birthday party dinner is planned for that year. To reward those members who support the AGM and dinner the IVR will be offering tickets for its 2004 dinner for just £21 to anyone who attends two out of the next three dinners.

For more information the man to contact is Roy Jones - fax him on 01564 829627.

Help wanted for Life on the Edge 6.
Work on the video Life on the Edge 6 is now in progress. Steve Kirton (IVR) and Brian Hagan (Green Flag) who were on the Roadside Safety Group which was involved in the five previous videos, have now joined Survive (the Hard Shoulder and Roadside Safety Group) and a sub-committee has been set up, chaired by Steve.

This new video will be looking at the roadside as the technician's place of work and will be covering items such as:

1) The technician - what personal safety equipment is available
2) Service vehicle - the safety aids of that vehicle
3) External equipment - what is available

Steve would like information from any company or roadside technician who has been injured at the roadside whilst using cones or any other safety aids. He would also like to hear from anybody who believes that an accident was avoided because they were using cones or other safety aids.

If any Professional Recovery readers have information or photographs of accidents involving rescue or recovery vehicles whilst working at the roadside, Steve Kirton would be pleased if you could send them to him at the Institute of Vehicle Recovery at Bignell House, Horton Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 8EP or e-mail them to mail@theIVR.com. He says he will return any photographs sent to him as quickly as possible.

Brand new Yearbook on the way.
Brand new Yearbook on the way An all-new edition of Professional Recovery's who's who in the industry, The Recovery Yearbook, is about to be published.

When we launched The Recovery Yearbook last spring, it had an enthusiastic reception from everyone connected with the industry. For the 2002 edition we've updated our information - but retained the same easy-to-use format.

And the good news is that if you are a current subscriber to Professional Recovery you will automatically receive a copy absolutely free as soon as it comes off the press. Extra copies of this invaluable reference work for members of your staff, and copies for people who are not subscribers, are available from the Professional Recovery offices for £45.

Even though we say so ourselves, The Recovery Yearbook is the best and most comprehensive listing of UK operators and manufacturers there has ever been.

Make sure you get a copy!

Making a reel difference.
Ease of use and speed of recovery are two of the benefits which Michael Summerville of Marcham Service Station, near Abingdon in Oxfordshire, has found using his new Roger Dyson slidebed fitted with Bushey Hall's Reel-Smart winch system.

Michael took delivery of his truck last August, and by the end of the year it had carried out 239 recoveries and covered almost 50,000 kilometres in doing so.

"I knew as soon as I saw this product that the principle was absolutely right for our work," he says. "My operators find the system easy to use, and in many instances have also found it reduces the time taken over a recovery procedure."

Michael tells how his and another firm were called to an incident to recover two vehicles. He reckons his truck was loaded and driving away before the other recovery vehicle, which had a standard winch system, had completed loading.

One of his concerns has been the possibility of damaging a customer's vehicle while it is being winched - for example, to glass fibre bumpers. "Tow eyes are so fragile," he says. "All the handbooks state recovery must be in a straight line and the Reel-Smart system achieves this 100 per cent of the time."

As well as improving the efficiency of Marcham Service Station, Michael anticipates that products such as Reel-Smart can help increase the residual values of his company's vehicles.

Weak excuses from speeding drivers.
Many of the incidents which recovery operators are called out to are caused by drivers going too fast for the prevailing road conditions. A report published this month by road safety organisation Brake and Direct Line Insurance has revealed the excuses drivers give when they are caught speeding by the police.

Nearly one-quarter of drivers stopped in routine checks said they were "running late", 41 per cent claimed they "didn't realise" they were breaking the limit, while 13 per cent said they didn't even know what the limit was.

The key findings of the report, entitled Slow Down: excuses drivers give for speeding and how to slow them down, include

* The majority of drivers regularly break speed limits, justifying speeding to themselves and others with a range of weak excuses;

* The most common excuses drivers give for speeding are that they do not realise that they are speeding, they are running late, or they do not know what the speed limit is;

* Speeding drivers are most likely to say they do not know what the speed limit is in 40mph zones;

* Three-quarters of drivers caught speeding are men and one-quarter are women. Male drivers are more likely than female drivers to admit that they knew they were speeding.

Among the report's recommendations are tougher penalties for speeding, and an examination of ways of promoting speed limiters to drivers and manufacturers.

Mary Williams, chief executive of Brake, says: "If we all stuck to speed limits on roads in perfect conditions and slowed down when conditions are less than perfect, we would have a real chance to make a difference to the daily carnage on our roads. It is the government's challenge to invest enough money in education and enforcement campaigns to persuade everyone of the importance of this message."

Mondial wins Jaguar Assistance
Mondial Assistance has won the contract to operate Jaguar Assistance in the UK. Roadside cover for Jaguar cars was previously provided by RAC.

Mondial is providing technicians who use a fleet of dedicated Land Rover TD5 customer care vehicles equipped with Jaguar parts and diagnostic equipment.

Jaguar Assistance covers all new vehicles as well as existing Jaguars still covered by the Jaguar Total Care scheme.

Euro 3 London exemption plea
SMMT chief executive Christopher Macgowan has written to London Mayor Ken Livingstone asking that all trucks over 3.5 tonnes be exempted from the capital's proposed congestion-charging scheme - provided they meet Euro 3 emissions limits.

He said: "The industry welcomes efforts made to broaden the range of clean vehicle technologies that qualify for discounts. We think that process should go a little further, to base these incentives on European emission standards."

This, claims SMMT, would push London's air quality strategy several years ahead of any potential low emission zone and keep it ahead. The benefits would come more quickly and more widely than by giving incentives to promote any particular fuel or technology, SMMT argues.

The road charging plans already include proposals to exclude purpose-built recovery trucks from daily charges.

Daihatsu extends Mondial support.
Daihatsu has extended its roadside assistance cover on new cars from one year to three. The support is provided by Mondial Assistance.

New factory for Brian James Trailers
Brian James Trailers officially opened its new purpose-built factory in Daventry last month. The company specialises in car transporter trailers and is located at Sopwith Way, Drayton Fields Business Park, Daventry NN11 5PB, telephone 01327 308833. www.brianjames.co.uk

Two tonnes on a Transit
A recovery transporter introduced to the UK by Ryders International of Liverpool can carry up to 2 tonnes on a Transit 430 chassis-cab. With a bed length of 5.3m the transporter can carry another Transit or a large luxury car.

The Transit 430, a standard European model, has a 4.3-tonne GVW, compared with the UK standard of 3.5 tonnes. By sourcing the vehicle in Europe the chassis-cab does not incur the price premium associated with a special order vehicle in the UK.

Ryders International says that prices start at under £20,000 for the complete vehicle. 0151 922 7585
www.ryders.co.uk

Engine remanufacturing exhibition
An unusual aspect of the aftermarket business is the Engine Remanufacturing Exhibition, which is being held at the Donington Exhibition Centre, Castle Donington, Derbyshire, from Friday 15 to Sunday 17 March.

Exhibits include not just remanufactured engines, but gearboxes, turbos, rotating electrics and electronic components.

Admission is free - and so is car parking. For information contact the organisers, RGO Exhibitions, on 01424 883110.
www.rgo-reman.fsnet.co.uk

Hi-viz waistcoat from GEMS
The Niteguard slip-over waistcoat from GEMS Recovery Equipment of Newport, Gwent, offers added safety for roadside workers.

It is Saturn yellow with white reflective stripes which incorporates ten high-intensity red flashing strobe lights powered by a small battery pack. A switch on the outside of the waistcoat has been designed so that the lights can easily be activated, even if the user is wearing heavy gloves. The waistcoat is fastened with adjustable Velcro tabs.

GEMS says that the flashing strobe lights are visible up to half a mile away at night, and also help ensure the wearer is visible in mist and fog.

The Niteguard waistcoat is available from GEMS Recovery Equipment, PO Box 578, Newport NP20 4YY for £59.95 plus VAT and carriage. Orders for 10 or more are delivered free.
01633 222533

Boniface offers Sepson winches
Boniface now offers its customers the option of world-class winches from Sepson of Sweden. Sepson is one of the leading manufacturers of hydraulic vehicle-mounted winches in Europe.

Starting at the beginning of the last century in the Swedish forest industry, the use of Sepson winches has spread out around the world where they have proven their reliability under testing conditions, from tropical heat to arctic cold.

Sepson says that for many years its winches have been popular with big commercial vehicle builders and with defence forces around the world.

Greenmeadow Recovery of Swindon has taken delivery of three Boniface 4.5-tonne capacity steel flatbeds, all fitted with Sepson's new H38P hydraulic planetary gear winch. Boniface was able to tailor these vehicles to Greenmeadow's requirements and equipped them with a new style flyer that incorporates hook-backs for the winch on both sides.

The Sepson H38P winches - fitted under the flyer - have full load control and automatic braking. They deliver 3.8 tonnes single-line pulling force at up to 17 metres (55 feet) per minute but only need 50 litres (11 gallons) per minute oil flow. The drums can carry up to 30 metres of rope. The gears are permanently greased, needing no maintenance.

Sepson makes recovery winches with single line pulling force from 3.8 tonnes up to 35 tonnes. The most popular sizes are 3.8 tonnes, 5 tonnes, 10 tonnes, and 15-20 tonnes single line pull. A Sepson winch also comes with a few features not found on other winches, such as twin load control valves and optional auto 2-speed - and all winch drums are mounted in ball bearings to ensure smooth running, easy rope pullout and long winch life.

Paul Titcombe of Greenmeadow Recovery says the Sepson winches are powerful and easy to use, and that the special features of the new Boniface flatbeds enable the winches' capabilities to be fully utilised. The Sepson name comes from its founder, a Mr S E Petterson. The company has ISO9001 accreditation.
www.sepson.se

Drug dealer jailed
A Barnsley-based vehicle breaker, who advertised a heavy-vehicle recovery service to the bus industry, has been jailed for 12 years for supplying Class A drugs. Geoff Ripley (49) was involved with two other men in smuggling heroin from Holland to Britain.

Almost 60kg of heroin, worth around £4million, had been brought into the country on a coach in March last year. Ripley and his accomplices were sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court last month.

Queens goes for NavComm
Recovery operator Queens Motors, of Penge, near Croydon, last year became the UK's first transport operator to invest in Siemens VDO NavComm. It is now reporting significant benefits and efficiency gains from the system. In addition to improved fleet management, control and communication with its drivers, the company has improved its response times to call-outs by approximately 25 per cent. Today around half of the company's 60-strong fleet is fitted with NavComm units and new vehicles are being equipped as they are commissioned.

"An on-board navigation system is a real boon to us as, by its very nature, our business is purely reactive," says Queens Motors managing director, Terry Palfrey. "We operate mainly south of the Thames, predominately in the south-east quarter of London, and can literally be called out to anywhere. While our drivers do have a very good local knowledge, they obviously cannot know every street and location. This is where NavComm pays great dividends in terms of finding the job and improving our response times. Moreover, many of those we recover will have 'get-you-home' breakdown cover - which means we can be asked to transport them anywhere. Therefore, our work can - and does - take us all over the country.

"Another key time-saving advantage is that should our drivers come up against a traffic jam or other obstacle along the way, the system is able to recalculate an alternative route within seconds. While you can't legislate for traffic hold-ups, the system does allow you to compensate for it on many occasions." Queens Motors employs 80 staff and carries out between 60,000 and 70,000 vehicle movements every year.

Dangerous driving - new rules suggested
Dangerous driving is a subject close to the recovery industry's heart, if only because it ends up helping to clear up the aftermath. A report published this month by the Transport Research Laboratory proposes that the government should consider creating an intermediate offence to deal with driving behaviour which does not amount to dangerous driving but is significantly more serious than careless driving, with more severe penalties, including imprisonment.

Roads busier - but not by much
Traffic levels in Britain rose by one per cent in 2001 when compared with 2000, according to government figures published this month. Both years were affected by special factors - the fuel protests in September 2000 and foot and mouth disease in 2001. But overall, the underlying increase is also estimated to be about one per cent, although in the last quarter of 2001 the rise in car traffic was higher at three per cent. Within these total figures, there was slight drop in goods vehicle traffic - down one per cent in the year - and a higher rise, three per cent, in all motorway traffic. The estimates are based mainly on data from 132 automatic traffic counters in the road.

Mercedes marks 20 years of US assistance
Mercedes-Benz USA, the company that led the industry when it launched a comprehensive on-the-road emergency assistance programme in 1982, has marked the twentieth anniversary of its Roadside Assistance Programme.

Mercedes-Benz USA says that it pioneered the concept of after-hours emergency service in North America, providing on-the-phone and on-the-spot assistance to customers using factory-trained personnel. It claims that a major factor in the success of the programme is the use of Mercedes technicians, as opposed to outsourcing these services to car clubs.

Nearly half of the 350,000 calls received each year are diagnosed and resolved over the phone because of the Roadside Assistance Representatives' expertise with Mercedes products. In those instances where a technician is dispatched the majority of the repairs are usually completed in less than an hour.