mushspeed

This is an excellent interactive show guide.....  of how the 2020 UK tow show should have been ....

 

  showing the very latest towing and recovery products and equipment available in the UK 

 

A fine range of services  to include finance, work providers,  IT systems ,  training  and trade associations...

 

Please take the time to browse through the 60 pages    it is well worth the read .

 

Stay safe...John. 

What an excellent grounding  Jamie has...he has come through the hard way .....

 

I had the absolute honour to spend some time prior to  and  sit beside him  at the International  Towing Museum  Hall of Fame  class of 2019 induction ceremony  in Chattanooga....it was an amazing experience...

 

I dont know who was more nervous about the proceedings  him or I....

 

A very genuine and down to earth guy and a wonderful family ...

 

Keep safe and Good luck in the future Dude ....

 

John     333.

 

That looks like a very early Interstator   it has a Knuckleboom crane mounted on a Magurius Deitz 6x4 chassis with a Wreckers International body  ...

 

The underlift is not long  enough to get under the front axles of coaches   pics 5 and 6 shows an adaptor plate that slots into the crossmember on the Setra coaches quite popular in Europe at that time.

 

I cant be sure, but I suspect that was built in the UK  By Wreckers International.... headed up by the legendary  Bill Jackson... at that time...

 

John. 

Taken at the Atlantic City Tow Show   1 year ago....Rest in peace Dominick....a legendary  towman ....our thoughts and prayers go out to the whole Battelini family for their sad loss 

From your fellow towers across the pond ...

 

John.

Yes I'm here .....Everyone have a Happy Christmas and a Safe, Healthy and profitable new year....    From The UK 

Ed ....what a remarkable transformation you guys have made on the dump truck ...

 

That is going to be a very versatile and important piece of equipment in your armoury ...different uses it can be put to is endless ...

 

From a low outlay and a lot of spare hours and hard work  .... you have produced an excellent vehicle  which is going to make you a whole lot of money...

 

Happy thanksgiving .... y'all stay safe and well..

 

John. 

Rowes ....it is great to see some of jobs you guys are doing on the opposite  side of the world ...

 

Thanks for posting and keep them coming...

 

Keep safe and well ..

 

John.

That's what happens when you arrange a cheap £20 online tow....   Buy cheap ...pay fortunes !! 

 

Home made crane in the back of a pickup truck and only fit for the crusher ....these are the minority of guys giving the Towing industry a bad name...

 

This just strengthens our case for Fully licenced and certificated  Towing companies and properly regulated and certificated Towtrucks in the UK ...

 

John.

Randall ...thank you for your kind comments...much appreciated  !!

 

Further to our discussion about additional costs and your very valid and emotive point about the helplessness of the deceased family .......

 

Trust me ...I really get it   !!       

 

I have attended countless industry  meetings with work providers and govt transport  officials .....and the majority in the room are completely supportive with all the safety and best practice initiatives discussed and a lot of progress has  been made  and is continuing...albeit slowly ...

Time after time..... the same old objections are made by a few individuals   using the argument      " how can we afford all these extra  costs when  we dont get paid enough for the job in the first place  "     " we dont need all this extra stuff   "      THAT makes my blood boil !!! 

At one meeting   I lost it..... and retorted ...." how bloody blinkered can you guys be ????  If our proposals save one serious injury or life  then it HAS to be worthwhile...!!

Perhaps standing up in a coroners court ....or being prosecuted by the health and safety executive...may focus your minds......  I know ...I have been there !!!  "

 

Rear facing reflectivity on tow trucks is something that can be improved  considerably.....

For the cost of a tank of diesel....good quality red or yellow adhesive reflective tape can be applied to most rear facing panels including transom panels,  cab backs, drop down marker boards  etc 

I know that the rear of towtrucks are often bristling with equipment  and on many occasions difficult  to apply ....but it can be done ...

a little bit of coverage is better than none ... on Van's it is possible to achieve  up to 90% coverage ....

 

It is legislation in Europe that all trucks and trailers  have to be fitted with  red reflective marking depicting the Whole rearward outline of the vehicle ....

A bit difficult on a mixer truck..... but they must have rear reflective marker boards fitted both sides and across the under run bar ...

Highways maintenance vehicles  are required  to have yellow and red reflective  chevrons across the rear panels ...

 

It's all about increasing awareness and noticability ...

 

 

 

 

12 hours ago, mushspeed said:

Randall.....this subject is very close to my heart .....having lost a former operative  and had three others including my son injured whilst working at the roadside ...

 

There are some very good and comprehensive training  programmes that are available from the Institute  of Vehicle Recovery  offering up to 30 different programmes  from basic road safety through to advanced Rotator and incident management courses....

There is good coverage within those courses to advise the safest working practices at the side of road ....however there are no joint  TIM courses between police and  recovery operatives   that I know of ...

It is a requirement by police  that all operatives working on their behalf and contracts..... must have undergone the necessary  institute training.....additionally most of the UK breakdown clubs require their agents to have undergone the necessary training required by PAS 43  and sector 17 programmes

Most of the high profile companies in the UK  have very good training programmes in place ......provide excellent  PPE,    equip their vehicles with sufficient cones,.    provide vehicle with suitable stroboscopic lighting ....high visibility and reflectivity markings .....they work very hard to improve the  police and public  perception ....

 

There are still  many companies that provide little or no training  .....providing poor quality vehicles with no reflectivity....little or no PPE.....they are the ones giving the industry a bad name ...

I have been working with a group of other industry experts to press for higher  standards and requirements within PAS43  for several years but we have had only limited success.....the main resistance is additional costs to the operator ...

We are anxious to push for legislation  for towtrucks to have  more rear facing reflectivity ....mandatory outline marking ...progressive turn signals ...message / arrow boards ....but it is a slow job dealing with govt departments....but we are going to keep pushing ....

 

 

Randall.....this subject is very close to my heart .....having lost a former operative  and had three others including my son injured whilst working at the roadside ...

 

There are some very good and comprehensive training  programmes that are available from the Institute  of Vehicle Recovery  offering up to 30 different programmes  from basic road safety through to advanced Rotator and incident management courses....

There is good coverage within those courses to advise the safest working practices at the side of road ....however there are no joint  TIM courses between police and  recovery operatives   that I know of ...

It is a requirement by police  that all operatives working on their behalf and contracts..... must have undergone the necessary  institute training.....additionally most of the UK breakdown clubs require their agents to have undergone the necessary training required by PAS 43  and sector 17 programmes

Most of the high profile companies in the UK  have very good training programmes in place ......provide excellent  PPE,    equip their vehicles with sufficient cones,.    provide vehicle with suitable stroboscopic lighting ....high visibility and reflectivity markings .....they work very hard to improve the  police and public  perception ....

 

There are still  many companies that provide little or no training  .....providing poor quality vehicles with no reflectivity....little or no PPE.....they are the ones giving the industry a bad name ...

I have been working with a group of other industry experts to press for higher  standards and requirements within PAS43  for several years but we have had only limited success.....the main resistance is additional costs to the operator ...

We are anxious to push for legislation  for towtrucks to have  more rear facing reflectivity ....mandatory outline marking ...progressive turn signals ...message / arrow boards ....but it is a slow job dealing with govt departments....but we are going to keep pushing ....

 

Michael....I have been working 750 s and latterly the 850  for many years and running low lines through a block  onto the transom and down onto the spades was a regular occurrence...they are an incredibly versatile piece of equipment and I cant see how it puts unnecessary  loading  through the box..

Providing they are regularly maintained....

I have broken hooks, chains, shackles and other things strained ....even bent a boom  .,.,....but we never  broke a gearbox ...

 

John.

Randall.....your opinion is as always, very valued.....as regards a training video ......I  totally agree ...this should be shown with the sub heading  ..... " how not to do it "

 

I am not for one moment decrying the presence of police on site ....the mere fact that they have got the traffic flow down to walking pace  HAS to be good for the safety of the recovery operative  and the motorist         the RO can get loaded and get the hell out of there  asap ...

 

The police resources are so stretched in that area  the recovery operatives are thankful for what they can get.....I am aware of times when there are only two or three traffic units on duty  for the Whole of the county .....for what ever reason .......police resources are under huge pressure at the moment  with  the  Covid issue ...and a good portion of the workforce dealing with the current lockdown  enforcement,   self isolating and  positive infection ...

 

As regards the positioning and equipment carried on  the police vehicle   normally they do carry about 8  ones ,    collapable  police slowdown signs  and blue stroboscopic flashing beacons .....I suspect  they were positioned away from the rear of the police vehicle ...out of sight of this vidieo....probably ...

...

I totally agree with you Randall.....this whole incident could have been dealt with differently  without putting the officers in danger ...

 

The police car could have been positioned a lot closer......some cones outlining the work area between the police car and the tow truck ...

Both officers should have been positioned in the work area facing the oncoming traffic   watching for errant drivers and signalling them to stay in the single running lane 

They were too busy chastising the two drivers that had strayed back into the work area ....this in turn was causing obstructions for the slow moving vehicles and putting their own safety at risk ...

 

John.

The   A12 is the most dangerous section of road in eastern Britain ....running from London to the East coast ports and cities....across its length it goes from 3 lanes to 2 and back several times often creating high speed bottlenecks ... and very little safe pull off areas 

 

Paul Anstee  aka Zoggie  owner of Service On Site Recovery  and his other staff members  ...   work this road every day and have had several hits and near misses...

 

Paul is an avid supporter of the UK.... SDMO campaign and being one of the founders,  has done more than anyone in the UK to bring the dangers to the attention of the UK Government, Local Authorities and the general public ...and is constantly working to raise the profile by distributing leaflets, decals and apparel.... Regularly attending meetings with police,  transport officials  and safety committees... 

 

It is great to see the Police actively working to assist and protect Recovery operators and it highlights the stupidity of some motorists and that even more education is required ...

 

I only wish there was more resources available to provide protection on a much more regular basis....  

 

John. 

We are seeing the worrying  situation on the world news ....

 

Whichever way the vote goes ...I guess there will always be a section of the population  that feel so strongly against the result that they must resort to violence 

And that is very sad and upsetting for the huge majority of peace loving citizens....

 

To echo Randall's wise advice ...everyone  keep safe, keep alert,  wear your appropriate  PPE ...and keep well...

 

Our thoughts are with you guys.....

Please convey our condolences, thoughts and prayers to Roberts family, friends,  co workers and Monteagle Wrecker Service...

 

From the UK towing industry.... 

 

John.

What a senseless loss of life in such tragic circumstances ....our sincere condolences,  thoughts and prayers go out to the families, friends and co workers of these  two men...

From the whole Towing industry in the UK ....

WE FEEL YOUR PAIN BROTHERS  !!! 

The guys appear to have done everything right .... but how the hell do you protect against gross stupidity of one reckless individual...?

I hope the law is applied in the strictest manner....to the driver..

 

John.  

 

That is an awkward pick with those power cables there....even with a tator or knuckleboom ...

 

Nice equipment,  Nice job ...

 

John. 

Ron....I take your point that not all hard hats are inexpensive......the price variance is quite significant .....from cheap visitor issue construction hats......right the way through to  all the "bells and whistles"  high tech  rescue  hats with every conceivable attachment .....

 

But  Randall is also right ....if you weigh up the cost of an on site head  injury of an ill equipped operative    potential ..insurance claims..down time...staff sickness ....potential visits from the govt health and safety executive...or worse  !!

High quality  hard hats are inexpensive...

 

I have enclosed photos of the hard hat that I wear when I am involved in rescue and recovery operations ....  it is a bomber helmet shaped helmet ... fitted with an enclosed drop down visor ....adjustable chinstrap....and  clips either side to attach flashlights....

 

The second photo Ron posted is one of our jobs   and Elliot is wearing a company issue basin type helmet ...fitted with an external visor and chinstrap...it also has attachments for work lights ...

 

Sometimes I do wear a construction style helmet  when  I am not involved in any actual Recovery situation  and I am comfortable the risk is low ...

 

KY Nick ...I really like the external led lighting around the rim of your hat...I haven't seen that in the UK  yet ...I also agree that enforcement should also be wearing  hard hats when working immediately in the Recovery zone ....however ...sadly I cant see that happening   until there is a serious incident  or the regulations change 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are a lot of cheap imitations  on the market  and probably without any quality assurance markings ....

 We only use equipment that has  a  C E  and EN  marking.....(see below )  this denotes it is manufactured and meets  Statutory  European  standards ...

 

 

In the UK  all employers have a legal requirement to ensure the health and safety  regulations are correctly implemented to protect their workforce, the customer, the general public  and the environment 

 

Employers have a duty of care to provide the suitable  Training  and  PPE  for members of the workforce  relevant to the  risks the individual may be exposed doing the jobs before them... 

 

However ..some employers choose to cut corners to cut costs ...or do not see the risks ....or ignore them 

 

My company operated a strict policy .and spent a lot of money on company uniforms and PPE ..

All employees were required to wear  company uniforms  during working hours .....and safety clothing  whilst working at the roadside  or Recovery scenes or job sites 

 

Hard hats  were MANDATORY  on all Recovery  winching and lifting  operations .....No exceptions ....it was company requirements    "NO PPE  NO WORK .".. several times I sent individuals off of the job because they showed up without part of their ppe ...

Additionally ...... I organised Recovery demonstrations and did the commentary at numerous  tow shows and trucking events  and would not allow anyone in the arena without hard  hats   and that included the official photographers.......

 

However ...this didn't always work well for us and we lost a couple of good guys who walked out  ....because they thought they were above wearing safety equipment 

we also had a couple of guys injured whilst working at the roadside......... including my son Graham ...

Sadly ....we had one killed ..(.I think I may have mentioned this before on a previous post )  whilst attending a breakdown...and that was heartbreaking  !!!!

 

In my opinion...Hard hats are an absolutely vital part of your safety equipment and must be worn at all times on the job scene 

 

Your never see a fireman turn up at an incident without his or her hard hat and safety  clothing on ....

 

John 

Some UK work on the south coast 

 

44  ton  semi truck on 6 axles     curtain side  trailer loaded with paper bundles ...we cut the curtains on the bottom side ...uprighted  and left load on ground  and cleared with grab loader afterwards 

 

 

A really hard head on collision between car and cattle truck    car cleared with knuckleboom crane ....Holmes 750 behind  cleared  truck ...

 

 

44 ton  semi  truck  loaded with grain ...gone into concrete culvert .full of water ....used cushions to push trailer up the bank to enable to get slings  round to do a lift .

We got it out without losing any of the load very heavy rain and we didn't get it wet ...

 

 

 

A loaded 32 ton   tipper truck down a narrow road ...pulled over to miss a bus and slipped over the bank into ditch ...half the load came out ...uprighred with about 10 tons in the box 

 

 

 

A loaded 32 ton tipper in very wet and soft  jobsite   ....handy having an excavator nearby to offload most of the dirt ...2 x 2 part lines  to haul backwards ...

 

Just a few jobs from our photo file .....

Brian...   Thanks for your comments...despite the distinct lack of entries and spectators...the whole event was very enjoyable... and to top it off ... I won the class for best American Showtruck... with our Peterbilt  379.... well pleased !!

 

As regards the left and right hand drive vehicles ....because Mainland Europe is all drive on the right and the UK is drive on the left ...we do come across LHD vehicles quite often...  so like anything.. we adapt quite quickly...

 

We do find however,  that visitors to the UK from Europe do regularly have a lapse of concentration and they forget what side of the road and many accidents do occur...especially near coastal ferry ports and International air ports

 

We had depot adjacent to the cross channel RO.. RO ferry terminal in Poole and  we were towing stuff in daily ...

 

in fact.... there are a couple of very high profile international cases going on right now...

 

As a Recovery operator, we ran several heavy duty Tow Trucks that were LHD ....and from a safety point of view it was excellent ....

 

When you were working on a very busy highway the driver was getting in and out of the cab on the Kerb side .... thus removing the risk of getting hit by passing traffic as they opened the door ...

 

like everything... it has its downside .....passengers were subject to the risk of being hit when getting in and out ...and from a driving point of view...you always have be aware of the potential blind spots....

 

There are many arguments for and against...but I guess its all down to personal preference...   

 

meanwhile....stay safe and keep well...

 

John.       

The West Midlands trucking show went ahead last weekend  amid fears of a 2nd nationwide lockdown

With several local areas and cities already imposing severe restrictions.....the truck entries were a quarter of what they usually are    

The  public attendance was also severely reduced ....but the visitors that did turn up were treated to a very high standard of vehicles on display  and beautiful autumn  sunshine 

 

 Enjoy the pictures 

 

 

A 5 axle  Volvo   Rotator  supplied and built for  N.S.  Clarke  Transport  and Recovery    by Boniface Engineering  /  Miller industries 

 

 

The business end   3 on the right all Boniface  Recoverer equipment  Maxireach  underlifts  .....note the reflectivity on the rearward facing panels  

 

 

 

 A 4 axle 520 hp  Scania Rotator   fitted with  NRC  equipment  installed by the Roger Dyson group   

Egertons Recovery .....is one of UK's oldest established  company and one of the largest operators in the country ...

 

 

 

A new  3 axle  DAF  fitted with Boniface  Recoverer equipment       from the  Egertons Recovery  fleet 

 

 

 

A Mercedes  3 axle  heavy duty truck  by  A J  Autos   of Bristol     they brought 5 vehicles to the show ...all different sizes   very well presented 

 

 

Aimee  Jones  and baby son Oliver     daughter and grandson  of industry  legend  and dear friend   Roy  Jones   RIP 

Partner and son to  Chris Phelps  owner of Lanes  Recovery  of Wales ....future 3 rd generation ? 

 

 

 

A very well presented  F 450  fitted  with  Miller Equipment   from ASK Recovery South Wales 

 

 

 

 

A rollback  transporter  from Towrite Recovery  of Bristol    carrying a very heavy load ...good job DOT did not spot that   lol ...

Note the  rearward facing reflectivity  covering  almost the whole of the cab 

A very good attempt to  minimise the risk of being hit whilst working at the roadside ...the company is a dedicated supporter of the UK " Slow Down Move Over "  campaign ...

 

 

A pair of very light duty transporters  from  A J  Autos .... they have a payload of about 1 ton  and can be driven without a cdl licence ..

 

 

 

Two  Roll backs  from A J Autos .... I caught a shot of my dear friend,  colleague and industry legend  Nick Ovenden ....

 

 

Not a tow truck  but a very interesting multi purpose  vehicle  ideal for all sorts of different applications 

 

 

 

A side view gives a better idea of the uses it can be put to  ...the centre mounted crane suitable for  machinery removals, recovery lifting , building materials ...etc 

The platform payload  of  20 tons  the trailer payload of 15 tons ...nice unit.

 

 

A immaculately restored historic  ERF   rigid  lorry    from the same company 

 

 

Another immaculately  restored  Commer  rigid  truck ....interestingly   it is fitted  with a very rare  horizontally opposed  flat 6 cylinder  2 stroke diesel engine  manufactured by Rootes 

In the late 60s  they were very high revving and noisy  and were not very reliable ...production ceased within 2 years in preference for more conventional engines 

 

 

 

 

A couple more historic vehicles immaculately restored by  original operators  RT Keedwell    left ...Volvo F 88    right Volvo F 86 

 

 

Another immaculately  restored  and still operational  Volvo  F 10 

 

 

I had to add this one  ...a  fabulous  paint job  on this very latest   750 hp  Volvo 

 

 

 

A Scania T  Cab  460 hp  the 3rd axle tags if not in use or lightly loaded 

 

 

Note the back ground view of a lot of the pictures ....the show ground  was  only  25 %  occupied  and very few spectators 

 

Difficult times ...   we will not be attending any more events until the virus is brought under control 

 

Meanwhile stay safe and well 

Randall  so absolutely correct you are ....taking it easy is not in my thinking ....I also have an inbuilt fear of being a  couch potato  or a golfer !!

 

I have plenty of time to relax and retire when I climb in my box ....

 

 

 

 

Hello Randall ....yes thanks  Aileen and I  are keeping  well .....I hope Christine and you are keeping safe too .....

 

Aileen enjoying the late summer sun 

 

 

 

 

We have managed to get to a couple of Trucking Shows  and I have won the best kept American Truck category in both events with my  Peterrbilt  379 ...and "best illuminated at night"  at 1 show ...plus we have done a couple of large convoys for cancer research charities..

 

Here is a couple of pictures of stuff at the show ....note the absence of large crowds  due to Covid restrictions 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our peterbilt..lit up at night ...

 

 

 

 

I had planned on taking my Autocar to the historic vehicle display at the tow show ...but ...alas ...not to be.... this year 

 

 

 

There is a trucking event about 100 miles from us  planned for next weekend....despite the current lockdown restrictions in place ....the show is going ahead...at the moment .....but ...we shall wait in anticipation...things are moving so fast at the moment ....  nobody knows for sure what is happening tomorrow...if I get there I will post some pictures...I did however spot this at the last event ...and a candidate for our virtual database 

 

 

It is very sad and extremely frustrating that we are so restricted ....sort of every thing is on hold and the industry cannot come together at these important  events 

 

However,  I do enjoy reading your very informative articles and posts....whilst legislation and cultures between our countries are slightly different....

 

The goal is exactly the same  !!!   Safety,  Quality service, training, " slow down move over ",  quality equipment levels and best working practices.....

 

 I am absolutely sure that every one of us in the business  has got numerous different stories to tell and will agree that you never stop learning in this job ...no matter how long you have been at it ....

My Hall of Fame award is proudly hung above my office desk...

 

Meanwhile...stay safe and well my friend..

John.