Anyone who has ever broken down knows that an approaching breakdown patrol is about the most welcome sight on the road. However, breakdown services – or roadside recovery/assistance services, to give them their more accurate title – are big business. Everyone has heard of:

• the Automobile Association (AA) and the Royal Automobile Club (RAC), which run a liveried fleet, operated by their own employees and sell their services direct to the public, as well as
• Green Flag, owned by Direct Line Insurance, which sells through other business clients and runs its service through a network of independent recovery operators.

Other familiar names include:

• Britannia Rescue, National Breakdown and the Guild of Experienced Motorists’ GEM Motoring Assist.

All are fiercely competitive and proud of their service, each claiming to offer a better deal than the next.

THE ‘BIG THREE’ AT A GLANCE

1. The AA’s patrols respond to over 3.5 million call-outs a year (one every nine seconds) from its 15 million-plus members
2. The RAC’s 7 million members call out in excess of 1,600 patrols 2.5 million times a year
3. Green Flag’s 5 million customers make almost 1 million calls each year, to a network of 6,000 independent mechanics in the UK and 15,000 in Europe

Breakdown service staff respond to calls in all sorts of places and at all times, being particularly busy on Monday mornings in winter and Friday evenings in summer. All provide cover either directly from their own fleets, or through partnership arrangements or affinity organisations, and the aim is to reach a motorist in well under an hour of being called out, usually averaging closer to 40 minutes. Considering that every six seconds someone is killed or maimed on the world’s roads, that one in every 80 deaths in Europe is the result of a road accident and that ten people are killed on Britain’s roads each day, there is certainly a requirement for safe and efficient breakdown services.

IT’S NOT JUST FOR VEHICLE TECHNICIANS

In addition to roadside repair and recovery, the major firms run other services, which include:

• call centres
• mobile vehicle inspection services and franchises
• national windscreen-fitting companies
• driving schools
• insurance services.

To support these services, staff are required in the following areas:

• administrative
• managerial
•  training
• on-call technical helpdesks.

Call centre staff:

• take calls from the motorist
• locate customers and patrols
• are trained to deal with distressed or frightened customers
• despatch calls to the patrol or independent recovery operator.

Patrols often need to liaise with emergency services and deal with hazardous loads. Safety is paramount, and both patrol officers and call centre staff must be good with people. In roadside repair and recovery, patrol officers are often first on the scene, dealing with frightened or angry customers. They also need to consider traffic, weather and location before the vehicle is even assessed – but, above all, the patrol officer must ensure customer safety. Motorway hard-shoulder call-outs can be particularly hazardous.

Breakdown services skills gained in the Forces
Each sector of the Armed Forces has its own vehicle mechanics and engineering trades, with highly skilled, adaptable people, trained to work and cope in adverse conditions. Trades relevant to the vehicle technician side of the breakdown industry that can be followed in-Service include:

• vehicle mechanics
• vehicle electricians
• recovery mechanics.

In addition, many Service leavers hold driving qualifications that are likely to be welcomed by breakdown services employers. These include LGV, ordinary wheeled vehicles and motorcycle licences, as well as the whole range of tracked, articulated or passenger licences.

TRANSLATE YOUR SKILLS
If you are thinking of working in this industry, the following skills and aptitudes will be beneficial:

• a thorough technical knowledge of vehicles
• practical skills
• good driving ability
• excellent customer service skills
• the ability to remain calm in difficult circumstances
• the ability to work alone
• an awareness of health and safety issues
• basic computer skills.

Source: careersadvice.direct.gov.uk

Qualifications and training
Courses aimed at those wishing to work in this industry usually cover:

• basic electrics
• batteries
• charging systems
• starting systems
• relays
• ignition systems
• fuel injection
• engine management
• ignition/charging.

For example, AA patrols require City & Guilds parts 1 and 2 in motor-vehicle-craft studies or an equivalent NVQ level 3, customer service skills, a courteous, professional approach and an in-depth, practical knowledge of the mechanical and electrical workings of a wide range of motor vehicles. This will usually come from at least three years in motor vehicle repair or five years in engineering.

The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), the Sector Skills Council for the automotive retail industry and the governing body for the Automotive Technician Accreditation (ATA) scheme, sets the occupational standards for the industry, with the qualifications and training available covering a wide spectrum. Some relate to the general motor retail market, including sales, spray painting and customer services, while others deal specifically with roadside assistance and recovery. Previously part of the IMI, IMI Awards is now the leading awarding body for the retail motor industry, and offers the following NVQs, developed specifically for breakdown services:

• Level 2
– Roadside Assistance and Recovery
• Level 3
– Roadside Assistance and Recovery (Recovery)
– Roadside Assistance and Recovery (Roadside Assistance).
For more in-depth information on these NVQs, see the accompanying box.

To achieve one of the above qualifications, a student registers with an IMI Awards approved centre, and is observed and assessed doing their job in the workplace, while their knowledge is assessed online. A portfolio of evidence is gathered at work, while the student carries out operations and tasks. Most of those undertaking one of the above NVQs will also attend an IMI Awards approved centre on a day-release basis, to learn the underpinning knowledge necessary to do the job and for online testing. The courses are typically completed in two years for a level 2 and three years for a level 3. To find out more, visit the IMI Awards website (see ‘Key contacts’, below).

IMI Awards’ breakdown services-related NVQs

The level 2 qualification covers:

• assessing and securing the roadside situation
• removing and transporting vehicles.

The level 3 ‘Recovery’ qualification covers:

• assessing and securing the roadside situation
• removing and transporting vehicles
• recovering light and commercial vehicles following accidents
• monitoring and solving customer service problems
• working with others to improve customer service
• processing payment transactions
• giving customers a positive impression of yourself and your organisation.

The level 3 ‘Roadside Assistance’ qualification covers:

• assessing and securing the roadside situation
• carrying out roadside diagnostic and rectification activities
• monitoring and solving customer service problems
• processing payment transactions
• giving customers a positive impression of yourself and your organisation
• removing and transporting vehicles
• recovering light vehicles following accidents.

Qualifications, experience and training entitle people to membership of institutions within the industry. They also add weight and a recognisable measure of competence to a CV. Standards are set by the IMI to maintain competence at the right levels and ensure that one employer in the industry will recognise another’s qualifications.

Institutes and associations regulate themselves and pursue high standards in an industry that takes its business very seriously. The IMI, for example, is a professional body for individuals (20,000 at the last count), not companies, within the motor industry. It offers, via IMI Awards, its own courses and qualifications at levels 1 to 4, just like any other awarding body.

Major breakdown services organisations run continuation training and offer further qualifications as an ongoing element of employment and promotion within their organisations.

Employment

Most companies will require good levels of general fitness and a clean driving licence for employment as part of a roadside patrol. Although qualifications are required before dealing with customers at the roadside, opportunities may exist to enter an organisation at a lower level of training and experience, or in a different field, such as administration or management (see the box above, ‘It’s not just for vehicle technicians’).

Experience and qualifications will determine the length of training required before starting a career in breakdown services. Many qualified people find the shift patterns and working environment unattractive and there is currently a shortage of patrol officers. This provides a good opportunity for the motivated Service leaver to move into this rewarding and satisfactory career area. Many Service people enjoy the fact that they provide a service to the community, and becoming a roadside patrol officer is certainly a way of continuing this.

Some companies, such as Green Flag, offer franchises in mobile vehicle inspection and diagnostics. This covers pre-purchase or sale checks, servicing, emissions testing and engine tuning. It requires a serious financial commitment by the franchisee, but can be a lucrative form of self-employment, with support, training and guidance available from the parent company.

The range of jobs within this sector of the employment market is wide and the industry is expanding due to the ever increasing numbers of vehicles on the roads. There are opportunities for technical, administrative and managerial staff, as well as health and safety advisers. There is also the chance of employment within one of the linked sectors like insurance, driving instruction and windscreen fitting.

Salaries

The average wage for a roadside patrol employee working within a major company ranges from £19,000 to £22,000 but franchisees can earn considerably more if they work longer hours (in the region of £40,000). Most organisations offer overtime but this is not guaranteed, and most have some form of pension scheme or access to pension advice. The package usually includes free uniforms, high-visibility clothing, footwear and, obviously, the use of a patrol vehicle.

KEY CONTACTS

The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), Fanshaws, Brickendon, Hertfordshire SG13 8PQ Tel: 01992 511521 Website: www.motor.org.uk

IMI Awards, Fanshaws, Brickendon, Hertfordshire SG13 8PQ Tel: 01992 519038 Website: www.imiawards.org.uk

Institute of Vehicle Recovery, Bignell House, Horton Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 8EJ Tel: 01895 436426 Website: www.theivr.com

Institute of Customer Service, 2 Castle Court, St Peter’s Street, Colchester, Essex CO1 1EW Tel: 01206 571716 Website: www.instituteofcustomerservice.com

Road Rescue Recovery Association, Hubberts Bridge Road, Kirton Holme, Boston, Lincolnshire PE20 1TW Tel: 01205 290621/2 Website: www.rrra.co.uk