Vehicle recovery is the recovery of any vehicle to another place, generally speaking with a commercial vehicle known as a recovery vehicle, tow truck or spectacle lift. Recovery can take the form of general recovery, normally of broken down vehicles, or a statutory recovery at the request of the police using police powers, conferred in the United Kingdom by Parliament using an Act.
General recovery There are many types of organisations that carry out the recovery of disabled vehicles; however, they can be divided into two distinct areas: Recovery operators (who undertake the recovery) and motoring organisations. Motoring organisations — or as they are often known, 'The Clubs' — are organisations to which the vehicle's driver will belong. They may have made a conscious effort to do this, or they may have got the membership with their new vehicle, through a company scheme, or purchased with an insurance policy. In the event that a member of the public does not have a club membership, the police or highways agency can arrange recovery of the vehicle at what is called an owner's request and they will arrange for help to attend. Recovery operators are the people who undertake the recovery. They are known by different names around the world, including patrols' tow men, and wrecker drivers. Some are the people used by the motoring organisations to rescue their members. A small percentage will be on the payroll of the motoring organisation and will work exclusively for them. Examples are the patrols used by The AA, RAC, and Mondial in the UK. Most recovery operators, however, work for privately owned companies or are individuals. They can do large volumes of work for some of the motoring organisations, but they will normally also do work for the public. In Europe, the percentage of this private work is low due to the high profiles of the motoring organisations. Of course some will never do work for the motoring organisations, preferring to work just for their own customers. In the USA, motoring organisations are still growing. Although there have always been auto repair shops and garages who towed or recovered any vehicles, it is only really in the last fifty years that vehicle recovery has become an industry distinct from the auto repair trade. Many are still involved in workshop repairs, but an increasing number, if they cannot repair the vehicle by the roadside, will transport it to another repairer. Although there are some large organisations operating hundreds of recovery vehicles, most are family businesses operating typically between 10 and 50 vehicles. Lastly there are operators like highway authorities and other government bodies, operators of local recovery schemes (contra flows, etc.) and large fleet operators who recover their own vehicles.
Challenges in vehicle recovery Vehicle recovery often involves challenging scenarios that require specialized techniques and equipment, particularly in difficult weather or complex environments like multistorey car parks, steep hills, or off-road areas. Professional recovery operators adapt their methods to these settings, sometimes using compact recovery vehicles or adjustable lifts to maneuver within tight spaces or limited height clearances. For the driver awaiting assistance, certain preparations can streamline the process and reduce delays. Keeping the vehicle's tow eye or tow hook ready can expedite the recovery setup. It’s also helpful for drivers to inform the recovery operator if the vehicle can roll (i.e., be pushed without engine power), as this determines the type of equipment needed, such as skates or dollies for immobilized vehicles. Additionally, providing precise location details, checking for any height restrictions, and noting any obstacles or mechanical issues (like locked wheels) further aids the recovery operation. These small preparations can make a significant difference in challenging recovery scenarios.
Military recovery Military vehicle recovery is a type of operation conducted to extricate wheeled and tracked vehicles that have become immobile due to condition of the soil, nature of terrain in general, loss of traction due to an attempt to negotiate an obstacle, having broken down, or from sustaining non-combat or combat damage. Vehicles used in military operations can be hard to extricate from sand, snow, or mud. Vehicle recovery is part of the process known in the United States military as Recovery and Battle Damage Assessment and Repair (BDAR), known by other names in other militaries.
Levels of recovery
There are three levels of recovery:
Self-recovery: recovery of a vehicle by its own crew, using available tools and spare parts (known in the U.S. Army as 'basic issue items (BII)', known in Commonwealth armies as the 'common equipment schedule (CES)'), with troubleshooting procedures in manuals as instructions. Like-recovery: recovery of a vehicle by another vehicle of a similar or heavier weight class. Tracked vehicles are not permitted to tow wheeled vehicles, because it damages their steering. Dedicated recovery: recovery of a vehicle by a specialised armoured recovery vehicle (ARV). In order to limit reliance on recovery assets such as ARVs (whose availability is limited), these levels of recovery aim to make a vehicle crew as self-sustaining as possible.
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