The New Millennium

As the new millennium dawned, the pace of change began to slow. Technology continued to evolve and improve, but the revolutionary advances of the previous decades became less frequent. Recovery rates continued to rise, although at a much slower pace, and most operators now chose to purchase specialist recovery vehicles rather than build them themselves.

Significant changes were nevertheless taking place. Insurance companies increasingly became involved with motoring organisations, ownership structures changed and many of the traditional family-run recovery businesses began to disappear. In their place emerged larger operations run as commercial enterprises rather than labour-of-love family concerns.

The image below shows just a small selection of the vehicles on display at the 2015 Professional Recovery Tow Show and illustrates how far recovery equipment had developed since the industry's pioneering years.

New Motoring Organisations

During the years leading up to the new millennium, the pioneering recovery clubs were joined by a number of new organisations, both from the United Kingdom and abroad. Some targeted motorists directly, while others entered the market through vehicle manufacturers or insurance companies.

One of the first and, for many years, one of the most popular organisations amongst recovery operators fortunate enough to be appointed by them, was Britannia Rescue. Launched on 1 January 1983, the service was initially available only to members of the Civil Service Motoring Association (CSMA). The following year it was opened to the general public under the name Britannia Recovery.

Prior to Britannia's launch, CSMA members had been covered by National Breakdown and the loss of such a large contract had a noticeable impact on the organisation. There were also rumours that several key control room staff had moved from National Breakdown to assist Britannia in establishing its new operation and agent network.

Ernest Smith, never one to miss an opportunity for a pointed observation, paid Britannia what could best be described as a back-handed compliment at an AVRO Trade Show when he remarked:

"Britannia has the best controller in the business..."

"...because we bloody trained them all!"

In reality, however, the relationship between the two organisations was not quite as hostile as such comments might suggest. Britannia's Tom Johnson and Phil Briercliffe received considerable help during the early days of the operation. National Breakdown's Bob Slicer, in particular, is remembered for assisting with practical matters such as finding suitable premises and helping the fledgling organisation overcome some of the difficulties inevitably faced by any new venture.

Although other recovery organisations had appeared before Britannia, none entered the market with quite the same impact. The reason was simple: they began life with a substantial and established membership base through the CSMA.

Tom Johnson was also responsible for introducing one of the industry's most important quality-control measures, the compulsory customer satisfaction form. While some organisations had previously sent out questionnaires on a random basis, Tom insisted that every completed job should be followed up.

There was, however, one unforeseen consequence. The reverse side of the original form was left blank. Many CSMA members promptly treated this as an invitation to continue their comments at considerable length. As Tom later recalled:

"In the end I had to have the form redesigned to allow Britannia's staff to get on with other things, rather than spend an hour reading the members' thoughts."

Britannia were not alone. The years leading up to the new millennium saw a number of new organisations enter the recovery market, often bringing different business models and new sources of work for recovery operators.

Another significant arrival was GESA Assistance, which expanded into vehicle recovery during 1983. Working with the National Farmers Union (NFU), it offered breakdown cover as an optional addition to existing motor insurance policies.

It is believed this was one of the earliest examples of breakdown cover being sold as an insurance add-on, a practice that would become commonplace in the years that followed.

Unlike many of its competitors, Mondial Assistance entered the UK market by working with vehicle manufacturers rather than targeting the general public directly.

A UK operation was established in 1980 to support BMW customers visiting Britain and was expanded the following year into a permanent operation.

From these beginnings Mondial developed into one of the world's largest assistance organisations, operating internationally through a vast network of service providers and correspondents. Like the AA and RAC in the United Kingdom, Mondial also operated its own patrol vehicles to deal with routine breakdowns while continuing to rely upon independent recovery operators for specialist recovery work.

Changing Relationships

The relationship between the motoring organisations and the recovery industry also changed significantly during the years leading up to and following the new millennium. For many years it had been common for recovery operators to work for several different clubs simultaneously, with work being allocated through extensive agent networks covering the whole country.

Under that system most clubs offered a standard rate of payment and maintained a relatively large number of agents. While not perfect, it allowed operators to spread their workload across several customers and provided a degree of stability for both parties.

As the industry became more competitive, motoring organisations increasingly looked for greater efficiency and lower operating costs. Large networks of agents were gradually reduced and, in many cases, operators found themselves having to bid for areas they had traditionally serviced for many years.

These changes encouraged the growth of larger recovery businesses. Some operators expanded rapidly, taking responsibility for wide geographical areas and subcontracting work to the smaller local operators who had previously dealt directly with the clubs.

The result was the emergence of the so-called 'Super Agents'; large recovery groups capable of handling substantial volumes of work across several counties from centralised control centres.

Not everyone welcomed these developments. Some industry observers questioned whether concentrating so much work into fewer hands was wise, arguing that eventually the larger operators would gain considerable influence over the clubs that depended upon them.

Others dismissed such concerns, pointing out that the recovery industry had always been fiercely independent and predicting that market forces would continue to keep all sides in balance. As so often in the recovery industry, opinions differed and time would ultimately decide who was correct.

A Mature Industry

Whatever view is taken of these developments, there can be little doubt that between 1970 and 2000 an independent vehicle recovery industry emerged in Britain. It developed its own specialist equipment, trade associations, training standards, communications systems and professional qualifications.

Like any growing industry it experienced disagreements, setbacks and growing pains, but by the start of the twenty-first century it had reached a level of maturity that would have been difficult for its pioneers to imagine.

The image at the top of this page illustrates just how far the industry had travelled. It shows part of National Rescue Group's fleet in 1977 and again some thirty years later in 2007.

The vehicles may have changed dramatically, but the industry's success still depended upon the same qualities that had sustained it from the beginning: ingenuity, determination, professionalism and a willingness to help motorists when they needed it most.

When this history was first written, many recovery operators still felt that the industry's contribution to road safety and mobility was poorly understood outside the trade itself. Subsequent events suggest that perception has begun to change.

During the campaign to secure the use of static red warning lights on recovery vehicles, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps publicly acknowledged the vital contribution made by Britain's independent recovery operators, describing them as "the backbone of the industry" and, for many stranded motorists, "the 4th Emergency Service".

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