1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190 
Help is at ham;
Page 34
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
For 20 years and counting, RACCA has come to the aid of many a stricken haulier or stranded horsebox. CM meets one of its incident managers to see how a roadside rescue is co-ordinated. wo. u uotin Barnett Once upon a time, the established Octagon Recovery commercial vehicle breakdown company was bought by the motoring services division of the Royal Automobile Club, and RAC Octagon was born.
This year. its successor, RAC Commercial Assistance (RACCA) celebrates its 20th anniversary.
Incidentally, the second of these two decades has seen the RAC operation go almost full circle. In 1999. the Club sold the breakdown service to Lex and two years later it became RAC plc. It was all change again in 2005 as the Norwich Union insurance company, now rebranded Aviva, bought Lex.
By then, the group incorporated such household names as Auto Windscreens, HP1, BSM. Fraikin. Lex Transfleet and Isuzu Truck UK.
Two types of operations Now, though. Aviva has divested these various enterprises until all that remains is the core breakdown service and closely related ancillary services.
Our host for the day, RACCA partnership manager Trevor Parry (pictured right), is certainly no stranger to the world of broken-down trucks, having learned the business with BRS Recovery RACCA operations fall into two types. First, it provides the breakdown assistance for a number of manufacturer-provided packages.
Some maufacturers, such as Volkswagen Commercials and Isuzu Truck, are happy for RACCA to be seen as its service providers, but some large names prefer to give the appearance of providing the service directly The other type of service that RACCA offers is through direct contracts with fleet operators.
Some of the 4,000 clients on RACCA's books at the moment include household names as varied as Morrisons, Home Delivery Network and the London Ambulance Service.
Others, in sectors such as defence and energy supply, prefer to remain anonymous, but are still as keen to keep their fleets on the road.
Funding matters The fundamental difference between RACCA and what its staff call "orange': the familiar roadside patrols in their bright tangerine vans. is funding.
Private car owners pay an annual subscription, which provides them with an inclusive service. With commercial vehicles, though. an individually tailored contract provides support on a pay-by-use basis.
One unusual contract relates to the high-performance Nissan GTR. Part of the ownership deal for the vehicle provides for the cherished and extremely desirable sports car to be transported to and from servicing, and since this is conducted with RAC-provided flat beds, it falls into Commercial Assistance territory.
Being part of the "orange" organisation means that for minor breakdowns, such as electrical faults, the 50 incident managers in the landmark control centre that overlooks the M5/M6 junction, have direct access to the dispatch system for the roadside patrol vans.
Larger problems are handled by the 91-strong network of approved repair and recovery specialists.
Service standards provided by the contractors are stringently laid out in a comprehensive agreement and are carefully monitored.
Of course., the RACCA mission extends far beyond just patching-up or fixing broken-down or stranded trucks and commercial vehicles.
Looking to the future, it offers an expanding range of support products and services to enable fleet operators to maximise uptime and profit. •