ON SCENE TAKES A TRIP TO SKÅNE COUNTY IN THE SOUTHERNMOST REGION OF SWEDEN TO MEET LEADING ROADSIDE RECOVERY AND ASSISTANCE SPECIALIST DONALDS BILBÄRGNING.
Skåne County in southern Sweden overlooks Denmark across the Öresund Strait, which runs for 73 miles and varies in width between 1.7 and 2.5 miles. The two countries are connected by a spectacular combination of tunnels and, of course, the Öresund Bridge – a familiar sight to fans of Scandinavian crime dramas. Further along the coast, meanwhile, a considerable amount of traffic still uses the short ferry crossing between the two.
Several major routes pass through this region, carrying traffic from Sweden and Norway, as well as vehicles heading north from elsewhere in Europe and beyond. But many of the trucks passing through from southern and eastern Europe are less than properly prepared for the winter conditions they encounter. Many are running quite old and sometime poorly maintained vehicles, for one thing, thanks to downward pressure on haulage rates. And the long distances covered by drivers across Europe can make for high levels of fatigue, too, leaving some prone to veering off the road or into other road users.
JOST’S KKS AUTOMATED COUPLING SYSTEM COULD DO AWAY WITH MANY OF THE PROBLEMS INHERENT IN CONVENTIONAL FIFTH WHEEL CONNECTIONS – NOT LEAST FOR RECOVERY OPERATORS AT THE ROADSIDE. ON SCENE EXPLAINS
The technology employed in truck and semi-trailer couplings is well tried and tested, with the standard 2in kingpin, single oscillating fifth wheel coupling the standard for most applications. Many UK operators favour lighter and cheaper pressed steel couplings to help keep overall weight down, but the heavy-duty cast version is invariably used for tougher applications.
Older readers, however, will remember when there were other options in use, with automated couplings from Scammell and others proving popular for lighter weight use, particularly where trailers were swapped multiple times a day. Early versions of the system provided automatic coupling of the electrical connections and operation of the hydraulically actuated, rod-operated braking systems used on vehicles in the immediate post-war years.
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AYRSHIRE’S KERR & SMITH HAS RUN SOME IMPRESSIVE RECOVERY VEHICLES OVER THE YEARS, AND ITS CURRENT FLEET IS FULL OF DIVERSITY, FROM A COMPACT IVECO DAILY SPEC LIFT TO A VOLVO FM WRECKER AND A MIGHTY BEDFORD TM 6x6. THERE’S MORE TO THE COMPANY THAN JUST THIS, HOWEVER, AS ON SCENE FINDS OUT.
Kerr & Smith is one of the best known names in the motor trade in the West of Scotland. But what people know this family-run company for depends on the way in which they encountered it, as the firm has a diverse portfolio of business interests that has continuously evolved over the years.
Established in 1975 by Jim Smith and Bill Kerr, the company started out by providing mechanical repair services for commercial vehicles, soon after getting into breakdown and recovery. In the beginning the pair operated from Jim’s father’s farm, before moving first to a site on Barrhill Road and then to the Ayr Road Cumnock location that is still home today.
In 1981 Kerr & Smith became a dealer for Bedford Commercial Vehicles, before moving over to Vauxhall commercial vehicles in addition to a car franchise in 1988, after the closure of Bedford.
FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF THE HEAVIES, THE AWARDS CEREMONY PRESENTED BY OUR SISTER TITLE HEAVYTORQUE, NIMBLE PUBLISHING, ARE DELIGHTED TO BE ABLE TO GIVE ADVANCED NOTICE OF THE INAUGURAL 'ON SCENE AWARDS' EVENING, TAKING PLACE ON SATURDAY 11TH NOVEMBER 2023 AT THE EAST OF ENGLAND ARENA, PETERBOROUGH.
It’s an event, and network opportunity like no other, and an ideal opportunity to celebrate everything that’s truly great about this unique sector of the transport industry.
This glittering black tie (and posh frock) event is the perfect occasion for all those within the industry to meet and enjoy each other’s company and showcase excellence in all aspects of this truly diverse field of transport.
It’s also an opportunity for recovery operators, manufacturers and equipment suppliers to showcase their products and compete for a range of awards that reflect the technical innovation and the advanced designs that are key to almost every recovery operation.
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AS DEMAND FOR LARGER, HEAVIER VEHICLES WITH ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES IN THEM HAS EVOLVED IN RECENT YEARS, SO TOO HAVE THE RECOVERY BODIES AND CHASSIS USED TO TRANSPORT THEM, AS WISBECH-BASED AMS RECOVERY TRUCK BODIES TELLS ON SCENE.
Over the last few years, the size and weight of the average passenger car have increased dramatically, with customers’ desire for more internal space, higher equipment levels, bigger engines and more sophisticated transmissions all piling on the pounds and requiring a bigger body shell. And at the same time, the growth in sales of larger SUV-type cars has had a considerable effect in terms of vehicle transport and recovery.
Even more recently, the introduction of battery electric and hybrid electric cars has been adding to the problem for recovery and transport companies. The batteries in such vehicles add considerably to their weight, with some of the biggest models now weighing in at more than 2.5 tonnes – as much as the largest conventionally powered 4x4s.
RED HOUSE SERVICE STATION HAS BEEN PROVIDING CUSTOMERS WITH FUEL, REPAIRING THEIR VEHICLES AND RECOVERING THEM WHEN THEY BREAK DOWN EVER SINCE 1962. CELEBRATING ITS DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR, THE FAMILY-RUN BUSINESS TELLS ON SCENE WHY ENTHUSIASM AND A LOVE FOR THE MULTIPLE CHALLENGES RECOVERY PRESENTS ARE THE KEYS TO ITS CONTINUING SUCCESS.
Tensions with the Soviet Union almost triggered nuclear war, contact tracing in Cardiff was rolled out due to the outbreak of a deadly virus, and car engineers at General Motors were busy developing a hydrogen fuel cell car. These events might sound quite recent, but in fact they occurred 60 years ago in 1962, when Bob Bootyman took a chance and followed his dream of opening a roadside filling station in the Derbyshire village of Heath, near Chesterfield. And since then, Red House Service Station has grown into a successful third-generation family recovery firm and service and repair workshop, as well as a busy forecourt.
Bob served in the army during the Second World War and afterwards became a car salesman. But what he really wanted to do was to run his own fuel station. In the early 1960s he got his chance and, along with wife Ellen, bought Red House Service Station for £10,000 – then just a rural two-pump filling station and a hut with a till.
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SMART MOTORWAYS HAVE CAUSED WIDESPREAD SAFETY CONCERNS – NOT LEAST AMONG RESCUE AND RECOVERY OPERATORS. BUT AS HERTFORDSHIRE RECOVERY FIRM SAUNDERS GARAGE HAS FOUND, THERE ARE WAYS TO MITIGATE THE RISKS. ON SCENE REPORTS.
Smart motorways have been with us for longer than many would think – the first was introduced in 2006. And it is easy to think they are all the same. But in fact, there are three different types here in the UK: controlled, dynamic hard shoulder, and all lanes running (ALR).
A controlled smart motorway is one many drivers may not think of as even being a smart motorway. The AA says of these: “These have three or more lanes, variable speed limits and a hard shoulder for emergency use only.” Variable speed limits are indicated using overhead gantries with illuminated signs over each lane that display the standard circular speed sign with a red border in a graphical display, allowing the speed limit to be changed according to conditions. In a sense, these are a natural development of standard motorways where congestion at times like peak hours can be eased by regulating traffic flow.
ON SCENE’S UNDERCOVER RECOVERY OPERATOR RON SEEN WONDERS IF MIDDLE LANE DRIVERS AND AN OVER-ZEALOUS APPROACH TOWARDS DISSEMINATING INFORMATION AREN’T AMONG THE ISSUES THAT ARE REALLY TO BLAME FOR THE UK’S EVER-WORSENING TRAFFIC CONGESTION.
Trundling up and down the roads is becoming more of a challenge than ever, thanks to drivers who hog the middle lane on motorways – middle lane morons, as I tend to think of them. We live in a society in which ever more vehicles are on the roads, with ever more drivers who, it appears, cannot drive. And the situation seems to be getting worse.
A few years ago, you had to have some form of training and road knowledge just to get driving lessons, never mind passing your test. And examiners were usually made of stern stuff. You’d have to take a deep breath before daring to ask them a question, and they’d be barking orders at you during your test, striking fear into even the bravest test candidates. Once you passed your test, the true learning would begin, as you’d start off with some old banger you could barely afford. You’d have to acquire some basic mechanical knowledge to keep the thing going.
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JACK PARKER HAS COME A LONG WAY IN A SHORT TIME SINCE HIS OLD COLLEAGUES LABELLED HIM ‘RUDE BOY’, SETTING UP ROADSIDE RESCUE AND RECOVERY FIRM RB COMMERCIAL AND GROWING IT STEADILY EVER SINCE. ON SCENE FINDS OUT HOW HE’S DONE IT.
Jack Parker, the man behind Ipswich-based RB Commercial, was distinctly nervous about doing this article. It was partly because he’s only 27 – the kind of age that means he’s been around long enough to know a lot, but still finds himself regarded as a young upstart who hasn’t a clue. He’s also got a tidy fleet behind him now, all bought outright with money earned through the business – but inevitably there are sceptics about that as well.
In reality, Jack was indeed a young upstart not that long ago – hence the company name, he explains. “I used to work for another recovery company in Ipswich,” Jack says. “I was very young and gobby, and thought I knew everything, so they called me Rude Boy.”
RB Commercial was born just five years ago, but Jack’s enthusiasm for going out to the roadside started when he was a 16 year-old apprentice with Mercedes-Benz Trucks.
IN THE FOURTH OF OUR ARTICLES ABOUT RECOVERY LEGEND BILL JACKSON, ON SCENE CHARTS THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMBLE AIR CUSHION.
To kick off this fourth instalment of our series about recovery industry pioneer Bill Jackson, we go back to 1961, when Bill’s grandfather George Jackson died in a road accident. As the founder of the family-owned Ford car and truck dealerships that led to Bill getting involved in the recovery business, George was a pivotal figure in his life.
George was trapped in his car when a laden truck – ironically a Ford – overturned on him and there were no suitable recovery vehicles to lift it off. He died from suffocation, rather than any injuries sustained directly in the accident, but had a suitable means of lifting the truck been available he would almost certainly have survived. This family tragedy made Bill determined to improve the capability and capacity of recovery equipment, and his involvement with the industry brought him into close contact with the emergency services. Many regional fire services went on to invest in Dial Holmes’ recovery vehicles and equipment.
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