In this section you will find older items concerning PROF

 



February 2022


PROF Announce the signing of a landmark agreement between PROF and the National Police Chiefs Council that will benefit the recovery industry and assure a better understanding and relationship in the coming years.

 

Fully details will appear here soon



Highways England announcement 6th August 2021


Highways England has signed two further unifying agreements with the recovery industry, with the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) and independent recovery industry work providers Green Flag, Alliance Partners, LV=Britannia Rescue, GEM Motoring Assist and Call Assist. These agreements were signed by Highways England’s Acting CEO Nick Harris at this year’s PROFCON 21 event at Brooklands Motor Museum in Surrey on 29th July 2021. They see Highways England making a commitment to both NTDA and the Independent Recovery Industry Work Providers to work together to improve communications and achieve best practice across the industry, whilst encouraging vehicle recovery operators (VRO’s) and commercial tyre technicians to always work safely on the network.


The new agreements, which were initiated by the Professional Recovery Operators Federation, follow a ground-breaking industry first last March 2020, which saw Highways England sign an initial agreement to unite with strategic stakeholders within the independent recovery industry. Nick Harris, acting Chief Executive, Highways England says: "In March 2020, Highways England signed a strategic partnership agreement to unite with the independent recovery industry. Since signing the agreement, we have taken positive steps to update recovery protocols on motorways and to improve our day-to-day operational communications between vehicle recovery operators and Highways England. I am pleased to be signing two additional strategic partnership agreements with the independent recovery work providers and the NTDA. These agreements, which have been made possible by the help and support of PROF, further demonstrates Highways England’s commitment to work more closely with the recovery industry".

With a range of independent bodies operating within the industry and Highways England responsible for the network they operate on, it became clear that further operational and strategic guidance would benefit all parties, which is how the initial agreement was born. Since signing the original agreement just over a year ago, great progress has been made in working more closely with the recovery industry.

This work includes:

    The formation of a new Highways England Recovery Industry Executive Committee chaired by Nick Harris

    The creation of seven new operations led regional recovery groups, to improve day-to-day operational communication between VROs and Highways England.

    Producing a new joint working protocol guidance document covering the recovery of large vehicles on the network

    Launching a new direct ‘Recovery In’ phone numbers to enable improved two-way communication between VROs and Highways England traffic officers.

    Creating four new recovery focussed signs to help support the safety of VROs working on our network and provide motorists with information and awareness of a VROs presence and recovery activity.

Richard Goddard, President of the Professional Recovery operators Federation (PROF) said: "I am very proud that PROF has played a pivotal role in initiating these independent strategic partnership agreements with Highways England. Highways England has been proactive in uniting industry stakeholders, vehicle recovery operators and independent industry work providers. I am delighted that we are moving forward collectively to meet the challenges ahead and look forward to working with our strategic partners to improve safety, standards and public awareness on the strategic road network".

Damon Jowett, Head of Service Delivery, Green Flag said: "We’re thrilled to be signing a strategic partnership agreement with Highways England to help achieve best practice across the industry and ensure drivers receive the best possible recovery service on England’s roads".

Stefan Hay, Chief Executive of the NTDA said: "We are delighted to be entering into this new strategic working relationship with Highways England which is extremely important, and already proving to be highly productive, for the Association. The level of access the NTDA and its members now have at both operational and executive level within Highways England is unprecedented and will, undoubtedly, prove to be extremely valuable in ensuring safer roadside working for those REACT trained commercial tyre technicians deployed across the strategic road network".

Neil Worth, Chief Executive of GEM Motoring Assist said: As an organisation we have spent the past 90 years working to achieve safer roads for everyone, be they our members, recovery operators or the wider community. Highways England’s input into our Blue Light Aware resource has been invaluable and this agreement will allow us to strengthen and develop our partnership work for the benefit of GEM members and all road users".

Ben Johnson, Director of Networks at Call Assist said: "Call Assist is passionate about working with Highways England and like-minded work providers, as we all share best practices to ensure we continue providing a first-class assistance service".

Highways England recognises recovery operators as an essential service and the importance in the role they play helping to clear incidents and keep traffic moving. The principal purpose of the agreements is to guide the working partnerships in line with national agreements and guidance from within the vehicle recovery industry. The agreements have given the opportunity for all involved to identify areas of joint working and respective areas of interest. It sets out a commitment to work together towards issue resolution and closer partner working in the future. For those who do break down on a section of England’s A roads or motorways it will mean they can expect to receive a more consistent recovery service, with improved communications between Highways England traffic officers and recovery operators.

Information for VROs about working safely on motorways, along with downloadable guidance materials, are available on the Highways England recovery operator web page.



Richard Goddard update:

Twoyears ago I officially launched the PROFESSIONAL RECOVERY OPERATORS FEDERATION. My objectives were well known, and to be frank PROF has and is surpassing my expectations! However one of my main objectives has always been to form a national forum of VROs to represent PROF across the UK. Whilst creating the strategic partnership with Highways England, Highways England were forming a National Executive committee and 7 regional committees to discuss and highlight the different issues presented to both parties the most relevant being.

Smart Motorways
Electric Vehicles
National minimum industry standard
Improved Safety on the SRN
Quicker and concise communication, between. Highways England, work providers, and VROs.

Highways England , has now created a regional map, with 7 regions, that will meet, communicate and identify any issues. A major plus will be that, Highways England will inform regional representatives in advance of any roll outs, major road works or changes in operations on the SRN. This always was a major issue for me and I am delighted with the progress we have made there.

Now then, even the most Robust Dictator cannot dictate matters in regional areas I have no knowledge of, nor have I any right to either! So I have now constructed the final piece of the PROF jigsaw. The Professional Recovery Operators Forum. A national forum which will consist of 7 carefully selected and invited VROs to represent each of the regions which Highways England have constructed themselves. Through research and reputation I believe I have selected and invited 7 of the finest operators in the UK to represent not just PROF, but it’s own particular region and any independent VROs that may have issues in their own areas. PROF. is not a commercial venture and we do not charge membership fees, or have a commercial agenda! So any reasonable request by any independent VROs will be considered and represented by the regional PROF representative.

However I am not stupid either!! Many independent VROs have a view and operate like many of us, under very difficult circumstances, but don’t have a platform or an opportunity to highlight relevant issues because , they are not part of a trade association! Well you have a voice now! As long as it’s reasonable point and does not have any political or personal issues. You can voice them your selves to your forum member. I do want the independent industry to have a voice that is heard in the right places, that will help us to build our ever evolving relationship with Highways England who are giving us this opportunity to be heard and are working with us at every level! These issues will be discussed at regional levels, and brought to the Highways England National Executive committee when we meet and is chaired by acting C E O Nick Harris. These issues of importance will not be vetoed, or interfered with by me and as I don’t have a council, not by a national council either. As things evolve so will the Forum, but with COVID still very much an issue, we will move at the same pace as lock down allows!

The official PROFESSIONAL RECOVERY OPERATORS FORUM REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES WILL BE AS FOLLOWS.
Bill Calvert - CF Engineering.
Ray. Colemans - Lantern Group.
David Goldburn - Hough Green.
Sean Manchett - Manchetts Garage .
Mac Hobbs - Hobbs Recovery.
Mark Crawley - Road Runners.
John Cox - Highfield Garage.

I don’t personally know all of these Forum members, they have been invited based on their Location, the quality of their Operation and their reputation as VROs. Their experience and attitude to contributing to the forum will hopefully bring a new energy, and possibly a different perspective to my personal direction, which will be very healthy for PROF and the other bodies we will eventually be dealing with. PROF is privileged to have them on board. They will certainly give educated fusion and input to parts of the country sometimes forgotten about, yet are vital to the independent Recovery network.

Below is the Highways England official map, which has been split into 7 regions, all of which overlap and some cover large areas of the SRN. The overlaps are not boundaries and the Forum members will be encouraged to work together attend meetings together, where ever they feel they can contribute effectively. Once again that will be decide by them independently and not by me! So the PROF jigsaw is now complete! Important news of new and important strategic partnerships will follow at the appropriate time. I am excited at this new dimension that has finally been added to the Federation it’s been a while in the pipeline bit hopefully it’s been done properly with the right people for the right reasons!

Richard Goddard
Chairman PROF


The response the industry has been waiting for:-

After some delay and some uncertainty that was spread around the industry PROF has contacted the National Police Chiefs' Council and asked for clarification, below is their response The Federation would like to extend its thanks to the NPCC for their comprehensive reply, which will allow the industry to proceed safely and legally while helping our customers.

Richard Goddard


Update to the above from the IVR 22 June 2020

Further to our email of 6 June 2020, we have received reports that despite NPCC writing to all UK police forces and asking them to take a pragmatic view of the COVID-19 Recovery Industry Protocol guidance, Police Scotland DO NOT consider the carrying of passengers whilst remaining in the casualty vehicle to be legal practice and consider it to be an offence.

We therefore suggest that those in Scotland DO NOT move passengers in this way, but that in line with SURVIVE Best Practice Guidance and your dynamic risk assessment, that you contact the emergency services to request urgent assistance should you consider there is an imminent danger to casualty vehicle passengers.

Those in other parts of the UK should consult the IVR website, the PROF website and the SURVIVE website, to ensure that they have fully understood the guidance and highlight that only trained operatives should use the protocol guidance and that insurance companies should be consulted before using the protocol guidance.  This is a temporary COVID-19 measure, which should be used as a last resort and to the first place of safety.



IVR COVID19 Update

Previous advice on the COVID-19 Rescue Protocol and the carrying of passengers in-vehicle, on the back of the recovery vehicle, has now been challenged around the interpretation of legislation and the general use of the guidance, rather than the emergency use of the guidance. 

It is essential that this guidance is only used in extreme circumstances, where there is no other alternative for the passengers of the disabled vehicle and your risk assessment deems any alternative measures may leave both driver and the passengers of the disabled vehicle in a vulnerable or dangerous situation.

Both The IVR  and PROF reiterate that this method is to be used only when essential i.e. if your dynamic risk assessment identifies a ‘RISK’, that leaving a customer at the scene exposes them to significant risk.  The recovery with the passengers staying in the disabled vehicle MUST only be to the nearest place of safety.  We also re-iterate that this should not become the preferred practice, it is the exception rather than the rule, but can help technicians to comply with Government guidelines for 2m social distancing rules during the COVID-19 outbreak.

This practice, which is in line with SURVIVE Best Practice Guidelines and PAS43, should only be used by correctly trained operatives, who have been fully trained on how to secure the load correctly, (including with the use of a winch and secondary safety strap) and for the trained recovery driver to adjust their driving accordingly.

Finally companies should ensure they have cleared this method with their insurance company and technicians should continue to operate under their company’s procedures and guidelines.

Please continue to monitor the IVR, PROF and SURVIVE websites for further updates.

Kind regards

Mary Edwards  |  General Manager  |  T 01895 436426  |  M 07860 849974 



APPG Update

On January 20th 2020 Chair of the APPG for Roadside Rescue and Recovery Sir Mike Penning wrote to the Secretary of State for Transport asking him for an update the evidence review into red lights for recovery operators following the conclusion of the Department’s stock-take into smart motorways. The Secretary of State replied by congratulating Sir Mike on his re-election as Chair and commented that review was outstanding and a decision will be taken once it is completed. This follows the APPG’s submission to the evidence review, which was completed with the assistance of the Secretariat services from CSRRR and PROF.



What this job is all about

The message below was received yesterday (2 April) via Hobbs Recovery Services' website.

"I would just like to thank one of your employees, and this is the only way I know how to as I don’t have his details. He went by the name Dave and was in one of your lorries with your uniform on, he is a credit to your company and a hero to me.

It was silly o clock in the morning on Saturday morning, and my father and I were walking from the car to my house after collecting him from his house due to him being alone and feeling ill. It turns out that he was having multiple heart attacks and was having a severe one as your driver passed by I don’t know what he saw in order for him to realise we needed help, but he pulled his truck over and ran towards us. At that time, my father collapsed and went into full cardiac arrest, his heart stopped. Your driver calmly laid him flat on the floor, and told me to call an ambulance, and to get to the house and retrieve some aspirin, and if I didn’t have any to get to a neighbours house and ask them. In this time he actually started CPR on my dad, he promised me everything would be okay as long as the ambulance gets here and he doesn’t stop cpr as this gives blood to my dads brain.

He did this for 3 minutes solid, until my dad came round, a bit hazy but to be expected. Your driver saved my dads life, if it wasn’t for him he wouldn’t be here today. The ambulance took him fully conscious and he went into surgery and made a full recovery. He is very very grateful to your driver, and I wanted to let you know too as he is a credit to your team, and although my father lives a considerable amount of miles away, I believe he met the right person that night and I’m glad Dave was in the right place at the right time.

Well done to your driver and well done Hobbs recovery!

Regards Hannah l"


Conference calls go on through the crisis

The Federation continues to organise and chair emergency meeting of its partner to discuss the way forward and to seek out new ways to make the industry safer. It also reviews existing recommendations to see if they may need change in view of the fluid situation we find ourselves in. Here is a screen shoot of some of those involved in the meeting of the 13th of May.




 

PROF’s relationship with TTL grows with their Department of News and External Relations making direct contact with Richard Goddard Chairman of PROF and the PROF Press Office.

Richard goes on to say, I have today received notification (SEE BELOW) that TfL will be postponing the planned enforcement of next year’s LEZ and DVS rules in London. This relaxation of the planned rollout further endorses the great work we have been doing with TfL and the London Assembly.

Whilst we cannot claim to have influenced this decision, we can say we are the recognised voice and direct link to both Government and TfL, with this breaking news being shared with us before going on general release.

We ‘PROF’ will continue to ensure the voice of the Recovery Industry and the LARO membership is listened to where Government and TfL continues to increase its ‘Stealth Tax’ measures.




From: Department of News and External Relations Transport for London

Subject: Postponement of enforcement of new LEZ and DVS rules in London

Good afternoon, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has asked Transport for London to delay the enforcement of new rules for London’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ) and Direct Vision Standard (DVS) for at least four months after their introduction this October.

We recognise that the coronavirus pandemic has impacted the road freight sector in ways which could make compliance with the new standards more challenging. Though companies have been preparing for the new rules for some time, with many vehicles already compliant, the pandemic has disrupted supply chains and has placed additional demands on the industry. Postponing enforcement will allow the freight industry to focus on its core operations during the pandemic.

We remain committed to working together to tackle some of London’s biggest challenges, including road danger and air quality. Tightened emissions standards for buses, coaches, lorries and specialist vehicles – in line with the tough requirements in place for the central London Ultra Low Emission Zone – will help clean up London’s air and save lives. Meanwhile the DVS will reduce danger to vulnerable road users by introducing a safety permit system for HGVs, assigning vehicles a star rating based on how much the driver can see directly through their cab window.

Although the new rules under both schemes will still legally come into force on 26 October, no charges will be payable or enforced for non-compliant vehicles under those new standards until the end of February 2021. The new date for the start of enforcement will be kept under review.

You can find full details of LEZ scheme here https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/low-emission-zone/changes-to-the-lez
and the DVS here https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/deliveries-in-london/delivering-safely/direct-vision-in-heavy-goods-vehicles

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you would like to discuss this further. I coordinate communications on air quality-related issues: while I am in the process of hiring a dedicated freight engagement officer to meet the needs of the industry better, this appointment is on hold with the coronavirus pandemic, so I will be acting as your TfL comms team contact for the time being. Do come back to me as and when you need to.

Department of News and External Relations
Transport for London



Department of Transport red lights submission

A submission to the Department of Transport was made on behalf of the APPG for Roadside Rescue and Recovery on the 2nd of April . The submission was requested by the Department of Transport as part of their review into the feasibility of recovery operators being permitted to use red lights. The argument made by the APPG for recovery operators to be permitted to use red warning beacons was three-fold:

  1. Red light beacons provide the fastest detection times among road users, and there is a further effect due to psychological associations of the colour red in the minds of road users;
  2. The risks faced by roadside rescue and recovery operators in the performance of their duties are at least as great as those faced by vehicles currently allowed to use red warning beacons under UK law, and are and considerably greater than those permitted to use amber warning beacons;
  3. The proposal has overwhelming support amongst representative industry groups, has received support from the police, and the industry has already taken steps to demonstrate how the use of red lights would be regulated, allaying concerns of abuse.

The APPG is supported in its work by the Campaign for Safer Roadside Rescue and Recovery and Tendo Consulting. The document can be downloaded in our Media Area (link above).



Smart Motorway Safety Evidence Stocktake and Action Plan

The department for transport have published their much awaited document covering Smart Motorway Safety Evidence Stocktake and Action Plan. In October 2019, the Secretary of State asked the Department to carry out an evidence stocktake to gather the facts on the safety of smart motorways and make recommendations. This was largely due to the pressure brought to bear by PROF via its Campaign for Safer Roadside Rescue & Recovery. This work is set out in the Evidence Stocktake in Part A of the document. The action the Government is taking in response to this work is set out in the Action Plan in Part B. The document can be downloaded in our Media Area (link above).



A Statement from Creative Funding Solutions Limited sent to PROF:

Our thoughts remain with all of our customers at this challenging time. To that end, we are open for business as usual and would like to play our part in helping you or your business carry on as normally as possible. Obviously everyone has to prioritise the health and safety of others around them, so we have made some obvious changes to our working practices in order to fulfil that duty of care.

We would like to offer you all some practical advice on how to deal with your finances during this difficult period. If you have loans running currently you may need to request a payment holiday until some sort of normality resumes. If we have arranged funding for you then contact us directly for assistance via your account manager and they can guide you as to how to request a payment holiday, which for the most part has to be done directly with the funders. Some funders were quick to offer blanket repayment holidays of 90 days for those who make a request, other funders requested a myriad of supporting information in order to get an arrangement over the line. The latter do seem to have softened a little in the past few days and again we are happy to support anyone who is struggling to get the support they need and no doubt deserve. Anyone can contact us for help at covid19@creativefs.co.uk

At Creative we can still help you access funding, and that may be just what is required during this fallow period. The government has launched several initiatives, CBILS being one that we are hoping can really help businesses access the funding they need:

The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) is now available

What does the CBILS specifically provide?

  • Up to £5m facility: A facility offered under the scheme will have a maximum value of £5m, available on terms of repayment up to 6 years.
  • 80% Guarantee: The scheme offers a government-backed partial guarantee to the lender against the remaining balance of the loan.
  • No guarantee fee for SMEs to access the scheme: No fee for smaller businesses. Lenders will pay a fee to access the scheme.
  • Interest and fees covered by the Government for a period of 12 months: the Government must make a Business Interruption Provision to cover the first 12 months of interest rates and any lender-paying fees, meaning that smaller companies can benefit from no upfront expenses and lower initial repayments.
  • Finance terms: Finance terms for term loans and asset financing facilities amount to up to six years. The terms will be up to three years for overdrafts and invoice financing facilities.
  • Security: The scheme can, at the discretion of the lender, be used for unsecured loans for facilities of £250,000 or less. For facilities over £250,000, the lender must create a shortage or lack of protection before businesses use CBILS. If the lender can offer finance on normal commercial terms, they will do so without the need to make use of the scheme.

More information on all of the above and other initiatives can be found on our website at https://businessfundingsolutions.co.uk/coronavirus/

If anyone needs any help or support with anything finance over this period then do not hesitate in contacting us. We are open for business, we are here to help and we are happy to speak on an individual basis to anyone needing support. Our lines are open on 0330 223 1261 or email queries to covid19@creativefs.co.uk

Stay safe. Mike Lowe Director







The Launch of PROFESSIONAL RECOVERY OPERATORS FEDERATION



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