Roadside Assistance: Be prepared for the unexpected
Safety is a major concern whenever it comes to on-road transportation. Innovative technologies are therefore arising to limit the amount of uncertainty, person, and material damage. Such, often telematics-based technologies, like tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) are proven to be able to prevent unexpected breakdowns on the road. However, not all breakdowns can be predicted or prevented.
If the worst should happen, your drivers need assistance to ensure their own safety, the safety of the vehicle and cargo.
In North America, 500,000 trucking accidents are estimated to take place annually with a rising trend ever since 2009. Tyre defects accounting for around 30% of truck-related accidents and are therefore the most common cause of these accidents. (source: ProlicyAdvice)
If our experience in Europe bears any relation to that of the road freight transport industry in the USA, then the number of roadside breakdowns is steadily increasing.
Reasons for unexpected breakdowns
There are various reasons for breakdowns, some are due to the age of the equipment or lack of maintenance, some are due to unpredictable incidents on the road. According to research, unexpected breakdowns can be caused by many reasons, the following being the most common ones:
- Tire puncture
- Engine failure
- Defective brakes
- Defective electrical system
- Damage to chassis and cooling units (source: Wedolo)
Be prepared for the unexpected
When preparing for the worst-case scenario, it is important to have a clear action plan ready in a stressful situation such as an on-road breakdown.
There are several points that should and can be arranged so that your drivers have the confidence to manage equipment breakdowns in the best way. Choosing a reliable roadside emergency provider beforehand, communicating the choice to the drivers and distributing the roadside assistant provider’s phone number to the drivers are essential.
Choosing your trusted roadside assistant provider
When choosing your trusted partner for breakdowns it is important to evaluate several factors:
- 24/7 h availability
- Geographical service network and number of cooperating workshops
- Number of mobile service units available
- Years of experience and knowledge
- Number of supported languages
- Availability of online incidence tracking
Breakdowns can happen at any time and any location, therefore it is important to have an all-year-long 24/7 available emergency assistance in all the countries that your business is operating in. Equally important is the availability of support in the languages that your drivers comprehend.
For a more detailed understanding of the breakdown status and history, access to a web portal where the data is being stored can help to identify trends and receive breakdown status updates.
Pan-European breakdown service around the clock – non-stop with TIP Roadside Assistance
TIP Roadside Assistance provides help and offers services for your trailers 24/7, 365 days per year without upfront costs. In case of a breakdown, support is being offered in more than 18 languages and available in North America, the United Kingdom, and 16 European countries covering South, East, Central and North Europe.
With TIP Roadside assistance you have access to an extensive fleet of mobile service units. TIP’s large service provider network entails in total 1,048 workshops with service vans in Europe only. The mobile service units can, depending on country and breakdown location, come directly to the breakdown place to get the vehicle back on the road. Each mobile service unit is equipped to fix ripped curtains or small bodywork repairs, but also to carry complex trailer diagnostics technologies to test brakes and detect electrical faults.
TIP owns more than 110 workshops to maintain and repair your fleet and the TIP owned fleet, making it imperative to provide quality service by highly skilled mechanics.
In addition, customers have access to the TIP Roadside Assistance portal, which enables a historic view on incidents and updates on the incident status.
The large geographical network allows TIP’s Roadside assistance to act global and help local in Europe and Canada!
Take no risk: get in touch and find out more on how to best protect your drivers, cargo and vehicle.
