National Highways case study

The Service

As National Vehicle Recovery Manager, FMG manages a unique relationship with National Highways and our network of 78 independent Vehicle Recovery Operators (VRO’s). FMG arranges 24/7/365 recovery of any broken-down, accident-damaged or abandoned vehicles following roadside incidents. The contract covers 4,300 miles of motorways and major A-roads, and we deal with approx. 55 incidents every day or c. 20,000 incidents per year. FMG’s recovery service involves the safe removal of vehicles, passengers and loads from the motorway or A-road to a place of safety. With every incident, speed is of the essence. Together we have interrogated every element of the vehicle recovery process and invested in intelligent automation to remove any delay for the safety of the stranded customer and all road users. FMG’s network of VRO’s are key to delivering these services and therefore FMG have worked in conjunction with National Highways to support the sustainability of VRO’s on the National Highways scheme, for example providing financial enhancements to support during the pandemic.

FMG provide a bespoke service that is tailored to each Force’s unique requirements

Immediate Dispatch

Together, National Highways and FMG created a brand-new solution, Immediate Dispatch, to speed up motorway recovery. Where previously a National Highways Traffic Officer (TO) attended to assess the scene of every incident before requesting a Vehicle Recovery Operator via FMG, the launch of Immediate Dispatch empowered National Highways Regional Control Centre operators to request a VRO to travel to the scene of an incident at the same time as dispatching Traffic Officers. Deploying a recovery vehicle before the Traffic Officer arrives at the scene of the incident allows incidents to be managed and resolved far faster than before. Immediate Dispatch reduces waiting time by 20 minutes on average. Attending the scene quickly is important as the sooner the VRO attends the scene the better, and the lower risk of danger to the motorist or other road users. However, our primary performance measure is the time clearing the incident scene as this directly reduces delays to other road users and contributes to keeping the strategic road network flowing freely.

A new app for Traffic Officers

With motorist and VRO safety firmly in mind, FMG has also invested heavily in the development of an app for Traffic Officers, to further reduce risk at the scene of incidents. The app helps TO’s to ensure the most appropriate VROs, vehicles and equipment are dispatched to an incident, by enabling them to submit additional incident details and images of the scene of the incident and raise any health and safety concerns at the scene. Once the VRO is en-route, the TO can track their location and Estimated Time of Arrival.

Forward planning to prevent incidents

As well as minimising delay following incidents, we also minimise traffic disruption and congestion caused by extreme weather by proactively planning and gathering intelligence. Every Autumn and Winter, we prepare VRO’s to be on standby in key areas when severe winter weather arrives, like positioning recovery vehicles at the bottom of steep hills where HGV’s are known to lose traction in ice and snow, or on exposed roads where LGV’s blow over, so immediate help is available when it’s needed.
Similarly, we provide fully managed recovery schemes during major national events such as music festivals and sporting events, state and papal visits and global events such as her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, COP26, UEFA Euro 2020, the British Grand Prix and during peak summer holiday periods. Traffic congestion increases the risk of incidents which can quickly escalate, yet placing recovery vehicles at strategic points enables a fast and efficient response in the event of an incident.