When an HGV breaks down, what the traffic office does next
A practical office-side breakdown procedure for UK haulage: location, recovery, customer updates, driver hours, defects and records.
When one of our HGVs breaks down, the traffic office has two jobs straight away. First, make the scene safe and get a report that is clear enough for the right help to be sent. Second, start protecting the job, the customer promise, the driver’s hours, and the paperwork that follows. If the first call is vague, everything after it is slower, dearer, and more disruptive than it needs to be.
A good HGV breakdown procedure for transport offices is not complicated, but it does need to happen in order. We confirm safety first. We take a usable location, not “somewhere near the M1”. We collect the exact unit, trailer, load and fault details. We find the right help, often through a UK HGV breakdown and recovery directory, and agree who is attending, when, and at what price before dispatch. Then we re-plan the work, update the customer, and record the defect and repair properly so it feeds the maintenance file and the next inspection.
Start with safety and a clear first report
The first questions on the phone are not about the booking reference or whether the customer will complain. They are about whether the driver is safe, whether the vehicle is in a dangerous position, and whether emergency services or National Highways need to be involved.
For UK operations, the office should work on current Highway Code and National Highways guidance. On a motorway or other high speed road, the driver should get as far left as possible, ideally to an emergency area, hard shoulder where present, or a place of relative safety. They should use hazard warning lights. If it is safe to leave the cab, they should get behind a barrier and away from traffic. Occupants should not remain in a live lane vehicle unless there is no safer option. The office should not improvise advice that conflicts with that.
What we need to confirm in the first minute is simple:
- Is everyone safe and out of immediate danger?
- Is the vehicle in a live lane, on the hard shoulder, in an emergency area, on a slip road, in a customer yard, or somewhere else?
- Is there any collision, fire, smoke, fuel leak, load shift, tyre fire risk, or injury?
- Has police, ambulance, fire and rescue, or National Highways already been called?
- Can the driver speak freely, or do they need to move first and call back?
If the vehicle is in a live lane on a motorway or all lane running section, treat that as urgent. The office should tell the driver to call 999 if they have not already done so, especially if the vehicle cannot move to a place of relative safety. If there is diesel on the carriageway, a damaged tank, exposed load, or anything likely to create immediate danger, that also moves beyond a routine breakdown.
Once the immediate risk is understood, take a first report in plain language. Ask the driver what happened, what warning lights they have, whether the engine will restart, whether air pressure is holding, whether the steering and brakes felt normal before stopping, and whether they can see an obvious issue such as a blown tyre, burst air line, coolant loss, or electrical fault. Do not try to diagnose everything on the first call. The aim is to separate danger from inconvenience and to get enough fact to brief the right provider.
Take a location a recovery operator can actually use
A recovery operator cannot do much with “near Leicester” or “just past the services”. The traffic office needs a location that somebody can drive to without another three calls.
In practice, the useful location details are:
- Road number, such as M6, A14, A406
- Direction of travel, such as northbound, clockwise, towards Felixstowe, away from Southampton Docks
- Nearest junction number or named interchange
- Marker post, driver location sign, or motorway emergency area reference if visible
- A map pin from the driver’s phone
- The exact safe access point for the attending vehicle
That last point matters. A recovery truck may not be able to approach from the direction the driver assumes. On some sites, ports, container terminals, industrial estates, and RDCs, the practical entry gate is not the nearest one on the map. On motorways, the operator may need the carriageway and direction to avoid a long diversion or an unsafe stop.
The office should ask the driver to send a map pin if they can do so safely. A screenshot with the blue dot is better than nothing, but a live pin or dropped pin is better. If the driver has crossed into a customer site or service area, ask for the name of the site, bay, gate number, or lane.
Good prompts are:
- What road are you on?
- Which way were you travelling?
- What was the last junction you passed, or the next one ahead?
- Can you see a marker post, bridge number, emergency area sign, or services sign?
- Can you send a pin now?
- Where should recovery enter safely?
For container work, be even more exact. A breakdown on approach to a port, rail terminal, or quay can affect booking slots, VBS times, and container turnaround. “At the port” is not enough. Is the vehicle outside the gate, in the holding area, in the wrong queue, on terminal roads, or already inside? That changes both access and re-planning. Our container transport planning and control tools are built around that reality, because a missed slot quickly becomes a bigger operational problem than the original defect.
Capture the vehicle, trailer, load and fault details
Once safety and location are covered, the office needs the details that determine what kind of help can actually solve the problem.
Start with the unit:
- Fleet number
- Registration
- Make and model if the provider does not already know it
- Whether it is solo or coupled
- Whether it can still move under its own power
- Any dashboard warnings or fault codes the driver can read out
Then the trailer:
- Trailer fleet number and registration
- Trailer type, curtainsider, box, skeletal, tipper, tanker, fridge, low loader
- Number of axles
- Whether the issue is on the trailer, the unit, or unclear
- Brake, suspension, tyre, lighting, or coupling symptoms
Then the load:
- Loaded or empty
- General haulage, palletised freight, ADR, temperature controlled, machinery, container
- Approximate weight if known
- Any security, seal, or access restrictions
- Whether transhipment might be needed if the vehicle cannot be repaired quickly
For containers, add:
- Container number
- Size and type, such as 20ft, 40ft, reefer, tank, high cube
- Shipping line or booking reference if relevant to the movement
- Whether the box is import, export, empty repositioning, or quay collection
- Any terminal deadline that will be missed
Then take the symptoms in a way that helps a workshop controller or recovery desk decide the response. Useful examples:
- Engine cut out and will not restart
- Loss of air pressure, warning buzzer active
- AdBlue warning and derate
- Clutch failure or no drive
- Gearbox fault, stuck in gear or no selection
- Puncture or blowout, unit or trailer, which axle and side
- Wheel bearing heat or smoke
- Coolant loss or overheating
- Electrical failure, no lights, no lift axle, no EBS feed
- Trailer brakes binding
- Landing leg damage
- Twist lock or trailer structural issue on skeletal work
This is where poor notes cost time. If we tell a provider “truck broken down on A14”, we may get a van mechanic who cannot deal with a loaded trailer brake issue, or a recovery truck without the right capacity, tyre support, or site access clearance.
Choose the right help and agree it before dispatch
The next decision is what kind of assistance is needed. There are three broad options, and the office should choose based on the symptoms and the provider’s real capability, not just who appears closest on a map.
Roadside repair suits faults that can reasonably be fixed where the vehicle stands, such as a battery issue, minor electrical fault, air line problem, some sensor faults, and some tyre work where the location is safe and the operator is equipped for it.
A mobile mechanic suits faults that need more diagnostic ability or parts than a basic patrol carries, but where the vehicle is still likely to be made roadworthy without towing. This can include electrical diagnosis, brake issues, starter motor problems, and some trailer defects. The key question is whether the mechanic genuinely covers that area and that vehicle type.
Heavy recovery is the right call where the vehicle is immobilised, in a dangerous position, has suffered drivetrain failure, steering or brake defects, wheel end issues, fire damage, collision damage, a serious trailer fault, or cannot safely be repaired at the roadside. It is also the right answer where access, traffic management, or police instruction means recovery is required.
Before anyone is dispatched, agree four things:
- Capability
- Coverage
- ETA
- Price basis
Capability means they can actually handle the job described. Can they attend a loaded artic? Can they recover unit and trailer together if needed? Can they manage a loaded skeletal with a container on? Can they work inside the site or port in question? If ADR is involved, can they support that movement lawfully and safely?
Coverage means they genuinely serve that road, site, or region at that hour. Plenty of firms take the call and then start ringing around. That may still solve the problem, but the office needs to know if the quoted ETA is from the actual attending operator or just from the first person answering the phone.
ETA matters because it drives every later decision. “We’ll get someone out” is not enough. Ask for an estimated attendance time and whether that is confirmed or best endeavours.
Price should be agreed before dispatch as far as possible. That does not mean every job can be quoted to the penny. It does mean we should know the call-out basis, hourly rate if applicable, mileage basis if applicable, whether there is a surcharge for out of hours, and whether there are likely extras for second vehicle attendance, trailer recovery, load transfer, waiting time, or specialist equipment. If a customer later disputes a delay, at least we have made a deliberate commercial decision instead of discovering the cost after the fact.
If we use a regular workshop or recovery partner, keep their capabilities recorded in the TMS or office contacts, not in one person’s memory. Our transport management workflow for daily operations helps keep operational notes where the job actually lives, which matters at six in the morning when the usual planner is off.
Re-plan the job, update the customer and check hours
Once help is on the way, the breakdown becomes a planning problem.
First, decide whether the original delivery or collection is still achievable. If not, what is the least damaging alternative? Options usually include:
- Wait for repair and continue
- Swap the load to another unit
- Send another trailer if practical
- Re-book the delivery slot
- Re-assign the collection
- Use a subcontractor if the service commitment matters more than the margin on that leg
For container work, check the booking windows, quay or rail slot, and any container turnaround commitments straight away. A missed return can create demurrage or other avoidable costs, and a delayed collection can waste the next leg as well. The office should also look at the backload. A breakdown on the outbound leg often kills tomorrow’s margin, not just today’s delivery.
Then update the customer early, with facts rather than excuses. Good customer communication is brief and specific:
- Vehicle has broken down
- Location and current status
- Assistance arranged
- Current best ETA or revised plan
- Whether the load remains secure and on temperature if relevant
- When we will update again
If the customer has a booking system, gate slot, or warehouse contact, update that too. The point is to stop the consignee or shipper discovering the failure from an empty bay.
At the same time, check the driver’s available hours. A roadside delay can turn a legal day into an illegal one very quickly. The office should look at:
- Driving time remaining
- Duty time remaining
- Break requirement
- Daily rest implications
- Whether the repaired vehicle can still complete the job lawfully
- Whether a swap or rescue driver is needed
This is one area where UK operators need to be clear about the applicable rules. Depending on the work, the driver may be under GB domestic rules or EU drivers’ hours rules, but most long distance HGV haulage will be under EU rules as retained in UK law. The office should not assume a delay creates an exemption. It usually does not. The practical question is whether the job can still be completed legally after the interruption.
When the job does complete, the admin should not drift for days. A breakdown often causes missing POD, uncertain waiting time, and invoice delay. We built our system to reduce that gap between the wheels stopping and the invoice going out, including proof of delivery and faster invoicing workflows, because this is exactly where paper notes and WhatsApp messages start losing money.
Record the defect, the repair and what the TMS should keep
A breakdown is not finished when the vehicle moves again. The defect, diagnosis, repair, and any follow-up action must be recorded properly for maintenance, compliance, and future planning.
For the maintenance file, keep:
- Date and time of breakdown
- Driver name
- Unit and trailer details
- Exact location
- Reported symptoms
- Who attended
- Arrival time and completion time
- Diagnosis
- Repair carried out
- Parts fitted if known
- Whether the vehicle was repaired roadside or recovered
- Any instruction for workshop follow-up
- Cost reference and supplier invoice
If the defect affects roadworthiness, make sure the next inspection record picks it up. That may mean bringing forward workshop attention rather than waiting for the normal safety inspection interval. If the issue relates to repeat defects, tyre wear, brake imbalance, air leaks, electrical faults, coupling wear, or trailer running gear, record it in a way that can be found again. This matters for O-licence compliance as much as it matters for uptime. A clean file shows that defects are reported, repaired, and checked, not forgotten because the truck limped home.
The office should also retain the driver’s defect report if one was made, any photographs, any recovery sheet, and any workshop job card. Real document names vary by operator, but the principle does not. If VOR action was taken, the evidence should be easy to produce.
What should the TMS capture automatically so this does not depend on memory at three in the morning?
At minimum:
- Time of first breakdown report
- Driver identity
- Job number and customer linked to the vehicle at that moment
- Vehicle and trailer assignment
- Last known location, plus any pin or location note added
- Call log of who was contacted and when
- Status changes, reported, assistance arranged, repaired, recovered, re-assigned, delivered
- Notes on revised ETA
- Customer updates sent
- Re-assigned vehicle or driver details
- Delay codes or reason for service failure
- Attachments, photos, recovery sheet, workshop invoice, POD or ePOD once delivered
- Financial impact tags, waiting time, aborted run, extra hire, demurrage risk, missed backload
That is the practical value of a TMS in breakdown handling. Not dashboards for their own sake, but one place where the office can see what happened, what was agreed, what changed, and what still needs doing. If a job moves to another vehicle, the record should follow the job. If the customer rings back, anyone in the office should be able to answer without searching phones.
A short checklist to pin to the wall
Use this in the order it happens.
- Confirm safety
- Is the driver safe?
- Is the vehicle in a live lane or other dangerous position?
- Any injury, fire, fuel leak, smoke, or load shift?
- Have 999 or National Highways been called if needed?
- Take the exact location
- Road and direction
- Junction, marker post, bridge number, or emergency area
- Map pin
- Safe access point for attending vehicle
- Take vehicle and load details
- Unit reg and fleet number
- Trailer reg, fleet number, type
- Loaded or empty
- Load type, weight, container number if relevant
- Any special restrictions
- Take fault details
- What happened
- Warning lights or fault codes
- Can it move
- Obvious damage or leak
- Unit, trailer, or both
- Agree assistance before dispatch
- Roadside repair, mobile mechanic, or heavy recovery
- Capability confirmed
- Area coverage confirmed
- ETA confirmed
- Price basis agreed
- Re-plan the work
- Delivery or collection still possible?
- Swap vehicle?
- Re-book slot?
- Use a subcontractor?
- Protect container turnaround and backload
- Update the customer
- Current status
- Revised ETA or plan
- Next update time
- Check hours
- Driving time
- Duty time
- Breaks
- Rest requirement
- Can the job still be done legally?
- Record everything
- Defect
- Repair or recovery
- Costs
- Documents
- Follow-up inspection action
A breakdown will never be convenient, but the office side of it should still be controlled. If the first report is clear, the location is usable, the provider is chosen properly, and the knock-on work is handled straight away, we usually turn a bad morning into a contained operational issue instead of a full day of confusion. That is exactly the kind of day to day control we built Logivo to support, from the live job record through to POD, ePOD, and the invoice that should not still be waiting next week.
What is the first thing the traffic office should ask?
Whether the driver is safe, clear of live traffic where possible, and following current Highway Code and National Highways breakdown guidance. Everything else comes after that.
Why is a map pin on its own not enough?
A pin can still leave recovery guessing. They usually need the road, direction of travel, nearest junction or marker post, and where they can approach and stop safely.
How do you choose between a mobile mechanic and heavy recovery?
Match the response to the fault, vehicle position and load. A simple defect may suit roadside repair; an unsafe location, major failure or stuck combination may need heavy recovery.
Should the office tell the customer before recovery is booked?
Usually confirm the situation quickly, but avoid promising times until capability and ETA are agreed. A short honest update is better than a guessed delivery time.
What should be written into the maintenance record?
The reported defect, time and place, who attended, what repair was carried out, whether the vehicle moved under its own power, and any follow-up needed at the next inspection.
What should a TMS capture during a breakdown?
Job, vehicle, trailer, driver, load, timestamps, location, notes, customer updates and the final outcome, so the office is not relying on memory or a lost scrap of paper.