Towies concerned over transport operator rights

If having your HPMV breakdown on the road isn’t a big enough headache, summoning the wrong equipment to rescue you, or worse, having the wrong salvage equipment summoned for you can make it a whole lot worse. That’s the sentiment expressed by Cox Heavy Salvage managing director Greg Cox.

“The breakdown is the workplace of the vehicle owner, and as such, they control who tows the stricken vehicle or vehicle combination. That’s critically important to know in respect to the salvage of HPMV vehicles.”

There’s no doubting what HPMV vehicles brought to the table in terms of productivity, but at the time of their genesis, little consideration was given to what happens when things go wrong and they need rescuing.

After years of intense lobbying by a group of concerned tow and salvage operators, that issue has finally been resolved.

“If you have a stricken vehicle, you must get a compliant HPMV combination salvage operator to retrieve it,” says

Cox. “Not doing so risks all manner of comeback in terms of potential gear failure, compliance issues, and health and safety. As the owner of the vehicle to be towed, you – not the police or the roading authority – determine who retrieves the vehicle or combination. If they do it without your approval, it’s all on them.”

Cox says the country has full coverage of compliant operators able to tow an HPMV combination to a depot or repair facility, nominated by the owner of the breakdown, up to a maximum distance of 250km radius from the breakdown location.

“Yes, there is full coverage. Currently it’s Ace Towing & Heavy Salvage in Auckland covering Waikato and Northland; Rowe Motors in Tauranga and Rotorua; Taupo Towing for the Bay Plenty, far east and Taupo region; Cox Heavy Salvage in Palmerston North and Wellington for Taranaki, National Park, Manawatu, Wairarapa, and the lower North Island; Nelson Tow & Salvage covering Tasman, Marlborough and Buller; Parks Towing in Christchurch, covering Canterbury; and Reilly’s Heavy Salvage in Dunedin for

Otago and Southland. For the West Coast it’s a matter of who is closest and able from the South Island three.”

Greg Cox is one of the operators concerned that transport operators understand their rights and ensure they remain compliant when HPMV combinations are towed from the scene of a breakdown.