Statewide Towing: any time, anywhere

It's one of life's drags, but breakdowns are common occurrences that happen on a daily basis and it is something that we all dread, which unfortunately very few avoid happening at one time or another.

A Landoll trailer winching a crashed truck. Inset: when loaded

There are many rescue services out there that try to ease the pain of being stuck on the side of the road at all hours of the night and one of the leading companies in this field is Statewide Towing.
Based in Rush, North Co Dublin, the business was established by Mark Hoare and his wife & Business Partner, Nikki in 1997 as a sister company to the long running service station at the same location.


"Hoare's Service Station was established by my grandfather Simon back in 1938, then my father Des took over and 15 years ago, we began running the business. "The business has evolved a lot over the years, but basically we now operate a Fuel Station, along with vehicle servicing and repair and a tyre service," said Mark.
"Twelve years ago, we decided to set up the towing service, this has grown into a major concern and we now operate a fleet of 10 State-of-the-Art recovery vehicles."

The latest addition to the fleet, a Ford F450

The vehicles range from 3.5 tonnes to 44 tonnes and include a truck mounted crane that can lift up to 50 tonnes, meaning that no job is too big or too small for Statewide Towing. In addition to the Heavy Recovery fleet, there is also a ‘Dyson Landoll Travelling Axle’ trailer. One of the key features of this unit is the super low angle of loading (6 degrees), which means that vehicles with low ground clearance e.g. Coaches/ Buses, can be loaded and recovered without damaging the underside of the vehicle.

Mark revealed that over the years, the excellent service provided, and the ability to meet all towing requirements, has enabled us to secure further business, with some of the biggest organisations in the country opting to use the Rush based recovery service.
"We now have contracts with the likes of Pullman Fleet Services (Tescos), Iveco Ireland, Dublin Port Tunnel, An Garda Siochana and Bus Eireann to name just a few of the larger clients, but we also cater for smaller firms and value them the same as everyone else.

A family connection. Three generations of the Hoares. From l/r: Des Hoare (MarkÕs Dad), Simon (MarkÕs son), Mark

"In this current climate, we understand the need for reliability and offering a service at competitive rates and to this end, we feel that we are making strides."
Health and Safety is a major issue with regards to the recovery of vehicles and Mark admitted that they are many stringent tests to be passed before they can operate.
Under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), it is a requirement that all recovery service operators have a thorough examination at least annually, carried out by a competent person.

Recovery services also have to be certified every six months and this is carried out by a representative of Reis, while Mark and his team have acquired the PAS43 cert, which is 90% of the way to the renowned ISO9002 cert

"Compliancy checks are carried out on a regular basis and this is done on the trucks and the drivers. Each truck has to have the proper equipment in conjunction with the IVR training. All the winches, ropes and ancillary equipment have to be continuously checked also."

Statewide Recovery work closely with the Fire Brigade

Maintenance is of the utmost importance in this industry and Mark added that they carry out all their own servicing work on all the trucks, which cuts down on any potential breakdowns on their own vehicles.
"Everything has to be up to the proper standard and it is regulated bi-annually.
Health and Safety is critical in this area as you would expect."
Statewide Towing operate a 24hr service so that their customers can feel at ease as regardless of where and when they breakdown, Mark or a member of staff will be out to the vehicle as soon as possible.

"There is cover for Heavy & Light breakdowns, seven days a week, 24 hrs a day, so whenever someone has the misfortune of breaking down, we will be able to assist.
"We also have a secure compound back at the service station. Vehicles can be towed back here for onward continuation the following day, should the customer require this, or in the event that their vehicle servicing dealer is closed," added Mark.
With regards to the make of trucks in their possession, Mark stated that some were brought in from America, while the others had come from the U.K. The majority of which are brand new or only a year or two old.

A 50-tonne crane in operation

Mark and Nikki have worked hard to ensure service excellence and the safe future of the business. Longevity is a word not used too much in business these days, but it certainly applies to the Hoare family and their mission statement sums up best what the aim to achieve.
"We continuously strive to provide, and improve upon, delivering an excellent service to the customer. We recognise the importance of onward journey management and provide advice and assistance in this. Thus minimizing the interruption to your business, your vehicle 'off road' time and ultimately to the end user - the customer."
www.statewidetowing.com