Heisterkamp Team: Breakdown Service

Heisterkamp Transportation Solutions has been widely known in the transport world for 100 years, but what many do not know is that Heisterkamp does a lot more. One of the many departments within Heisterkamp is the Breakdown Service. This week our colleagues at Breakdown Service are explaining who they are, what they are doing and what their experiences are.

"Who are we? We are a team of 7 motivated and customer-oriented people [and 2 substitutes] and we all come from practice. Think of old drivers and old mechanics. We therefore dare to say that we know what we are talking about.

We obviously work for the entire Heisterkamp fleet, think of trucks and trailers, but we also do this for a large number of external customers. Our department has become a well-known phenomenon among our customers for about 25 years. Of course they do not want to call / email us because nobody is waiting for a problem on the road. But if you do, you've come to the right place.

What we do? It is our job to mediate between customers and workshops for stranded vehicles. We ensure that customers can get back on track quick and as cheap as possible [not unimportant in transport]. Everything in consultation with the customer of course.

We have approximately 25,000 workplaces in our database that we work with. This ranges from truck and trailer workshops to tire workshops and cargo material warehouses. We can also arrange for a fine to be paid in many countries. In short, we offer a total package and all without subscription costs. Of course we do not work for free, but we take a small mediation amount for each case. In the end we must ensure that we are profitable within the Heisterkamp Group.

Our experiences? These are different every day. From a blowout or a leaking air line or brake booster to complete repairs of a trailer structure. Not one day is the same.

One of the most interesting things we have ever done is the following: A customer had bought a boat, but it was actually too high to carry on the low-loader [estimation error, can happen to the best]. We then ensured that this was possible after our intervention and the 'thank you’s' of the customer were overwhelming.

Of course it is not all fun what we do and there are also less pleasant things. Consider, for example, that you have been busy to help the customer by looking for a workplace, and that the driver then thinks; yes, but I do not think that is necessary or I do not have time for this [because I want to go home] and then he drives on. But luckily this does not weigh up against the many nice and grateful people and experiences.