Taking the pain out of breakdowns

McDonald Recovery vehicles have become a familiar sight in Mayo and surrounding counties over the past few decades. The Ballinrobe based company's managing director Billy McDonald explains more.

McDonald Recovery is a family run business that has been operational for the past three decades that begun with just a transit van and winch, but as the business grew so too did the fleet which now consists of trucks, a van, jeep and motorbikes. Each recovery vehicle is manned 24 hours a day, seven days by a week highly-trained and skilled personnel.
Due to the efficiency, professionalism, convenience and affordability of its stellar services, McDonald Recovery boasts a burgeoning portfolio of prestigious clients.
“The business was founded in 1981," revealed Billy. "Over the years, we have built up a successful business. We have contracts with blue-chip companies such as the I.M.A and M.I.S. We also have contracts with the Gardai. We would also have a good bit of private work to carry out and this could range from crashes right down to someone just running out of petrol. You would come across a wide range of problems on the road.
“The work we do with the Gardai can vary from picking up abandoned vehicles to store vehicles in sheds that we have. We have the capacity to store up to 200 cars at the yard here in Ballinrobe and it is a secure location that is safely guarded to give the customer peace on mind. There is an indoor area available for vehicle inspection purposes and the premises are secured by 24hr CCTV and alarm system.”
Billy has seen many changes in the recovery industry over the years with new legislations being introduced on a regular basis. But despite the extra paperwork involved, he feels the changes have been for the better.
“Certainly, the introduction of more stringent laws has helped remove the 'cowboy' from this industry and anyone trying to get into the business has to have the proper certificates in place. Before this, a lot of operators were not properly covered with the right insurance, but that can't happen now.”
McDonald Recovery prides itself on providing a reliable and efficient service, which it has been doing for 30 years now. Through their expert knowledge, they can take the hassle out of any breakdown and ensure the process is stress free as possible.
“Our customers know that when they come to us they receive an experienced and professional service. We can be relied upon to do the job properly. If there's a breakdown or a road traffic accident, we endeavor get to the scene as quickly as possible. We've noticed a big increase in business over the past seven or eight years. In that time, we've spread our wings to the extent that we now have a fleet of recovery vehicles. Whether it's light or heavy recovery, on road or off road it's no problem to us. We usually hire someone else in to do the heavy work, so this means we provide a wide range of services."
McDonald's have the equipment and machinery to carry out any job and no vehicle is too big or small and do what it says on the tin as they are a specialised vehicle recovery service. Offering a 24hr service means that customers can rest assured that in the unfortunate situation of being broken down anywhere in the country, McDonald's will be there to assist as swiftly as possible.
"It is necessary to do this in order to ensure that we keep providing a high quality of service to our customers. If they are not happy they will go elsewhere, so it is up to us to make sure that they are pleased with the service that we provide to them.”
Health and Safety is a major issue within the recovery industry and Billy admits that maintaining the vehicles is given the utmost priority and all are checked on a regular basis. “Maintenance is a major part of this business, the recovery vehicles have to be kept in the best of condition and we ensure that is the case. Safety checks are carried out on a weekly basis.”
Over the years, a great deal of money has been invested in the business to make sure that the best service possible is offered. As for the future, Billy plans to consolidate the operation by continuing to provide a first-class service that clients can depend on. With a superb fleet of specialist equipment at his disposal, a thorough knowledge of this sector and a proven track record in breakdowns and recovery, McDonald Recovery is ideally situated to consolidate and thrive.
“We know what we're about and we'll continue to provide the service we're renowned for,” he concludes. “I suppose these are challenging times for everybody in Ireland so we'll try to keep the ship afloat and run the business as well as we possibly can.”
Like all businesses, McDonald's are planning to continue with the level of success that they have already achieved and despite the downturn in the economy, they intend to maintain and increase their large customer base.
Billy concluded: We've come a long way over the past few years and hopefully we'll continue to do well and keep our customers happy.”