How a breakdown call works, start to finish
What happens from the moment a driver calls Fix My Truck until the vehicle is back on the road and the job is invoiced.
Updated
Every breakdown we handle follows the same path. Knowing it helps you and your drivers give us what we need, and tells you what to expect at each stage.
1. The call
A driver, a depot or a fleet manager calls our 24/7 line: 1800 349 698 in Australia or 0800 001 040 in New Zealand. Account holders can also request help in the customer portal; the request arrives on the same dispatch desk as a phone call.
Our operator logs the job while you are on the line. The registration comes first: it tells us which account and fleet the vehicle belongs to, and shows any job already open on that truck or trailer so the same breakdown is not logged twice.
2. Checking the details
Before anyone is sent, we confirm:
- where the vehicle is, as precisely as you can tell us (road, direction of travel, nearest exit, town or landmark);
- the vehicle: registration, truck or trailer, make and model;
- what has happened, in your own words;
- a callback number, if the person calling is not the driver;
- whether everyone is safe and whether the vehicle is in a dangerous spot.
Urgent jobs, such as a vehicle stopped in a traffic lane, are marked as urgent and handled first.
3. Finding a supplier
We look for service providers near the breakdown who offer the service the job needs: mechanical, tyres, auto electrical, towing and so on. Suppliers your account prefers are tried first, then the nearest, with better-rated suppliers ahead of others the same distance away.
The supplier gets the job offer by phone, email or SMS and has a set time to answer. If they decline or do not answer in time, we move straight to the next one.
4. The supplier accepts and gives an ETA
When a supplier accepts, they tell us when they expect to arrive. You are told who is coming and the ETA by email or SMS, as your account’s notification settings say, and you can follow it in the customer portal.
If the supplier quotes more than your account’s approval limit, the job waits for your approval before work goes ahead. See Approving supplier costs.
5. On site
The supplier lets us know when they reach the vehicle. Our dispatch board watches every open job: if an ETA passes without an arrival, or a job has been on site for a long time, the team is alerted and follows it up.
6. Back on the road
When the work is done, the supplier records what was done and that the vehicle is back on the road. The driver can sign a proof of completion on the supplier’s phone. You are told the vehicle is moving again.
7. Closing and invoicing
We close the job against your account (or as a casual job). Supplier invoices are checked against the job, and you receive our invoice, with the job’s details, in line with your account’s terms. Members are invoiced within 30 days of the incident. See Invoices, statements and credit notes.
Tip: print our driver card for every cab, so drivers always have the numbers and the checklist with them.