What is a vehicle breakdown procedure?
A vehicle breakdown procedure tells drivers and dispatch what to do when a vehicle stops on the road: how to keep people safe, who to call, who decides between a roadside repair and a tow, who can approve the cost, and what to check before the vehicle works again. Without one, each breakdown is handled differently, tows are booked at any price and refrigerated loads are lost while people wait.
This template is a Word SOP with ten numbered sections, fillable tables, checkboxes, a sign-off block and a wallet card. Every company value, from the triangle distance to the cost limits, is a blank you set once.
How should a driver secure the scene after a breakdown?
- Stop as far from traffic as possible: hard shoulder, lay-by or parking area, away from bends, bridges and tunnels if the vehicle can still move.
- Hazard lights on, parking brake on, wheels turned away from the traffic lane.
- High-visibility vest on before leaving the cab, and out by the door away from traffic.
- Warning triangle behind the vehicle at the company distance, further on bends, slopes and at night.
- Passengers behind the barrier, away from the traffic side, with shade and water in hot weather.
Warning triangle distances differ by country and road type, so the procedure leaves the urban and highway distances blank for you to set from your local traffic rules.
Who should the driver call first?
Emergency services first if anyone is injured or there is fire, smoke, a fuel leak or a dangerous goods release. Otherwise dispatch, which logs the call and contacts roadside assistance or an approved towing provider. The driver gives the plate, the exact location, what happened, whether the place is safe, the cargo and the number of passengers.
The emergency numbers table lists the UAE numbers published on the UAE Government portal u.ae as of October 2026 (police 999, ambulance 998, civil defense 997); verify them before you issue the procedure. The other rows, including Saudi Arabia, are left blank for you to fill in from an official source for each region, with the date checked.
Repair on site or tow: how do you decide?
| # | Question | If yes | If no |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Injury, fire, smoke, fuel leak or dangerous goods release? | Emergency services, no repair | Go to 2 |
| 2 | Is the vehicle in a safe place for roadside work? | Go to 3 | Tow or recover |
| 3 | Is it a simple, approved roadside fix? | Go to 4 | Tow |
| 4 | Can a trained, authorized person do it within the company time limit? | Go to 5 | Tow |
| 5 | After the fix, are brakes, steering, tires and lights normal with no red warning light? | Repair on site | Tow, do not drive |
How to set towing approval limits
Get the full price before the tow truck is sent, confirm the towing method in the manufacturer's instructions (many automatic, all-wheel-drive and electric vehicles must go on a flatbed), and tow only to the workshop dispatch names.
Worked example: approving a tow for a refrigerated truck
A refrigerated truck breaks down with a gearbox fault 80 km from the depot. The company limits are 500 for the dispatch supervisor and 2,000 for the fleet manager. The approved provider quotes a call-out fee of 250 plus 6 per km: 250 + 80 × 6 = 730. That is above 500 and below 2,000, so the fleet manager approves it in writing before the truck is sent, and dispatch records the reference number. In parallel, dispatch sends a pre-cooled replacement vehicle because the company limit before transfer is 60 minutes.
How to protect refrigerated cargo during a breakdown
- Record the set point and the actual cargo temperature at the time of the breakdown.
- Keep the refrigeration unit running if it is safe, and keep the doors closed.
- Record the temperature at the interval you set until the load is transferred.
- At transfer, record the time, temperature, seal numbers and receiving driver.
- If the temperature left the allowed range, hold the product and record the excursion.
Return-to-service checks after a breakdown
Before the vehicle works again: job card closed with the cause recorded, no warning lights, brakes and steering tested, tires and wheel nuts checked and re-torqued after the distance you set, fluids and lights checked, the refrigeration unit pulling down to the set point, a short road test, and records updated. The supervisor signs the procedure's sign-off table.
Common mistakes when a vehicle breaks down
- Standing between the vehicle and traffic, or repairing in a live lane.
- Booking the nearest tow truck without a quote or approval.
- Towing an automatic or electric vehicle with its wheels on the road against the manufacturer's instructions.
- Opening refrigerated doors to check the load while waiting.
- Driving off after a roadside fix with a red warning light still on.
- Keeping old phone numbers in the procedure after a towing contract changes.
Limits of this procedure
The procedure is a working template, not legal advice. Traffic rules on warning devices, reporting duties and towing differ by country, and emergency numbers can differ by region and change over time. Check your local rules and your insurance policy, verify every number against an official source before you issue the document, and review it at least once a year.