The event, which featured several members of the sector organisation, covered every item on the roadside assistance agenda.
“Present and future, new challenges” is the title of the event that the National Roadside Assistance Alliance, the body representing the roadside assistance sector, prepared for Thursday 7 March, as part of the programme of the 5th edition of the International Rescue, Assistance and Emergencies Fair (Fireca). Fireca was held from 6 to 8 March at the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de Sevilla (FIBES). The Roadside Assistance Network (REAC) is a member of the Organising Committee.
Xavier Martí, together with Raquel Rodríguez, Filemón Galarza and Emilio Domínguez, the Alliance's spokesperson and coordinators respectively, were the speakers at the event. As well as covering the actions carried out by the Alliance in 2023, they addressed all the topics of interest, and the challenges for the current year, that affect companies in the sector. The speakers naturally emphasised the open dialogue with the various insurers, assistance platforms and motoring clubs.
Other hot topics that came up were:
- Changes in the rate structure.
- Distinguishing risks and the handling of electric vehicles.
- Negative concepts such as rebates, penalties for delays and other clauses that harm roadside assistance companies.
- The low level of digitalisation of Spanish assistance platforms and inefficiency in the roadside assistance chain.
- The gap in service conditions suffered by Spanish companies compared with their European counterparts.
Another of the points addressed was precisely the concept of “availability” of companies in the sector which, according to the Alliance, forms part of the rate structure that exists in the European Union (EU). This service remunerates companies' availability for collections from vehicle bases or compounds for transfers (mainly to workshops) of vehicles deposited after an accident.
From confrontation to dialogue
The founding of the Alliance has changed the traditional scenario of confrontation maintained by tow-truck operators' associations, moving instead to encourage dialogue with the other players in the sector. It is important to point out that the actions initiated will be continued and followed up in 2024. The Alliance's spokesperson, Xavier Martí, who opened this session at Fireca, stated that, aware of the organisation's leadership, he trusts this event will help to “structure the roadmaps of all the bodies representing roadside assistance”.
The Alliance was created in 2022, and since then roadside assistance business owners have seen their rates (practically frozen between 2005 and 2021) increase by a weighted average of 7.8%. The organisation has also advocated indexing rates to fuel costs, which have been rising in recent years.
Likewise, the organisation has set up a permanent observatory with initiatives such as the quarterly survey rating insurers, assistance platforms and motoring clubs. Various campaigns (aimed at the public) have been launched concerning the urgency and availability of roadside assistance tow trucks, and their importance for road safety.