A service van is a vehicle equipped with tools capable of providing roadside repairs to vehicles stranded at the roadside. Service ranges from Car, through to commercial vehicles. This type of vehicle is not capable of carrying out recovery if a repair is not possible.

Tools often carried on a service van are: -

General Hand Tools, Battery Booster, Jack, Compressor (Tyre Inflation), Spare Parts (Batteries, Belts, Cables).

A small van-type vehicle (3500 kgs) with or without a crew cab fitted with a specialist body and lifting equipment. The recovery equipment used to lift a casualty vehicle is similarly shaped to a pair of spectacles, hence the name. The vehicle is used mainly for roadside assistance work (carrying tools in lockers to the sides) with the capacity to tow a short distances (10-20 miles) when a repair cannot to carried out.

The beavertail name applied to this kind of truck is appropriate because it describes the visual effect given by the drop-off end and twin ramps typically found at the end of the trailer. The ramps allow for equipment of all kinds to be loaded on to the rear without any additional kit getting involved, which is why this type of truck will also feature an integrated hydraulic winch to make this easier.

A small van-type vehicle (3500 kgs) fitted with or without a crew cab for carrying passengers, with a specialist body for loading and transporting cars and small vans. The body (deck) hydraulically slides off the back of the vehicle and touches the ground making a ramp. The casualty vehicle is then either driven or winched onto the deck and secured with ratchet straps. The deck is then pulled back onto the truck with the car, ready to be transported to a workshop or customer destination.

A Medium sized van-type vehicle (7500 kgs) with or without a crew cab fitted with a specialist body and lifting equipment. The recovery equipment used to lift a casualty vehicle is similarly shaped to a pair of spectacles, hence the name. The vehicle is used mainly for roadside assistance work (carrying tools in lockers to the sides) with the capacity to tow a short distances (10-20 miles) when a repair cannot to carried out. These slightly bigger spec lifts are used mainly for recovery of vans and light commercial vehicles.

The street lifter is a flat-bed truck fitted with a lorry mounted crane used for moving a vehicle without the drivers permission or where the vehicles keys are not available.

The street lifter was popular with local authorities for controlling ilegally parked vehicles and clearing highways of abandoned vehicles.

A medium-sized truck vehicle (7500 kgs) fitted with or without a crew cab for carrying passengers, with a specialist body for loading and transporting cars and small vans. The body (deck) hydraulically slides off the back of the vehicle and touches the ground making a ramp. The casualty vehicle is then either driven or winched onto the deck and secured with ratchet straps. The deck is then pulled back onto the truck with the car, ready to be transported to a workshop or customer destination.

A tow truck (also called a wrecker, a breakdown truck, recovery vehicle or a breakdown lorry) is a truck used to move disabled, improperly parked, impounded, or otherwise indisposed motor vehicles. This may involve recovering a vehicle damaged in an accident, returning one to a drivable surface in a mishap or inclement weather, or towing or transporting one via flatbed to a repair shop or other location. Medium sized underlifts tend to recover up to a maximum weight of 10,000 Kgs.

A tow truck is distinct from a motor carrier that moves multiple new or used vehicles simultaneously in routine transport operations.

A low loader is a specialist recovery vehicle which comprises a tractor unit towing a swan neck trailer. There are several versions available in the recovery world, some are tilt and slide other just use ramps to provide a low angle platform to load a vehicle such as a coach or bus or tipper.

They are used when a standard wrecker cannot perform the task due to weight, or low body features.

Rotator Boom: use an adjustable boom with a winch to recover vehicles from a ditch, over an embankment, or any place the vehicle cannot be safely reach backing-up.

Some booms are fixed, some heavy pivoting A-frames, others hydraulic-powered telescoping tubes. The heaviest types of boom can rotate, effectively turning the tow truck into a sort of mobile crane, called a "rotator", and are usually reserved for heavy vehicle accidents

Commercial service vans are usually fully equipped with tools and accessories to assist with the repair of commercial vehicles broken down at the roadside. Generally operated by a fully qualified mechanic with experience in identifying and repairing electrical or mechanical faults.

A good service van should be kitted out with all the necessary equipment capable of dealing with most roadside repairs, such as:-

• flat batteries, puncture/wheel changes, electrical faults, fan belts.

They should carry a toolkit (hand tools). Jack and wheel brace, common spares such as Suzie lines, electrical connectors, fan belts and a stock of fuel, oils, and coolants should also be carried.

The better equipped the service vehicle is, the more it can do at the roadside. A compressor for charging air systems, battery boosters, and even electric welding equipment can be available on a well kitted out vehicle.

A heavy truck (12-26000 kgs) fitted with or without a crew cab for carrying passengers, with a specialist body for loading and transporting cars, vans and small trucks. The body (deck) hydraulically slides of the back of the vehicle and touches the ground making a ramp. The casualty vehicle is then either driven or winched onto the deck and secured with ratchet straps. The deck is then pulled back onto the truck with the casualty vehicle, ready to be transported to a workshop or customer destination.

A tow truck (also called a wrecker, a breakdown truck, recovery vehicle or a breakdown lorry) is a truck used to move disabled, improperly parked, impounded, or otherwise indisposed motor vehicles. This may involve recovering a vehicle damaged in an accident, returning one to a drivable surface in a mishap or inclement weather, or towing or transporting one via flatbed to a repair shop or other location.

A tow truck is distinct from a motor carrier that moves multiple new or used vehicles simultaneously in routine transport operations.