When the snowing gets tough! Boosting winter resilience at FMG
Publish date: 08/11/2025
Every year it feels out of place when we interrupt the long hot days of summer to discuss ice, snow and winter planning, but it’s an essential part of our seasonal cycle. Many of the large fleets and utilities companies we partner with have a busy winter season, when vehicle uptime is vitally important, and vehicle off-road must be limited. With nearly 40 winters under our belt and a huge amount of winter accident data to guide us, we know there’s no such thing as starting too early.
The snow must go on
Now as we head into winter, the combination of shorter daylight hours, difficult driving conditions and the risk of extreme weather can create spikes in accident volumes. Yet for essential fleets, when the snow and ice come, the show must go on and this is when we reap the rewards of those summer days spent analysing a wealth of winter incident data. The wheels of industry and the UK’s utilities simply must keep turning and so we’ve made ‘winter at FMG’ as well-oiled as any weather-dependent machine can be.
Snow problem
So how does ‘winter at FMG’ help the fleets we serve? Our team of over 800 colleagues is multi-skilled which means that at times of peak demand, when drivers get caught out by heavy snow and ice, we can boost the support teams in our 24/7 service centre with extra colleagues from across the business.
Some make the most of our hybrid working policy, working so effectively from their own homes that you wouldn’t know the difference. Yet when it comes to managing roadside repairs and recoveries, our teams operate from our secure office-based location and, with them in mind, we have our own team of FMG Snow Heroes. These invincible Heroes are specially trained in off-road driving, ready to collect FMG colleagues struggling to get in to work, to ensure they’re available at the end of the phone 24/7 to provide all the support your drivers need.
Every vehicle type covered
When a driver is stranded at the roadside, whatever the weather, time is of the essence and our support team will stay in touch to monitor their wellbeing and keep them updated on the recovery truck’s arrival time. We’re proud to work in close and long-standing partnerships with the UK’s highest quality vehicle recovery operators who understand and commit to the promises we make to our customers. We have every vehicle type covered, and every complex incident type too, from rural breakdowns to major motorway closures, John O’Groats to Lands’ End.
Recovery trucks in accident blackspots
Driver safety is paramount all year round, but winter poses extra challenges and so we’ve worked closely with our repairers and recovery agent partners to protect the safety of drivers, whatever vehicle they’re driving. We’ve identified regional blackspots when icy conditions hit, and so we’ll proactively position recovery vehicles nearby, to ensure an instant rapid response for any drivers in distress. This also prevents long delays for other road users.
Solving parts delays
We’re also heading into winter 2025/26 with more repairers on our independent network, some new mobile repair and rapid repair options, and some innovative solutions to prevent parts delays from affecting VOR times. Wherever our customers approve, we supply safely salvaged and reusable green parts as an option to overcome industry-wide parts delays, using the highest quality Grade A recycled parts or non-OEM parts. In some cases, where parts delays have stubbornly persisted, the sourcing of green parts has prevented vehicles from being deemed beyond economic repair, allowing a timely repair so the vehicle is back on the road quickly.
We’re ready
Over the next three months, we’ll manage tens of thousands of incidents, and we’re ready. Behind the scenes we’ll constantly monitor, assess and control those areas within our power, to ensure we deliver the smoothest experience for fleet managers and drivers, whatever challenges the weather creates.
Jim Dawson, Roadside Repair & Recovery Management Director, FMG