Recovery step by step
A recovery is a car rescue. It has two parts. First you make the accident site safe. Then you use your truck's tools one stage at a time, like the bed and the winch. Switch on the hazard lights and put out the warning triangle. Park the truck straight in line with the car. Then tilt the bed, hook on, winch the car up and strap it down.
Make the spot safe
When you arrive, Base reminds you: lights and triangle first.
- Hazard lights: press B (Y on the gamepad). You can switch them on while you drive. They stay on until you switch them off.
- Warning triangle: stop near the vehicle and press E (A) to put it out.
- Talk to the driver: stop close and press E (A). Drivers have a lot to say. Some are shaken, some are grumpy and some love to chat.
You only get the safety bonus if you used both the hazard lights and the triangle.
Park in the right spot
Drive past the car. Then reverse up to it, straight in line. A frame on the ground shows where the truck should stand. The Parking gauge shows the distance, the sideways offset and the angle. It grades them Good, OK or Bad. Press E (A) to confirm the spot.
A crooked spot causes trouble. Stand too close and the bed hits the car. Stand at an angle and the car slides sideways. It scrapes the edge of the bed, or slides off the wheel-lift forks. A straight spot with no mistakes earns the clean recovery bonus. If your parking is bad, the game asks you to confirm again before you go on.
The flatbed recovery
After you confirm, the game switches to the work view. It has its own camera. The flatbed is the flat platform on the back of your truck. Follow these steps.
- Tilt the bed: hold Z (D-pad down). The bed tilts and slides out.
- Unroll the cable: hold S (LT). The winch cable runs out to the car.
- Hook on: the hook swings back and forth. Press E (A) when it's in the zone, the marked area.
- Winch in: hold W, or squeeze RT. On a gamepad, how hard you squeeze sets the speed. Watch the Cable pull gauge. When it turns red, ease off a little. If you keep pulling, the cable jerks. In the end it lets go, and you have to hook on again.
- Raise the bed: hold Q (D-pad up). The bed tilts back up.
- Strap the wheels: tap Space (X) fast. If you're too slow, the strap slips.
Then drive to the workshop. Changed your mind? Before the car is lifted, press Esc (B) to stop and pack everything away. Then you can park again.
Other recovery methods
Ditch: pulley
A car in the ditch needs a pulley on a tree before you hook on. It doubles your pulling power.
Wheel lift
The wheel lift works instead of a bed. Lower it. Slide the forks under the wheels. Tighten the wheel clamps. Lift the front end. Then attach the safety chains.
Car on its roof
Pull the cable over the car to the far wheels. Hook onto the wheel mount. Winch gently until the car rolls back onto its wheels. A crooked pull makes it slam down hard. After that, it goes on the bed like a car from the ditch.
Through the ice
Stand on firm ground, far from the hole. Stay at least 9 metres back. Closer than that, and the ice cracks under the truck. Then pull long and careful. The car comes out of the hole and up onto the bed.
Heavy vehicles
Lorries and buses in the ditch need the heavy truck with a boom. A boom is a crane arm. Lower the outriggers, the legs that keep the truck steady. Attach two cables. Winch slowly. Then take the vehicle on the wheel lift. An overturned timber truck is set upright with the rotator. Which truck carries what? Read Tow trucks and the shop.
Mistakes to avoid
- The bed hits the car: you parked too close.
- A jerk on the cable: you winched too hard.
- A car whizzes past very close: park so your truck shields you.
- An outrigger sinks into the soft ground beside the road on heavy jobs.
Bumps into traffic or the wreck cost you part of the safety bonus. Read The workshop, pay and repairs.