Once a recovery is booked, the useful work you can still do takes about five minutes. None of it is complicated. All of it stops the job stretching into an hour at the side of a Reading road.
Have the keys in your hand, not in a bag under the seat. If the car has a locking wheel nut, find the key for it now. It is usually in the glovebox, under the boot floor or with the spare. A missing locking nut turns a ten-minute wheel change into a recovery, which is a more expensive afternoon than anyone wanted.
Clear the passenger footwell and take any loose valuables with you. We do not go through your car, but we do need to sit in it to release a handbrake or put it in neutral. A child seat that cannot be moved is fine. A laptop on the passenger seat is not.
Decide the destination before we arrive if you can. “The garage on Basingstoke Road” or “my driveway in Tilehurst” is enough. If you do not have a garage yet, say so. We can hold the vehicle at the yard rather than driving it in circles while you look one up.
On a motorway, wait behind the barrier. On a quieter road, stay in the car with the seatbelt on unless it is obviously unsafe. Keep children and pets with you. When the truck pulls up, a wave is more useful than a phone call. We have your number. We can see the hazards.