The A30 is Cornwall's spine, and it is the road we are called to more than any other. It runs past our base at Pool, near Redruth, so an A30 breakdown anywhere between Penzance and Launceston is work we do every week.
Why the A30 is different
Much of the A30 is fast dual carriageway with short slip roads, few laybys and holiday traffic that swells hugely between May and September. A car that stops in lane one becomes a hazard in seconds, and the stretches around Chiverton Cross, Carland Cross and the single-carriageway sections east of Bodmin are especially exposed. That is why the first job is always your own safety, not the car.
What we need from you on the phone
Tell us your direction of travel, the last junction or roundabout you passed, the vehicle make and model, and whether it rolls. If you have a what3words reference or can see a marker post, read it out. With that we can send the right truck first time, give you an honest arrival estimate and tell you where to wait.
How the recovery works
Our driver arrives with hazard lighting, positions the truck to shield the scene and loads your vehicle onto a flatbed so it is carried, not towed. We then take you and the vehicle to your home, a garage of your choice or our yard. There is no membership to join — you get a clear price before we set off, and we work 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
What to do right now
- Get the car as far left as possible — hard shoulder or layby if you can reach one
- Put hazards on immediately and switch headlights on if visibility is poor
- Exit on the passenger side away from live traffic and stand behind the barrier
- Call us with your direction of travel (eastbound/westbound) and last junction passed
- If on a live lane and unable to move, dial 999 first, then us — Highways need to coordinate
What not to do
- Don't attempt to change a wheel on the hard shoulder of the A30 — it's not safe
- Don't stand in front of or behind your vehicle, even off the carriageway
- Don't try to push the car onto a slip road — let recovery handle it
- Don't leave passengers or pets in the vehicle if you're stationary in a live lane
What affects the cost
- Time of day (overnight call-outs cost more)
- Distance from our Redruth base to your A30 location
- Whether traffic management is needed (live lane vs hard shoulder)
- Onward transport distance to garage or home
Equipment we bring
- Flatbed recovery truck rated to 7.5t
- Hi-vis traffic management cones and signs
- Winch for non-rolling vehicles
- Comms link with National Highways for live-lane jobs
Questions drivers ask
How long will recovery take if I've broken down on the A30 near Cornwall?
From our Redruth base, our typical response time to the A30 between Carland Cross and Hayle covers Cornwall inside the standard Cornwall response window. If you're in a live lane and Highways need to coordinate, that adds time but takes priority over a hard-shoulder job.
Should I call the police or recovery first?
If you're in a live lane or any unsafe position, dial 999 first — Highways England will coordinate lane closures. If you're safely on the hard shoulder or in a layby, call us directly and we'll handle dispatch.
Can you recover from the A30 hard shoulder at night?
Yes — we're a 24/7 service and the A30 doesn't sleep. Night call-outs cost slightly more but response is often faster because traffic is lighter.
Will you take my car to a garage in Cornwall or back to my home?
Both — tell our driver where you want it delivered when we arrive. We routinely take A30 breakdowns to garages in Cornwall, Truro, Camborne, or all the way back to a customer's home anywhere in Cornwall.
An A30 breakdown near Cornwall needs a Cornwall-based recovery operator who knows the carriageway, the junctions, and how Highways coordinates live-lane closures. Broadside Recovery dispatches from Redruth, handles hard-shoulder and layby pickups directly, and works with National Highways on live-lane jobs.