Treat The Yard Like Part Of The Vehicle
Yard access before recovery can decide whether a scrap car collection is simple or slow. The car may be worth the same either way, but the job changes when it sits behind a locked gate, beside stacked materials, on loose gravel or at the back of a busy working space.
Before booking, look at the yard from the entrance. Ask whether a recovery truck can get in, stop near the vehicle, load, and leave without needing half the yard rearranged. If the answer is no, that does not always mean collection is difficult, but it does mean the driver needs better notes.
Those yard notes belong with the quote request, not as a late update.
Check Gates And Locks First
Gate details are easy to forget until the driver is waiting outside. Measure or estimate the width if it is tight. Say whether the gate opens fully, swings inward, catches on the ground or needs a particular person to unlock it. If there is a chain, code, padlock or shared key, make sure someone on site can handle it.
Also think about the truck's line after the gate. A wide opening is less useful if a wall, trailer or parked van sits immediately inside it. Tell the collector whether the truck can enter straight or whether the car needs moving towards the gate first.
Clear The Loading Route
Yards collect things. Bins, pallets, parts, timber, trailers, machinery, old tyres and other cars can slowly narrow the route without anyone noticing. Before collection day, move what can be moved safely. If something large cannot be moved, include it in the access notes and photos.
The most helpful question is: what would block a straight pull from the car to the loading point? If the answer is another vehicle, arrange for it to be moved. If it is a pile of materials, decide whether it can be shifted before the truck arrives. Avoid leaving that decision until the driver is on site.
Be Specific About The Surface
Concrete, tarmac and firm gravel are different from mud, grass, loose stone or a sloped yard. Surface affects how close a truck can get and how easily a non-runner can be pulled. If the yard gets soft after rain, say so. If the car is partly sunk, against a kerb or sitting with a flat tyre on loose ground, mention it.
This is especially important when the vehicle has been parked for a long time. Tyres may not hold air, brakes may drag, and the ground may have settled around the wheels. A quick note lets the driver plan for that instead of discovering it under pressure.
Confirm Movement Beforehand
Check whether the keys are available, the steering turns and the handbrake releases. If the car starts but cannot drive, say what still works. If it does not start but rolls freely, say that too. A car that can be steered out of a yard may not need the truck to enter as deeply.
If you are unsure, be honest. "I have not tried it for months" is useful information. The collection can then be planned as a recovery, not as a hopeful drive-out.
Send A Yard Note With Photos
Send a clear set of details: registration, exact yard position, gate access, surface, obstacles, movement, keys and photos from the entrance. Add one photo showing the vehicle and one showing the route out.
That gives the collector a practical view of the job before arrival. Yard pickups are often perfectly manageable when the access story is told early.