Massive 200-Truck Convoy Honors Beloved Mobile Mechanic 🚚

A convoy of over 200 tow-trucks and recovery vehicles came together to drive down a motorway in memory of a popular mechanic following his death. <br /><br />Hundreds of people turned out to honour businessman David Pickering who passed away following a short battle with Covid and pneumonia earlier this month.<br /><br />Truckers travelled from around the country to form the procession which drove 20 miles in formation along the M5 on Sunday (28/7).<br /><br />The fleet of vehicles set off from Strensham Services and ended up at David's business at Berry Hill Industrial Estate in Droitwich, Worcs.<br /><br />National Highways led the convoy as recovery vans, lorries, and cars honked their horns and flashed their yellow emergency lights while traffic slowed to watch.<br /><br />Crowds also stood on bridges and motorway junctions to clap the vehicles as they slowly moved past at midday to mark the time David died on July 7. <br /><br />Dad-of-two David had forged his own recovery business, Elite Recovery Midlands, with his wife Jo in 2011 and had become a respected mobile mechanic.<br /><br />The 66-year-old, of Droitwich-Spa, Worcs., had sold the firm to his colleague Nathan Green but he and his family carried on working for the firm. <br /><br />After hearing about David's tragic passing his friends rallied together to create a fitting send off for him.<br /><br />Speaking beforehand, his wife Jo Pickering paid tribute to her late husband, saying: "He helped thousands and thousands of people - I cannot even put a number on it.<br /><br />"He just loved helping people and getting people back on their way.<br /><br />"You do not realise how much someone is respected and liked in the industry.<br /><br />"Dave would be absolutely honoured that people are doing this in his honour and to pay tribute to him.<br /><br />"It will be emotional and very special."<br /><br />Nathan Green, who now runs the firm, said: "Nobody else was a better teacher and dedicated to a business.<br /><br />"I started in 2015 and we worked side by side every day - it is hard to put into words what he was like.<br /><br />"He was friends with everyone he met. Everyone who brushed past him was left a better person."<br /><br />National Highways also set up rolling roadblocks and closed slip roads for the safety of other road users.<br /><br />Simon Griffiths, 56, helped organise the drive and said his friend would've done the same thing for someone else.<br /><br />The workshop manager said: “I have known David 28 years. <br /><br />"It’s a lot bigger than I expected. He would’ve enjoyed it. If it was someone else he would’ve been the first to do something similar."<br /><br />Mum Maria Beetlestone, 40, watched the convoy from a motorway bridge with her husband Richard, 46, and their ten-year-old son Ted.<br /><br />Maria, who works in banking, said: "I saw it was happening on a Facebook group and I thought it would be quite interesting as my son loves trucks. <br /><br />"Just as the procession went through, they were being quite loud and that attracted more locals to it. <br /><br />"The post mentioned that the gentleman had passed away unfortunately and it was quite a nice gesture."