Towing is always an adventure. There are always new challenges and hurdles to overcome. Now, your mind might immediately go to the direct challenges of the towing job – namely, attaching the damaged car to the wrecker. But there’s an obstacle that comes up even before you arrive on the scene. And that’s finding where to go in the first place. As a tow truck driver, you’re often required to go to places and drive on roads that you’ve never seen before. Driving on unfamiliar roadways presents risks because part of your mind is set on trying to get your bearings and not get lost. We’ve got some tips to help you handle driving in areas and on roads that you don’t know.
safety
The tow truck industry has plenty of risks. Driving itself is dangerous. Then there’s the fact that tow truck drivers are hauling cars with a vehicle several times the size of the average car. They also work on the side of the road to help the drivers of stranded vehicles. It’s essential that you place an emphasis on safety at your business.
It’s important to do everything you can to keep your drivers safe. There are lots of risks that we can’t control, but there are some that we can. By implementing policies to increase safety, you’re lowering your risk. Plus, lowering risk means reducing your chances of having to file an insurance claim, which can help with your premiums!
The articles below covers various topics about safety, including why seatbelts are so important and how the color of the flashing lights on a tow truck can save lives. Take a look!
Slow and steady wins the race for tow truck drivers, not speeding
Speeding is dangerous when you’re driving a normal passenger car, let alone a tow truck. There’s a lot of pressure on drivers to go about their jobs quickly and race from Point A to Point B. They don’t want to keep the customer, who’s stranded on the side of the road, waiting, and there’s pressure to get the broken car to its destination quickly so that the driver can move on to the next job. However, it’s important to emphasize the dangers of speeding.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speeding was a contributing factor to 9,557 driving fatalities in the US in 2015.
The power and importance of pre-trip vehicle inspections
When it’s a busy day work-wise and the calls are coming in left and right, it might seem like there’s no time for pre-trip vehicle inspections of the tow trucks. But pre-trip inspections are an absolute must to ensure the safety of not only your drivers but other people on the roads. It’s a good idea to find any issues with the tow truck or wrecker before it hits the road rather than after.
Six simple ways to improve safety at your tow truck business
When you drive tow trucks and haul other people’s cars, you know how important it is to be careful and safe. You’ve got a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, but there are some ways that your company can work on being as safe as possible. Even if you have a good safety record, with few accidents or other incidents, it’s important to do everything you can to cement that commitment to safety.
Seatbelts: Why you need to wear one every time you drive your tow truck
Wearing a seatbelt is one of the best ways to stay safe while driving. Tow truck drivers, though they drive a vehicle that’s high off the ground and seems rather indestructible, also need to wear their seatbelts. Sure, a tow truck might win a fight against a teensy little sedan or SUV, but a tow truck driver can still be seriously injured if they’re not wearing their seatbelt. Buckling up is also the law.
10 tips for staying safe while driving at night (don’t let the dark get you down)
Tow truck drivers work very odd hours. It’s just a fact of life that cars like to break down at the most inconvenient times, including in the dead of night. If you’re involved in the towing industry, chances are you’ve had your fair share of middle-of-the-night shifts. Rescuing stranded drivers and their cars is a full-time job, emphasis on the full-time.
But driving at night can be very dangerous. Conditions after the sun goes down get treacherous. It’s hard to see hazards that are close to the road, and we can’t see as far ahead of us as we’d like. Plus when it’s dark our bodies are programmed to sleep. Fatigue is another obstacle to contend with.
We’ve put together some tips to help you be safe while driving at night. There are some things you can do to face the dark and keep yourself and other drivers safer.
Should tow truck drivers be allowed to use flashing blue lights on their trucks?
Could the color of the flashing lights on a tow truck save someone’s life?
Does color make a difference to you? This is a fascinating question to think about. Imagine driving and seeing flashing blue lights ahead. What’s your first reaction? Now, imagine the same scene and this time seeing orange lights. What’s your first reaction this time?
We ran this test across a few people. The results were consistent. The people that saw a blue flashing light said they were on alert.
The dangers of cell phones: Don’t let your tow truck drivers drive distracted
When your drivers are responsible for operating large, heavy tow trucks, they can’t afford any distractions that could take their attention off the road. Even a second of distraction could have disastrous results. With cell phones as a constant temptation, it’s more important now than ever to stress the importance of staying focused on the task at hand. Namely, getting the tow truck and its load to where it needs to go – preferably without crashing into things. The law also has a few things to say about the use of cell phones while driving a tow truck.
