Introduction

Thank you for reading the Wrecker 101 Blog. The creation for this information collection was derived from the need for a comprehensive set of instructions regarding the towing and recovery industry. Years of teaching future wrecker operators have invested in me an interest to create a place that is both easy to use and easy to update. The constant change in vehicle layouts and ever changing equipment dynamics require the need for continuing education for those new to the industry as well as veterans that have been at it for years. 

The following is a list of of current Lessons followed be a brief description of their respective contents:

Lesson 1

A brief description of the typical towing equipment used 

Lesson 2 

Suggestions of what should be on board a tow truck

Lesson 3 

Quick ideas on reactions to receiving a call from dispatch

Lesson 4 

What information should be acquired about a call

Lesson 5

Ideas on how to make the truck ready for service

Lesson 6

Navigating the roadways and circumventing obstacles

Lesson 7

Things to consider when arriving on scene

Lesson 8 

Basic loading principles

Lesson 9 

Things to keep in mind before leaving the scene

Lesson 10

About the tow destination

Disclaimer:

It is the purpose of this site to acclimate operators to the art of towing and recovery. Be aware of your company policies as this guide should not be put before any rules set forth by your organization. All matters regarding safety and procedure should be emphasized when applying these practices. At the end of the day, we should all have the same goal to go home safe and sound!.

Again, thank you on behalf of Wrecker 101 for following along and may you have an enjoyable and rewarding career in the towing industry.

Oil Absorbent

 

Accidents can leave slippery surfaces which can lead to more hazardous conditions. Oil absorbent was designed to soak up any oils or lubricants to return the driving surface to more drivable conditions. It has always been argued one way or another that the absorbent should or should not be picked up after applied. Some will say that the tow truck is not permitted to carry reclaimed fluids from a damaged vehicles, especially if that fluid is fuel. Then there are those who will say that it is hazardous to leave spent absorbent on the roadway as traffic resumes over those surfaces. 

The operator should check his or her companies policy regarding the use of oil absorbent and what if anything needs to be done after it is applied to an affected roadway. Traditionally, the oil absorbent is carefully and evenly laid out over the affected spill and spread about with the help of a broom. Used absorbent can be collected with the broom and shovel, then placed into stow buckets or heavy duty trash bags. This of course depends on your companies policies regarding the use of this product.

Shovel

 

A flat shovel as opposed to a spade shovel should be kept on board the tow truck for use in cleaning up crash debris. This is another tool in which some consideration should be applied. A traditional flat headed shovel is usually pretty easy to stow, however the benefit that comes with a snow shovel can save time and effort when cleaning up large accident scenes. It really just depends on how much space one can dedicate to this particular tool. Another thing to consider when choosing a shovel is its durability. A strong, reliable shovel should be considered due to the stress of not only stowing the shovel, but using it out in the field. 

Gloves

 

Gloves could be considered one of the most important features for many reasons, but I would argue that keeping your hands safe is definitely up at the top of that list. Gloves provide a protective layer that could protect your hands against a whole range of elements. From the little steel whiskers that stick out of the side of used wire rope, to keeping that nasty axle grease from getting on your hands and later getting on a customers interior. 

There are so many reasons to wear gloves in the process of towing cars. Sometimes it's a good idea to have several different types of gloves at the ready for various reasons. There will be situations when a set of latex gloves to protect you from germs that may be on the interior of a biohazard vehicle are needed. Other times a thick set of leather gloves can keep glass and other dangerous objects from cutting your skin. There will even be times when using both will seem like a very good idea! Keeping multiple pairs and styles of gloves on board will serve the operator well over the course of time, especially with having to deal with all sorts of different kinds of towing situations.

Broom

 

A lot of thought should go into a broom that is kept on the tow truck. Many factors go into this tool that may seem frivolous. Where can you stow this tool? Should it be collapsible? Will the collapsible feature negate the structural integrity? How wide should it be? All of the things that make the broom an efficient and reliable tool should be considered carefully because out in the field, sweeping up a quarter of a mile of crash debris is sometimes necessary to reopen the roadway! There is no time to stop the crash scene and head over to the hardware store to pick up a good broom, so it's important to have the right one on board before heading out into the field. 

Snatch Block

 

The Snatch Block Pulley can double the pulling power of the wire rope equipped on a tow truck as well as provide a number of different angle configurations. Flatbeds that are now equipped with multiple chain lockers can utilize this tool manipulate vehicles around on the bed. Snatch blocks can also change the way vehicles are extracted from places like parking spots, etc. It is important to note that each snatch block has a working load limit and caution should be exercised to prevent damage or injury. Check the plate on the snatch block to see the limits defined by the manufacturer before using this tool.

Axe

 

A 12 year towman asked one day why it was that an axe was kept on board the tow truck as he had never used one on a car in his whole career. This is one of those tools that has been kept on tow trucks since back in the day that the tow truck operator was used to assist in extricating victims from crashed vehicles. These days Firefighters have mechanical equipment such as the well known "jaws of life" that make taking apart a vehicle a very easy task. Still the common axe is typically stored on the tow truck and could still have many uses in the modern tow truck industry.

Pry Bar

Selecting the right pry bar can take some thought. You want one that is long enough to have good leverage, but one small enough that it can fit easily on to the tow truck. Not long ago, the tow truck was also to keep tools on board to help with extrications at accident scenes. It was and still could be one of the most critical tools to have on board if needed to pry a jammed door open to help a motorist retreat from a damaged vehicle. These days, Firefighters are equipped and trained with the most stat of the art tools to ease the process of extracting persons from vehicles. Even still, the tow truck should always have a strong pry bar on board.

Heavy Duty Trash Bags

 

Heavy Duty Trash Bags come in handy in various situations. Aside from being helpful when cleaning up a crash scene, they can also help when a customer is trying to clean out their car before it's towed away. The trash bag takes very limited space when not in use but provides an amazing amount of storage space as well as a sort of universal means of collecting items. It would be a good idea, even if you keep a bucket on your truck, to also have some trash bags on hand just in case you needed extra help collecting items or debris.

Tow Lights

 

Tow Lights are necessary to alert motorists behind the tow truck of changes in driving behavior when towing a disabled vehicle. Whether it be stopping or turning, the lights mounted on the tow truck are often obstructed from the view to the other vehicles behind the tow truck in traffic thereby creating a need to mount indicator lighting on the towed vehicle. There are several different options available to the towing industry and each definitely have their pros and cons. While it may be perceived that it is more time consuming and troublesome to use the wired version of the tow lights, they are dependable and do not require the charging needs of their wireless counterparts. The benefit of the wireless tow light is not only it's easy to use functionality, but also the extended length at which you can use the lights that a wired set of tow lights would be limited due to the length of the wire. It has been an idea of law enforcement that wireless tow lights lose charge and tow operators are not always steadfast in keeping them charged which presents a hazard to other motorists due to lack of indicators such as stopping and turning. Check with local and state laws regarding the requirements of tow lights. One major thing to consider when using any tow light configuration is that the contact they make to the painted surfaces of the towed vehicle could cause scratches, so some sort of rubber padding on the magnets or attaching surface should be used.

Bucket

 

The old fashioned plastic bucket has been useful on so many calls for clean up. Some states will allow the use of trash bags in place of the bucket, however the bucket is a very resourceful tool to have when cleaning up, as you can kick it around with you as you are picking up a mess. One could easily keep both heavy duty grade trash bags as well as a bucket. As an added sort of backup, two buckets stacked together take up almost about the same space and add to the ability to easily collect crash debris in a hurry. It is also easier to dump a full bucket into a trash bag than it is to try and hold a trash bag open as you are cleaning up. 

Safety Cones

 

Safety Cones provide a visible barrier and alerts motorists with that auspicious orange that everyone familiarizes hazards with. It is surprising how much more caution is extended by drivers when these tools are utilized correctly, as most motorists feign the idea that their vehicle might incur damage from hitting a cone. Many times when the tow truck is loading a vehicle, especially one the highway, the emergency lighting that we depend on to alert oncoming traffic is obstructed by the vehicle being loaded. Some states now require safety cones or an equivalent be kept on the tow truck to help with on scene safety measures. Recently, the advent of the "collapsable cone" has made storing cones on your truck even easier as it will take up less space. Some may argue that the visibility may be compromised in certain situations, this may even be against the standards set forth by state and local agencies. Be sure to check the requirements in your area.

These cones can be compressed into a flat and space saving position which makes keeping on the truck much easier. Usually a custom compressing cage stows multiple cones together for easy use at the scene of a breakdown or accident.

Battery Terminal Cleaner

 

The Battery Terminal Cleaner is a pretty universal tool that can be used on just about all vehicles. Most auto parts stores have them sitting close to the register and its a handy little device to keep on your tow truck. There are situations where it's not necessarily the battery being weak or the alternator being dysfunctional, but rather corrosion that had developed between the batteries post and the terminal. This tool is designed to clean the connecting surfaces to enable sufficient charging to the battery from the alternator and an adequate source of power to the starter. 

Jumper Cables

 

When deciding on which Jumper Cables to equip your tow truck with, don't go cheap. Many motorists have convinced themselves that something else is wrong with their vehicle because the cables they tried to use had no effect. This is often because of the cheap and inadequate standard in which the manufacturer used to create the cables. Go heavy duty! 2-guage cable and the classic parrot type clamps with high tension are the most recommended for top and side post mounted battery terminals. Today's towing industry usually keeps a jump box equipped on their tow trucks, but keeping an extra set of cables as backup is always a good idea. There are instances when having the ability to use cables will be beneficial, such as trying to jump start a diesel truck with more than one battery. Use care when storing your cables to keep the insulation from becoming deteriorated and the clamps from getting damaged. Most good sets of cables will come with a sort of carrying case to stow them in. 

Jump Box

 

The Jump Box is another extremely versatile tool to have equipped on your tow truck. It has so many more uses than just jump starting a car. Most boxes will be have a cigarette lighter plug in which can be used to power a number of different devices, one of those being a portable air compressor. Not every service call is accessible with your tow truck. Sometimes vehicles can be in parking garages or places that you can't get your truck into. It's helpful to have portable tools that you can carry with you to help get a vehicle back on the road. Most jump boxes have two options in regards to charging, one being the standard cigarette lighter plug in, and then there's usually a place that allows you to plug into a 110v wall outlet. Either way, maintaining a well charged jump box is paramount to providing emergency service.

Tire Iron

 

Tire Irons come in Standard and Metric sizes, it's helpful to have both equipped for both applications to keep from stripping lug nuts. With the advancement of modern technology, cordless impact guns have become popular. Even if you keep motorized tools like a cordless impact, it's a good idea to keep a tire iron as back up just in case the batteries aren't charged or the torque capacity isn't enough. 

Another backup tool to keep in mind would be a standard breaker bar and socket set for lugs that are too tight for other tools to remove. Often times shops that install tires use pneumatic tools that can tighten the lugnuts down to a point that can make them very difficult to remove. 

Floor Jack

 

The Floor Jack equipped on a tow truck has to have a few things taken into consideration. Being that there is limited storage space on the tow truck, it is wise to choose a jack that has the most lifting capacity. At the same time the jack can't be so big that it is hard to stow and carry. Another thing to consider is clearance. Many instances will need a jack that has low clearance to get underneath lower vehicles which can sometimes compromise the weight that the jack can lift. Something to consider would be a medium between height clearance as well as weight capacity for maximum utilization potential. 

Dollies

 

The term "Dollies" refers to an axle system that can usually be broke down and stowed on the tow truck. It serves as an extra set of wheels for several towing applications. The purpose of the axle system is to provide a way to tow a vehicle that can't be rolled, whether it be due to a flat tire, AWD/4WD axles that would cause damage if dragged. There are various manufacturers that produce these tools but the principle is pretty much the same. In certain situations only a tow truck with a wheel lift and a set of dollies can be used to move a vehicle. A parking garage is a prime example due to height restrictions and the inability to get a flat bed in the structure. An AWD in a parking garage would have to be towed using the wheel lift and dollies method.