Responsibilities of Towing and Recovery Companies

Towing and recovery companies are tasked with all types of roadway incidents. Most common roadside issues include; vehicle breakdowns,vehicles colliding with others or with fixed objects, a single vehicle crashed,or what we mostly call run-off the road, load shift among others. In this article, we look at the responsibilities of towing companies in maintaining safety around a vehicle that experiences a breakdown. Regardless of the type of incidence you are experiencing, once a towing service arrives at the scene,there are basic things that are expected.

Site Safety

A towing company should at all times ensure that site safety is followed.  Approaching traffic should be informed of the incident using devices such as flashing lights, signs,flares, barricades, flaggers and cones. All these should be deployed at appropriate places to prevent additional vehicles from getting involved. Sight distance should also be observed. Drivers, responders, and bystanders must also be protected from harm. Injury, explosion, death as a result of the fire,equipment failure, and other malfunctions must be considered and addressed.

Removing Vehicles from Incident Scene

Vehicles should be recovered and well positioned for loading at the appropriate places. To recover these vehicles, you will need to have a winch and appropriate rigging including chains and other hardware. The tow truck, the winch, and all other hardware should be properly sized and be in good working order. All attachments should be well attached. When towing a vehicle, all manufacturer’s procedures for ensuring safe towing should be followed. 

Repairing minor problems

Sometimes, a tow truck operator may diagnose and rectify minor problems. They may jump-start cars, connect loose wires, remove spark plugs, change low tires and add fuel as well. If a vehicle has been involved in an accident, the operator may remove, cut or bend the damaged parts before towing it. The operator is also responsible for any further damage that may happen to the towed vehicle while being towed to a garage.

The process of towing a car is not a simple one and requires one to follow a fully-fledged procedure to get the damaged vehicles out of danger. The main responsibility of a towing company is to facilitate a smooth recovery of vehicles and tow them to repair. When you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident, safety is the most important thing to put in place. You need to tow the car out of danger.