What does a typical day for you look like? If you are a tow operator, there is no such thing as a typical day. Between cars that will not start, and heavily-damaged vehicles involved in accidents, you have to be ready for just about anything. Even a truck spilling a load of potatoes on the highway is not out of the question.
Those of us who don’t work in the towing and recovery industry tend to think of towing as little more than recovering cars with dead batteries or faulty starters. We may give a slight nod to recovering cars off the side of the interstate following an accident, but most of us have never given any thought to recoveries involving tractor trailers, construction equipment, or dozens of mangled vehicles involved in a multi-vehicle collision during the middle of winter.
To do their jobs right, tow operators need a virtual library of knowledge accompanied by practical experience and the right tools. We can help where the tools are concerned. Mytee Products offers a full catalog of products ranging from towing chains and hooks to hauling straps and emergency towing lights.
The Right Equipment for Those Big Jobs
We hear plenty of stories from tow operators who visit our showroom in need of a few towing supplies. Many of those stories involve pretty big operations requiring multiple tow trucks and drivers. The big jobs are some of the most dangerous that tow operators work on.
For example, the potato truck referenced at the start of this article wasn’t made up. The accident really occurred just outside of Aiken, South Carolina. News reports say a local driver ran a red light and proceeded to collide with an 18-wheeler. The impact sent the semi into a ditch, its load of potatoes emptying out onto the highway.
Potatoes strewn everywhere was not the big issue for the towing company that responded. The spuds could easily have been cleaned up and taken away. No, the real problem was getting the trailer out of the ditch. A photograph of the accident scene shows a rather large tow truck with a hydraulic beam and winch attempting to pull the trailer back onto the roadway.
These kinds of jobs require specialized equipment. For example, it would be inappropriate to hook a chain between the tow truck and trailer in an attempt to drag the trailer back onto the road. The heavy-duty winch and steel cable capable of moving the trailer while the tow truck remained stationary was the safest way to extract the damaged trailer.
Operators Need a Variety of Tools
One of the most important lessons we’ve learned over the years of serving the industry is that tow truck operators need a variety of tools to do what they do. It’s not enough just to have a small selection of towing straps and chains on board. Operators need a full arsenal of weapons, so to speak, if they are truly going to be prepared for anything.
An easy job might be as simple as hooking a broken-down car underneath its front axle and using wheel nets and a chain to keep everything in place. A more complicated job might require a combination of steel winch cable, a couple of heavy-duty chains and hooks, and even a snatch block or two. The tow operator never really knows until he or she arrives on-site.
No, there is no such thing as a typical day for tow operators. They need to be prepared for anything and everything. That means having the right tools on board.
