The highway can be an unpredictable place where everything can happen to your vehicle. When some defect occurs and you are on your own there is specialized tow truck that is ready to solve that problem.
The towing team would not just tow your truck they also must to cover all Towing Administrative Rules, to ensure safely perform of towing on the highway.
Every truck driver wants to fix the problem by own in the place where the defect occurs. But if you are not in a situation to repair the defect by your own and you are in the middle of nowhere stop worrying, for this type of issues a special type of class 8 truck was developed to help you take your truck to the nearest repair shop.
If there is a chance the tow team will handle the defect in that same place so you will be able to continue with your trip without additional towing time.
What Is Tow Truck ?
This truck and the rest of the class 8 trucks are important part of the economy. It is designed to pull vehicles that faced defects on the road. To make this possible the truck is designed with special equipment that can pull a heavy vehicle in long distances.
The importance of the tow truck and the truck towing we can notice in the ability to easily tow heavy trucks that are fully loaded.
Source: www.dailydieseldose.com
Other names for tow truck:
- Wrecker
- Recovery truck
- Breakdown truck
We all experienced car defect and we all know in those situations everything we need is a friend to pull us to the nearest repair shop. In this case, we are talking about a very light vehicle and for a very short distance.
Source: www.fayobserver.com
For heavy trucks, the problem can’t be solved that easily. Sometimes we can’t solve the problem in some creative way without tow truck because the truck that needs to be towed is very heavy and needs to be pulled for long miles.
Not just that the towing should be performed with high safety measures required by FMCSA.
Could you be able to pull a truck without
- Special equipment for pulling the truck
- Special equipment for securing the truck
- Very powerful machine that can bury the truck weight of the truck on long distances
How The Tow Truck Was Born
Every invention that ever was designed was as a result of solving some existing problem. Trough the process of solving the problems manually by the human strength, people found creative solutions. The story of how the tow truck was born is really interesting and because of this new type of truck, the trucking industry takes a step further.
In 1915, Ernest Holmes from Tennessee one day while performing its daily duties was called to help a friend whose car was wrecked and ended by the river. Holmes and few other people were trying to pull the car with tying ropes to the car and pulling them to the surface.
Source: www.internationaltowingmuseum.org
To do this they spend eight hours struggling with the ropes and the weight of the car. This was a stepping stone for Holmes to build the first tow truck that would help him to pull wrecked cars easily to his repair shop.
The Holmes towing vehicle was equipped with three metal bars with attached wheel with a chain. With this first creation, the tow truck was born.
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Note: He supplied 7,238 tow trucks during the World War II and some of them still remain in use.
Types Of Tow Truck
From the begging of towing until today the tow truck has changed its characteristics and evolved. During the trucking history it takes different looks and changes many characteristics so today we have 5 types of tow trucks:
Source: www.statece.com
- Boom Tow Truck – This type as equipment consists boom winch that is used to pull damaged or defective vehicles from a ditch or place that is hard for reaching.
- Hook and chain/Belt lift Tow Truck – As equipment, this tow truck is using chains that are placed around the frame of the vehicle which allows the vehicle to be pulled. This towing type can scratch and damage the frame of the vehicle which is why lately not a practiced option for towing.
- Wheel-Lift tow truck – This is actually a hook and chain tow truck that evolved and changed the towing practice with metal yoke instead of the chains that are placing around the vehicle. The metal yoke can be easily placed in the front or at the rear of the vehicle. The system of the wheel lift truck is actually lifting the drivable wheels. The only touching area is the wheels. This is more safely way of towing which prevents the vehicle surface from damage.
- Flatbed/rollback/slide Tow truck – This is a modern one, where technology allows the truck bed to be placed very low on the ground level. The vehicle is pulled by a winch and placed above the flatbed surface. With the flatbed tow truck, the damaging level is very low, almost zero.
- Integrated/Self Loader/Repo Truck – Is a combination of wheel lift and boom tow truck into one unit.
When Can You Use Tow Truck
It is always better to learn few tips on how to repair some small defects on your truck but in some cases the situation can be out of our control and out of our capabilities to repair the defect.
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Being a truck driver makes you a man of the action but sometimes things are too complicated for our skills.
Your friend on the road is the tow truck service that can help you even in the most extreme situations and by that save you time, nerves and energy.
Source: www.erniesatc.com
- If Major Defect Occurs – In most of the cases, a tow service is required if a major defect occurs that the truck driver by himself cannot repair. The tow truck is going to the place where the defect occurs and the first thing that tow truck service is doing is checking the majority of the defect and possibility of being repaired in that same place. If the issue can’t be solved the tow truck is towing the truck to the nearest repair shop or in the place that the driver wants his truck to be towed.
- In Case Of an Accident – If your truck becomes a part of an accident the tow truck service will handle your truck quickly and safe gathering every piece of the truck and towing it to the repair shop.
- If Your Truck Is In A Ditch – Many of the vehicles that are driving trough a bad weather condition such as snow, rain or storms can easily slide from the road in some roadside ditch. The tow truck could be the only help in this situation handling your truck professionally without causing additional damage.
- If your Trailer Turn Over – Sometimes a small sudden turn can be a reason for losing stability of the truck trailer and by that can easily turn over. The thing here is that the percentage of damage is low but you are not able to continue with the trip. The tow truck will handle this very quickly so you can continue your journey.
Fun Facts About Tow Truck:
1. There is a Tow Truck Museum
The International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame & Museum, is in the city where Ernest Holmes was borne and invented the first tow truck. The pace is Chattanooga, Tennessee.
