Understanding Towing Services

5 Common Towing Mistakes

Professional towing companies are excellent at their job. If your car breaks down unexpectedly, they can help you tow it to its intended destination. Towing is beneficial in many ways such as fast response time, helping you avoid accidents, providing 24-hour services, fair cost assessment, fully equipped trucks, and quality services for safe hauling.

Even though the towing service will do all the work for you, it's good to learn about the following towing mistakes that can happen on the road.

Ignoring Tire Pressure

The wrong tire pressure can lead to an accident. The tow truck and the vehicle being towed should have the correct tire pressure. This fact is important, especially when using a method like wheel-lift towing that involves the tires of the towed vehicle touching the ground. 

Improper Load Balance

The load on the tow truck needs to be balanced correctly. For instance, when using a flatbed tow truck to transport a heavy load, you must ensure its weight is equally distributed on the flat surface. 

Otherwise, the towing truck can lose its balance and cause an accident. Also, the load needs to be well-harnessed with chains. Failure to do so can make the load fall off while in transit, or cause the goods transported to get damaged.

Overloading

Overloading is a common mistake in the towing business. While tow trucks can handle heavy loads, they will fail beyond a certain threshold. This issue can lead to braking faults, increased tire wear and tear, transmission issues, engine malfunction, and steering issues.

Also, each tow truck is designated for a specific task. There are heavy-duty trucks and lightweight trucks. Each truck has its advantages. For example, flatbed tow trucks are suited for long distances, since the entire body of the vehicle being towed is placed on the tow truck's flat surface.

Failure to Inspect Brakes

Towing professionals will always inspect the brakes of their tow trucks. Towing can strain the brakes, which makes them vulnerable to malfunctions. Failing to check the brakes can be catastrophic if they malfunction and you find yourself in an emergency. 

Over-Speeding

A driver can get impatient when going on a long-distance trip. If they start speeding, they can lose control of the truck and cause an accident. Also, they will delay reacting to road hazards and dangers. A tow truck requires more time to come to a halt, so it needs to be driven at a slow, steady pace.


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