How To Properly Maintain Your Tow Truck

Professionally speaking, the appearance of your tow truck represents the face of your company and your business practices.  A poorly maintained tow truck is not only an eyesore but also, safety-wise, a liability for yourself, your customers, and other users of the road.  As such, we hope to provide you or your company with the proper maintenance tips to keep your fleet in the best physical shape for the sake of professionalism and your business going forward.  Follow these tips to give your towing business a competitive edge.

Periodic Inspection

This first tip is essential for any tow truck operator since it also serves as  a workplace safety practice.  To ensure quality towing for your clients and mitigating legal liabilities for yourself and your company, doing a periodic 360 degree inspection of your tow truck and its components are essential.  If your tow truck is equipped with a winch, checking the cable for frays in the cable is critical to its function.  Aside from its components, keeping the amount of loose items in the truck bed also serves as a healthy maintenance practice.  Any loose items like nuts and bolts in your truck bed could fly off and damage your customer's windshields; obviously everyone would avoid this as much as possible.  Given time, a tow truck will go through varying weather and seasons causing various different types of wear and tear.  A properly maintained tow truck will boost the confidence of your operators or yourself in the execution of their daily rounds of serving your communities towing needs.

A Vehicle Too

Well duh!  Don't forget that your tow truck is also a vehicle in itself so whatever maintenance you would put on your personal vehicle, you probably want to do that on your tow truck also.  A tow truck needing a tow is both comedic and ironic in a mostly negative way so be sure to stay ahead of the curve in your caring of a tow truck.  All the regular maintenance like oil changes, tire changes, washer fluid, etc. are all more critical in a tow truck than civilian vehicles.  Why?  Well, imagine you're in the dead of winter and it's packed snow outside.  Most people aren't driving and the ones who are either are super prepared or left without a choice.  Without having stayed ahead of winter and getting snow tires for your tow truck in preparation, how can you properly service a call let alone get your tow truck there in the first place?  Doesn't make a whole lot of sense does it?  Foresight and staying ahead of the game will both save you and your customers many heartaches.

Lubrication

Nothing helps preserve the life of your tow truck more than regular cleaning to minimize deterioration and proper lubrication of all moving parts.  Cables and joints are common places for dirt, water and other particles to seep into and cause catastrophic damage.  The best way to avoid this type of situation is to regularly inspect, clean and lubricate these areas; maintaining these components will ensure smooth operations and preserve the longevity of your service vehicle.

In summary, a regular and consistent pro-active attitude will pay dividends to the life of your tow trucks.  From regular inspections to proper maintenance to diminishing wear & tear through generous lubrication, these all work in conjunction to keep your tow truck in the best condition for your servicing needs both in the present and in the future.  A clean vehicle increases the confidence of its operators which in turn assures the customers in any situation and ultimately, pushes up your bottom line.  Everyone wins in this situation.

Best of luck!