Tag Archives: professional Chicago Towing

Driving in Winter Conditions

Published March 23, 2016 By Chicago Towing

Advance Preparation

In the frigid winter weather, Chicago residents often encounter poor to bad driving conditions. Since most drivers never learn defensive driving techniques for bad weather, during the winter many accidents occur that otherwise never would have. Because of this, it’s absolutely essential that you prepare for driving under poor weather conditions; first of all, always keep a raincoat, umbrella, and gloves/scarf in the trunk of the car. You might have to change a tire in the middle of a snowstorm or cold downpour. Also keep a working flashlight in the trunk; as you’ll never know when you’re going to have to change a tire on a dark street or highway. Always remember to keep jumper cables in the trunk – you want to avoid being stranded in a car with a dead battery without the materials to jump start it. Keep your gas over the halfway mark as a force of habit, that absolutely reduces the chances of accidentally depleting your car’s gas. Ensure that you have a car jack, the proper tire iron for your vehicle, and a correctly blown-up spare tire. If your area gets especially cold during the winter, it couldn’t hurt to have a certified mechanic look at your car to make sure that everything is working correctly. Ideally, if there’s any problems found, you would get them taken care of before being caught driving in an unpleasant weather event, when it might really affect you. By following active awareness and preparation, you can avoid having to spend even more time, effort, or money if your vehicle suffers a breakdown.

Careful Practices

Whenever any bad weather event occurs – be it a blizzard, hail, frozen roads, or a rainstorm – one of the most important defensive driving techniques one can adopt is to drive slowly. By driving at a slower speed, you’re increasing the amount of time that you will have to react in case you come into/across some kind of accident. Also, if you’re driving slowly, and keep a large space between your car and the other vehicles that are driving, you’re going to have a much lesser chance of bumping into the back of one of them if they suddenly break. If the roads are incredibly slippery, one thing you should do is keep the brakes lightly applied while driving at a slow pace – for extra traction.

Top 7 Towing Myths DEBUNKED

Published March 17, 2016 By Chicago Towing

There’s a ton of misinformation out there being hawked by scam towing companies and blogs alike. Here’s a list of the most common towing misconceptions.

Myth One : You can increase a vehicle’s towing capacity by upgrading its hitch.

Untrue. A trailer’s hitch does not cancel out the maximum capacity rating of your vehicle – however it does maximize it. You should never tow more weight than your hitch is rated for.

Myth Two: Tongue weight makes up ten percent of the towed weight.

Untrue. The safe amount of tongue weight is somewhere between ten to fifteen percent of the trailer’s weight – depending on a range of criteria, including the load distribution and the position of the trailer’s axles. Often too much of the load is placed at the trailer’s front – which puts way too much weight on the tongue. If a heavy tongue is a concern for you, make sure to install a rated weight distribution mechanism, which can allow for more towing weight on your vehicle. The tongue prevents the trailer from swaying fast – this sort of sway can also be canceled if you increase the tongue weight, or place sway control devices on the trailer hitch.

Myth Three: All towing extensions work on truck campers.

Untrue. Hitch extensions have to have the right capacity of tongue weight for your truck – shorter extensions can handle weight better than longer ones, as a general rule.

Common Towing Mistakes

Published March 3, 2016 By Chicago Towing

Hitching a trailer to your truck and hauling out all your belongings on the open road sounds exhilarating for many people – but if you’re not skilled with long heavy tows it can be an incredibly complex process. There’s 8 major mistakes that people usually make when they’re towing. If you want to avoid paying extreme fees for mistakes, educate yourself on this list of potential mishaps before you embark.

Having the Wrong Weight Distribution Bars

The weight distribution bars between your vehicle and trailer have to be set up correctly; otherwise, the vehicle and the trailer will be bouncing away from each other – causing a bumpy ride, and potential damage to the trailer’s frame and hitch. The size of the weight distribution bar shouldn’t matter – many tunable chained bars come in many different levels of strength or weight – if you use the right bar size, it will be completely parallel to the frame of the trailer.

Identify a Professional Towing Company Chicago

Published December 18, 2015 By Chicago Towing

All professional towing companies in Chicago, IL:

Have tow trucks with a bed that tilts down to help loading and unloading (a rollback truck) or a wheel-lift truck – as well as knowing all the potential limitations, and all the advantages of their trucks.
Has equipment for loading your vehicle that’s proper. For a rollback truck, this would include a bridle with hook to hook slots in the frame, not simply a large “J” hook. Some vehicles, if they can’t be put into neutral, might need specialized equipment known as “skates” that can help load and unload the car.
Has the equipment for safely securing videos including ratchet straps, chains, and the proper type of hooks. All vehicles should be secured with at least four points. Sometimes wheel straps are needed, usually with high end cars. All professional towers have training with – and access to information detailing the proper methods of securing various makes of cars.
Has their trucks inspected annually, with a publically displayed, dated and signed sticker showing that the inspection occurred.
Meets all federal and state regulations including the public display of DOT number, company name, and place of origin – as well as all triangles, flares, cones, amber beacons, light bars, or fire extinguishers that may need to be used during transport.
Professional Towing Company drivers who have completed medical exams, carry “med cars” and if needed, have Commercial Driver’s Licenses which point towards a high level of training.
Stop at scales, as required when carrying loads greater than 10,000 pounds.
Carries insurance that covers their own vehicle, as well as “on-hook” and “garage-keeper’s” insurance that covers your vehicle while it’s in their care.
Has contracts or agreements with motor clubs and insurance agencies for direct payment, or no questions on reimbursement.
Has all safety vests and equipment to make themselves vehicle at any scenes of disability.
Have skills, training, certification, and experience about towing, recoveries, lock-outs, jump-starts, tire changes, and winching. The certification that can be obtained from organizations like the International Institute of Towing and Recovery, the Towing & Recovery Association of America, or Wreckmaster are all great ways of insuring a towing company’s professionalism.

Why use a professional towing company in Chicago?

A truly professional tower:

Can safely secure your vehicle to prevent any damage in the event of a sudden stop or accident.
Is unlikely to damage your vehicle during loading and unloading by improperly pulling on something, or by allowing a vehicle to row away.
Can tow vehicles with collision insurance to a body shop, and get paid by the body shop, so that the collision insurance pays for the tow and repairs as a single charge. If you’re getting emergency roadside assistance, the tower should be able to directly bill AAA or insurance agencies, or if you have the proper insurance coverage, provide you with an itemized invoice that you can submit for reimbursement.
Can accept checks or credit cards.
Can provide emergency roadside assistance: including tire changes, lock-outs, jump-starts, and recoveries. The company should additionally be skilled, and experienced in providing these services, as they require an element of talent, finesse, and understanding to undertake safely.
Maintains trucks to a high standard -(you don’t want to be left stranded because of a broken tow truck.)

The question that you should ask yourself is: would you rather entrust your vehicle to a skilled professional, or someone without the training and experience to safely service your vehicle without causing damage. The answer should be obvious. Always:

Verify the Chicago Towing company’s name, place of origin, and DOT number on the side of the truck.
Verify the commercial inspection sticker near the above information.
Inquire about all certification, experience, and training.
Look for required safety light bars, reflective clothes, or any other safety gear.
Look for equipment appropriate for winching, loading, unloading, and securing your vehicle.
Expect professional, courteous, timely service over the phone and in person.
Look for a professional looking business area.
Ask about “on-hook” and “garage-keeper’s” insurance.

Look out for Unprofessional towers who:

Put more emphasis on price over service and quality.
Don’t have insurance.
Don’t follow laws requiring signage, official publically displayed certification, safety equipment, lights, gear, truck inspections, etc…
Will claim that they don’t have to check at scales.
Don’t have special equipment to safely load, unload, and secure your vehicle.
Isn’t able to provide other services associated with towing, like lock-outs or recoveries.
Don’t have contracts or agreements with insurance companies, motor clubs, or body shops to provide direct billing or easy insurance reimbursement through a professional invoice.
Isn’t on the Trooper’s list with a file with rates and insurance.
Don’t leave beacons and lights on the scene of a disabled vehicle for safety.
Can’t always answer your call or provide you service at any time.
Can’t handle credit card or check payment.

8 Great ways to avoid being towed in Chicago

Published December 9, 2015 By Chicago Towing

Even if it seems like a rare occurrence, it’s actually not that rare that cars find themselves getting towed. Here’s eight great tips for avoiding ever having to deal with getting your car towed in Chicago.

Try not to park in common towing spots

These spots vary from place to place – but in most areas, blocking active driveways, intersections, and curb ramps is a sure way to get towed. Many areas also have laws determining how long you can keep your vehicle street parked. It’s worth it to become familiar with the laws regarding parking, driving, standing, and stalling in your area. As a ground rule though, never park by

Bus Stops
Loading Zones (usually marked with yellow)
Blue Zones (if there’s not a disabled person marker on your vehicle)
Red zones (curbed painted Red)
Tow Away zones during normal commuting hours.

2. Always Read Street Signs

It’s important to read these carefully, especially when you’re in commercial areas with high traffic. Police and traffic officers tow illegally parked cars much more often, and with a much greater number in high traffic areas – which also often carry much more parking restrictions.

3. Be aware during commute hours.

During crowded evening and morning commutes, many cities bar parking on many streets. A certain parking space could be completely legal at 2pm, but would get your car towed at 3pm. You have to be aware of what the parking ordinance for that space is – even when you’re at a meter. The usual peak commute hours are from 7am to 9am and from 3pm to 7pm.

4. Call a tow company yourself.

Don’t rely on city services to tow your car if it breaks down. Call a private towing company in Chicago or roadside assistance agency yourself.

5. Pay all outstanding traffic tickets.

In some areas, cars with delinquent parking tickets can be booted or even towed – this can happen even if your car is in a perfectly legal parking space. If your car gets booted, you’ll have to pay an extra cost to remove the boot. Booting and towing, added with tickets and time penalties add up to a lot of money. You can avoid this if you pay your parking tickets.

6. Avoid getting parking tickets in the first place.

Set an alarm on your phone to remind you that the meter is about to expire.
Keep a bunch of quarters for meters in your car.
If it’s offered in your area, buy a prepaid parking card.
Mark your calendar with the street cleaning schedule and no-parking times for the areas that you frequent.

7. Keep current vehicle registration.

All police have the right to tow and potentially impound your car if your registration isn’t current when you’re stopped by a police officer.

8. Always keep your driver’s license current.

If you’re ever stopped by police while you’re driving, and your license has expired or is otherwise illegible or not current, the police have the right to tow and impound your vehicle if nobody else is available inside the car to take over the wheel.