Tag Archives: Towing

Heavy Duty Towing Safety Tips

Published February 23, 2016 By Chicago Towing

There’s variable reasons that cause a car to need to get towed. Whether you suffer an unfortunate accident in your vehicle, or if it breaks down on the highway, you should know the proper safety measures that both you and any towing specialist you may contact should take on the road, to protect your safety.

Driver Safety Tips

If you’re in the middle of driving and need to pull over to get towed, it’s absolutely necessary to follow these safety tips. First of all, move your car as far away from other cars as possible. If there’s a shoulder to the road, move onto it as soon as possible, as close to the edge as you can. Additionally, leave your hazard lights on – this is particularly important at night – so other drivers driving can see you, and also so the towing company can have an easier time recognizing you. If you have an emergency roadside kit in your car, place reflectors around the perimeter of your vehicle.

As you’re waiting for the tow company to get there, take anything that you might need (like license information, insurance records, registration, etc…) out of the car before it’s towed. It might be a few days before you see your car and you’re going to need to provide this information to the towing service during the process. While you’re waiting for the towing company to get there, make sure to wait inside the car, so you don’t put yourself at risk for the passing cars or any weather that might be occurring.

The Heavy Duty Towing Truck Safety Tips

Not only does the initial driver of the vehicle need to take safety measures to ensure the protection of their being and their vehicle’s being in the event where a towing is necessitated, but the driver of the tow truck that will transport your vehicle absolutely needs to follow safety measures. One of their initial steps is to increase the visibility of your stranded vehicle, by placing cones and flags around the area. This is to protect both you and them from oncoming traffic.

Tow truck drivers are also required to check whether their cable lines are intact, and not damaged. They need to make certain that their truck is capable of hauling your stranded vehicle safely. This information will be verified over the phone upon your first contact. Drivers additionally have training to never unwind the towing cables all the way when they’re loading a vehicle, and to make sure that the wheel-lift is extended far enough after the loading that they can safely and easily make turns. Drivers are also trained to avoid any electrical lines, and ensure that bystanders stand a safe distance during the entire towing process. All these safety measures are completely necessary – the operation of towing requires a great deal of safety attention, and drivers for the right company are thoroughly trained in all these measures to protect both their own neck, but yours, and that of your vehicle.

Common Car Towing Questions

Published February 1, 2016 By Chicago Towing

Can tow trucks tow the car backwards?

Most tow trucks can hook themselves up to the front or the back of the vehicle that’s being towed. This is actually the ideal (and most widely used) method for vehicles with rear wheel drive, although front or all-wheel drive vehicles can also be towed from the back if the car’s front can be lifted with a pulley or dolly.

Can your car get towed if you’re touching it?

Absolutely not. In order to complete the towing job safely, the tow truck driver will need you to stand away from your vehicle. If you’re physically blocking the car from getting towed, If your car is being towed due to legal injunction, and you’re physically blocking it from getting towed, the driver might contact the police to escort you away – which may result in a fine or civil charges of obstruction.

How can I prevent my car from being able to get towed by a roll-back or flatbed tow truck?

These trucks get their name from their flatbed that tilts backwards so that vehicles can get rolled on to it for transporting. These trucks usually transport strangely shaped, damaged, or large vehicles – but also commonly tow regular cars. Since the flatbed’s driver needs to position the truck directly in line with the car so that it can be winched up, you can prevent one of these trucks from being able to tow you by parking somewhere there the flatbed truck can’t reach the front or back of the car.

Rural, Suburban, and Urban Towing Chicago

Published January 3, 2016 By Chicago Towing

Towing is affected by Terrain

Towing is a technically complicated process. Tons of variables exist which can affect the speed and quality of any trip. Rural Towing involves traveling greater distances, and may involve travel over rocky or unpaved terrain. Sometimes special equipment is needed to travel throughout rural environments. Cell phone reception may be limited when traveling through particular terrains and climates, specifically mountains and deserts. Sometimes, for 4×4 off-road vehicles that need to be towed in rough environments full of mud or rocks, special vehicles or gear is required. Extra gear is never thought of as an optional excess – rather it’s a necessary tool to protect your vehicle, so it doesn’t incur any extra damage.

Smooth Sailing in Urban Chicago

Urban towing is, by its very nature, more common than rural towing. Due to transportation infrastructure, the trips are often much faster. However, due to urban population saturation, there’s much more traffic in cities than in suburban areas. This is why our customers benefit from our servicemen’s experience with navigating the busy Chicago streets. They’re aware of all the traffic flows, patterns of commuting, and the spots that tend to get congested. Essentially, the city is their turf, and they know exactly how to get through it, as quickly as possible.

Experienced Navigators

Chicago Towing is an automotive towing company (servicing cars, vans, motorcycles, trucks, RVs, and pick-up-trucks) in the bustling city of Chicago. We serve the entire metropolitan area, from the I-90 – the Chicago Skyway, Dan Ryan Expressway that runs throughout the city of Chicago, connecting Downtown with the South Side. In this entire area, we are the premiere towing service; our experience allows us to set ourselves apart by offering the smoothest, most efficient service, regardless of if you’re in Downtown Chicago, the suburbs, the freeway, or the countryside. There’s simply nobody better equipped to handle your vehicle