Hi all, I called AAA for a tow home. When unloading, the driver starts lowering the flatbed but it's still 2-3 feet off the ground. When he undoes the last chain, the car rolls off the flat bed and the undercarriage scrapes and slams against the flatbed on the way down. Bumper is cracked, wheel trims are damaged, and scratches and cracks underneath the car now too.

I ask the driver if the company insurance can take care of it, he says no, he has to be the one but it will take him some time. So I reach out to AAA the next day and they tell the towing company to contact me, which they do. The manager calls me and gives the same offer (either the company or the driver will take care of it), but I tell him I'm uncomfortable and would like to go through insurance. He puts me on hold for a second and comes back saying that the company is self-insured...

I have a strong suspicion they're lying about being insured. What would you guys do in my situation? I'm hesitant to deal with the company directly because a lot of these agreements never end up working out...

EDIT: just spoke to the company again and they refused to give me anything kind of self-insurance doc, but are willing to cover everything and put it in writing and even record the call.

My buddy is trying to start up his own tow business, wanting to get him a startup gift, what are some things you guys wished you had when starting out?

Just curious to see if anyone in the snowy areas run wreckers with plows are they practical to have or not have? Thanks!

Hi everyone, I’ve always been interested in heavy recovery and talking to a driver last night made me realize just how much I want to do it. If anyone can offer any insight into the best way to go about it, any tips and tricks to know before starting to look for work etc I’d really appreciate it. And the one question I do have right now, I know that getting the correct license can be expensive, do people usually take out a loan to pay for it and pay it off when they start working or pay for it in cash first? I’m in Ontario Canada.

Just curious if anyone runs for an auto transport company, rather than regular tow companies. I’m an owner operator with a 7 car trailer, and I have enough work with repo and lease returns to auction to keep a truck running all day. Just wanted to see if anyone here does this, and if you get paid hourly or by the load. I’d like to get some opinions to see what guys prefer.

My employer says I should only tow the rear undollied in 2WD if the front driveshaft spins or if the hubs are disconnected, as it proves that the transfer case is disconnected from the front wheels. Otherwise, dolly the front (using a wrecker).

While that makes sense, can't I already assume that the front wheels are unlocked from the transfer case if in 2WD? If not, then it means power is being sent to the front, which defeats the point of 2WD.

Similarly, is it safe to tow from the rear undollied if the transfer case is in neutral? Or does that vary between trucks? I know it's safe to do with 1st Gen Silverados.

New to towing, been doing it 6 months.

I applied for Agero but for whatever reason they did not accept my application and they did not state why. I have a body shop as well but I don't know what to do with the tow truck. Every now and then I will tow customer vehicles but its not an everyday thing. I need constant work to keep it busy.

I saw a similar post on this subreddit about long distance towing. Are you able to tow over your vehicles limit of it's for a very short distance (like 30 feet)?

I have a 4wd 4Runner that can tow up to 5000lbs. We have a super steep gravel driveway and Amazon delivery vans keep getting stuck in it. Yes, our delivery instructions say DON'T go down the driveway.

I'm sure their vans full of cargo are over 5000lbs, however they would also be hitting the gas while I'm towing them so not sure if the actual amount being pulled would be equivalent to the full weight of their vehicle.

How much does Agero pay for a battery jump and where are you located? Is it worth it to respond if you aren't already in the area? Like would you leave your house to take that call?

The hamster is on the wheel

Get a solid 6 hours of sleep, wake up to specific pager tones on the police scanner, listen to radio traffic about a PI accident, hear the cops request us, get up and dressed, heading out the door by the time my boss calls. Boss tells me that Central Dispatch said it's a vehicle on the shoulder. Hop in the cold ass truck, drive two towns over, roll up to 3 fire trucks, 3 cop cars, an ambulance, a demolished guardrail, and a mangled Terrain 75 ft off the road in the reeds. Call boss man, tell him to bring the conventional, spend 45 mins combing the ditch and woods with PD and fire looking for a body. Conclude that dude dipped between the wreck and cops arrival. Spend 20 mins yanking the Terrain up to the road, wait 15 mins for cops to search it and take pictures. Load it up, drive to the yard, fight to get the fucker off the bed. Go home and do the dishes at 645 a.m., knowing I've made more already than some people will all day. Happy Sunday.

I'm new to trailers, I wanna buy a small enclosed for my business. I'll be driving in Montreal and, possibly, Toronto so I'll face the Canadian winter. I found plenty of info about weight rating and weight distribution but nothing clear on tires.

Do you have to change tires on trailers for winter or it's the same tire all year round? When are the trailer tires too old? How long do they usually last? I'm looking to buy a single axle 5x10 Stealth with 15 in mags.

Secondly, if I have brakes how often do I have to change the pads for the drums? I saw comments from US saying he changes the bearings every year and the drum pads every 10k miles. What is the standard practice for keeping the wheel assembly in good shape?

Sooo been considering starting the truck in a box program. I can’t find much of anything about it so the questions I have are as follows Do I need to provide CDLs when I pickup my truck? (Current company doesn’t require them as long as I have basic knowledge of how my air brakes work) Can I choose the truck of my choice along with the bed size, wheel lift options, etc pretty much build to spec? How much would I be looking at paying for insurance ideally? (western NC if that helps) I assume I run a minimum of 4 cars a day for copart under the program until truck is payed off. How do they do the truck payments is it deducted from what I deliver or do I get weekly, bi weekly, monthly paychecks from copart? Maintenance is a major upkeep do they help with that or am I on my own on that one? Tow trucks wags says I pretty much get to design the truck how I want so that’s a plus. Deciding on if I want a crew cab freightliner or a day cab peterbilt/kenworth (I love my current 2019 peterbilt 337 with the px-9 that’s in it but the space i have for extras like lock outs, tire services etc is slim as my took boxes are used for wheel lift stuff. Then bed stuff and the last box is solely for the service calls but jump box and light bar etc stay in the cab and takes up room in it. Any help appreciated!!!

Agero has stated that they soft lock contracts that get work below a certain volume from being able to high higher stats in their algorithm to get more work. Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

Hi, Iv been running calls for HONK but man they are a pain to deal with. Anytime i ask for extra charge they comeup with a million excuses to not pay and they just risked my account for no reason when iv been running calls for then the past week.

Are there any other motorclubs that will take $300k insurance? Im trying to get the mil insurance but its very expensive

I recently bought a 2020 Odyssey that I might also use for some light landscape trailer towing - trash hauling, delivering appliances and some contractor materials, that sort of thing. Mine did not come with the factory 3500 lb receiver installed and instead has a U-Haul 2" one labeled for 4500 lb. I'm pretty sure the van did not come with any aftermarket additions like a transmission cooler, heavier rear shocks, or airbags. Is there a risk in towing the full 4500 lb? Also, any recommendations for total weight in the van plus on the trailer? Odysseys are passenger vans, but the seats fold or come out easily so it can carry about what a 1500 cargo van can. I never move anything really heavy. Once in a while I'll pick up tile, laminate, and drywall for a small apartment.

Im trying to get more info on towbook and if anyone likes it/dislike. Also does towbook give you outside jobs or do you have to have contacts with companies that deal with towbook? We have 2 motor clubs,honk and copart but we need more jobs to grow our business

I'm scrolling around on FB marketplace (y'all trailers are expensive holy crap) and found a tiny trailer that looks like it's the size I want, but it's designed to be hauled behind an RV/lawnmower, so it has a pin hookhookup. 2 questions:

1. Would it theoretically be safe to tow behind a car (eg road trip luggage). I'm aware it'll vary some based on the specific trailer, but looking for a general idea
2. Is there a way to use the current hookup or would I need to have it altered to a more standard form?

Anyone used one to tow a 2500 truck like 20 miles?

Tow bar is rated for 5000-5500lbs.

One comment From a review was a guy used one to move a 6400 pound truck 800 miles, but that’s obviously not 8800-9000lb Cummins.

I was wondering if anyone has used their AAA Benefits, or if anyone here has seen someone use their AAA towing benefits, to request a flatbed tow for their forklift?

I have a 2010 dodge ram 1500 with no hitch reciever. I was planning to get one installed but didnt have the chance too. Also its pretty expensive. A couple days ago I noticed that there was a hole on to the back bumper and that I could probably mount just a tow ball on too it which only costs 50$ . I talked to couple people about it but they didn't recommend it. Any Ideas? Any reccomdations ? It looks like the bumper is mounted pretty well on to the frame from underneath. Please help. It will help me save alot of money. ( I may not be towing alot of weight ) maybe an enclosed trailer or so. I have pictures and videos.

I'm looking for work from 5 to 12am and I've been thinking about joining up with a towing outfit or a triple a. I've got my CDL. I want to keep my 9 to 5 phone customer service job and moonlight. Does anyone know if these guys are accommodating for and hiring these hours? Also what is the best online school or training for towing and general roadside service?

I have been in the towing industry for two years now, i absolutely love it, but my company won't buy a heavy

just medium duty's & lights, the company has grown to be stagnant owner not really picking up new contracts seems to be digging themselves a bit of a hole & am half debating if it would be worth the Risk to buy a heavy truck myself & be a owner operator for the company while drumming up my own business.... How hard of an industry is it to drum up heavy work ?? In British Columbia, Canada Area....

New or Used for Truck ? best trucks & wrecker models ?? straight stick or rotator ? everybody loves a rotator but too much Risk ? or more opportunity ?

Just starting out into the heavy side, what sockets should I be getting for dropping drive shafts with my 1/2 impact