What are the biggest challenges for tow truck drivers in Australia? Here, we’ll share 5 common challenges north lakes & district tow truck drivers face on the job.
Towing vehicles is not for the faint of heart. It’s impossible to estimate the number of cars that break down on the highway every single day. And in each of these instances, you can be sure that a tow truck driver would be called in to provide assistance, seven out of ten times. While their services are of high importance to road users all over the world, the job of a tow truck driver is not without its share of challenges.
In today’s post, we will be taking a look at 5 of the most common challenges faced by these incredibly dedicated and hardworking North Lakes & District Towing truck drivers. Without wasting any more time, let’s get right down to it.
1. Driving Safely To Their Destination
One of the major challenges many tow truck drivers face while carrying out their daily routines is how to safely get from one point to the other. Regardless of how familiar one is with a particular road, there’s no way to predict what can happen at any given time. There’s always the possibility of something new happening on the roads, and tow truck drivers have to always be alert and ready to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances.
Like it or not, with the larger-than-normal sizes of most tow trucks, driving safely is a challenge by itself for tow truck drivers as they have to consider not only themselves but other road users while on the road. It also becomes increasingly challenging when the tow truck is towing another vehicle. As then, the tow truck driver is not only concerned about driving safely but he must also ensure that no damage occurs to the vehicle he is transporting, whether deliberately or by accident. Talk about working under pressure!
2. Navigating Through Unpleasant Weather Conditions
There’s no other way to say it. Driving through extreme weather conditions is an absolute nightmare. Now imagine having to steer a vehicle weighing hundreds of kilos through heavy thunderstorms or snowfall, on extremely slippery roads while tugging another vehicle behind.
The amount of situational awareness that tow truck drivers need to have in such instances is almost akin to that of a soldier behind enemy lines! The tow truck driver has to pay extra attention to his surroundings in unpleasant weather conditions so that he can deliver his charge safely to its destination.
Oftentimes, this means he has to get used to driving in heavy rain or snow, at any time of the day (or night), in addition to taking special care not to allow other road users driving through such treacherous conditions become a potential cause for accidents on the highway.
3. Long Hours On The Road
Tow truck companies are one of the few companies that offer round the clock services. This is one of the reasons why tow trucks are considered to be emergency vehicles. It is therefore not strange to find that the path of a tow truck driver is often lonely and filled with long hours. And it’s not because they don’t have a say in how long they spend on the job.
The vehicle towing profession is somewhat similar to that of the medical doctors in that tow truck drivers are always on call, 24/7, even when they are on shifts. There’s no telling where (or when) the next emergency would happen and even if it has to take all night and the better part of the next day to get there, the tow truck driver must be there so long as he is on duty.
These long shifts on the road eventually take a toll on the body and lead to fatigue which can have a huge impact on a tow truck driver’s ability to carry out his duties effectively. And in a profession like towing where one needs to be fully alert at all times, such long bouts of fatigue can significantly reduce a driver’s situational awareness thereby making him a danger not only to himself, but to other road users.
4. Dealing With Other Road Users
Tow truck drivers are rarely the only ones on the road, even though their job functions sometimes require speed and urgency. You don’t expect a tow truck driver to drive at a snail’s pace when an emergency call has gone out for first responders to an accident scene. Unfortunately, unlike the priority given by most road users to ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks, tow truck drivers do not enjoy such exceptions but have to struggle for the right of way with other road users.
The tow truck driver is expected to drive as carefully as possible, both to reduce the likelihood of causing accidents with such a large vehicle and to minimise damage to the vehicle being towed. However, other road users are not under the same compulsion to maintain safe driving practices and as such they may pose serious threats to the tow truck driver through their reckless driving on the highway.
The number of tow truck drivers that get injured (or killed) as a result of collisions on the highway is ever increasing. Nevertheless, the tow truck driver can only be responsible for his own actions and not that of other road users. This makes towing one of the riskiest jobs on the planet.
5. Handling Dissatisfied And Angry Car Owners
Dealing with disgruntled clients is also one of the many challenges tow truck drivers have to deal with on the job. Aside from being first responders for emergency situations, the services of tow truck drivers are also needed when enforcing parking fines and repo sanctions.
Despite the fact that they are doing their jobs, some car owners may not take it lightly that their vehicles are being taken away and may decide to take it out on the tow truck drivers either physically or verbally. Sometimes, they may even attempt to get into the vehicle while it’s being towed away in an attempt to drive off, which can be very dangerous to both the car owner and tow truck driver.
Regardless of these challenges, the drivers at North Lakes & District Towing still remain committed to providing exceptional towing services to you and your vehicle so don’t hesitate to reach out whenever you have such a need!
