Municipal vehicles come in all shapes and sizes, from heavy-duty garbage haulers to small sedans and hatchbacks used by city personnel. While dealing with breakdowns in light-duty fleet vehicles may not pose many challenges, your heavier vehicles require more care. Towing these behemoths requires both specialized equipment and experienced personnel.
If your city doesn't maintain its own fleet of rescue vehicles, then you'll need to hire heavy truck towing services to pick up the slack. Knowing how to choose the right heavy-duty lift can mean the difference between a smooth tow and extra headaches down the line. These three tips will help you to find the right heavy-duty lifting partner for your municipal fleet.
1. Evaluate Your Fleet
Heavy-duty tow trucks aren't right for every situation. These big hitters are more expensive to run and maintain, which means most towing services only bring them out when necessary. Likewise, you can expect to pay more per mile or hour when hiring a heavy-duty truck to move one of your fleet vehicles. Knowing when to bring one of these behemoths to the rescue can help to keep your budget intact.
The number one consideration for heavy-duty towing will be your stuck vehicle's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). You will usually need a heavy-duty wrecker for any vehicle with a GVWR above 17,000 lbs. You can expect to get by with only a light- or medium-duty trucks below this weight rating. For municipal fleets, this usually includes buses, dump trucks, and heavy-duty snowplows.
2. Budget Accordingly
Since hauling a heavy-duty truck can be costly, it's a good idea to discuss rates with several towing providers before you have an urgent need. Take notes on hourly/distance costs, as well as the prices for winching and recovery. These latter services may be necessary if one of your fleet vehicles becomes stuck or is involved in an accident.
These rates will allow you to budget your fleet's emergency fund accordingly. Keep in mind the service rates and the distances you may need to move vehicles. You should also describe your specific fleet vehicles to the provider since they may use different wreckers depending on the towed vehicle's type or weight.
3. Have a Plan
Always have a plan in place for emergencies involving your fleet, especially if you have snowplows, garbage trucks, or other vehicles that operate at unusual hours. Dispatchers should have a list of preferred services available so that your vehicle and crew are not left stuck on the side of the road. Avoid any situation that leaves your dispatchers desperately searching for a heavy-duty provider.
Although extra hurdles come with towing heavier fleet vehicles, you can tackle these challenges with a little extra time and planning. Following these steps will ensure that you don't leave your drivers stuck in a lurch.
Share8 January 2021
Hello, I am Nisa Trinity. Welcome to my website about automotive services. When I was a young kid, I loved to hang out at the local garage and watch the mechanics work their magic. Vehicles would arrive at the shop in a dire state of disrepair and leave under their own power. The whole process took very little time and effort when skilled mechanics made the right diagnoses. On this site, I will talk about the process of diagnosing and repairing vehicles of all kinds. I hope you can visit my site every day to learn about this important topic. Thank you.
