When considering a career change, you'll need to examine more closely the skills that are necessary for the job. You may want to be a tow truck driver because it looks easy and because the pay is good. However, you might be surprised to learn that car towing requires more skills than just collecting broken down vehicles! If you want to know more about this career choice and what it takes, your answers are right here.

Commercial Driving Skills

You cannot drive a tow truck without a commercial license. A tow truck is considered a commercial vehicle because it provides a service to others and is used to make money for a business. You not only need to have a regular driver's license, but you also have to take the road test to get a commercial license, in the tow truck you will use for work. If you do not have a job as a tow truck driver yet, you will need to borrow someone's tow truck to complete the driver's test. Talk with a company, like Big Ben's Towing & Recovery LLC, for more information about licensing.

Good Interpersonal Skills

Even though a large portion of your job as a tow truck driver has to do with non-speaking objects, you still have to talk to customers who own the vehicles. Good interpersonal skills in this line of work means that you can calm people down, keep an even tone of voice, and not create more anxiety or cause the drivers to be more frazzled than they already are. If you don't do well in high-stress situations, then this job is probably not for you.

Additionally, if you drive a truck for a business that handles service calls from a roadside assistance club, you will have to have the most professional tone and behavior or you could rate very low with the roadside assistance company. Lastly, if you don't want to be on-call or deal with customers during late night emergencies, this job probably isn't a good fit.

Good Decision-Making Skills

Sometimes picking up a broken-down vehicle is not as easy as it seems. Some cars are absolutely destroyed in an accident and then there is nothing for the towing fork to attach itself to. At other times, the weather is not conducive to spending extra time on one vehicle when you can pick up several vehicles in the same period. For instance, you could pick up and two three cars that have spun out into a ditch in the same hour it would take to pick up a vehicle that is so badly damaged in an accident, that it would take a flatbed tow truck to pick it up and haul it away.

Operation Skills and Knowledge of Other Vehicles

Operating a tow truck in a parking lot with an undamaged car is easy. Operating the truck out on the busy road is a different matter. You'll need to learn how to lower the towing fork, how to extend the fork, how to rock the other vehicle's wheels up, how to lock them into place, and how to lift the vehicle into the air onto its other set of tires. While these things can be done with a push of a button, you can only do them safely if you understand different weight classifications and what your truck can handle.

To improve your operation skills, you'll not only need to familiarize yourself with your truck, but how different makes/models can be hitched (or if they can be hitched) for a safe tow. Be sure to check these skills off before you apply to a tow truck driving position!

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