Calling for a heavy tow: the details that decide which truck comes out

Why the first phone call sets the whole job

A heavy tow is planned before anyone leaves the yard. The dispatcher is choosing a truck, deciding what rigging, air supply and tools go on it, and working out whether the job is a tow, a roadside repair or a recovery. Every one of those choices comes from what you say on the phone, and the wrong truck arriving means starting over.

This is the complete version of the call. Our post on choosing a flatbed or a wrecker covers the short list for cars and pickups, and our guide to what to do when a semi breaks down on the highway covers the safety steps that come before any call. Once you are somewhere safe, work through the sections below. You will not always know every answer, and "I don't know" is a useful answer too. A guess stated as a fact is not.

Where the truck is, down to the lane

Location comes first because nothing else can start without it. A description like "somewhere past the airport" means the truck goes looking, and on a divided highway a wrong direction can mean a long loop back to the next crossover. Give as much of this as you can:

• Highway and direction. The road number and the direction you were traveling, such as northbound or westbound, not just the side of the road you are on.
• Mile marker or last exit. The nearest mile marker, or the last exit number you passed. If you are on a ramp, say which interchange and which ramp.
• Where on the road. In a live lane, on the right or left shoulder, in the median, on a ramp, or off the pavement entirely.
• Which state. In the Kansas City metro the state line runs through the middle of town, so say whether you are on the Missouri or Kansas side.
• Off the highway. A street address, the business name, which gate, which dock door or yard row, and the unit number painted on the trailer.
• Your phone's map pin. Most phone map apps can show or share your exact coordinates. They are a useful backup to the mile marker, not a replacement for it.

The tractor, the trailer and what is inside

The combination and its weight decide which wrecker is rated for the job and how it will be lifted. A bobtail tractor, a loaded dry van and a tanker are three different jobs, even when the fault is the same. Tell dispatch:

• The tractor. Make and model, day cab or sleeper, the number of drive axles, and whether it has a lift axle. Give the unit number if it belongs to a fleet.
• The trailer. Dry van, reefer, flatbed, tanker, container chassis or other, and its length. Say whether it is a set of doubles.
• Loaded or empty. If loaded, the approximate weight from the bill of lading or the last scale ticket, not a guess.
• What the cargo is. Freight that can shift, liquid in a tank, livestock, temperature-controlled product, or anything that has to be transferred before the trailer can move.
• Hazmat placards. Whether the trailer is placarded, and the class and four-digit identification number shown on the placard or orange panel. Read them from a distance, and never approach a leak to do it. Under 49 CFR 177.817, hazmat shipping papers belong within the driver's reach at the controls, and in the driver's door pocket or on the seat when the driver is away from the cab, which is where responders will look for them.

Does it roll, steer, build air and let go of its brakes

These four questions decide whether the truck can be towed on its own wheels, whether it needs air supplied or its brakes caged, and whether a service truck could get it moving without a tow at all. Our post on how a semi gets towed explains why each one matters to the hookup. The quickest way to answer them is in this order:

• Does it roll? Whether all the wheels turn, or whether something is locked, flat, missing or dragging.
• Does it steer? Whether the steering wheel turns the front wheels, or whether something in the steering or front end is bent or broken.
• Does it build air? What the gauges read with the engine running, if it runs, and whether the pressure holds or drops. Say whether you can hear where a leak is.
• Do the brakes release? Whether the tractor and trailer spring brakes let go when you push the valves in, and whether they stay released.
• Does it run? Whether the engine starts, whether it is derated or in limp mode, and any warning lights or codes on the dash.
• What happened. A few words on what failed or what the truck did just before it stopped. That often tells dispatch whether this is a repair call before it is a tow.

Damage, leaks and how the rig is sitting

Damage changes how a unit is lifted, where the lift can be taken, and whether it can be towed at all before a recovery. Leaks change who else needs to be called. Describe what you can see from a safe position, without crawling under the truck or standing on the traffic side:

• Front-end or steer-axle damage. This can force a tow from the rear, which changes the equipment and the setup.
• Fluids on the ground. Diesel, coolant, oil or anything coming from the cargo. A fuel tank leak or a cargo leak may bring fire and hazmat responders, and cleanup is their work, not ours. Call 911 for any leak from a placarded load.
• How it is sitting. Upright on pavement, leaning, on soft ground, in a ditch or median, jackknifed or on its side. Anything off the pavement is a winch-out or a recovery before it is a tow.
• The load. Whether it looks secure, or has shifted, broken through, or spilled.
• Photos. Offer to send pictures of the whole rig, the damage and the ground around it. One clear photo answers several of these questions at once.

What you need, and where the truck is going

Say what you actually want to happen, and where the truck and trailer should end up. It is possible the job does not need a tow. A lot of air, electrical, tire and trailer faults can be fixed where the truck stands, and the same dispatch sends the service truck. Tell dispatch:

• The job. Tow, roadside repair, tire, winch-out or recovery, or "I don't know, here is what it is doing".
• The destination. The shop, dealer or yard name and full address, its hours, and whether it will accept a unit after closing. A shop that is closed with a locked gate is a second trip.
• One move or two. Whether the tractor and trailer go to the same place, or need to be split, with the trailer dropped at a customer or a yard.
• Deadlines. A delivery appointment, a temperature-controlled load or hours-of-service limits, so dispatch can plan around them honestly.

Who approves the job, who pays and who to call

A driver on the shoulder often has no authority to approve a heavy tow, and a job can sit while someone finds the person who does. Settling this on the first call avoids that. Fleets that set up an account in advance, as our post on setting up a fleet towing account explains, turn most of this into a unit number. Otherwise, have ready:

• Who authorizes. The carrier, the owner-operator, the broker or the leasing company, with the name of the person approving the work.
• Who pays. The company being billed, a purchase order or reference number if the fleet uses one, and whether an insurer or a roadside program is involved.
• The driver's number. A cell phone that will be answered, plus a backup if the battery is low.
• Dispatch or safety contact. The carrier's dispatcher or safety department number, especially after any collision.
• The site contact. For a yard, a dock or a job site, the person who can open the gate and who to ask for on arrival.

Scene access and safety on arrival

The last set of details tells the operator how to approach and set up safely. A heavy wrecker needs room, firm ground and a safe place to stop, and the approach to a truck in a live lane is very different from one on a wide shoulder. Our heavy-duty towing page covers the trucks this information goes to. Mention anything that applies:

• Injuries and 911. Whether anyone is hurt, and whether police, fire or highway patrol are on scene or on the way. If they are running the scene, the recovery works to their direction.
• Lanes blocked. Which lanes the rig occupies, and whether traffic is getting past.
• Where you are waiting. So the operator knows where to find you, and whether you are safely clear of traffic.
• Access and conditions. Low clearances, weight-limited bridges, tight gates, soft yards or overhead power lines on the way in, and any ice, flooding or fog at the location.

Sources

• 49 CFR 177.817, Shipping papers

Related reading

How a Bus or Motorcoach Gets Towed Safely — A bus is towed by a heavy wrecker, but not the way a semi is.

Can a Trailer Be Towed Without Its Tractor? — Yes.

How a Semi Actually Gets Towed, Start to Finish — Towing a semi starts with a walk-around, not a hook.