Tow Truck Clip Art

Tow trucks are specialized vehicles equipped for towing and transporting passenger vehicles, commercial trucks and even buses that are disabled, damaged, or illegally parked. Modern towing equipment enables efficient roadside assistance and accident recovery as well as transportation of vehicles to mechanics, body shops, auction sites or other destinations.

Types of Tow Trucks

There are several tow truck types:

• Flatbed – Vehicle loads onto back platform area
• Wheel-Lift – Lifts vehicle’s front or rear wheels off the ground
• Integrated – Combines a wheel-lift with partial flatbed
• Heavy-duty wreckers – Tow more substantial trucks and vehicles

Capabilities range from light-duty cars to buses weighing many tons. High-tonnage wreckers often use underlift arms that lift the whole vehicle off the ground. Certain tow trucks also carry metal ramps, dollies and tools needed in vehicle recovery.

Tow Truck Equipment

Standard equipment includes:

• Winch system – A drum, wire rope, and motor used to pull vehicles onto the truck bed and secure them. Electric hydraulic winches can lift many tons.
• Wheel dollies – Freestanding dollies with wheels to load locked vehicles
• Safety gear – Flashers, road signaling equipment, protective apparel

Many trucks also have air compressors to inflate tires, jump start batteries, power specialty vehicle moving tools.

Common Tow Truck Jobs

Everyday requests involve:

• Battery jump starts
• Flat tire changes
• Vehicle relocations or impound transports
• Accident recovery
• Long distance towing to repair shops or destinations
• Lockout services to open vehicles with key issues

Tow operators remain on-call to stranded drivers as first responders.

Tow Truck Maintenance

Because tow trucks handle heavyweight loads often on short notice, meticulous maintenance is a must, including:

• Engine and drivetrain systems
• Transmissions and brake systems
• Tires and rear differentials
• Hydraulic lifting/winch gear
• Safety lighting systems

Well-kept trucks mean less road failures during critical jobs.

Tow Truck Driver Training

Most areas require special commercial drivers licenses with endorsements for operating tow trucks over 26,000lb. Training schools teach:

• Vehicle towing, recovery procedures
• Securing cargo protocols
• Traffic control methods
• Incident management
• Working with law enforcement

Defensive driving skills also key given roadside proximity.

Tow Truck Safety Procedures

Strict operating guidelines protect vehicles under tow and other motorists:

• Cautious vehicle lift placement
• Secured tow connections with safety chains/straps
• Vehicle inspections before transport
• Covered loads if hauling damaged vehicles
• Hazard light usage when working roadside
• Warning flags/lights for protruding cargo
• Slow speeds and escorts for long/wide loads

Following such protocols prevents accidents.

Tow Truck Industry Regulations

Laws govern consumer rights and protections:

• Business licensing
• Insurance requirements
• Employee screening and policies
• Rate disclosures and fair billing practices
• Hazardous material/waste protocols

Industry groups promote driver vetting, training standards and ethical business practices.

Owning a Tow Truck Company

Considerations when starting a towing service:

• Acquiring certified equipment
• Financing vehicles, tools, real estate overhead
• Attaining business licenses, commercial insurance
• Hiring and continually training qualified staff
• Having an office, call center, secured truck yard
• Building a customer base and positive reputation

Careful planning enables building a sustaining small business.

Tow Truck Clipart and Illustrations

Common illustrated concepts include:

• Line drawings of various regional tow truck styles
• Accident scenes with tow operators loading damaged vehicles
• Locked, stalled and ticketing situations
• Towing capacity graphics and winch systems
• Tow truck worker silhouettes
• Road signs like “Tow-Away Zone”

In this page clipartix present 63 tow truck clipart images free for designing activities. Lets download Tow Truck Clip Art that you want to use for works or personal uses.