Published: Wednesday, November 27, 2024
By Brian J. Riker
Fresh off the close of the 35th American Towman Expo in Baltimore, MD, I find myself on a cross country road trip to deliver a new truck to a special customer in the Great State of Montana. While I am looking forward to this trip, I am acutely aware of the dangers of driving -especially during the holiday season.
AAA projects 79.9 million peoplemwill travel 50 miles or more from their home for Thanksgiving this week, which is an increase of 2 million over last year. While the thoughts of family gatherings, great food and visits with loved ones sounds great, let’s not forget that these folks are not accustomed to driving like you, the professional tower, and will likely be more distracted than ever!
Many studies suggest that the stress of the holidays, combined with fatigue from travel or overtime at work, lead to a peak in distracted driving behaviors with Thanksgiving kicking off the most dangerous period to be working roadside.
According to a 2023 study by Cambridge Mobile Telematics, Christmas Day is not only the day motorists are most likely to be distracted, it is also the day that motorists are most likely to speed. What a combination, speed and distraction! All we need is a little egg nog and we have the perfect recipe for disaster. New Year’s Day comes in almost a tie for the most distracted driving day, and the holiday season in general finds motorists on their cell phones an average of 2 minutes and 16 seconds, which is an increase over any other time of the year.
With Thanksgiving kicking off this season of holiday travel, shopping and time off from school, I remind all roadside responders and drivers in general, to stay hyper alert for all D drivers.
D drivers come in all types. Even professional drivers can be Drowsy, Drunk, Drugged, Distracted, Disgruntled, Distinguished, Developing or my personal favorite, just plain Dumb.
Now is not the time for your own thoughts to wander to family, friends and how you are going to fit everything into your busy schedule as a tow truck operator. No, now is the time to be sure your ANSI class 3 hi-viz garments are clean, worn properly and you are using your cones, flares and lights properly.
Having just completed a Traffic Incident Management for Tow Operators course in Baltimore, the topic of proper advanced warning is top of mind. In most states tow trucks are not authorized to take a lane, so please do not hesitate to reach out to law enforcement for assistance as needed. Even when you are just on the shoulder, cones, flares and other advanced warning devices can save your life.
Never turn your back to traffic and always give your customer instructions about the dangers of being roadside and request the remain safe. Safe is relative and situationally dependent; however industry best practices call for escorting customers into the cab of your truck, if you are going to be towing their vehicle, and to have them fasten their seat belts. Always remember to give them instructions on the three points of contact necessary to safely enter and exit your truck cab and instruct them not to touch anything in the cab while you are working.
If you are not towing their vehicle, the safest place is likely for them to remain inside the vehicle, again with their seat belts fastened and clear instructions not to move or bounce or touch anything so you can safely perform whatever service you are completing.
Stay Safe so you can go home to your family, and stay defensive in your driving so everyone around you can go home to their families as well.
Published: Thursday, November 21, 2024
By Randall C. Resch
“Endless loops” as safety chains? I don’t think so! Make no mistake, I believe ‘industry influencers’ tend to be a nuisance to the betterment of the industry. The internet is overrun by tow influencers and content creators, those who mock acceptable tow and recovery practices. Influencers share videos of outrageous, circus-like techniques, not to promote proper safety but to chase likes and followers.
Rest assured, there are plenty of herd followers watching these posts only to insert improper techniques into towing routines. For newbie towers, they venture onto industry forums, YouTube and TicToc videos learning (and practicing) unbelievable techniques that are not only dangerous, but openly poke holes in the industry’s best practices.
Recently, an internet technique was shared on one industry forum only to reach a level of all time stupidity. Be it satire, a joke, or made-up prank, it suggested towers attach “endless loops” in place of traditional safety chaining. It’s not funny, it’s simply stupid. These antics are likely to (one day) get someone injured or killed.
Dismiss the Rumor
While the attachment technique is interesting in concept, does it violate vehicle code law regarding safety chains? According to a major tow equipment catalog and supplier (name omitted), endless loop slings and straps, “… give you an advantage over traditional chain in your rigging and recovery efforts.” But nowhere in their description of the product does it reference endless loops to be used as a safety device versus that of conventional safety chains. Loops are described for use during rigging and recovery. There’s no mention of using this safety attachment between wrecker and a towed vehicle.
The fact is, safety chains are required on all towed vehicles. Specific to “towed vehicles” and not that of securing vehicles transported on flatbed carriers, California’s Vehicle Code § 29004, Section (a)(1), it reads; “Except as required under paragraph (2), a towed vehicle shall be coupled to the towing vehicle by means of a safety chain, cable, or equivalent device in addition to the regular drawbar, tongue, or other connection.”
Subsection (2) reads, “A vehicle towed by a tow truck shall be coupled to the tow truck by means of at least two safety chains in addition to the primary restraining system. The safety chains shall be securely affixed to the truck frame, bed, or towing equipment, independent of the towing sling, wheel lift, or under-reach towing equipment.”
Because wording here is specific, when it comes to the legality of an unintended, wrongful death lawsuit, several questions may be asked:
-- What equipment or accessory is considered standard practice for safety retention of towed vehicles? Are endless loops considered, “an equivalent device?”
-- When selecting the right “tool for the job,” are endless loops designed to work as a safety chain?
-- Has scientific testing (by any manufacturer) proved that endless loops are capable to overcome “extreme shock load” when subjected to risky conditions should a vehicle come away from the tow truck’s underreach or wheel lift?
Imagine the Drop
In a perfect tow world, safety chains are designed to bear weight of towed vehicles to help bring it to a controlled stop should something malfunction on the wrecker; or if the towed vehicle were to detach. I believe the common issue using endless loops could be the “resulting shock load factor,” sufficient enough to snap a slacked “loop” allowing the towed vehicle to detach.
I question if this type of towing setup complies with local laws and regulations in providing safety retention between towed vehicles and a wrecker. I caution towers who have this mindset to think this choice of safety device is proper. More importantly, I don’t know any manufacturer who supports using endless loops as a “loose vehicle capture device,” like that of using safety chains?
Call me skeptic or whatever, using endless loops as safety chains is bound to be questioned by state troopers and commercial officers. Because this technique hasn’t been questioned, I don’t support the technique’s value or whether it’s legal based on the letter of the law. Personally, I believe safety chains for towed vehicles is the industry’s “tried and true” practice that’s worked many times over.
Yes, I have a sense of humor too, but when it comes to operator safety, these kinds of posts are imprudent. Call me “a hater,” or “crochety old man,” until scientifically proved otherwise. Planting the seed of inanity is nothing less than reckless! And, for towers who got sucked into this influencer’s circus of fun, I recommend sticking with safety chains, not endless loops.
Operations Editor Randall C. Resch is a retired, veteran, California police officer, former tow business owner and industry advocate. As consultant and trainer, he authored and teaches tow truck operator safety courses approved by the California Highway Patrol. For 55-years, he has been involved in the towing and recovery industry. In 28-years, he has contributed more than 760-safety focused articles for American Towman Magazine, TowIndustryWeek.com and is a frequent seminar presenter and beauty pageant judge at tow shows. In 2014, he was inducted to the International Towing and Recovery Industry Hall of Fame, was the 3rd recipient of the industry's "Dave Jones Leadership Award," and is a member of American Towman’s Safety Committee.
Email Randy at rreschran@gmail.com.
Published: Tuesday, November 12, 2024
By Brian J. Riker
While I believe the best safety system in any vehicle is an alert, attentive, qualified, and well-trained driver, finding excellent drivers is becoming harder and harder. With the exponential rise in personal injury attorneys targeting the transportation industry and record-high jury awards, the need for every possible safety measure has become clear.
Large trucking company fleets have long advocated for safety management systems on commercial vehicles. They are promoting these measures more to level the playing field in driver recruitment than out of a genuine need for safety; however, they have caught the attention of trial attorneys and are now a focal point in many trucking court cases.
The thought process is that if the truck owner did not take every available opportunity to provide technology to reduce the risk of a crash, they are not truly committed to being safe and deserve to be punished. Trial lawyers have become particularly good at empowering juries to make a social statement or to “correct” a perceived injustice and hold “greedy” corporations accountable. While I am not advocating for a lawless society or allowing those responsible for horrible injuries to walk away without penalty, we must take a commonsense approach to this as trucking is not a one size fits all type of industry.
From the absence of collision avoidance and automatic braking systems to the failure to make certain seats standard equipment, truck owners and manufacturers have faced liability for injuries that might not have been their responsibility otherwise. In a 2023 study by Motive, a leading provider of dash cameras and other telematic devices, found that 40% of all commercial truck fleets are under invested in even basic safety systems for their fleets.
What about towing? Operating a tow truck may seem like something unique and special, and it is, but fundamentally tow trucks are commercial motor vehicles and subject to the same rules and regulations as any other commercial vehicle. Litigation against tow truck operators for motor vehicle crashes is on the rise and the industry needs to take action to protect themselves. This surge in litigation not only drives up insurance costs but also threatens everything you have worked for—and it’s not just owners at risk. Drivers are losing their homes, retirement savings, and other assets as a result of the accidents they’re involved in.
I’m not going to prescribe the five must-have safety systems for your tow truck, as each fleet and operation is unique; however, I encourage you to explore these options and assess whether they could make a difference for your fleet.
The one exception is that I will say everyone should have a good dash camera that includes tracking of the vehicle and inward (driver) facing views using A.I. to scan for distractions and policy violations. I believe in these so much I have them in all my personal vehicles and even travel with one to install using a suction cup in rental cars and other vehicles I drive on a temporary basis.
Telematics that provide reports on speeding, hard braking, sharp turns, and other driver behavior issues are the next most important piece of safety equipment; however if you have these reports then you must also take corrective action. Knowing about bad behaviors and not moving to correct them is worse than not knowing about them at all.
Other options when ordering a new truck could include lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, computer settings that do things like automatically turn on headlights with wipers or disable cruise control in the rain and upgraded brakes. Today there is no reason to have drum brakes on anything. Disc brakes are the way to go.
I caution against unilateral adoption of systems like automatic emergency braking because the dynamics of towing do not make for a very predictable braking action and automatic braking may cause more harm than good. Same with speed limiters. If you are going to use speed limiters look into variable or adaptive limiters that change based upon the posted speed limit and not a hard limit at an arbitrary number.
Lastly, the best safety system is still a fully trained and qualified operator. You invest in training such as rollovers, winching, and rigging so why not driver training focused on defensive driving? Afterall, your drivers spend 80% of their day behind the wheel and 20% doing the other stuff that most towers focus training on. It is time to train them as truck drivers.
