Starting a small business can be tough, and if yours involves vehicles like box trucks, you have to have a plan in place to deal with vehicle repair and breakdowns. This includes identifying heavy-duty towing companies that can tow the trucks easily no matter where the trucks happen to be. When it comes time to use one of these towing companies — because there's a good chance that, at some point, you will have to call them — you need to know how to make the truck ready for towing. That will ensure that you'll have the right tools with you when the time comes.
Secure Loose Items
Towing a truck isn't like towing a passenger car where some loose items may be contained in a relatively compact trunk. Loose items in the truck are likely to be in the cargo section and will have a lot more space in which to fall, break, and so on. Carry tie-downs and ratchet straps with you at all times so that, if you have to have the truck towed and can't remove any of the items from the cargo area, you can at least tie them down. Even if the tow truck uses a flatbed trailer, the box truck could get jostled enough that anything inside will be thrown around.
Make Sure You Have an Inventory List
Keep a copy of the inventory list with you, and if you don't have a master list, make one for your truck. It helps keep track of what's in there if the truck has to be stored somewhere and can't be emptied. Even if you have the truck towed right back to your business and unloaded, you don't want to take a chance with something going missing (either because it was stolen or because all the loading and unloading led to items being misplaced). An inventory list for the truck ensures that when the truck (or another one that doesn't need repair) is loaded up, it will have everything it's supposed to be carrying.
Remove Anything You Can't Leave Overnight
If you can tow the truck back to your business, remove everything from the truck and place it in a locked storage area. Unless the truck itself will be locked up inside a structure — not fenced in a yard, but actually in a garage — you don't want to leave anything inside the truck where it could potentially be stolen. If you're towing the truck to a repair facility, remove whatever you can, but concentrate on the items that you absolutely can't leave overnight, such as valuables. Have another truck from your company brought to the repair place so you can transfer the cargo if you can.
Towing a box truck isn't as difficult as towing a semi, but it does require a heavy-duty tow truck and a tow driver who knows how to secure trucks that are that heavy. With a plan in place for how to handle towing and how to get the truck ready, you'll find that towing and repairing the truck will be a lot less inconvenient. Contact a towing company, like East End Auto And Truck Parts, Inc, for more information.
