The Difference Between A Rollback And A Flatbed: Why Your Towing Business Needs one
At first glance, a rollback and a flatbed look exactly alike. They are two kinds of tow trucks that both have a low flatbed on the back. However, that is where the differences stop. If you run a business that offers all kinds of towing services, you really should have at least one flatbed and one rollback in your towing fleet. To get a better understanding of what the differences are, and why you should have these special trucks in your fleet, you need to become acquainted with these trucks.
Flatbeds Stay Flat
Just as the name indicates, flatbed tow trucks stay flat. The bed of the truck does not re-position or move. Most of the time you will use this truck to haul heavy duty construction trucks and the like, which either need repair or just need to be moved from one location to the other because they are not street-legal.
Cars and trucks which have flat rear tires and cannot be towed by a regular truck because of where the flat tire is are also flatbed-appropriate vehicles.
Rollbacks Are Not Just a Discount Store Thing
Rollbacks, before they became a discount store thing, meant tow trucks where the flat bed rolls back to collect a vehicle. Usually, vehicles that are damaged way beyond recognition require a rollback tow truck. It is the only way to collect a completely smashed up vehicle and haul it away without causing more damage to it.
It is necessary to use a rollback with this type of towing service because the annihilated vehicle will need to be assessed by an insurance agent before it can be taken to a salvage yard and recycled.
The Amount of Business You Could Lose
Seventy percent of all small vehicle accidents that involve a semi or heavy truck result in damages beyond repair. That means that towing services, like yours, lose a lot of business if they do not own a functional and working flatbed truck and a rollback.
While you certainly could not claim the full seventy percent nationwide, you could claim the portion of business in your area if you have a rollback and a flatbed. Local police stations keep a list on hand of which towing services are able to collect vehicles and heavy duty trucks from an accident scene. Do not be one of the towing services that is not registered with the police for accident clean-up.
To leanr more, contact a company like John's Wrecker Service for help.