TowmaN’s equ The Transporter

Tow, Tow, Tow Your Trailer

By Brian J. Riker

Trailers are an excellent way to diversify income streams for any towing business. They open options to transport much more than disabled vehicles, as well as make it simpler and safer to move those hard-to-tow vehicles. Choosing the right type of trailer for your operation, however, requires careful consideration of several factors.

Before buying any trailer, you should have a general idea of what you will be transporting and what the market is for such services. Be aware that freight and machinery transport does not pay the same as emergency towing. Even so, many shippers will pay a small premium for the fast service that towing companies are known for, provided that the rates are still competitive. Note, too, that the general freight market experiences wild swings in its normal rates and is currently experiencing historically low rates. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any opportunities to capitalize on, but do your research before jumping into the trailering market.

Size Matters

You must also look into the size and weight laws for your state, and any other states you plan to operate in or through. Vertical (overhead) clearance is a common issue with trailer transport, as is overall length and weight capacity. These issues can usually be overcome with the purchase of permits for annual blanket hauling, or for single trips of very unusual loads.

Several states restrict kingpin-toaxle length, with California being one of the most restrictive, requiring a 40-foot measurement on trailers over 48 feet in length. Most other states with restrictions limit the length to 41 feet from kingpin to the center of the trailer axles. This setup allows for a greater axle spread and better weight carrying capacity, while maintaining compliance with the Federal Bridge Formula.

Sampling Sliders

Once you have determined what you will be hauling, and the rules you must comply with, the next step is choosing a trailer. The typical entry-level trailer is the sliding-axle trailer. This trailer is popular because the learning curve for operations is typically shorter, and a sliding axle works very similar to a rollback. These trailers come in a variety of lengths and axle configurations, with 48- and 53-foot tandem axle units being the most popular.

The typical sliding-axle trailer is used for moving construction equipment, containers, wheeled

U.S., it is even possible to use these trailers for motor homes and coach bus transport due to the greater vertical clearances that are allowed. With a typical deck height of 38 to 42 inches, overhead clearance can become an issue in other areas.

Special Needs

Moving up to a higher level of capacity requires a look at more specialized trailers. Detachable neck trailers, known as RGN (Removable Gooseneck) trailers, allow for a lower loaded deck height, as well as a greater ability to handle tracked machines with booms, such as excavators. When selecting RGN trailers, the “well length” is very important, as this is where the cargo will be carried. The longer the well, the larger the machine you can fit, however there is a tradeoff in maneuverability that comes along with the empty weight.

A nice feature of RGN type trailers is the ability to add a removable auxiliary axle. These “flipper” axles can be pinned on the rear of the trailer when a little extra weight capacity is required, and then easily removed when not required. RGN trailers are the first step in hauling higher dimensional loads on a regular basis.

Wider Loads

As your transport division grows in size, there are many other specialized trailers to consider. Expandable deck trailers have a well that is adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of loads. Others have extendable sides to support wider loads, or special wheel cutouts to accommodate tractors and other agricultural equipment.

Another route a tower should consider when deciding to expand into the transport business is the variety of general freight trailers on the market. Perhaps you could add a few dry van or reefer trailers to your fleet and use them daily instead of just when clearing highway accidents. Many shippers will use a local company at a premium price for overflow work or when they simply need reliable service.

Vacuum trailers are a great asset to any company that offers full service environmental remediation. These trailers are easy to operate and provide many opportunities for additional revenue supporting construction firms, other environmental companies, and even your local municipality. In areas that have an active energy exploration business, there may be an opportunity to shuttle fresh water, drill mud or other oilfield supplies at reasonable hourly rates.

MULTI-TASKING

End-dump and roll-off trailers allow you to enter the construction and demolition disposal business, or even transport contaminated soil or other debris from accident scenes to disposal sites. In many areas, construction work is seasonal, and allows you to have drivers work these trailers during the summer months. Then, those same drivers can work overflow on the towing side during the busy winter months, or even haul other freight types during the off-season.

High-mount auto transport trailers are a great fit for towing companies as well. They can be pulled with a typical road tractor and allow you to transport five to eight cars in one trip. In my own business I had a mix of tow trucks and car trailers, using the tow trucks to pick up vehicles local to my yard (as backhauls from tow calls), and then loading these units onto the trailer for the trip to the auction. This approach supported my tow drivers by giving them additional revenue (although at wholesale rates) and made my auto-transport drivers more efficient by allowing them to minimize the time spent going from place to place for collecting vehicles.

Even More Advantages

Another benefit of having a diverse mix of tractor-trailer units is the ability to back a tractor under a DTU (Detachable Tow Unit) for long distance tows. It is no secret that a road tractor with a DTU is more cost effective than a traditional wrecker for long-haul towing. Additionally, this will ensure that you will not be sending a recovery-capable truck out of town, ultimately making it unavailable to service the more complex and urgent jobs.

Even without using a DTU, a long-distance tow is usually more cost effective with a tractor trailer combination and, as an added bonus, you will be able to more easily find and complete a backhaul to make the roundtrip even more profitable. Backhauls for wreckers are difficult to find, whereas finding a piece of machinery or other open deck-type load is a simple matter of visiting one of the hundreds of trucking industry load boards.

Fines Vs Revenue

As with everything else you do to increase your business opportunities, make sure you have the proper business licenses, qualifications and training before adding any of this equipment to your fleet. Where we enjoy many regulatory exceptions when providing emergency towing and recovery services, those same exceptions do not apply to other transport operations. Fines for not having the required permits or authority can far outweigh the increased revenue. Keep in mind, there are other compliance concerns with over-dimensional transport, and your towing company blanket permit may not be the correct permit for routine transport operations. Always check with the jurisdictions you plan to travel through before your trip.

Some of the more commonly overlooked compliance areas include hours of service, hazardous materials registration, waste hauling permits and size/weight limits. Hours of service is the most problematic aspect of these because we often expand into supplemental transportation work as a means to keep our staff occupied and paid until we need them for the “big one.” While this line of reasoning makes sense, it still can pose a legal challenge. That doesn’t mean your tow operators should be fully separate from your transport drivers, just be aware of their scheduled hours and availability before accepting emergency tow calls for them.

Added Training

Lastly, but certainly not least, is training requirements. Do not assume that just because you driver is an excellent tow operator that they will know how to load a piece of equipment onto a trailer. OSHA requires training on each piece of equipment that your employees operate, including the specific machines that they load or unload for transport. Further, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has specific securement regulations for different types of cargo that your drivers must be aware of and comply with.

Specific training in recognizing fatigue, and the techniques to manage it, is equally as important. Hint, it is not just an extra cup of coffee or an energy drink! Proper scheduling to allow for rest breaks is often overlooked by tow dispatchers due to towers’ mindset of always being available.

The Same But Different

Transport work can be very different than towing. In towing, we change the task focus often, with frequent breaks as we climb in and out of the truck or perform jobs. In transport work however, once loaded we may be driving for long periods of time. This requires a different mental approach to remain alert. Proper meal and rest breaks, including frequent stops to walk around, are important to keep circulation flowing, maintain alertness, reduce the risk of blood clots, and other health issues common to truck drivers.

Bottom line, trailers can be an integral part of expanding your business services as a towing company. They are excellent frontline pieces of equipment, not just support units. For less than the cost of a new light-duty rollback you can purchase a brand-new, entry-level sliding axle trailer and a used road tractor to enter the transport market. All of which makes for a great investment in future growth.