Truck recovery is one of those services that ensure our roads and highways are safe and clear for use. When a semi-truck or tractor-trailer is involved in an accident or breaks down, this serves as a major traffic hazard and a safety issue. These large vehicles, when loaded, might be up to 80,000 pounds and hence are seldom capable of being moved without special equipment and expertise.
What is Truck Recovery?
Truck recovery is the process of removing large commercial vehicles from the road safely, following an accident, breakdown, or another incident. For this, the recovery must have all the required specialized equipment and expertise to facilitate the safe removal of these very heavy commercial vehicles from the road.
How Truck Recovery Differs From Car Towing
The distinction between truck recovery and car towing is very clear. The differences are as follows:
- Size and Weight of the Vehicle: A semi-truck, when fully loaded, weighs up to 80,000 pounds. This makes them extremely heavy and much larger than normal cars. So, in this case, stronger towing equipment is required along with a different approach for safely moving the vehicle.
- Necessity of Specialized Equipment: A regular tow truck that is used for a car cannot be utilized while dealing with the weight and size of a semi-truck. There is a requirement for the apparatus, including rotators, landoll trailers, and huge boom trucks.
- Recovery Complexity: Recovering a truck often involves more than just hooking it up and towing it away. Depending on the situation, the truck may need to be uprighted, stabilized, or have its cargo offloaded before it can be moved.
- Safety Considerations: Since semi-trucks are much bigger and heavier than common cars, the safety risks in performing truck recovery operations are extremely high. So, safety protocols must be thoroughly observed, including the setup of work zones in a secure manner and the use of particular rigging techniques.
What equipment is needed to recover a truck?
A variety of specialized tools and equipment are used to safely and efficiently recover large commercial vehicles. The most common ones are given below:
- Rotators: A rotator is a heavy-duty tow truck that uses a rotating boom to lift and rotate a semi-truck or trailer onto its wheels or onto a flatbed trailer. Rotators are a versatile recovery tool and are utilized for uprighting overturned trucks.
- Landoll Trailers: Axle trailers are a type of specialized trailer with multiple axes and a hydraulic tilting deck, designed to load heavy equipment like semi-trucks or construction machinery and transport them from one point to another.
- Boom Trucks: Hydraulic boom and winch installed on a large truck, used in the lifting and movement of heavy loads. Boom trucks are often used in conjunction with rotators or landoll trailers to safely position and load the recovered vehicle.
- Airbags: Inflatable bags that are placed under a truck or trailer to lift it off the ground, allowing cribbing or other support structures to be placed.
- Cribbing: This is when one uses strong wooden or plastic blocks to stabilize or support a truck or trailer during the recovery process.
- Rigging Equipment: These involve chains, straps, slings, and other specialized rigging tools meant to secure and move the recovered vehicle safely.
Truck recovery is a highly specialized field that demands high expertise from professionals and the right equipment for the successful recovery process of large commercial vehicles. Understanding the difference between truck recovery and car towing, as well as the tools and techniques involved, means you understand the skills and capabilities involved in this important industry.
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