6 Safety Tips to Keep Your Tow Truck Drivers Safe

Parked tow truck in residential

Whether you need high visibility shirts or a tow truck uniform for your fleet, you can count on Prudential Overall Supply, but it is up to your operational procedures and drivers to ensure safety on the job. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has developed many regulations to address tow truck driver safety to prevent injuries, illnesses, and accidents. These six safety tips can keep your drivers safe:

1. Heat Protection

Much of a tow truck driver’s work is done outdoors. Sun exposure is therefore a risk, so wearing sunscreen can prevent sunburns and skin cancer. Drivers should also try to work in the shade whenever possible and always have water on hand. Working in the heat can quickly lead to dehydration, which can be extremely dangerous.

2. Be Aware of Blind Spots

Blind spots can cause trouble on the road or in a work zone. They can hide a pedestrian or small vehicles, such as a sedan or motorcycle. Drivers should ensure all mirrors and visual aids are in place and working properly. Awareness of line of sight limitations is essential too. The more aware of their surroundings a driver is, the safer they can operate their truck.

3. Truck Maintenance

Preventative maintenance helps make trucks safe to drive and avoids unnecessary breakdowns. It is essential to have oil changes and check the brakes, suspension, steering, engine, and transmission, as well as other systems. Towing equipment also should be inspected regularly. Whenever there are changes in a vehicle’s performance, it should be brought to a service station.

4. Know Your Cargo Weight Capacity

Men High Visibility Safety Vest

Each truck can pull a certain amount of weight, which represents its towing capacity. To determine how much it can tow, subtract the curb weight of your truck from the gross combined vehicle weight, which includes any cargo already being transported. This is different from payload capacity, which equals gross vehicle weight minus curb weight to see how much it can carry.

5. Driver Training

OSHA requires training for all tow truck drivers. Each company must have established training procedures. Workers must be properly trained and tested to ensure they’re knowledgeable in operational and safety procedures and able to handle a wide range of situations. All training courses must be accredited.

6. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

The use of PPE isn’t limited to face masks that protect against COVID-19 infection. Tow truck drivers must have heavy-duty gloves to handle heavy loads or work with a disabled vehicle. A high visibility vest protects operators in work zones and during emergencies. At Prudential, we offer high visibility long sleeve shirts and high-quality tow truck driver visibility pants to improve safety and comfort, among a variety of other protective towing uniforms.

Contact Prudential Overall Supply

Whether you need to supply each worker in your fleet with complete tow truck driver uniforms or purchase industrial uniforms, you can depend on Prudential Overall Supply. Customers also rely on us for PPE, cleanroom services, and needs assessments. Contact us at 800-767-5536 to learn more and order high-quality products and services.