Vehicle Repossession Services — Auto Repo Service www.towcars.com

on December 21st, 2011 by admin

Vehicle Repossession Services — Auto Repo Service
… will either use the latest in towing equipment to recovery the vehicle ,repo cars in 30 seconds

Tags: Vehicle Repossession Services

How To Start A Towing Business – Background Info

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on November 26th, 2011 by admin

How To Start A Towing Business

How To Start A Towing Business – Background Info:

There are two types of towing companies:

consent towing and non-consent towing.

Consent towing means that you’ll

be towing cars from

highways to repair shops.

Non-consent towing means that

you’ll be towing cars that are parked

where they shouldn’t be,

or cars that have too many unpaid parking

tickets. In this case,

you’ll be working for business owners and the police

instead of individual car owners.

Only certain types of trucks have the

capacity to tow these vehicles

and not many people have these vehicles.

This is where starting a

towing business can profit you.

If you decide that you want to get involved in

the towing business,

you will want to determine how much the

permits and licensing will

cost for your area.

If you will be able to afford it, you will

want to apply for those permits

and then talk to both local car dealerships and

mechanics to begin

building relationships with them so that they will

use you for their towing

needs.

After you have the permits, a tow truck, and the

licensing to allow you to

drive the truck, you can start your towing business.

How To Start A Towing Business –

Tasks And Skills Needed:

Business Specific Tasks:

If you are planning to do all the business tasks or hiring or subcontracting

tasks, here’s a list of tasks that need to be attended to when it comes to

the business side of running a towing business:

Recordkeeping

Customer Service

Billing

Industry Specific Tasks

Same as above if you plan to do everything yourself or get help,

here are some of the tasks necessary to operate a towing business:

Tow vehicles from illegal parking zones and areas

Tow broken-down vehicles to garage or mechanic

Tow vehicles from accidents

How To Start A Towing Business -

Approximate Daily Hours Needed:

General Hours of Operation: -

When your business is open – You will need to be

available around the clock for any emergencies which may come up.

This will allow you to always take business and to keep both

your customers and your partners happy.

Hours Needed to Prepare – Before

Opening and After Hours Activities – Make a

ny necessary repairs to tow truck, make s

ure tow truck is fueled, work on marketing and promotion

of your tow truck business.

Number of Employees Needed To Run This Business:

Minimum Number of Employees -During the Start Up Phase: You can start this business yourself on a full-time basis.

Number of Employees – Once Your Business is Up and Running Successfully:

Website maintenance

Record/Bookkeeping

General office

Customer Service

You only need one person to run a successful

towing business.   This means, however, that you

will have to be the only person to always go out on

a job. Having an extra person to help you can be useful

sometimes because this will allow you to have an occasional

night off and will provide service for you while you are sick.

Skill Requirements for This Business:

Good driving record

Ability to operate a tow truck

Know the area(s)

Log time, distance, and fuel used

Bond (amount varies by state)

List of all drivers who may use the tow truck

Insurance for bodily injury, property damage and vehicle damage

Inspection of all facilities and equipment

Proof of good driving record

Criminal background check

Drug test results

Worker’s compensation (for any employees you have)

Licenses:

You will need licensing to be allowed to drive a tow truck

as well as special liability insurance to cover anything which

may happen.

You will also need to purchase permits which allow you to

operate your towing truck within certain limits of certain areas.

Approximate Minimum Start up Cost:

Bare essential: – This can cost anywhere from $50,000 to $200,000

depending on the area that you want to start a towing business in.

Permits and licenses can cost very different amounts based on how

urban the area you are starting in is. This will also vary based on the

truck that you can find to work with.

Minimal exposure – There are several ways to advertise for free.

You can post ads in local newspapers so people can read and know

about   you. It is also a good idea to contact companies that might

need towing   businesses to service them when they need to tow

illegally parked cars   in their vicinity.

Necessary Equipment to Run this Business:

Necessary Start-Up Equipment & Supplies:

Computer

Printer

Cell phone

Website

Tow truck

Amber strobe lights

Floodlights

Roadside assistance equipment

Flares

Traffic cones

Supplementary Equipment: – Equipment or helpful products

that you can acquire to once your business is off and running:

You may want to carry a number of tools which can help

any minor repairs that you may come across. Additional

things like extra chains, cables, and oil may also come in handy.

GPS

Monthly Expenses To Consider:

Wages

Phone/cell phone

Internet access

Permits

Advertising/Marketing

Electricity

Water

Special Requirements and Considerations For This Business:

Find out all you can about the trends in the industry.

Know   your

competition, in particular, their strengths and weaknesses.

This

will help you identify your competitive advantage.

In other words,

this   will help you figure out what you can give your

customers th

at they’re   not getting from the other businesses.

And keep from e

mulating the   competition’s strategy. Instead,

make the most of your

own advantage   points.

Towing business operators are also advised to come

up with easy to

remember names and phone numbers so people can

easily recall their

company when vehicle towing services are needed.

It is always better to focus on a small part of your niche

as the market

has grown very big and it will be tough to compete

with others when you

are just starting and don’t h

ave a specialized service.

You will need a license to operate a towing company.

Remember however

that you need to be patient in securing

a towing truck business license

because obtaining a towing license can

prove to be difficult. This is   because

towing licenses are strictly regulated. People

who are planning to invest in a

tow truck business must a

lso have at least $10,000 for a towing busines

s start up

capital. The starting capital for a towing compa

ny however can vary   depending on your location

and the type of operation you intend to have.   In urbanized areas for

example, you might need around $200,000 if you   are going to purchase

a tow truck and a towing license.

Some tow truck operators work privately with individual businesses and

   property owners instead of with the public. In this capacity, they may

not have to get a license, however, they may also have more difficulty

   getting the necessary liability insurance.

When learning how to start a towing business, you may consider joining a

towing business franchise, instead of operating completely   independently.

As part of a franchise, you will receive assistance with

developing and advertising your business, which may give you a

   jump-start on building clientele.

Pros And Cons of Opening A Towing Business:

The Pros of Running a Towing Business:

The work is easy as you only need to

hook the car up to

y

our truck and drive away with it.

The Towing Business is profitable

The towing business is in Demand

If you can get a AAA contract, then

you’ll have a stable flow of income.

The Cons of Running a Towing Business:

You may have to deal with angry people who’s

vehicles are being towed.

You could be called at all hours of the night to deal with vehicles

that need towed and it can happen in any sorts of weather,

making the work harder and more miserable.

Accident calls take time and expertise. When there is an

accident you have to work fast to get the road open again.

It’s hard to find drivers that will stay on because of the hours

Its hard working in cold weather

You’ll need to learn how use a lockout tools for

people that lock themselves out for their car

You’re on cal 24/7

Type of Customers You Need to Attract:

Look for agencies that enforce parking that

request the towing of vehicles for illegal parking

as well as customers who need their vehicle

towed to a local garage or mechanic.

Towing Business Statistics:

See Valuation Resources for the most current information.

Revenue:

See Valuation Resources for the most current information.

Towing Business Resources:

Towing Associations: These websites are a

collection of associations that serve both

towing companies and consumers.   Complete

benefit information can be found at each site.

Towing Companies: These websites are useful tools not only for finding a tow truck company when needed, but also for generatin

g new customers through internet marketing.

Towing Business Plans: These web pages

provide entrepreneurs with access to aff

ordable pre-written tow truck business plans designed to get their

dreams rolling.

Training For The Towing Business: These websites

and pages describe educational opportunities available for those

working in the towing industry. Some resources are available online.

Towing Publication and Articles: These websites and pages

focus on providing readers with quality information that covers a

wide range of topics concerning the towing industry.

Towing Forums: Each of these forums provide registered users

with the chance to learn from others in the towing industry

, ask questions, and give advice.

Towing Software: Towing business software options are presented

on these websites. Readers will learn all they need to know in order

to make an informed software decision.

Towing Forms: Every tow truck company has to have invoices, receip

t books, and other customized forms to operate.

These sites are a great resource for towing forms.

Towing Equipment: Tow companies can now save

time by ordering supplies over the internet.

Replacement parts, safety equipment, and

other essentials are all available online.

Tow Trucks For Sale: Finding the right

equipment is essential to running a successful business.

These sites provide users with access to

vehicle info and purchasing options.

Businesses To Related to a Towing Business:

Auto repair

Auto recovery

Moving and storage

See Also:

Starting A Business Checklist: This section helps

you cover all bases when you are getting

in to your own business.

More Business Ideas:

Top tips for trouble-free towing

Uncategorized

on November 26th, 2011 by admin

Top tips for trouble-free towing

You need to pay attention to the way you drive to give your horses a comfortable ride in a trailer

Are you transporting horses by trailer this season? Horse Deals looks at how to stay safe and improve your skills

With more and more owners opting for a trailer as their method of transporting horses, it’s vital to make sure you’re towing safely. That means ensuring your trailer and tow vehicle are a good match and in good order, that you’re driving skills are up to scratch — and that you’re staying legal. The materials used in modern two-horse trailers mean they’re relatively lightweight, but you still need to make sure your tow vehicle is up to the job. It’s important to know the weight not only of your trailer but your horses; weigh tapes give a guide, but, ideally, use a specialist weighbridge such as those found at many veterinary practices.

Once you’ve got the figures, get expert advice on the suitability of towing vehicles. The rule of thumb is that the weight of the loaded trailer shouldn’t be more than 85% of the towing vehicle’s unladen weight because you don’t want the trailer pushing your car downhill rather than being towed by it.

It’s also important that the trailer’s noseweight is correct. If it’s too high, which is the most common error, it will push the back of the car down and lift its nose. This is often caused by overloading the front of the trailer with heavy water containers and makes the whole outfit unstable and more prone to snaking.

Mechanical matters Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by the fact that compared to a horsebox, a trailer is mechanically simple. It still needs to be checked before every trip and maintained and serviced regularly.

Read your trailer manual — this might sound obvious, but a lot of people don’t. It will give you vital information such as correct tyre pressures, which are often much higher than those for the average car and must be checked before each use. You also need to check that the tyres on your car and trailer, including spares, have a good tread. The legal minimum is 1.6mm over the central 75% of their width for the whole circumference, but this offers little grip on wet roads and anything under 3mm may be inadequate.

The tyre walls must be in good condition with no deep cuts or bulges. Having said that, punctures can still happen, so it’s a good idea to carry a special wedge-shaped trailer lift.

Check before each journey that the tyre tread on your towing vehicle and trailer is well within the legal limits

This design is safer than a conventional jack because when horses move around it’s less likely that the trailer will be rocked off. Trailer lifts are easy to use: the wheel to be replaced is lifted off the ground by towing its partner on the same side onto a recess on top of the wedge.

The car’s towball should be greased and every time you hitch up check that the trailer lights are working properly and that the lamp lenses are clean and undamaged. The breakaway cable, which is a legal requirement on a braked trailer, must be in good condition and not attached to anything on the car that may be pulled off.

You don’t need to be a mechanic to carry out commonsense maintenance and checks. Three of the most simple and important are to clean out the trailer every time it’s used, lift rubber matting regularly and clean underneath it and check all hinges and locks.

If you know what you’re doing, you may be able to carry out work such as brake adjustment yourself. However, most owners prefer to get their trailer serviced by a recognised dealer.

On the road

The fact that you can drive a car competently doesn’t mean you can tow a trailer safely. For a start, make sure you’re legal — if you passed your driving test after 1 January 1997 you’ll need to take a towing test to tow most horse trailers. For up to date information, see www.direct.gov.uk and follow the link to motoring, then to driver licensing.

There are now lots of specialist training courses that can help those new to towing and drivers who want to brush up their skills. Find someone who has experience with horse trailers as well as caravans; www.towingcourses.co.uk could be a starting point.

Jon Phillips, managing director of the Organisation of Horsebox and Trailer Owners, which operates a specialist breakdown scheme, points out that most horse trailers are wider than towing vehicles. This affects where you need to position your tow car on the road.

“Drive your vehicle next to the kerb and the trailer will be bouncing on the pavement!” he says.

Several things can cause snaking, from sudden braking to the wheels getting caught in grooves on the road left by lorries

The Tui Bar helps if you have to load on your own and also stops your horse panicking and getting stuck

However, he adds that most people tend to drive wide, leaving more space than necessary between the kerb and trailer.

“The best way to check your road positioning while going along is to glance in the wing mirror and see where the trailer is, then look ahead and adjust the vehicle position to suit,” he advises.

Take the trailer’s extra width into account when turning corners and negotiating roundabouts and when you’re pulling into a petrol station, remember you can’t park as close to the fuel pump as normal.

It’s vital to think ahead to give your horse or horses a smooth ride and you’ll need to anticipate what other drivers are going to do even more than in ordinary circumstances.

“If you see a car far ahead braking, start to slow down — don’t wait for the car directly in front to brake,” says Jon. “With a loaded trailer, you won’t stop as quickly as you’re used to, so leave plenty of space.

“And anticipate traffic lights. If they’ve been green for a long time, expect them to turn red.”

One of the most frightening things is when a trailer starts to snake — moving from side to side. Several things can cause this, from sudden braking to the wheels getting caught in grooves on the road left by lorries, often known as tramlining. Don’t try to steer or accelerate out of it. Instead, hold the steering wheel straight ahead and brake gently until the trailer comes back under your control. Many trailer owners like to use stabilisers, but although they offer an extra safety benefit they can’t compensate for a badly matched towing outfit.

Other useful safety measures include fitting head partitions when necessary to prevent horses squabbling. If you have to load up by yourself, take a look at the Tui Safety Bar, which prevents a horse backing out of the trailer before you have time to fasten the breech bar.

Invented by Mandy Smith and named after the horse who did just this, it also has a safety release system that eliminates the risk of a panicking horse becoming trapped on the breast bar when travelling.

A companion mirror can make a single horse think he’s travelling with a friend

If you’re travelling a horse alone and he prefers company, you might find he settles better with an addition such as Equibrand’s travelling companion mirror. This works in the same way as stable mirrors; horses don’t seem to recognise their own reflections and are often comforted by the presence of what they think is another animal.

Remember that when towing a trailer, you’re restricted to the inside and middle lanes of a motorway and mustn’t exceed 60mph. Equally important, adjust your speed to road conditions and your horse’s comfort — just because you’re entitled to drive at up to 60mph on a motorway doesn’t always mean it’s advisable to do so.

For many drivers the most difficult aspect of towing is reversing. There’s only one way to master this skill and that’s to find a safe open area and practise until you’re confident: use bollards or plastic jump stands in a field and practise reversing in a straight line, round corners and into a marked parking space.

At first, it’s quite difficult to accept that you need to turn the car’s steering wheel in the opposite direction to that you want the trailer to go. Think of pushing the trailer rather than pulling it when you’re reversing and you might find it easier.

The easiest way to carry out reversing manoeuvres is to put one hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and move it to the right if you want the trailer to go to the right and to the left if you intend the trailer to move left. If you get it wrong, straighten up and start again.

Look after your trailer, make sure you’ve got specialist breakdown cover that looks after the horses as well as the mechanical horsepower, get expert help when necessary and keep abreast of legislation. That way, you and your horses stand the best chance of a smooth, safe journey.

Tags: Top tips for trouble-free towing

10 Must-Know Towing Tips

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on November 26th, 2011 by admin

10 Must-Know Towing Tips

Ten Towing Tips for Newbies

Whether you’ve just downsized your tow vehicle, you rarely tow,
or you’re a complete newbie to towing, here are some tips and reminders—outside
of making sure your tow vehicle is in tip-top shape, and properly
loaded—regarding what to do before you set out and how to get there safe.

Research More on Towing

Explanation

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on November 25th, 2011 by admin

Explanation

TowCarCalculations has developed several on-line
programs which can predict and compare the pulling performances of your car
hooked-up to your caravan. The programs are able to compute the top speeds on
flat roads and on gradients. Hill starts are part of the information too. Even
acceleration figures are predicted as well as the proper use of the highest
gear. Also the effect of wind on your outfit is calculated. And no, we don’t
forget the changing weight ratios between van and car either.Have a look at the possibilities in the menu later on, but we advise you
to read on first…

Star Rating System – Whattowcar Assessment Score©

Towing capability is summarized by a five star ranking, highlighted in three
colors. The color depends on the caravan/towing vehicle weight ratio for safety
reasons. All green stars indicate a perfect match between caravan and car but if
you see red stars then the caravan is too heavy for safe towing, either when the
going gets tough or it’s simply not allowed by law. Towing with an outfit with
orange stars should be legally OK, but you have to pay special attention to the
distribution of weight, noseweigt and tyre pressures. But you do that anyway,
don’t you?

The weight ratio (thus the color of the stars and the specific text in the
comments) is based on a mix of European ‘standards’. The match percentage in the
verdict is based on the UK standard Towing Code (loaded caravan / car
kerbweight). But beware of possible differences between UK-kerbweight (incl.
fluids) / EC-kerbweight (incl. driver) / Dutch-tax-kerbweight (incl. nothing).
Our database inconsequently contains the latter two. So please check these
weights before making decisions. When stars persist in the red, it might be the
case that towing with this specific car is not allowed at all. We know of some
Aston Martins…

The number of stars indicate the general towing capability and performance of
your car hooked-up with the selected caravan. The more stars the better of
course.

Safety and stability index

Based on the weight ratio, towball weight and the dimensions of the caravan
we calculate the stability index. It gives an indication of the safety reserve
of the outfit.

Speed index and maximum gradient

The speed index is to be used as an indication to make a quick
comparison easy between different cars or outfits. The figure represents the
average of the following top speeds:
- Absolute (often in a lower
gear)
- In top gear
- During (head) wind
- On motorway
slopes
Based on 85% of maximum throttle (power) and avoiding excessive high
revs.The gradient is the computed maximum you will just be able to get away on
1500 m above sea level. (If you get enough
traction)

Above that we provide six different ratings in special areas. Three of them
on flat roads and three for performance in mountainous regions.

Performance on leveled roads

Top speed

Acceleration and take over

Towing ability

Performance in mountainous
regions

Drive off uphill

Driving on motorway slopes

Driving on steep
roads

Compute your outfit on-line

In just a few clicks you can obtain an on-line computation of your favorite
outfit. Just select your car and caravan from the lists. If your caravan is not
listed, select ‘A standard caravan’. In the next screen never mind the choice
you have in selecting caravan model. Airflow (look at the pics here to compare)
must be selected in the next screen where you fill in the metric
dimensions of your caravan as well. One foot is 0.305 metres and one inch is
2.54 cm. We do provide speeds in mph though… An important parameter is the
drag or wind flow (Cw) of your caravan, see the images below and identify your
type. For the payload of your car you must notice that the kerbweight does not
include passengers, towbar and accessories.

Very good	Average (most modern caravans)	Poor
Rounded edges not only on the lower part but also at roof level means very good airflow. The roof front itself is flattened.	Average drag example. Rather big rounded edges, but mainly on the lower half of the front.	Poor airflow is achieved because of the small radius of the edges and the high roof level.

Interpretation of the presented data

Perhaps the most valuable computations are when you compare them to others.
Enter your current towcar and compare it with one in those brochures scattered
around on your desk…

On screen the difference between 70 or 80 mph seems not that relevant – but
the towcar that manages this top speed of 80 mph in fifth will easily maintain
60 mph (96 km/h) even with a bit of headwind or on a slight incline. Besides the
figures the program presents a plain text verdict. Even if we predict the
combination on certain aspects as (rather) poor, you can certainly still enjoy
driving the selected outfit. It then depends on your personal requirements.

Are the results accurate?

The exactness of the calculations is very high, but only if your input was
correct. Extensive roadtests are performed to check these outcomes. But
differences between your practical experiences and our predictions can occur.
There are not that much studies done of car/caravan combinations in windtunnels.
If you encounter substantial differences, please feel free to contact us. Weird predictions due to
mistakes in the database we would also like hear about.