Understanding Vehicle Maintenance

Making sure that your semi-truck is kept in good repair and that it's well-maintained is important and can help prevent breakdowns. However, no matter how careful you might be to prevent breakdowns, they can still happen from time to time. If this does happen, then you could find yourself facing a large towing bill. Fortunately, these are a few things that you can do as an owner-operator that can help prevent this from happening:

1. Buy Towing Insurance

First of all, if you do not already have towing insurance on your semi-truck, now is the time to buy it. A lot of people don't think that it's necessary, but you are sure to be glad that you have it if you find yourself having to have your truck towed. In many cases, you can add towing insurance to your regular commercial insurance policy for a reasonable price. If this is not an option, then you may want to shop around for insurance companies that do offer it.

2. Have Your Rig Repaired on the Road

One good alternative to paying for semi-truck towing is repairing your rig on the road. If you find yourself dealing with a major repair issue and your truck is stranded on the side of the highway, one good option is to hire a mobile repair company that specializes in repairing semi-trucks. In many cases, these companies also offer towing, so if you do need a tow, they will already be there. However, they might be able to get your truck up and running without having to tow it to the shop, which can save you money on a towing bill and can also help you get your rig back on the road much more quickly.

3. Inquire About Charges

When calling a towing company, you might just want to ask to have someone sent out right away. If you're in a tricky situation -- such as if your rig is stranded on the side of the highway -- this makes sense. However, calling and hiring the first towing company that you find can be expensive. It's often better to call a few and to ask about pricing and the various things that are charged for. Then, you can find the towing company that is most reasonably priced.

Semi-truck towing can be costly, but it does not have to be. If you follow these three tips, you can reduce costs while getting your truck off of the side of the road.