tow truck company Archives - Atlanta Insurance

If you work with tow trucks in Georgia, you know that there’s a lot of adventure that goes along with towing cars. Which is exactly why there’s tow truck insurance – when accidents happen or things go wrong, having the right insurance can really save the day. So, you know that you need to get tow truck insurance, but there are plenty of questions that go along with it. We’re going to tackle five common tow truck insurance questions to shed some light on the strange thing that is Georgia tow truck insurance.

Do I need tow truck insurance?

There are a variety of businesses that could benefit from tow truck insurance. Basically, if your line of work involves a tow truck or a wrecker, you’ll probably need to consider getting skilled insurance that includes specific coverages to protect your vehicle.

Businesses that might need Georgia tow truck insurance include (but are not limited to):

Auto body shops
Roadside assistance businesses
Towing services
Repo companies

What insurance coverages do I need to tow cars?

As you can imagine, there are plenty of business insurance coverages to consider to protect your towing business. Some of the coverages towing businesses get include…

Auto liability insurance: Auto liability insurance can help cover your legal obligation to the other driver and their passengers if you’re at fault in an accident. It can help you if they decide to sue you.
- Bodily injury liability: This part of auto liability insurance can help you cover the medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages of those that you injure in a car accident.
- Property damage liability: This part of auto liability insurance can help you cover the costs of repairing or replacing the property of others that you might damage in an accident – for example, the other driver’s car if you’re in an accident.
Physical damage insurance: This coverage can help you get your tow truck back on the road ASAP if it gets damaged. (Liability insurance won’t cover damages to your own tow truck.)
- Collision insurance can help you repair or replace your tow truck if it’s damaged in an accident or if you otherwise collide with something.
- Comprehensive insurance can help you repair or replace your tow truck if it’s damaged by something other than an accident, such as fire, theft, vandalism, and falling objects (i.e. trees).
On-hook/In-tow insurance: On-hook insurance can help protect you if one of your client’s cars is damaged while it’s attached to your tow truck.
Garagekeepers insurance: Garagekeepers can help protect you if you ever have care, custody, or control of your clients’ cars (for example, if you ever have to store them on your premises.) Examples of covered losses include fire, theft, and vandalism.
Garage liability insurance: Garage liability can protect you against claims of bodily injury or property damage arising from the day-to-day operation of your business and the services you provide.
Wrongful repo insurance: Wrongful repo insurance can protect you if you accidentally manage to repossess a car that you’re not supposed to.

How much does tow truck insurance cost?

You’re probably wondering how much Georgia tow truck insurance costs. The thing is that tow truck insurance rates depend on a lot of different factors. Insurance companies look at a lot of details about your business because they want to know how much of a risk you are to insure. (Businesses who present more risk will probably have higher rates.)

Some of the details that affect tow truck insurance rates are…

Your location
How long you’ve been in business
Your tow truck
Loss history/Claims
Tickets and traffic violations
The kind of towing you do
Your drivers and their MVRs
Your towing radius

How can I save money on tow truck insurance?

Another thing that you might be wondering about is how to save money on Georgia tow truck insurance. It’s important to emphasize safety at your towing business – this will help you avoid claims and therefore save money on towing insurance. The following can help you save money on your premium:

1. Have written workplace safety policies to outline driver behavior and safety expectation.

2. Have a pre-trip vehicle inspection procedure.

3. Have a thorough hiring process and hire safe drivers.

4. Conduct regular safety meetings with your employees.

5. Don’t forget to ask about tow truck insurance discounts.

6. Raise your deductible if you’re financially comfortable doing so.

7. Avoid filing minor claims against your insurance.

8. Get multiple quotes for tow truck insurance.

How do I get Georgia tow truck insurance quotes?

It’s important to get multiple tow truck insurance quotes so you can compare coverages and pricing. But how does one go about doing that? We’ll explain our quoting process.

1. You fill out our online quote form or give us a call.

2. Our agent gets some details about your tow truck business.

3. We go shopping and get you competitive quotes from different carriers.

4. We go over your insurance options with you and you decide which policy will work for you. Then we help finalize your coverage.

5. We’re here to answer any questions you may have and to assist with any insurance-related queries you may have.

So, those are the answers to several important tow truck insurance questions. If you need tow truck insurance quotes, we would be happy to help. Our tow truck insurance professionals can help you get the business insurance coverage you need to protect your company from risks. We’re also pros at making insurance easy. To get started with your quotes, fill out our online quote form or give us a call today.

In an emergency, how would you pick the best tow truck to help you?

Nobody ever plans on breaking down on the side of the road, do they? After all, who wants to get a flat tire? Run out of gas? Have a broken ball joint? Get into an accident? Nope, no one looks forward to having to call a tow truck. It might seem like they’ll never get there to rescue you. But when they do, there’s no sweeter sight in the world!

So, how do you go about choosing the best tow truck company? Well, first of all, it depends on why you need a tow truck in the first place.

1. Why do you want a vehicle towed?

Being stranded on the side of the road is only one reason to call a wrecker. There are a bunch of other situations in which a tow truck could come in handy.

For instance…

Jump starts
Running out of oil and needing an oil delivery
Getting locked out of your car – oops
Battery installation
Flat tire
Transporting a vehicle to another state
Flatbed towing
Equipment towing
Off-road recovery
Private property impounds
Boat towing
Motorcycle towing
Heavy truck towing

Did you know that some tow truck and wrecker services specialize in a certain area? That’s why it’s important to choose the right company for the job. They’ll have the proper equipment and experience to help you out with your specific need.

For example…

It’s 2 am and you run out of gas. You’ll need a 24-hr roadside assistance service.
If you’re moving out of state but have more than one car to move, you’ll run into a bit of a problem because you can only drive one car at a time. But an interstate long-distance car carrier will be able to help you out!
If you drive a semi-tractor trailer, you’ll need a company that moves heavy equipment.
Someone has illegally parked their car or abandoned their car in your restaurant’s parking lot. You need to call an impound service.

How can you tell who specializes in what areas? You can look up the company’s website and check out their About or Services page for details. You can also call and speak to the dispatcher and they will let you know if they are equipped to assist you.

2. Choose your towing service wisely.

There are good guys and bad guys in every industry, and tow trucks are no exception. Thankfully, there are plenty of tow truck heroes out there to help us when we get stranded.

Our suggestion is to choose wisely. There are a few things you can do to help you narrow your search.

Talk to family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors. They might have a suggestion for you if they’ve ever had a tow-truck-worthy mishap on the road.
If you’re out of town, the local police department might be able to give you some recommendations.
Look for reviews on sites like Yellowpages, Angieslist, Yelp, Google, and Yahoo. People just like you have used the towing service and left honest reviews of them on these websites. Take your time and read some reviews. You might want to focus only on 4 or 5-star customer service ratings.
Pick an annual service so that you’re already set.

The last time you thought about hiring a tow truck was probably during an emergency or another mishap. If you wait until you face your next disaster to do some tow truck research, you’ll wind up having to decide under duress. So do the research and find a reliable tow truck operation now. Yes, it might take some time, but it’ll pay off the next time you’re faced with car troubles.

3. Consider the true cost of towing your vehicle.

Beware of choosing solely on price. We say this because while the majority of tow truck operators are reputable, nobody likes to overpay, do they?

No one wants to feel like they’ve been taken advantage of. Here’s something to be aware of – you have to consider both the hook-up fee and the price per mile.

Hook-up fees: The hook-up fee covers the cost of attaching your vehicle to the tow truck. Here’s the thing to watch for – some tow truck companies will offer a really cheap hook-up fee in order to get your business. Many people mistakenly assume this is the only fee they have to pay. But you also have to pay the…

Price per mile: Do you want your car towed around down the street to the nearest station or do you want it taken to your favorite mechanic many miles away? Or maybe you want the car brought all the way home. The point is that miles add up quickly when your car is being towed.

While some operators offer a cheaper hook-up fee, they often charge a higher price per mile to make up the difference. Take the time to find out the hook-up fee and the price per mile fee beforehand. Also, ask if there are any hidden or additional charges.

In case you’re wondering, Angieslist tells us that the average nationwide cost for a tow is $109.

What else could impact the cost, you might ask? There may be additional towing costs during nights, holidays, and weekends. If you’re stuck in a ditch, off road, or perhaps somewhere in the mountains, then be prepared to pay a little extra as these all require a lot more work and time to help you.

Also, don’t forget about tipping! If you’re wondering, do you tip a tow truck driver then refer to our blog.

4. How do they treat you over the phone?

Is the dispatcher knowledgeable and helpful about your problem? Remember that bad customer service on the phone is usually an indication of what’s to come once you hire them. Listen to your gut instinct and look for someone else to help you if you’ve got a bad feeling.

There you have it – four ways to help you choose the right towing company. We hope you’ve found this article on how to get the best tow truck service helpful! Although we hope that you never find yourself stranded on the side of the road, with these tips at least you’ll be prepared to find a reputable towing company.

Need insurance for your car, home, or life? Let us know – we can help you out! We’ll even get you a free quote if you fill out our quote form or give us a call today.

What you need to know about Georgia tow truck insurance