Calling for a tow truck can be an extremely stressful experience when your car breaks down. There are certain things that you need to know when a tow truck driver begins to hook up your car for towing. If a car is hooked up improperly it can cause severe damage to your vehicle, such as throwing off the alignment or damaging the frame of the vehicle. A tow truck driver will be trained and experienced in hooking cars up properly. A qualified tow truck driver will follow these steps to ensure your car is taken care of properly. 

1 - The driver will make sure he or she has the car's lined up in a straight line before anything gets connected to your vehicle.

2 – They will then make sure that the wheel straps are completely secure on the wheels of the vehicle and form a Y-shape. If you look at your wheel as if it was a clock, the left side of the wheel strap should be resting in the 10 position, the right side at 2, and the bottom portion of the strap at the 6. Once the straps are in the correct position the tow truck driver can begin to tighten the wheel strap until there is no tension in between the straps.

3 – The breakaway chains will then be fastened to strong and permanent locations on the vehicles frame. The breakaway chains are installed to prevent the vehicle from coming loose from the tow truck if the car should ever break out of the wheel straps. The breakaway chains will be anchored to the tow truck to ensure that the vehicle cannot roll away from the truck and into oncoming traffic.

4 – The tow truck driver will attach a magnetic emergency vehicle lights to the top and trunk of your vehicle. These emergency lights will alert other drivers when the tow truck driver is applying the brake or begins to slow down. This will make other driver's aware of the vehicle and can help to prevent an accident from happening. Emergency lights are bright and can help other drivers see your vehicle in bad weather conditions to help them slow down when driving past your towed vehicle during transport.

A good tow truck driver will follow the steps outlined above to ensure that your vehicle is connected to the tow truck properly and that the tow truck does not damage the vehicle during transportation. If you have any questions about connecting to a tow truck or need road side assistance then you should contact your local tow truck vendor like TNT Towing and Salvage Disposal.