Wanted: Tow Truck Driver
Some thoughts on how to lure and retain the good ones
By Richard Wolfe
Seems we are having a major shortage of qualified people to drive tow trucks. I know we can find lots of warm bodies to fill the seats, but we need ones who can do the job with the least amount of damage and still enjoy the job. Some companies run ads all the time trying to fill positions with qualified people.
Let’s examine the job. We are usually on call 24 hours a day, five to seven days a week. Time off is something that can be scheduled, but the major gripe from drivers I hear is “no time to do things” or “where is my family time?”
Sounds real familiar; after 24 years of driving, and as a crew leader and manager, I have seen drivers come and go. Some last a few days to a few weeks, some make the grade and enjoy the job and stay for years. I believe it takes a special person to become a tow truck driver: someone who likes helping people, likes challenges, likes driving, and does not have road rage.
PAY. Well, that is something that few ever feel is right for whatever job they are doing, be it tow truck driver, cook, janitor, professional athlete, or company executive. Everyone wants more money; after all, they believe they are worth more than the other employees are. So how do you determine when an individual’s wage is correct, or is “one paycheck fits all” the way to do it?
I know the bulk of people who drive tow trucks get commission – work more, get more; work less, get less. Simple math tells you that. But is someone who has never driven a tow truck worth 20 percent and is a 20 year industry veteran also worth 20 percent? I think that the one with the experience is worth more than the – excuse me – rookie.
And what about benefits? Are they available? In today’s workplace, benefits are a real plus for employees. Most people cannot afford medical and dental expenses now.
I have seen studies where the additions of benefits for employees who are covered by medical make a difference in the quality and skills of people who apply.
The “McJob” – yeah that is now an official word in Webster’s Dictionary – is something that people stay away from unless that is all they can find. Do we as drivers fit the low-pay, entry-level job with little or no chance for advancement? Some would say yes – but ask your employees, the answer might surprise you.
So what does the driver want out of the job? Well, it is simple, I think. They want a decent livable wage for the work they do, they want time off on a regular basis, and benefits that might include medical and dental to start with.
Profit sharing or a retirement plan would be fantastic, because, face it, we are not going to get rich as towing employees.
Uniforms are great because we would not tear up our clothes, and the uniforms seem to last longer than jeans and t-shirts do – plus they are an image builder for the company.
Paid vacation time? Yeah, since that is one benefit most people want since it is like a reward for all the hard work they do for you. Make it reasonable also; One week a year is good, and maybe three years before they get two weeks. Face it – with the turnover rate we have the industry, we do not always stay in one place long.
Training is a great benefit. It pays off in employee skills and the company gets better employees who the job with fewer damages and safer and faster. This also can help toward insurance for the business and mean savings in the premiums that we have to pay, double plus here.
Equipment is another think that a prospective employee looks at. Is that equipment new, or close to new? Is it maintained well? If it does not work it will not make money for you or the employee. Employee “pride in the ride” is something that makes a difference. Look at Schneider and JB Hunt. They had trouble keeping drivers with the cabovers, but switched to conventional’s and got drivers applying for the obs. Our industry is different from some others in that the hours are longer, the work is often physically hard, and we work at times in bad weather.
We as drives are the company, the motor club, or whomever the customer sees in us – the voice phone is not the person who shows up to tow the vehicle! The company owners must realize this and treat the drivers and other employees with respect. After all, they are in business to make money, but as drivers, we as drivers, are doing a job what we like and we do not want to be cheated or lied to about our pay or anything else. Just treat us with respect and show it to us though decent benefits and fair pay.
Pay? As for me, hey! – a wheelbarrow full of twenties talks real nice to me. Can anyone offer anything better?
(Article reprinted with permission from Towing and Recovery Footnotes and was printed in the November 2003 issue. Page 22,)
