Past articles revisited
By Richard Wolfe
In this article, I am going to touch on some of the articles I have done in 2000 that generated responses or replies.
First article covers the reinstallation of drivelines after towing the vehicle I got the most responses on this article, due to the liability issue. Most companies do not reinstall the driveling for this reason. I applaud the people who knew of the requirements to replace the bolds and straps with new ones, according to the manufacturer’s requirements. I can send information on the way to obtain a booklet from Spicer about the proper way to do the job to anyone who missed the article. Spicer was most helpful with this article, and they wish to help us portray a professional image to the customers and to have us do the job correctly.
As to the article on releasing air brakes, I got a few replies, and they are OK, and I know that I got some were critical on the ways that I explained the methods. I did it so that I can help a driver learn the very basics about his job. Nothing is going to surpass the actual hands-on training available to anyone who looks for it. Reading is great training and it can help do the job better, but actual hands on is the best.
In the article about training programs, I was given a few new places that offer Hazardous Materials training, and I thank the people who sent them to me. If you are truly interesting in getting formal training, you will be able to do so in professional programs, A truly professional operator is one trained on everything, expert at none, but knowledgeable and proficient on his job.
That sounds strange, but I hope you get the idea. We are always learning things on our job, as no job is exactly the same. After all, they build new cars and models every year. YOU HAVE TO LEARN all the time. Heck, look at the jump start instructions for new cars. Gone are the old days of hook up the cables and hit the switch. Now you have fuses to remove, controls to reset or turn on. Even tire changing has gotten harder, as you cannot put spare tires back into the places they came from without detailed instructions, and some cars have different bolts to install to mount the spare tire.
As to the proper towing methods, I received some comments on this subject. While it is not a law to stop unsafe towing, it is a professional courtesy to promote safety to the public. We all need to take this issue to heart and help our fellow towers to help with the image. After all, it is our lives and we do not need any bad press.
If anyone has any comments on any of my articles, please free to contact me about them. I welcome the criticism, be it good or bad. After all, I am human too.
(Article printed in the March 2001 issue of Towing and Recovery Phootnotes, and reposted with permission)
