'They have to be prepared at a moment's notice': Tow truck driver course offered in Canada for 1st time
It might be one of the most dangerous jobs on the road. Tow truck drivers enter the scene of a crash or weather event, and are needed to work their magic to pull vehicles out of precarious positions.
“They have to be prepared at a moment’s notice,” said Bruce Campbell, lead instructor for Wreckmaster. “For every hour of the highway being blocked because of an incident, it costs the commerce world about $3 million.”
Wreckmaster is running a five-day course that's being offered in Canada for the first time, and the 23 drivers enrolled are from across the country.
The team invited CTV News cameras to watch a demonstration of how they might lift a vehicle over an embankment or a body of water, by suspending it between two tow trucks some six metres in the air.
“It’s calculating all the working load limits, it’s calculating forces,” said Jeffrey Martin, another one of the course instructors.
“We have to understand about the working load limits of the rigging, the wire load, the chains, the shackles, and what the trucks can handle,” said Campbell.
And communication is key. The entire time the vehicle is being hoisted into the air, the team is talking, shouting weight numbers and making sure they are lifting in sync.
Martin experienced first hand what can happen if those communication lines break down.
“In 2017 I was on a job where the communication wasn’t as good and somebody pulled a winch when they shouldn’t have and I got hit by a trailer loaded,” he told CTV News. “Broke four vertebrae, 19 ribs, both my scapula, rotator cuff. (I had a) punctured lung, torn esophagus, spent six weeks in a coma while they rebuilt me. And that was from lack of communication.”
Wreckmasters offers training for rigging, recovery and incident management that’s used by not only the towing recovery industry but entities such as fire departments, the government, and the Canadian military.
“This is the highest level (of training) that we offer at the moment,” said Campbell.
He explained it’s an 8/9R (which stands for rotators) and it’s used in incident management for quick clearance of highways so the entire road isn’t blocked for long periods of time during a recovery.
“When you live in the city, it looks like 'Where would you ever use that?' But probably 80 per cent of our roads are not city roads,” said Adrian Scovell, president and CEO of Automotive Retailers Association.
“A lot of the work is semi trailers an they’re fully loaded an they’re tipping them over and lifting them back up.”
On the last day of the course, those enrolled must complete and pass an exam.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Iran fires at suspected Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
Iran fired air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan after spotting drones, which were suspected to be part of an Israeli attack in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Ontario woman loses $15,000 to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
DEVELOPING Israel targets air defence system in Syria, state news agency says
Israel carried out a missile strike targeting an air defence unit in southern Syria, causing material damage, state-run SANA news agency quoted a military statement as saying Friday.
Some Canadian families will receive up to $620 per child today
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.