Heavy Duty Towing:
When Your Big Rig Needs Recovery
Use this guide to identify the type of towing or recovery help you need, prepare the information dispatch will ask for, and compare providers before service begins when conditions allow.
Classes of Towing: Light, Medium & Heavy Duty
Spec: Tow ClassesNot every tow truck can handle every vehicle. Understanding tow truck classes helps you call the right type for your situation.
Light Duty
Up to 10,000 lbs
Vehicles: Passenger cars, pickups, small SUVs
Equipment: Flatbed, hook & chain, wheel lift
Medium Duty
10,000–26,000 lbs
Vehicles: Box trucks, delivery vans, RVs, dump trucks
Equipment: Integrated, heavy-duty flatbed
Heavy Duty
26,000+ lbs
Vehicles: Semi trucks, buses, construction equipment, tankers
Equipment: 50-ton wrecker, rotator crane
Emergency: Semi Breakdown on the Highway
Spec: Safety StepsEmergency: Semi Breakdown on the Highway
Every year, motorists are killed or injured by stopped commercial trucks on highways. Your safety is the #1 priority. Follow these steps immediately.
Pull off the road completely
Use full shoulder width. If on a highway, try to reach an exit or rest stop. Distance from traffic lanes = survival.
Activate hazard lights immediately
Turn on hazard flashers as soon as you notice a problem, even while still moving.
Set out warning triangles
Place reflective triangles 10 ft, 100 ft, and 200 ft behind the vehicle facing traffic. Required by FMCSA regulations.
Exit the cab — don't stay inside
Moving vehicles can strike stopped semis. Get out and stand well away from the roadway and the vehicle.
Call your carrier / dispatcher
Notify your motor carrier immediately. They may have preferred tow and recovery providers with pre-negotiated rates.
Call heavy duty roadside assistance
Use your commercial roadside assistance hotline. If unavailable, call 911 for help coordinating a heavy wrecker.
Heavy Duty Towing Equipment Explained
Spec: EquipmentIntegrated Heavy Wrecker
Heavy wreckers combine towing and recovery functions. Capacity and configuration vary, so the provider must match the unit and rigging plan to the disabled vehicle.
Rotator Recovery Unit
Rotator units can provide side-reach and controlled lifting for complex recoveries. Required capacity, setup and rigging depend on the vehicle and scene.
Underlift/Integrated
Combines towing and recovery. Uses under-vehicle dollies for vehicles that can't be hooked conventionally. Essential for low-clearance semi recovery.
Air Cushion Recovery
Inflatable cushions used to right overturned tankers, buses, and semis with minimal further damage to the vehicle or cargo.
Heavy Duty Flatbed
Long flatbed trailers used to haul disabled semis, buses, or construction equipment. Required when the disabled vehicle can't be towed on its own wheels.
Landoll Trailer
Specialized tilt-bed trailer for construction equipment and oversized loads. Beds tilt to ground level for self-propelled equipment loading.