There are things a commercial driver must know – and do – to tow his own personal vehicle behind the commercial vehicle he is driving in the drive away industry:
- The contractor MUST tow a small vehicle which weighs 3,000 lbs. or less.
- The contractor MUST have signed a tow agreement. The agreement outlines the implications of joining a commercial vehicle and a private auto moving on US highways.
- The contractor MUST provide a certificate of insurance on his tow vehicle at or before each policy renewal, by faxing a copy of the new certificate of insurance to the safety department at 888-466-9110.
- The contractor MUST have rear tail and turn lights on both his towed vehicle and the commercial vehicle towing it. This is the law.
- The contractor MUST NOT splice into the electrical wiring of the commercial vehicle, causing damage to our customer’s truck(s). A number of non-evasive devices/methods for hooking up towed vehicle lights to a power source are available. The simplest of these is sold by U-Haul.
- The contractor MUST use safety chains when towing behind a commercial truck; there are no exceptions to this rule.
- The contractor MUST report any claim or event where a towed vehicle damages property, the towing vehicle, or another vehicle to the safety department – like any other loss or damage claim.
Towing your own, small standard transmission vehicle offers a contractor quick, low cost transportation to his next vehicle, so it may be a good business decision, but it must be done correctly.
