Experienced Flatbed Tow Truck & Recovery Operator

MrKitt's Service Center & Towing•Philadelphia, PA

11h•Onsite

About The Position

MrKitt’s Service Center & Towing is seeking an experienced, dependable, safety-focused Flatbed Tow Truck & Recovery Operator to join our professional towing team. This is not an entry-level position. Candidates must have a minimum of three years of verifiable professional towing and recovery experience and must be fully capable of operating a flatbed/rollback tow truck safely, efficiently, and independently. The successful candidate must have experience handling routine towing, accident scenes, vehicle recovery, rollover recovery, disabled vehicles, and double-hook assignments. Operators must understand proper loading, unloading, vehicle positioning, securement, weight distribution, recovery techniques, and DOT safety requirements. We are looking for an operator who can receive an assignment, assess the situation, determine the safest and most efficient approach, properly complete the job, document the assignment, and communicate with dispatch with minimal supervision. At the same time, you must be a team player. Professional towing and recovery require communication, cooperation, accountability, and a willingness to assist other operators when needed.

Requirements

Minimum 3 years of verifiable professional towing and recovery experience.
Significant experience operating flatbed tow trucks.
Capable of safely loading, securing, transporting, and unloading a variety of vehicles.
Able to properly and efficiently perform double-hook towing assignments.
Understanding of the additional securement, weight, equipment, clearance, and safety considerations involved in double-hook operations.
Accident-scene and vehicle-recovery experience.
Understanding of proper vehicle stabilization and recovery techniques.
Understanding of recovery positioning, recovery angles, equipment limitations, and scene hazards.
Understanding of proper vehicle securement and load distribution.
Knowledge of when a recovery requires additional equipment, another operator, or a heavier recovery unit.
Valid driver's license.
Clean driving record.
Current DOT Medical Card.
Ability to successfully pass a background screening.
Strong knowledge of applicable DOT regulations and safety requirements.
Strong customer-service and communication skills.
Must be a team player.
Dependable, punctual, responsible, and professional.
Capable of working effectively with minimal supervision.
Ability to follow company policies, safety procedures, and management direction.
Ability to work outdoors in varying weather, traffic, roadside, and accident-scene conditions.
Ability to properly, safely, and efficiently double hook when the assignment and equipment allow it.
Understanding of equipment capacity, vehicle weight, weight distribution, securement, clearances, turning characteristics, braking, road conditions, and applicable regulations for double-hook towing.
Never exceed the safe operating limits of the truck, towing equipment, securement equipment, or applicable legal requirements.
Hands-on experience responding to motor vehicle accidents and recovery situations.
Capability to assess the scene before beginning operations.
Capability to identify traffic, vehicle, environmental, and other potential hazards.
Capability to perform vehicle recoveries when appropriate for the operator's training and assigned equipment.
Capability to properly stabilize vehicles when necessary.
Capability to determine an appropriate recovery method.
Capability to properly position the truck and recovery equipment.
Capability to safely winch and recover disabled or accident-damaged vehicles.
Capability to recover vehicles from abnormal positions.
Capability to minimize additional damage during recovery.
Capability to prepare recovered vehicles for safe transportation.
Capability to coordinate with law enforcement, emergency personnel, dispatch, and other tow operators.
Understanding and following applicable DOT regulations, company safety policies, traffic laws, equipment requirements, and vehicle securement procedures.
Responsibility for performing appropriate pre-trip and post-trip inspections, including inspecting flatbed/rollback components, winch and cable/rope, hydraulic equipment, straps and chains, hooks and attachment points, wheel restraints, safety equipment, lighting, tires, and towing and recovery equipment.
Professionalism, respect, calmness, patience, customer-service-driven, and solution-oriented demeanor.
Ability to work independently.
Understanding when communication, assistance, or additional equipment is necessary.
Experience with rollover recovery.
Winching and recovery knowledge.
Vehicle stabilization knowledge.
Vehicle securement and load distribution knowledge.
DOT knowledge.
Ability to work with minimal supervision.

Responsibilities

Safely and efficiently operating company flatbed/rollback towing equipment.
Properly positioning the flatbed for loading and unloading.
Safely operating the bed, winch, controls, and related towing equipment.
Determining appropriate loading procedures based on vehicle condition and location.
Properly loading and positioning vehicles on the flatbed.
Maintaining appropriate vehicle placement and weight distribution.
Using appropriate securement points and methods.
Properly using straps, chains, wheel restraints, safety equipment, and other required securement devices.
Double-checking all vehicle securement before moving the truck.
Safely unloading vehicles at their destination.
Taking additional precautions with damaged, disabled, lowered, specialty, or otherwise difficult-to-load vehicles.
Protecting customer vehicles from preventable damage throughout the towing process.
Properly, safely, and efficiently double hooking when the assignment and equipment allow it.
Determining whether the vehicles and assigned equipment are appropriate for the intended double-hook operation.
Properly positioning and securing each vehicle for double-hook towing.
Verifying appropriate clearances before transport for double-hook towing.
Understanding how the additional vehicle affects the operation and handling of the tow truck.
Inspecting all connections and securement before moving during double-hook towing.
Rechecking the load and securement as required during double-hook towing.
Operating the truck conservatively and safely while transporting multiple vehicles.
Responding professionally to accident and recovery calls.
Assessing the scene before beginning operations.
Identifying traffic, vehicle, environmental, and other potential hazards.
Performing vehicle recoveries when appropriate for the operator's training and assigned equipment.
Properly stabilizing vehicles when necessary.
Determining an appropriate recovery method.
Properly positioning the truck and recovery equipment for recovery.
Safely winching and recovering disabled or accident-damaged vehicles.
Recovering vehicles from abnormal positions.
Minimizing additional damage during recovery.
Preparing recovered vehicles for safe transportation.
Coordinating with law enforcement, emergency personnel, dispatch, and other tow operators.
Recognizing when additional equipment, another operator, or a heavier recovery unit is necessary.
Performing appropriate pre-trip and post-trip inspections of towing and recovery equipment.
Reporting damaged, defective, missing, or unsafe equipment immediately.
Verifying that every vehicle is properly loaded and secured before the truck moves.
Remaining professional, respectful, calm, patient, customer-service-driven, and solution-oriented.
Communicating professionally with customers, dispatchers, management, law enforcement, emergency responders, property owners, repair facilities, fellow towing operators, and members of the public.
Working independently with minimal supervision.
Communicating with dispatch.
Cooperating with management.
Assisting fellow drivers when needed.
Working effectively during multi-truck recovery operations.
Contributing to a professional and safety-focused work environment.
Receiving the call → assessing the situation → identifying hazards → determining the proper towing/recovery method → positioning the flatbed → safely loading or recovering the vehicle → properly securing the vehicle → setting up a double hook when required and appropriate → double-checking all securement → safely transporting the load → unloading the vehicle → documenting the assignment → communicating with dispatch.