When a motor vehicle breaks down, it has to be towed away. The need may arise due to mechanical or engine failure, or there might be an accident. The damaged vehicle has to be taken for salvage or repair to a garage. A light duty truck or a heavy duty truck is used to tow away the broken down vehicle. These trucks are called tow trucks. A vehicle could also get stuck on a terrain where you might not be able to drive it any further. It might also be that some vehicles come up for impounding for having violated some law or used for illegal purposes.
Tow services can be requested over wireless telephone or mobile radio. A text message can also be sent through the mobile phones. Tow trucks have also begun incorporating latest technology such as the GPS (Global Positioning System). Locating either a tow truck or a broken down vehicle has become easy. The Automatic vehicle location (AVL) system is used to locate the tow truck closest to the location of the vehicle that need to be towed. This is made possible from a map which displays the location of all tow trucks. Tow service providers may also have the capability to store the vehicles in their storage lot. They may charge a fee. There are many dealers and websites that announce tow truck for sale .
Usually if the towing service is required in a major highway, it is the highway authority who will provide this service. Towing services are also provided by private businesses. Various government departments who operate a large fleet of vehicles often have their own tow trucks. For instance, the public works department, the public transport authority and the police may have their own two trucks for their own use. The police may use their tow trucks to confiscate errant vehicles. There are a number of private businesses who operate large fleet of vehicles. These include those who are involved in taxi and transport services, and cargo movers. They use their tow trucks to tow their own vehicles that may have broken down. Tow services are provided by those operating private emergency road services. They can be called up to come to your need.