TowingBossPro Blog — Running a Towing Business

Running Two Trucks in a Towing Business Without Losing the Thread

Two trucks is where a lot of towing companies get stuck. One truck is simple because you know where it is. Three or more forces you to build a real system. Two is the awkward middle where it feels like you can still keep it all in your head, right up until both drivers head to the same call or a customer waits an hour because each driver thought the other had it.

Running two trucks well is mostly about making sure every call has one clear owner and everyone can see the same picture.

One Place for Every Call

After deciding the timing in When to Add a Second Truck to Your Towing Business, the first rule of running two trucks is that calls only live in one place. Not your cell phone, not a text to the driver, not a sticky note. Every call goes into the system first, then gets assigned.

In TowingBossPro, every incoming call lands on the Waiting List, shown on a live map. Nothing gets assigned until someone looks at it there. That one habit prevents most double-bookings and forgotten calls.

This applies to you too. Owners are often the worst offenders, taking a call from a buddy at a body shop and texting the driver directly. It feels faster in the moment. It is exactly how two trucks end up at the same car, or no truck ends up at all. If the owner follows the rule, everyone else will.

Assign by Location, Not by Habit

With two trucks, owners tend to give the calls to whichever driver they are talking to. That leads to one truck crossing town while the other sits ten minutes from the call.

Assign by where the trucks are and where the calls are. Seeing calls on the map makes this obvious. You can circle a group of calls in one area or select them and assign them to a driver and truck in one step, and auto-routing helps put each truck's calls in a sensible order.

Watch for drivers who quietly trade calls between themselves. Sometimes it is harmless, but it means the board no longer matches reality. If a call needs to move, move it on the board so everyone sees the change, including the customer who is waiting.

Keep the Dispatch Board Honest

The dispatch board shows each truck's day, with calls in route order. It only works if drivers update it. Make it a rule that drivers start a call when they head out and complete it when they drop off. Then the board shows where each truck really is in its day.

When a new call comes in, you look at the board and see right away which truck will be free first. No phone calls needed.

Give Each Driver Everything He Needs

The fastest way to slow down two trucks is having drivers call the office for details. Every call should carry the pickup and drop-off addresses, the vehicle's year, make, model, color, plate and VIN, and any notes, such as where the keys are or which entrance to use at the account's lot.

The driver app shows all of that with the calls in order. Drivers send the customer on-the-way and arrival texts from the app, take vehicle photos, and mark the call complete. The office sees it all without asking.

Notes are where the extra value lives. "Keys in drop box at side door." "Customer prefers texts, not calls." "Low clearance in garage, send the wheel-lift." Small details like these are the difference between a smooth call and a wasted trip, and once they are on the call, every driver sees them.

Do Not Let Billing Fall Behind

With one truck you can usually invoice at the end of the day. With two, the backlog grows faster than you expect. A week of unbilled calls is a lot of money sitting in limbo.

Invoice as calls are completed. Keep cards on file for regular customers and accounts. Take online payments so customers can pay from the invoice text or email. Let payment follow-ups chase what is still open instead of doing it by memory.

Hold a Short Daily Check

At the end of each day, spend ten minutes looking at what happened. Any calls left open? Any vehicles that went to storage and need a start date? Any invoices not sent? Any driver who had trouble with something?

Ten minutes a day keeps two trucks running clean. Skip it and the small problems pile up until a busy weekend exposes them. With two trucks running smoothly, the next challenge is keeping them staffed, which starts with hiring. See how it all connects on the towing business software page.

If both drivers are around at the end of the day, include them for a couple of minutes. They will tell you things the board does not show, like an account contact who was annoyed or a lot that has a new gate. That kind of information belongs in the notes before tomorrow.