Big-Rig Recoveries: Justifying Your Invoices

Tower-inflicted damages happen when conducting big recoveries. If trucks aren’t equipped with nylon recovery straps, air cushions, wide-berth shackles or spreader bars … you’re in the dark ages. Today’s towers find that these items are taking stress off casualty vehicles and putting stress onto the devices, enabling a cleaner, damage-free manner of recovery. Because state laws mandate towers use appropriate skills during recoveries, it’s your job to prove you provided recovery services using reasonable precautions to prevent additional damages. Insurance companies often come back to you alleging the casualty was damaged by your driver’s actions. Don’t assume that semis and trailers taken from incident scenes are totaled. Nor can you commit additional or excessive damage to the truck or trailer. There are limited standards as to how much damage can occur in process of recovery. The manner a casualty is recovered may be questioned, so it makes sense to train drivers in big-rig recovery techniques while taking steps to document damages before recoveries take place. When wrongful damage claims surface, or when insurance companies balk at paying invoices, typical questions include:• Did drivers take necessary precautions to minimize driver-inflicted damages?• Were your drivers trained in the art of recovery? • Was this a load-and-go scenario, or did it require techniques beyond normal recovery?• Were photos taken prior to loading or work? Insurance companies are famous for refuting towing and recovery charges, so, one non-clever way for them to slow payment is to file charges against you. When faced with an insurance suit for inflicted damages, you’ll have to defend your company’s actions in an honest and prepared manner. As in any claim, your company’s spokesperson must articulate and justify your company’s actions. The insurance company must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that your company damaged the vehicle and the recovery actions of your tow company weren’t reasonable, prudent, or fell under industry standards. When your company’s documentation is in place, you can justify your company’s on-scene actions by proving the following:• Identify the Incident Commander, investigating officer, or on-scene witness who authorized work?• If extensive clean-up site remediation was required at-the-scene?• What costs were encumbered to dispose of hazardous materials? • Were extra labor costs incurred to off-load destroyed debris and clean-up? For law-enforcement towers, when impound reports indicate dents n’ dings 360-degrees, this manner of inventory is difficult to defend in court. Because we towers know where common tow damages occur, a thorough pre-tow inspection is in order to spot damages already on the vehicle to be towed. Your company is entitled to be paid for work conducted if charges are honest, documented and allowed per agency and contract requirements. When your invoice demands payment for extensive time on-scene or work conducted—photos, video recordings and written documentation are your greatest allies.