Nashwan Habib is a towing expert with years of experience running a successful business. Every year, he and his team prepare for the upcoming winter season and see a massive influx of sales during winter storms. New towing companies – and even experienced ones – need to understand a few of these techniques to ensure that they are as successful as possible.

Preparation is Critical, Nashwan Habib Says

When the winter season comes along, towing sales will increase by as much as 200-300 percent in many snowy areas. As a result, Nashwan Habib states that new towing companies need to be prepared for this sudden increase and know how to handle this new business influx. The first step, Nashwan Habib states, is to create a team of on-call haulers prepared for upcoming winter storms.

These drivers should have trucks at their homes when they are off-duty, he says, because they may need to be activated to tow vehicles in extreme weather. For example, there may be moments when all of your drivers are out, and you find yourself unable to answer a call. With on-call drivers, Nashwan Habib argues you can handle this problem in a timely and reasonable fashion.

And if your on-call drivers resent being called into work, Nashwan Habib suggests paying them time and a half for day-off tows. Your hefty increases in sales more than cover this extra pay during winter storms, he says. Just as importantly, it creates a staff of ready and willing towing experts who will provide your area with the expert towing it needs to keep your sales steady.

Scheduling Your Tows Properly

Another major challenge Nashwan Habib anticipates is knowing how to handle all of the calls coming to your shop. Even experienced towing shops find themselves struggling during winter storms, Nashwan Habib says, even if they have drivers on demand. The best way to handle this situation is to assess each driver’s danger level and prioritize those in the worst conditions.

Of course, Nashwan Habib understands that everybody will say that they are in danger when their car needs to be towed. However, dispatchers need to be good at assessing the real threat in a towing situation and helping create a schedule. Try to focus on people in out-of-the-way areas, such as backroads, he says, because they may be far from other types of help.

Just as importantly, ask about how much gas is in a vehicle to see how long the driver can hold out. In dangerous winter storms, a car with a full tank of gas is safer than one with little gas because the driver can keep the car running to stay storm. Nashwan Habib also suggests that each dispatcher tell the stuck car owner to make sure their exhaust pipe is not blocked to avoid potential asphyxiation threats.