Experiencing a vehicle breaking down in the middle of your journey or meeting an accident, are events that every driver comes across. Roadside assistance, towing, and recovery services can be quite helpful in these scenarios. However, the most common question that towing and recovery companies come across is, what is the difference between towing and recovery services. Most people think both services fall under the same umbrella and perform the same function.

Although recovery and towing services go hand in hand they still have their fair share of differences. The following blog breaks down the differences between vehicle recovery and vehicle towing services.

What Is Towing?

If your vehicle breaks down in the middle of the road due to any mechanical reason or perhaps it runs out of fuel, you may need a towing service. Some mechanical repairs can be made on the roadside. However, working on your vehicle on the side of a highway is not a safe place to perform repairs. You should take the necessary precautions to stay safe while waiting for a towing company.

In these circumstances, you will need to hire a towing service. Standard towing trucks such as flatbed trucks, wheel lift trucks, and others will be used to hook your vehicle and get it to the nearest or your trusted workshop.

What Is Vehicle Recovery?

If you are unfortunate and get into a worse situation than a breakdown and you were in a motor vehicle accident or it has slid off the road, you will need more than a normal towing service. Your vehicle will need to be recovered from whatever situation it is in first before it can be towed to the repair facility.

Recovering vehicles that slid off the road or are stuck can be quite challenging and thus involves the use of specialized equipment and vehicles. An experienced vehicle recovery professional is well-versed with the skills and tools required to recover any vehicle irrespective of its size and how badly it is stuck.

Meeting a road accident that wrecks your car, even if no one is injured can be quite upsetting. However, towing companies like AAA Towing are ready to help you 24/7.

The Difference Between Vehicle Recovery And Vehicle Towing

Traditional towing services can be performed on vehicles that are stuck in the middle of nowhere due to lack of fuel, flat tires, dead batteries, and sometimes inclement weather. A vehicle stranded in a parking lot can also be towed to the mechanic shop or the vehicle’s scrap center.

However, if you come across a more serious mechanical problem while driving a heavy-duty vehicle, or your ATV is stuck or maybe your vehicle is stuck on soft ground, you will need a vehicle recovery service. The service will help you get your vehicle out of the situation and then be towed if required.

Apart from the situational difference, both services differ in the type of strap they use to connect to the affected vehicle.

Recovery strap

Recovery straps, also known as snatch straps are made of nylon or other elastic material and can be stretched up to 30% to that of their original size. Based on the size, recovery straps are of different types and have different load capacities. Each recovery strap has two eye lopes on each side that are used to attach to the affected vehicle.

Tow Strap

These are made of polypropylene or Dacron and sometimes are just metal chains. Due to these materials, the tow straps do not stretch. These have two metal hooks on each end. One of them is attached to the tow truck while the other is attached to the damaged vehicle.

About Us

At AAA Towing we offer our customers in Calgary quality, timely, and safe towing, roadside assistance, fuel delivery, and recovery services. If you find yourself stuck with a broken or slid-off vehicle, contact us and we will be on our way to get you and your vehicle out of the situation.