Towing Acronyms for Vehicle Manufacturer Specifications

Regardless of your experience and expertise in towing, it is important to review and understand the most common acronyms for vehicle manufacturer specifications in the industry to ensure you are well-prepared for safe travel. Continue reading to learn some key towing acronyms, and share your knowledge with your fellow towers.

Indianapolis Towing & Recovery 317-247-8484

Indianapolis Towing & Recovery 317-247-8484

Common Towing Abbreviations:

Before you can understand what these terms mean, you must be familiar with the meaning of the term, “gross” first. Gross refers to the total weight without deduction for tare, tret, or waste. See the bottom of the blog for these three definitions.

ATM – Aggregate Trailer Mass

The acronym, “ATM” stands for “Aggregate Trailer Mass”, which refers to the total mass of the trailer (see GTM) when carrying the manufacturer-recommended maximum load.

GCVW – Gross Combined Vehicle Weight

The acronym, “GCVW” stands for “Gross Combined Vehicle Weight”, which refers to the combined weight of a trailer and the towing vehicle, including all passengers, as well as, fuel, equipment, and the cargo on the trailer.

GTM – Gross Trailer Mass

The acronym, “GTM” stands for “Gross Trailer Mass”, which refers to the weight that is transferred to the ground by the trailer wheels when coupled up to the towing vehicle and when carrying the maximum load recommended by the manufacturer.

GTW – Gross Trailer Weight

The acronym, “GTW” stands for “Gross Trailer Weight”, which refers to the total weight of a trailer, including the weight of the cargo. It is the same as “gross vehicle mass”, or “GVM.” See below.

GVM – Gross Vehicle Mass

The acronym, “GVM” stands for “Gross Vehicle Mass”, which refers to the total mass of a trailer and its load combined.

GVW – Gross Vehicle Weight

The acronym, “GVW” stands for “Gross Vehicle Weight”, which refers to the total weight of the towing vehicle, including all passengers, as well as, fuel, equipment, and the cargo on the trailer.

GVWR – Gross Vehicle Weight Rating

The acronym, “GVWR” stands for “Gross Vehicle Weight Rating”, which refers to the maximum recommended weight of the vehicle or trailer when it is fully loaded in adherence to the manufacturer’s recommendation.

TWA – Trailer Weight Allowance

The acronym, “TWA” stands for “Trailer Weight Allowance”, which refers to the maximum weight your vehicle can safely and properly tow. It is also known as “maximum trailer rating” or “tow rating.”

Central Terms to Know:

In Cab This refers to the space inside the tow vehicle cabin.

Tare This terms refers to the empty weight of the trailer.

Tret An allowance for waste, after a deduction for tare.

Spring Center This terms refers to the distance between the center of one set of springs to the center of the other set of springs when mounted on a trailer chassis. This measurement is usually essential for the axel assembly, which ensures that the axle is mounted centrally across the trailer.

Call On Our Indianapolis Towing Pros, Anytime!

Zore's Towing Indianapolis 317-247-8484

Indianapolis Towing & Roadside Assistance 317-247-8484

Call Zore’s Towing at 317-247-8484 for safe and affordable Indianapolis tow truck services you can trust. Our licensed and insured tow truck operators provide punctual and prompt tow truck services, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week! We also provide numerous community services, roadside assistance services, wrecker and recovery services, and much more. Call 317-247-8484 to request a free estimate, anytime!

How to Perform a Pre-Tow Check Before a Road Trip

If you are planning a road trip that involves towing a trailer with your vehicle, it is wise to learn how to perform a correct pre-tow check and ensure your safety, as well as the safety of your cargo. Continue reading for some helpful tips.

Indianapolis Towing 317-247-8484

Indianapolis Tow Truck Service 317-247-8484

The first part of towing safety is preparation, which is why learning how to perform a pre-tow check before a road trip is so valuable. Not only is it important to know what to check, it is important to complete the task before every road trip, regardless of distance.

Getting Started

To start, you want to ensure your hitch and trailer are safely connected to one another. For a standard ball hitch, be sure that the tongue of the trailer is correctly connected to your vehicle’s hitch, with the locking mechanism snapped and lock pin in place.

While inspecting your hitch and trailer tongue, also be sure that your trailer connection is setup right. Between the vehicle and the trailer, there should be two chains that are crossing over each other, forming an “X” figure.

Check the security of the hitch by pulling up on the trailer to pull the hitch off. It should not be able to come off. If it does, you need to reconnect it and make the proper adjustments. Check that the wheel or stand for the trailer is in the “up” position.

Next, inspect your trailer lights and the lights on your towing vehicle. Be sure that the brake lights and turn signals are working properly and in sync. If something is off, check the electrical wires for looseness or defects. If you cannot get the brake lights to work, it is VITAL that you do not take it on the road.

Need a Professional Tow?

Indianapolis Roadside Assistance 317-247-8484

Indianapolis Towing and Roadside Assistance 317-247-8484

Call Zore’s Towing at 317-247-8484 for safe and affordable Indianapolis tow truck services you can trust. Our licensed and insured tow truck operators provide punctual and prompt tow truck services, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week! We also provide numerous community services, roadside assistance services, wrecker and recovery services, and much more. Call 317-247-8484 to request a free estimate, anytime!

What You Need to Know About Non-Consent Tows

A consented tow is when you hire or permit a tow truck driver to transport your vehicle. Other times, a vehicle is towed without the owner’s permission. This is called a non-consent tow. Non-consent tows are usually legal, but sometimes, they can be contested by the vehicle owner. Continue reading to learn what you need to know about non-consent towing, including when they are permitted and how to contest one in your town.

Indianapolis Towing 317-247-8484

Indianapolis Towing 317-247-8484

Non-Consent Towing

Most non-consent towing occurs when a vehicle is parked illegally, posing a safety hazard, or obstructing traffic. For instance, if a car is double parked, parked in a handicap zone without proper tags, blocking a fire lane, or abandoned and obstructing traffic, it can be legally towed at the owner’s expense and without their permission, either by the authority of the city or the private property owner.

This form of non-consent towing is generally provided by a third party towing company. And this is the party that tends to get all the grief for the tow, even though they are just a hired hand being ordered by the actual party in charge. So if your car is ever towed, don’t take it out on the tow truck driver; instead, you can contest the tow, or simply go through the standard process of regaining possession of your vehicle.

How to Contest a Non-Consent Tow

If you believe the property owner, city, or towing company made a mistake, you may challenge the non-consent tow. If you wish to move forward with contesting a non-consent tow, your first step is to request a tow hearing. You can do this by visiting the county’s clerk’s office or courthouse and file a written request. A tow hearing will give you the opportunity to tell a judge why you believe your vehicle was wrongly towed. It can take several weeks for a county to process this request, so it is important to file it immediately after the incident.

How to Prepare for a Tow Hearing

You will need to bring physical evidence with you to support your claim. One of the strongest forms of evidence you can bring are photographs of the area where your vehicle was parked, including nearby street signs, parking lines, and more. Obtaining witness statements at the actual time of the tow are also valuable to your case. If your vehicle was towed from a “customer’s only” parking lot of a store you were shopping at, receipts of purchases you made at the store would be a quality piece of evidence.

Satisfy All Fees Prior to Your Hearing

Even though you are claiming that your vehicle was wrongly towed, it is very important to pay all of your tow fees in full prior to your tow hearing. If you do not win your case, you will still owe the money, so do not let hefty fees accumulate in the meantime.

Trust Our Indianapolis Towing Pros for Advice and More!

Zore's Towing Indianapolis 317-247-8484

Indianapolis Towing & Roadside Assistance 317-247-8484

Call Zore’s Towing at 317-247-8484 for safe and affordable Indianapolis tow truck services you can trust. Our licensed and insured tow truck operators provide punctual and prompt tow truck services, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week! We also provide numerous community services, roadside assistance services, wrecker and recovery services, and much more. Call 317-247-8484 to request a free estimate, anytime!