Towing Service questions.

[MrBell]

Good afternoon I decided to set up a towing service this year. I am a keen caravaner and decided that there is a small market out there where people may require my assistance when comes to towing their caravan or you could say pride and joy!.
I would like to ask a few questions to see if i can get some idea on peoples view to towing services.
So here here are a few quesions.

• I am just wondering or should I say asking what people think about using a towing service?.
• What is the most important factor you would look at, for example cost or experiance or is it how professional they are?, or is all of these factors?
• And finally how would you find out about a towing service, word of mouth, internet via forums or googling?

 

[RogerL]

For most people, using a towing service wouldn't be a usual occurrence - so only considered when something out of the ordinary occurs - eg injury, illness, car non-availability, driver licence issues! - but a towing service wouldn't be my first choice - some family and friends have tow cars and experience of towing, car forums and caravan forums may elicit a volunteer and local caravan dealers would be the obvious choice for professional help.
The most important factor is availability and then price.

 

[MrBell]

For most people, using a towing service wouldn't be a usual occurrence - so only considered when something out of the ordinary occurs - eg injury, illness, car non-availability, driver licence issues! - but a towing service wouldn't be my first choice - some family and friends have tow cars and experience of towing, car forums and caravan forums may elicit a volunteer and local caravan dealers would be the obvious choice for professional help.
The most important factor is availability and then price.

Thanks Roger for posting,
I do understand that there will be people who have friends or family who will be able to help when needed. It is a neiche market and i am sure word of mouth is vital to being sucessful. With the new licence rules in place for people to tow its very expensive hobby having a caravan if your just starting off, so hopefully by getting more information from this post i can help these people.
I do know there are people who will buy a caravan to site which will mean having a 4x4 would be very costly so by using a towing service for these would be benefical and would save money in the long run.

 

[Martin_E]

For a towing service you would need Public Liability Insurance, you would need to insure your tow vehicle for business use and for hire and reward, you may also fall into the scope of Tachograghs.

these would be the first questions I would ask prior to looking at your towing costs.

Most towing firms charge around £1 - £1.30 per mike for this type of service.

 

[yorkykev]

The main reason people choose to buy a caravan, I assume, is because it gives them that flexibility to go away wherever & whenever they feel like it / can afford it / are able to. It also allows you to go to whichever site you choose.
I think the people who would require a towing service are those caravanners who want to stay on one site for the whole season in a van which there car is not capable of towing, a small niche market.
If I was looking to use such a service I would be wanting all of the qualities you outlined in your questions :-

• Experienced - do they know what they are doing ? references from previous jobs ?
• Reliable - can you expect them to do what you want when you want ?
• Competitive - in terms of price
• Professional !!!!

I would think that where you are based in the country might be important - if you are in the South-west for example it may be that there is a greater demand due to proximity to popular holiday destinations compared with say the North-east. Also the further away from a customer you are the more expensive the job will become.
Hope this helps , I wish you all the best with your business.

 

[Mel]

Hi Mr Bell. I would currently only use a towing service if there was an accident or emergency which mean't OH couldn't tow ( I am of the can't tow; won't tow fraternity). However if I was to use one, professsionalism and trustworthiness would be higher on my list than price. I would want to see evidence of experience, insurance and general professional approach. Word of mouth would be my first choice of recommendation, but others have said; it is a bit niche so that may not be the best source. The next thing I would do is google.
However, the most likely place I would be in need a towing service would be on a caravan site (if I didn't have green flag May day cover). Persuading local CC and C&CC sites and private sites to display your business card/flyer might be an idea. In particular sites that do a lot of seasonal pitches may be a good place to spread some advertising.
Good luck
mel

 

[Surfer]

Do you have a suitable vehicle for towing a Bailey Retreat or any of the large Hobby caravans as that will be your part of your market?

 

[RayS]

Another business opening could be an overseas recovery service. With increasing age the insurance premiums for recovery from, say, Spain increase dramatically and many senior citizens have trouble getting cover at all. Quite a number have a family member who could/would fly out and drive the outfit home in emergency but many others do not, and would probably save the insurance money if they knew of a relable service which could be called on as required.

I appreciate this would be pretty expensive, but if you only needed it say once in five years could easily save money overall.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I think you are quite right, a bespoke towing service will be a niche market, and that is not a bad thing. Its unlikely to become a big business and make you a fortune, and it's likely to be very sporadic and seasonal, so don't give up your day job yet.

Realistically, most people who buy a touring caravan will have already made the decision to tow it themselves or will have got willing family members to do it, so the call for a planned towing service will be quite small, and more likely be those occasions when due to some un-forseen circumstances the tow vehicle or driver is unavailable.

What is the most important factor you would look at, for example cost or experiance or is it how professional they are?, or is all of these factors?

Personally, as I have roadside recovery insurance, And I have many family members who also caravan and would be happy to assist, so if I had to consider using a towing service it would almost certainly be because I was indisposed for some reason, and that means the most important factor would be the availability of the service to meet any time schedules (e.g. Site booking entrance/exit times etc.) It would also be essential for the service to be professionally set up as a company, good communications, clear usable forms and documents, with all proper insurances, clean capable tow vehicles, evidence of 'pre-flight' check lists, drivers in presentable tidy attire. Cost would be a factor. The order of such criteria will depend on individuals, and perhaps the immediate circumstances.

And finally how would you find out about a towing service, word of mouth, internet via forums or googling?

If its a niche as I suspect it will be, its unlikely you will have a wide network of contacts able to spread the word effectively by word of mouth. Valuable as that is, its not going to make a viable business. I would expect a professional service to be advertised in relevant magazines, and these days to have web page, most importantly with a land line telephone number.

Have you considered extending the idea and looking at using something like luxury minibus with tow hitch and offering to take the caravan and family to a destination, and bringing them back at the end of their holiday? Or offering a holiday transport service.

 

[Surfer]

Have you considered extending the idea and looking at using something
like luxury minibus with tow hitch and offering to take the caravan and
family to a destination, and bringing them back at the end of their
holiday? Or offering a holiday transport service.

If taking the above advice on board, a suitable mini bus with a GVW of over 3500kgs will allow you to tow the Bailey Retreat and other caravans longer than 7m in body length.

 

[MrBell]

Hi Mr Bell. I would currently only use a towing service if there was an accident or emergency which mean't OH couldn't tow ( I am of the can't tow; won't tow fraternity). However if I was to use one, professsionalism and trustworthiness would be higher on my list than price. I would want to see evidence of experience, insurance and general professional approach. Word of mouth would be my first choice of recommendation, but others have said; it is a bit niche so that may not be the best source. The next thing I would do is google.
However, the most likely place I would be in need a towing service would be on a caravan site (if I didn't have green flag May day cover). Persuading local CC and C&CC sites and private sites to display your business card/flyer might be an idea. In particular sites that do a lot of seasonal pitches may be a good place to spread some advertising.
Good luck
mel

good evening everyone,

I have had this business going for over 6 months or so and my business cards are at all dealers in the North East, I have cards also at different campsites a crossed the UK. I have a website as well which is getting lots of hits. Its interesting to hear what peoples opinion about towing services, I know it's a niche market and I know I won't make big bucks but to be honest I enjoy towing. I have done thousands of miles just with my caravan and have been to some amazing campsites, so what my way of thinking is to help people who want to site their van somewher or who can't or won't tow.
I understand I have to have the insurance which I have got plus I also have the proper breakdown as well.
I have completed a couple of jobs during the year and I am finding that the work will be seasonal but it's also to do with word of mouth. The more jobs I do and be as polite and professional as I can this will put me in good stead.
Some of the dealers who have my cards have given me quotes, I am keeping my costs as low as possible but again it's all about word of mouth.
I have a great 4x4 vehicle to tow most caravans, I can't tow the BIG hobbies or the Bailey Retreat, I may look at them in the future.

 

[Surfer]

Hi Mr Bell. I would currently only use a towing service if there was an accident or emergency which mean't OH couldn't tow ( I am of the can't tow; won't tow fraternity). However if I was to use one, professsionalism and trustworthiness would be higher on my list than price. I would want to see evidence of experience, insurance and general professional approach. Word of mouth would be my first choice of recommendation, but others have said; it is a bit niche so that may not be the best source. The next thing I would do is google.
However, the most likely place I would be in need a towing service would be on a caravan site (if I didn't have green flag May day cover). Persuading local CC and C&CC sites and private sites to display your business card/flyer might be an idea. In particular sites that do a lot of seasonal pitches may be a good place to spread some advertising.
Good luck
mel

good evening everyone,

I have had this business going for over 6 months or so and my business cards are at all dealers in the North East, I have cards also at different campsites a crossed the UK. I have a website as well which is getting lots of hits. Its interesting to hear what peoples opinion about towing services, I know it's a niche market and I know I won't make big bucks but to be honest I enjoy towing. I have done thousands of miles just with my caravan and have been to some amazing campsites, so what my way of thinking is to help people who want to site their van somewher or who can't or won't tow.
I understand I have to have the insurance which I have got plus I also have the proper breakdown as well.
I have completed a couple of jobs during the year and I am finding that the work will be seasonal but it's also to do with word of mouth. The more jobs I do and be as polite and professional as I can this will put me in good stead.
Some of the dealers who have my cards have given me quotes, I am keeping my costs as low as possible but again it's all about word of mouth.
I have a great 4x4 vehicle to tow most caravans, I can't tow the BIG hobbies or the Bailey Retreat, I may look at them in the future.

Hopefully you have another 4 x 4 and are not using the Antara for towing as that vehicle limits your market. Why don't you also buy a car trailer to move cars around and supplement your income in the off season? This trailer could also be used for moving damaged caravans around for insurance companies. Have you got any dealerships on board for moving their caravans around between dealerships?

 

[Martin_E]

If it is an Antara then gross train weight goes over 3500kgs, I think this puts you into Tacograph regs as you are doing it for hire and reward, probably best to look into it.