TowingBossPro Blog — Driver App & Routes

Onboarding a New Tow Driver on the App in One Shift

Hiring a new driver is hard enough. Most tow companies are short on experienced operators, and when you find one, you want them on calls, not in a classroom. The good news is that a driver app should take one shift to learn, not a week. If it takes longer than that, the app is too complicated.

Closing Out a Tow in the Driver App So the Invoice Is Ready showed how the end of each call drives billing. New drivers need to learn that habit, along with a few others, on day one.

Before the First Shift

Set up the driver in the system before they arrive: an employee login, the truck they will run, and their phone with the driver app installed. Because TowingBossPro is never billed per user, there is no decision about whether a new hire or a part-timer gets a login. Everyone does.

Make sure your own lot's access notes and the common account locations have current notes. A new driver depends on those more than anyone.

Load a few of the regular account locations with fresh notes before the new hire starts. Their first trip to the dealer back lot or the body shop drop should not be a guessing game.

The Ride-Along

The fastest way to learn is to ride with an experienced driver for part of the first shift. The new driver watches how the veteran uses the app: opening the list, reading the call, tapping navigate, taking photos, sending the texts, tapping start and complete.

Then they switch. The new driver runs a few calls with the veteran watching. By the end of the day, they have done every step on real calls.

If a ride-along is not possible, put the new driver on a light day with mostly transports and scheduled pickups, and have dispatch available by phone. Calm, predictable calls are the best place to learn the app.

The Short Checklist

Give the new driver a short list of the habits that matter:

• Clock in at the start of the shift and out at the end.
• Read the whole call, including notes, before rolling.
• Tap navigate from the app for pickup and drop-off.
• Check the plate or VIN before hookup.
• Walk around and take photos before hookup.
• Tap start, send on-the-way, send arrival.
• Tap complete at the drop-off, not later.
• Check the list after every complete.

That is the whole job in the app. Everything else is towing, which they already know.

Print it, tape it to the dash for the first week, then throw it away. Once the habits are automatic, the list is not needed.

What They Will Get Wrong

New drivers usually forget complete, skip photos when rushed, or tap start inconsistently. None of these are big problems in week one if someone is watching. Have a dispatcher check the new driver's calls at the end of each of the first few shifts and give a quick reminder about anything that was missed.

Keep it friendly. A new driver who feels policed will find ways to avoid the app.

The Company's Way of Doing Things

Every company has its own rules: when start means start, how many photos, where keys go at the lot, how night call-outs work. Write them down in one place and give them to every new driver. Consistency between drivers is what makes the board readable.

Experienced drivers from other companies may have different habits. Explain the reason behind your rules and most will adapt quickly.

Veterans often appreciate the photos and the texts most once they see them in action. Many have been burned by a damage claim they could not disprove or a customer who left before they arrived. Show them how the app prevents that, and they stop seeing it as extra work.

After the First Week

By the end of week one, a new driver should be running the app without thinking about it. If they are not, find out why. Often it is something simple, like a phone with low storage or notifications turned off.

For more on what the driver app does, see the Tow Truck Driver App page.