"Tanker Down!" In Towing and Recovery Footnotes

My new article in the April 2009 issue of Towing & Recovery Footnotes talks about recovery techniques for tanker trucks that have been involved in an accident. The photo at the left shows towers practicing with air cushions to right an overturned tanker. Towing expert Wes Wilburn explains:

Wilburn notes that air cushions were placed starting at the rear and working forward. And once the job is done, towers should take extra care with their air cushions. “Having the air cushions stored away properly after the last job really dictates how the next job will go,” says Wilburn. “I am not only talking about having them cleaned up, which should be obvious to most. What I believe is critical is how they have the air removed and how they are ‘tucked,’ so to speak.” Wilburn recommends that towers tuck three sides of each cushion and let the side with the hose stay untucked. “From my experience, this works much better,” he says.