Tow Truck "W" Endorsement Questions
With Answers
Tow Truck - ANSWER- A motor vehicle that tows or carries a disabled, illegally parked
or abandoned vehicle.
GVWR - ANSWER- Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
GCVR - ANSWER- Gross Combination weight rating. The GVWR plus the GVWR of the
vehicle being towed equals the GCVR.
Light duty - ANSWER- GVWR of 8,600 to 10,000 pounds
Medium Duty - ANSWER- GVWR of 10,001 to 26,000
Heavy duty - ANSWER- GVWR over 26,000 pounds
Car carrier - ANSWER- A vehicle designed to transport 1 to 3 motor vehicles. Car
carriers use a platform that is used to facilitate the operation of towing one or many
vehicles. They are known also as flatbeds, Slideback, equipment transporters and
rollbacks.
Overloading - ANSWER- Overloading can cause undetected damage, weaken the
equipment significantly and cause equipment failure which can result in injury or death.
GAWR - ANSWER- Gross Axle Weight Rating which is used to describe the weight of a
single axle or a combination of axles is designed to carry.
Overhang - ANSWER- Overhang is measured from the center of the lift point to the
center of the rear axle of the tow trucks. The safe towing capacity decreases when
overhang increases.
STC - ANSWER- Safe towing capacity - Defined as the amount of weight or load that
does not cause more than a 50% loss of original unloaded front axle weight.
Wheelbase - ANSWER- The distance from the centerline of the front axle to the
centerline of the rear axle.
The breaking strength rating - ANSWER- TBSR is established by the manufacturer as
the maximum weight or load that new, unused equipment can bear under ideal
laboratory conditions.
