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The first of a new fleet of yellow RAA tow trucks will start hitting the road this month, helping many of the 43,000 Adelaide motorists who need their car towed from the roadside each year.
South Australia’s largest member organisation has purchased eight tow trucks that will be dedicated to helping stranded RAA members in metropolitan Adelaide, with the first set to hit the road later this month.
Currently all of RAA’s towing requirements are provided by contractors, with the new RAA tow trucks to bolster the fleet and help reduce wait times for members.
Around 16% of the more than 260,000 metro breakdowns RAA attends annually require a tow because the vehicle can’t be fixed at the roadside.
RAA General Manager Automotive Services Dorothy Nycz said thousands of broken-down drivers would benefit from the new fleet.
“Last financial year we arranged a tow for more than 43,000 drivers whose vehicles couldn’t be fixed at the roadside in the metro area,” Ms Nycz said.
“No one wants to be waiting at the roadside for longer than they need to, so we’ve been looking at how we can potentially improve wait times, especially on those busy days.
“From this month, we’ll have a dedicated tow fleet at the ready to help us get to broken down vehicles across metropolitan Adelaide as quickly as possible for our members.
“These tow trucks are purpose built and top of the line – able to tow vehicles up to four-tonne, as well as trailers attached to that vehicle and motorbikes.
“RAA will continue to use our valued towing partners – but having our own dedicated fleet in the mix should help us improve reliability and reduce wait times in many cases.
“If you’re broken down and need a tow, you’ll find it’s better to be a member at RAA with our new fleet of yellow RAA tow trucks.”
The most common issues leading to vehicles needing to be towed are cars not starting (24%), engines cutting out (17%), overheating (9%) or running rough (9%).
The first truck is set to hit the road by the end of September with the rest of the fleet to progressively join it in the field across the next 12 months.
For more on RAA Road Service visit raa.com.au/roadservice