Product Overview

Summary: This Night-time Towing Operations SOP sets out clear, practical steps for carrying out towing activities safely after dark, on-road and off-road. It helps Australian towing and transport businesses manage visibility, fatigue, traffic interaction, and roadside risks, while demonstrating compliance with WHS and road safety obligations.

Night-time towing presents a unique combination of risks: reduced visibility, fatigued drivers, unpredictable traffic, and often high‑stress breakdown or crash scenes. This Night-time Towing Operations Safe Operating Procedure provides a structured, step-by-step method for planning and completing towing tasks after dark, from receiving the job through to vehicle recovery, securing the load, transport, and handover. It guides workers in the safe use of lighting, beacons, warning triangles, traffic management controls, communication protocols, and vehicle positioning in low‑light conditions.

Developed for Australian towing, roadside assistance, and transport businesses, this SOP supports compliance with WHS legislation, Heavy Vehicle National Law, and relevant Australian Standards. It helps businesses reduce the risk of struck‑by incidents, slips and trips around vehicles, musculoskeletal injuries during hook‑ups, and fatigue-related crashes. By standardising how night operations are conducted, it also improves response consistency, reduces downtime, and provides clear evidence of due diligence in the event of an incident or regulator enquiry.

Key Benefits

• Reduce the risk of collisions and struck-by incidents during roadside and on-site night towing operations.
• Ensure consistent, compliant use of lighting, signage, PPE, and traffic controls in low-visibility conditions.
• Strengthen fatigue management practices for tow truck drivers and operators working night shifts.
• Improve coordination and communication between drivers, dispatch, emergency services, and clients.
• Provide clear, defensible documentation to demonstrate WHS and road safety due diligence in night operations.

Who is this for?

• Tow Truck Operators
• Heavy Vehicle Drivers
• Roadside Assistance Technicians
• Fleet Managers
• Operations Managers
• WHS Managers
• Transport Compliance Officers
• Workshop and Depot Supervisors
• Mining and Construction Site Supervisors
• Emergency Response Coordinators

Hazards Addressed

• Vehicle collisions with tow trucks or workers at roadside or on carriageways
• Reduced visibility and poor lighting increasing the risk of being struck by moving traffic
• Fatigue and reduced alertness during night shifts and extended hours
• Slips, trips, and falls around vehicles, on road shoulders, verges, and uneven ground
• Manual handling injuries from loading, unloading, and securing vehicles or equipment in the dark
• Pinch points and crush injuries during winching, lifting, and coupling operations
• Exposure to hazardous weather conditions (rain, fog, wind, cold) affecting stability and control
• Electrical and fire hazards from damaged vehicles, batteries, or fuel leaks at incident scenes
• Psychosocial stress from high-pressure emergency callouts and interactions with distressed clients
• Traffic management hazards when setting up cones, signs, and exclusion zones on live roads

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 Definitions and Terminology
• 3.0 Roles, Responsibilities and Competency Requirements
• 4.0 Pre-Shift Planning and Fatigue Management
• 5.0 Vehicle, Equipment and Lighting Pre-Start Checks
• 6.0 PPE Requirements and High-Visibility Clothing
• 7.0 Job Acceptance, Risk Assessment and Communication Protocols
• 8.0 Travelling to the Scene – Driving and Journey Management
• 9.0 Arrival on Site and Scene Assessment (Roadside, Car Parks, Sites)
• 10.0 Traffic Management, Cones, Signage and Exclusion Zones
• 11.0 Safe Positioning of Tow Truck and Breakdown Vehicle
• 12.0 Night-time Hook-Up, Winching and Loading Procedures
• 13.0 Securing the Load and Final Safety Checks Before Departure
• 14.0 Transporting the Vehicle – Safe Driving at Night
• 15.0 Unloading, Handover and Post-Job De-brief
• 16.0 Hazard Identification, Controls and Hierarchy of Control
• 17.0 Emergency Procedures and Incident Response
• 18.0 Environmental Considerations (Spills, Debris, Noise)
• 19.0 Training, Induction and Competency Verification
• 20.0 Recordkeeping, Reporting and Continuous Improvement

Legislation & References

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) and corresponding state and territory WHS Acts
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 and state/territory equivalents
• Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) and Chain of Responsibility requirements
• Safe Work Australia – General Guide for Working in the Roadside Environment
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing the Risk of Fatigue at Work
• AS/NZS 3012: Electrical installations – Construction and demolition sites (for temporary power at incident scenes)
• AS/NZS 1906.1: Retroreflective materials and devices for road traffic control purposes
• AS/NZS 4602.1: High visibility safety garments
• AS/NZS 4142.1: Traffic control devices for works on roads (as applicable to temporary traffic management)
• AS/NZS ISO 31000: Risk management – Guidelines