When you're recovering a vehicle that can weigh thousands of pounds, it's important to keep all parties informed about what's going on. After all, safety first. You can have all the right rigging gear, practice the correct techniques, and do everything by the book, but if you're not communicating what you're doing with others involved, it can be a recipe for disaster—and no one needs that on top of a stuck vehicle.
Here we'll look at how to have clear, concise communication when it's time to recover a vehicle.

Create A Plan, Make It Known

OK, you're stuck. Now what? Well, you need to rig up your recovery gear to make sure you get out. Whether that's a winch and appropriate rigging, a kinetic strap to be yanked out, or a set of traction boards, it's paramount to make sure all parties involved in the recovery process—including onlookers—know what's going on.
First and foremost, tell people what your plan is. You're stuck and you'll be winching to a tree to pull yourself out. You're doing a kinetic recovery to be pulled out of the snow. You're using traction boards and to try and drive out of the sand. Simply letting people know the plan is a great first step. Keep everyone informed.
As you begin your rigging or recovery preparation, tell people what your actions are. "I'm going to the front of the rig to hook up the shackles," or, "I'm putting the winch into freespool, and going to walk it to that tree," or "Let's dig out some snow from in front of the wheels before pulling." These little bits of communication help ensure no one prematurely gets on the throttle, the winch, or anything else that might cause harm to an unsuspecting person. As they say, teamwork makes the dreamwork. Work together when others are involved.
No matter how you plan to get out of your stuck situation, before winching, yanking with a strap, or driving happens, get the OK from everyone involved, including onlookers. Once you're rigged up or have your traction boards in place, make sure everyone involved is ready to go. But even before you start your recovery, lay down ground rules.

Having a spotter to help give feedback is important, but remember to position them a safe distance from the action.

• No matter the recovery method, make a plan to ensure there aren't surprises.
• Make your plan clear to everyone involved and get confirmation they hear you.
• Ask for a thumbs-up when ready to recovery, or ask for a couple honks on the horn when they're ready to be pulled out.
• If there are people around, make sure they're a safe distance away from the recovery. If winching, have people farther than the amount of line out. If using kinetic straps, have them back up more than the amount of strap. If using traction boards, get people away from the vehicle and the vehicle's designated path of travel.

Only once you get the go-ahead and people are out of the way, you can proceed with your recovery.

Learn Basic Winching Hand Signals

You and anyone helping you in a vehicle recovery situation should establish clear and precise hand signals before recovery a vehicle, especially when using a winch. Review them so everyone clearly understands. If winching, and the driver controlling the winch cannot see both hands of the assistant, the winch should not be activated. Here are some suggested winching signals. These are as if you're outside the vehicle, but you should recognize them if you're the one behind the wheel:
1) Direction of steering: Hold your arms out with thumbs up and tilt your hands in the direction you advise the driver to steer.
2) Power in the winch rope - Hold your forefinger in the air above your shoulder height and draw small circles in the air to indicate to wind the winch.
3) Power out the winch rope - Hold your forefinger pointing down and draw circles in the air at about waist height to indicate feeding more wire from the winch.
4) Pulse wind the winch rope - Tells the driver to wind the winch in short, quick bursts. Open and close the two fingertips until you want the winch to stop.
5) Braking - Cross your palms together to tell the driver to apply the foot brake.
6) Drive assist - Tells driver to give the tires more drive force to assist the winching process.
7) Stop the winch - Clinch fist, palm to driver, held high enough for driver to see and other arm straight out at shoulder height is the sign to stop the winch.
These basic, yet effective signals, can help those involved remain safe, and can add another level of control through good communication. Many of these can also be used for other types or recoveries.

Good Communication = Safe Vehicle Recovery

No matter the kind of recovery you're making, keeping a clear line of communication open is important. When you pair good communication with proper vehicle recovery techniques, you help ensure a successful and safe vehicle recovery.