Tow Professional by Over the Mountain Media, Inc

TOW PROFESSIONAL

CONTENTS

2013 Buyer’s Guide Companies 26 | Company Listings

Volume 2 • Issue 5 2013

www.towprofessional.com

2013 Buyer’s Guide Categories 38 | Category Listing

I n du stry NEWS

Fuel 4 thought

24 | Successful Trade Show Selling

Can Now Run 100% Code Free on High Sulfur Diesel Fuel

12| Wall of the Fallen Honorees Lube tAlk

14 | Get the Right Oil IN EVERY ISSUE 4 | Publisher Letter

18 | How to compete in your market

Tow Professional | Volume 2 Issue 5 | www.towprofessional.com

40 | HOOKED UP

PUBLISHERS

LETTER

Professional Your Resource for Towing & Recovery

Volume 2 • Issue 5 2013

www.towprofessional.com

I hope that this issue finds you doing well.

PUBLISHERS Darian Weaver President & Co-Publisher darian@towprofessional.com

Darian and I attended the American Towman Showplace trade show in Las Vegas this past month. As the first year for a show, you never know how it is going to turn out until you go. It’s the people who attend the shows that make it a success. The venders help make it a success for the host, but the attendees are how the show is judged from a vender’s perspective. The show had both quantity and quality. Tow Professional will be back! With this issue, we bring you the 2013 Tow Professional Buyer’s Guide. The issue contains alphabetical listings, along with listings broken down by category. While I know that every company in our industry may not be listed (and I apologize for that in advance), the intent is for you, the reader, to have somewhat of a phonebook for our industry. Also in this issue, we are fortunate to have Dan Watson come onboard to provide a regular piece titled “Lube Talk.” Dan is the owner of D&J Diversified, which specializes in Synthetic lubrication and consulting since 1991. He is an Amsoil Inc. Direct Jobber with Industrial and Fleet certifications. Dan is also a Certified Lubrication Specialist (STLE). CLS was established by the Society of Tribologist and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) to recognize those people in the lubrication field who had achieved a high level of experience and training in the industry. Dan is a retired US Navy Lt. Commander with extensive experience and training in Nuclear Propulsion and engineering. With over 22 years of hands-on engineering experience in all aspects of nuclear submarine equipment and maintenance, followed by 22 years in the lubrication business, he brings a unique knowledge to his current field of lubrication sales and consulting. I don’t typically get too personal with the publisher’s letter, but I have got to tell anyone who will listen. Last month, my 28-year-old niece had a car wreck. Without going into long detail, it was horrific, and she was not expected to live through the day. Today it is 6 weeks later, and, though she is still critical, it looks like she is going to make it. The reason that I am telling you this is because it gives me the opportunity to share my faith and testify to the power of prayer. If you don’t have it, get it! The work of the Lord is miraculous.

Jack Hartsfield Vice President & Co-Publisher jack@towprofessional.com __________________________

PRODUCTION Clint W. Cabiness Art Director Hal Huber Kattie Spence Graphic Designers Jill Hasty Managing Editor __________________________

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS D.J. Harrington Dan Messina Dan Watson

Executive and Advertising Offices

Darian Weaver and Jack Hartsfield Co-Publishers

Vol.2, Issue 4 Retraction: In the last issue of Tow Professional, on pages 30 & 31, the Yellow Class 3 garment was shown in the Class 2 paragraph and the Orange Class 2 garment was shown in the Class 1 paragraph. The story was provided by Paul at AW Direct (and it was provided correctly; we at Tow Professional laid it out wrong). Getting the proper information into the market is extremely important to AW Direct, and it has been corrected with our online version at www.towprofessional.com.

P.O. Box 26308 Birmingham, AL 35260 Toll free: 888-802-8544 Fax: 205-978-1550 www.towprofessional.com Tow Professional is published nine times a year by Over The Mountain Media, Inc., P.O. Box 26308, Birmingham, Alabama, 35260, USA. Tow Professional is distributed free to qualified subscribers. Non-qualified subscription rates are $57.00 per year in the U.S. and Canada and $84.00 per year for foreign subscribers (surface mail). U.S. Postage paid at Birmingham, Alabama and additional mailing offices. Tow Professional is distributed to qualified Towing & Recovery's Top Decision Makers. Publisher is not liable for all content (including editorial and illustrations provided by advertisers) of advertisements published and does not accept responsibility for any claims made against the publisher. It is the advertiser’s or agency’s responsibility to obtain appropriate releases on any item or individuals pictured in an advertisement. Reproduction of this magazine in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written permission from the publisher.

For a new free subscription, address changes or corrections, please visit www.towprofessional.com and click on the “subscribe” tab.

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............................................... ON CALL 24/7 TO GO ALL DIGITAL >>>

I n du stry NEWS TOWING & RECOVERY

Miller Industries has announced that the towing and recovery periodical that they have published over the past 9 years, ON CALL 24/7, will convert to a new digital format for future editions. The magazine has been extremely popular with many towers in providing a variety of information on the latest in towing and recovery equipment, chassis developments, and industry events, along with towing and recovery tips from industry trainer Tom Luciano. On Call editor Randy Olson stated, "By going digital, we feel we can provide information in a more timely manner along with increased frequency as compared to the printing and mailing we did in the past." The new digital On Call 24/7 will launch mid-summer with new and exciting enhancements, including video. To sign up for your free digital subscription, visit www.MillerInd.com and click on "SUBSCRIBE” in the lower left-hand corner. If you would like to view any past issues you may have missed, scroll down the "EXTRAS" tab in the upper right-hand side for ON CALL 24/7 Archives. MILLER INDUSTRIES TOWING EQUIPMENT INC. 8503 Hilltop Drive Ooltewah, TN 37363 Phone: (423) 238-4171 Toll Free: (800) 292-0330 Fax: (423) 238-5371 Email: sales@millerind.com

........................................................... Flow Stop >>> FlowStop has launched its newest product, a football shaped, polyurethane impregnated, water-activated foam plug. Its revolutionary qualities will temporarily stop the flow from a leak in anything from a pipe, to a tanker, to a rail car—even a boat hull! What makes the “Football” so unique is that it starts as a pliable plug that can be easily inserted into a void. Then it quickly expands and hardens to fill the void, taking the shape of a small child’s football. The versatile repair plug can even be applied below the water line! The FlowStop Football offers many significant benefits to the spill containment and marine industries as well as fire departments, HazMat teams, first responders and clean-up crews. It’s ready to use immediately, with no mixing or other prop work required. The application is fast, simple and mess-free. Most important of all, it sets rock hard in under three minutes - and works for all types of accidents, punctures and leaks. “When a leak needs to be stopped fast, the Football Plug is the most reliable product available today,” says Perry Beaty, president of FlowStop’s manufacturer, Logos Inc. “It saves valuable time in avoiding crisis situations more effectively than anything else on the market. We’re amazed by its ease of use and are pleased to be adding it to our 6

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product line of unique pipe plugs.” The Football Plug Kit includes five “Footballs” that come in a 3 ½ gallon portable plastic water bucket with lid along with step-by-step instructions and protective gloves. Each Football foil packet is approximately 7 inches by 7 inches. Once submerged in water for just 5 seconds, the yellow-foam is used to plug the hole—curing in less than three minutes in temperatures ranging from 32 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Remaining Footballs can be easily stored in the bucket for future use. The Football Plug provides excellent resistance to gasoline, kerosene, diesel, formaldehyde and other urethane chemicals and toxins. To order, call 877-356-9767 or visit www.FlowStop.net.

............................................... Ohio Power Systems >>> I n du stry NEWS TOWING & RECOVERY

Ohio Power Systems made their debut at the Orlando Tow show in April. OPS was created 10 years ago by Mike Brooks as a company that specializes in designing and building radio remote and hydraulic valve systems. OPS sells their products mostly to the O.E.Ms directly for applications such as controlling locomotives, drill rigs, utility equipment etc., and has decided to bring that expertize to the auto recovery market after getting a request to upgrade a cus-

tomer’s truck. OPS did not know what to expect from being at the show but was surprised how many people were interested in rebuilding the trucks they own because of the cost of a new one. Their approach to the market is to give the owners a place they can go to buy a replacement valve remote system or help them upgrade to a proportional system, even for a six winch rotator system, no matter what brand of truck. Their systems, for the most part, are plug and play,

and they come with instruction manual to operate the radio, plus they have a full staff of engineers available for anybody to talk to. The major differences they bring to the market with their products are safety and added value. The reason they have a business today is because of the need to reduce accidents in the marketplace, whether it’s running a locomotive or a recovery truck. Ohio Power Systems 807 East Findlay Street Carey, OH 43316 419-294-4985 www.ohiopowersys.com

........................................................... Tired of Chasing Paper? >>> Your day is filled with managing drivers, soliciting new accounts and trying to balance business and family. What you don’t need to do is chase paper – money from bad credit cards, missing tow tickets, etc. Beacon Software Company card swipers – usable on most smartphones and tablets – enable your drivers to process credit cards immediately. Your driver will know, while the customer is present, if the credit card is good or if another form of payment is required. The Beacon Software system captures a signature and a receipt is emailed to the customer. Or, add a Zebra portable printer and provide a customer receipt on the spot. Credit card fees for swiped cards cost your company less than credit card numbers keyed in. You keep more of the money – and all of those little fees add up. Not only does the Beacon Software card swiper system increase immediate income and reduce staff time getting paid, it also keeps drivers honest. The Beacon Software system allows you to track all forms of payment immediately, eliminating standard tow tickets that are easily manipulated or lost. Because Beacon Software Company is co-owned by a towing company family, our programs are created specifically to help owners keep more money as profit, while taking less of your time for management. Check out the ways Beacon Software can help your towing com-

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pany at www.beaconsoftco.com. Smart phone, smart business – Beacon Software Company. Beacon Software, LLC | 440-237-6653 www.dispatchanywhere.com www.facebook.com/BeaconSoftware www.twitter.com/BeaconSoftware

I n du stry NEWS

..............................................

TOWING & RECOVERY

Cummins & Paccar DPF-SCR Equipped Diesel Trucks Can Now Run 100% Code Free on High Sulfur Diesel Fuel

>>>

High sulfur diesel is absolute poison to a DPF equipped vehicle. It will clog a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) faster than a diet of baconchili triple cheeseburgers. Outside the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia, high sulfur diesel is usually the only diesel fuel available. It’s also known as “red diesel fuel” for offroad use here in the U.S. What is an end user to do if they need to operate a Cummins Diesel DPF equipped engine on high sulfur diesel fuel? ECM Performance solves the problem with their unique ECM (Engine Control Module) reprogramming service. The programmers at ECM Performance accomplish this by modifying the

truck’s calibration to shut off the after treatment system & DPF cleaning cycle while maintaining 100% Code Free operation. In addition, there is an increase in the power, reliability, and long-term engine life while decreasing the total cost of ownership. Applications and industries served by ECM Performance include Military Export, Off Road Conversions, Farm & Industrial; Fire Trucks, Safety Equipment & Emergency Vehicles; Pump, Tow & Equipment Trucks; Boom, Crane, Cable, Roll-Offs & Roll-Backs; Drilling, Welding & Mine Service Rigs; Aviation Ground Service & Fuel Trucks. Emergency response, off road & export only.

ECM Performance offers custom Engine Control Module (ECM) programming & Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) Deletion for Cummins ISB 6.7 & ISC 8.3, ISL, ISM, ISX, Paccar PX6 & PX8 DPF equipped diesel trucks like Ford F650 - F750, Peterbilt, Capacity, Freightliner, Kenworth, Sterling Trucks, Thomas Bus, Utilimaster & More. ECM Performance.com 304 Indian Trace, Suite 289 Weston, FL33326 (888) 768-2447 www.ecmperformance.com

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www.towprofessional.com | Volume 2 â&#x20AC;˘ Issue 5 | Tow Professional

Lube tAlk

Get the Right

OIL

Tow Professional magazine is dedicated to providing the professional towing community with resource information to enhance your business practices improving your profitability. As a Certified Lubrication Specialist (CLS) with over 20 years of experience, I am delighted to join with Tow Professional magazine to contribute a regular column, entitled Lube Talk. The scope of Lube Talk will encompass lubrication, filtration, fuel additives, hydraulics, engine coolant / antifreeze, and various special subjects, such as exhaust systems and DPF regeneration. Everyone is always trying to tell you how you should run your business, and I realize that I’m just another so-called professional asking you to use precious time to consider what I have to say. I commit to you, towing professionals, that I will make it worth your time to read this column. I will bring you useful information so you can make educated decisions on how to service your equipment. Operating a business is about making decisions every day, and having the information to make the right decisions is critical to being successful. My goal is to become a valuable asset to your business. Proper service, including lubrication, may be the most important task that you, the owner-operator, can take responsibility for to ensure reliable, trouble-free operation of your Tow Truck. Millions, no, billions, of dollars are spent annually on service and lubrication in all aspects of industry and transportation. Proper

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By Dan Watson

equipment performance and meeting or exceeding rated life span are critical factors that can make or break a business. Tow trucks need to be on the road towing and not in the shop being repaired; trucks aren’t making money when they are out of service. Enough about me, it’s time to get to the subject of this column, lubrication. Let’s begin with understanding how to purchase the correct oil for your trucks. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) such as, Ford, GM, Chrysler, Toyota, Navistar, and Caterpillar determine the performance specifications for all lubricants for their equipment. These requirements are the basis of the certification parameters established by the American Petroleum Institute (API) to meet the API Classification. The API uses an alpha-numeric label that is displayed on the oil container with the latest classification being CJ-4 for diesel oils and SN for gasoline oils. Additionally, the OEMs stipulate the required viscosity (sometimes referred to as weight) to use in every equipment application. Oil containers are labeled with the measured viscosity according to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) system. Figure 1 shows the actual label on two quart bottles of oil, one for diesel CJ-4 and one for gasoline SN. The containers are required to be labeled to clearly identify the API classification and the SAE viscosity. API classifications are designed to be “backward compatible,” which requires that the latest classification will satisfy earlier classifications. For example, the current CJ-4 diesel oils are required to meet the specifications for the

Lube tAlk previous classifications, such as CH-4 and CI-4+. This is also true for gasoline oils where SN is the latest API classification and the SN covers all preceding classifications, such as SL and SM. The first place to look for all service requirements, including lubrication, for your equipment is the ‘Operators Manual’ provided by the manufacturer. Great care is taken to ensure the correct lubricants are specified for your equipment by the OEM. Remember, the OEMs establish the required performance criteria that are the basis of the oil classifications established by the API. So, it only makes sense that the OEMs are the best source of the correct lubrication requirements for the equipment they manufacture. This is also true for viscosity requirements, including adjustments for climate and expected temperatures. There are acceptable reasons to vary from the suggested viscosity, but you should only make those variances with the advice of a professional. In subsequent articles, I will address the classification and ratings of transmission fluids and gear oils, both having their own peculiarities. In addition to the API classification system, most OEMs establish their own performance specifications for oil and lubricants. Usually, the OEM specification simply requires the oils to meet the API classification. In some cases, the OEM will require additional criteria and the API classification is insufficient to meet the requirements. Recently, specifications requiring synthetic oils have become more frequent, especially in gear oils and

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transmission fluids. Again, this information will be in your ‘Operators Manual’ and it is important to be in compliance with these more stringent OEM specifications. Where these OEM specifications are noted, it is imperative that you establish that the oil you are going to use meets these additional requirements. If your truck is under warranty and incorrect oil is used, it will void the warranty. Additionally, using the wrong oil can shorten component life and potentially cause damage to your equipment. The ‘Old School’ axiom “Oil is Oil” is simply wrong! Today’s engine oils, and all modern lubricants, are drastically improved in every aspect. The demands of modern equipment on lubricants require that lubricant manufacturers employ only the most innovative technologies to insure successful lubrication. In the coming issues of Tow Professional, I will provide information and insights to help you, the end user, obtain the correct products for the specific applications. Next issue: “Formulating Engine Oils” TOW

Questions and/or comments, contact me via my website, www.TheLubepage.com, or by email at danwatson@thelubepage.com. D & J Diversified, LLC 2948 Starwood Drive, Oviedo, FL 32765 www.thelubepage.com | (407) 657-5969

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B y D a n M e ssina

HOW TO COMPETE

IN YOUR MARKET Now that we are halfway through the year, it’s time to take a look at our company and see how we stack up against our competition. As our customer base gets smaller and smaller, the competition gets tougher and tougher. I’ve learned over the years that our industry is one of the most competitive industries to be in. The following are things I did to compete in my market. The first thing I did when I started my businesses was find out who was going to be my competition. Things I wanted to know were: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

What services did they offer? Did they provide a service I should be providing? What services could I offer that they did not? Who were their best employees? Did they have anyone I might be interested in? Who were their best accounts? What problems have they had in the past? What did they charge? How many locations do they have?

Most of the companies that I deal with think that our services are driven by the price of the product. The hardest decision you make is what to charge for a tow and be competitive while making a profit. If you are going to get into a bidding war with your competitor over the lowest tow fee to get the account, you are not going to make a profit. Price is key, but you don’t have to be the lowest bidder to get the business. There are 18

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many other things you can address that will allow you to grow your business. It’s all about service, and service wins out at the end. I was with a group of towers at a training seminar, and one tower pointed out another tower that is making it hard in their area because that tower low balls all the other companies. My answer was simple: Let him have that business; you can’t afford to do a tow at a low ball price. I once knew a tower that, after talking to his accountant, changed his whole line of business. He took a look at what tows were making him money, and what tows were losing money. He then sold the trucks that were losing money, which means he also cut expenses. I’ve discovered over the years that towers are their own worst enemy. One tow company comes in at one price for the tow and their competition comes in lower. After they go back and forth a few times and they get the price so low they can’t make a profit, one of them will give up. What I’ve learned at the end of the day is that price does not matter. Towing is a service business, and the best provider wins the business. My wife and I worked hard for the first five years establishing our business. Here are a few things we did that our competition was not doing:

1. We let our customers know about us (honesty, moral, and ethica). We let our customers know every day how we operate our business. 2. We developed a staff and sold them on our way of doing business. We let our customers know that we hired the best people, trained them, drug tested them and ran criminal background checks. 3. We joined the right organizations. My customers or potential customers saw me at various social meetings, and, in some cases, I would sponsor lunch for the meeting. Customers or potential customers saw me everywhere they went because I joined the right organizations. It was important to join industry organizations or associations to stay on top of any changes or to see what my competition was doing. 4. I subscribed to industry magazines and other industry subscriptions. This informed me on all the experts, or people who were strong in the industry. Once I knew who to follow, I learned from them. Surround yourself with people smarter than you and learn from them. 5. I purchased state-of-the-art equipment (new trucks, GPS, cameras and some bling). I believed in looking good. I had a competitor once tell me that he bought different colored trucks so his customers knew he had more than one truck. In my marketing brochures, I used technology to show as many trucks as I wanted. When I started, I showed five trucks when I only had three. 6. Let’s talk about personal awards (founder of the largest towing association in the U.S., towman of the year 2009, largest private property towing company in the southwest). A week did not go by that I did not let my customers know about my successes. You might get the impression that I am bragging, but I just looked at it as good marketing. I used to read about a fellow tower all the time in a magazine. I asked him how he was so successful, and his answer surprised me. He said not all that was written was totally true; it’s all in how you spin it. He spun stories to make him stand out in the industry. He has a successful tow company because he knows how to market himself. He never once complained to me about price wars.

I love the towing industry, and it can be fun and very rewarding if you run the business right. Know your competition, but don’t let them get in the way of how you run your business. You have heard of the saying to keep your friends close and your enemies closer; well, that’s how I felt about my competitors. I wanted to know who they were, and I wanted them to know about me. When I got into the business, the city of Dallas was

to change the fee structure that would impact out business. Knowing this would have a major impact on our business, my three biggest competitors and I got together and sued the city of Dallas. This gave me the perfect opportunity to meet my competition. Remember, I’m new to the business at this point, and I had no idea how tow company owners could be, much less private property tow company owners. We sat in a back room of a restaurant and talked about

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what the city was about to do to us. This is the first time they had exposure to me, a white-collar business man who now owns a tow company. It was tense for the first 20 minutes, and then, after a few beers, we realized we were all in this together, and it would be in our best interest if we all worked together. Let me set the scene for you. Three companies that never got along were now working with a white-collar businessman who knew nothing about towing. Over the next several months, they taught me about towing, things such as: 1. What kind of trucks to use 2. How to call on apartments 3. How to deal with drivers 4. How to deal with employees who steal 5. How to get drivers to work their shift 6. How to deal with employees who do drugs Remember, I came out of the business

world, so I never was exposed to this type of environment. It was now my turn to show them the business side of towing, something they never knew existed. I showed them things such as: 1. How to decorate their trucks 2. How to market their services 3. How to identify what their services were 4. How to hire good employees who don’t do drugs 5. How to give drivers incentives to work their schedule 6. How to prosecute thieves 7. How to be more professional Over the next several months, we actually became friends and still competed. We went out to dinner, had a few parties, and even spent a day at the state fair together. We all worked closely together and won our lawsuit. By becoming friends, we were able to share ideas that made our companies better, and we learned from each other. To this

day, I am still friends with the ones who are still in business. While all this was going on, I still had to focus on my business. I focused on both short- and long-term goals. My short-term goal was to outgrow the competition by towing more cars than my competitor. I knew I wanted to eventually compete with the larger companies, but, first, I needed to examine my strengths and their weaknesses. Market competition can create a battleground, and my goal was to win the war. This mindset might be controversial, but many businesses have failed because they did not capitalize on their competitors’ faults. I built my business from modest beginnings to achieve my goal. Here’s how:

1. Analyze the industry. Studying the competition allows you to find weaknesses in their organizations. Begin by subscribing to their newsletters, if they have one. Call them up for a tow and see what its sales and customer service processes are like. I was able to gain invaluable information by simply having them tow a car for me. You can take it further and visit the business’ location, which allows you to speak to managers or even the owner. To your benefit, many of these leaders will brag about how they started their businesses — or their own accomplishments. Take note and begin to brainstorm ideas for setting your business apart.

2. Outshine the competition. Now that you’ve gained knowledge about your competitors, put it to use. Create a more professional, user-friendly website. Work to take your competitors out of the picture. By limiting their market appeal, you can increase your own. Your goal is to provide the most effective and efficient service, so customers recognize the quality of your company as well as its integrity. I never talked bad about my competition; I compared my services to theirs and won most of the time.

3. Focus on customer service. Do this by assembling the best team possible. After all, your business is only as good as

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your employees — they’re the face of your company. Positive and resourceful customer service helps and creates the best shopping experience for your customers.

4. Create quiet opportunities. This can be difficult. As you’re putting together the best team, best product, and best marketing, you want to keep a low profile. If you’re overexposed, your competitors will notice quickly and begin fighting back for market share. Try to keep your company under the radar as long as possible, while also gaining valuable and dedicated customers. Once those customers understand the quality and reliability of your business, they will remain loyal — despite increased attention or competitors who might offer lower prices or more blatant promotions.

5. Maintain your lead. You should know your business better than anyone. Be proactive and deliver a quality service consistently. The most successful entrepreneurs anticipate future advances in technology, customer service, and production, and incorporate them into their game plans. You need to constantly push yourself and your team to new heights through active research and by attending tow shows and other seminars. When you’re selling the same service as everyone else, it might seem the best way to compete is on price and price alone. When all you focus on is having the lowest price, however, you tend to attract a certain type of customer (known in some circles as “bottom feeders”) and find yourself in a race to the bottom, serving fickle, price-sensitive customers who are here today, gone tomorrow (if your competitor is cheaper). While price is important, it’s a service, and the company with the best service wins. Here are a few things to compete on besides price: #1 – A wider range of services If you sell the same service as your competitor and that’s all you sell, then your value proposition to customers isn’t all that great. What if instead of just providing tows, you do lockouts, jump starts, and any www.towprofessional.com | Volume 2 • Issue 5 | Tow Professional

other service you can think of, and then you’re less dependent on a low price being the primary/only motivator for people looking at your company. #2 – A well-known company/organization that’s a customer The first customer I signed up was Richarson

school district. I never towed a car for them, but I put my signs up in 87 different locations. That was great advertising. I also let all my potential customers know I had that contract because that would tell them that my drivers were drug tested, with criminal background checks, and I had workman’s compensation insurance. This was huge for

marketing. Put up a “Featured Customers” page and even post a case study or testimonial video from your marquee customer talking about how great your service is. Potential customers who need a towing service will see the testimonial, which helps build instant trust and rapport, especially if you sell high ticket items. #3 – A personal approach to customer service If your competitors are playing the “low price but faceless company” game, then you should play the “moderate prices but small team willing to help” game. If you sell your service to small companies or consumers, then the majority will prefer to buy from a small team who are passionate about what they sell rather than a big no-name corporate. Your About Us page can help here, so make it personal with lots of photos and a compelling “how we came about” story. #4 – A reward points program If you can’t compete on price, then why not award customers with points for every dollar they spend? They could then “trade in” these points against future services. It’s a great way to build loyalty. You could take it one step further and even send a VIP card in the mail to make your customers feel special. #5 – Constant, informative communication Using postal mail or email marketing, you should send regular, useful information to your email list (you do have an email list, right?) and customer list (yes, they should be two separate lists) every month. You can talk about new services. The more you keep in touch with your customers, the better their top-of-mind awareness will be – i.e., when they’re in the market for a towing service you sell, you’ll pop into their mind first (at the top, ahead of your competitors). TOW I’m a competitor, and it’s fun to compete at anything because it gets the juices flowing. Make it work the same for you. If you need help, visit me at www.danmessina.com.

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Fuel 4 thought

Successful Trade Show

$ELLING B y D.J . H a rrin gton

lease listen to what I am about to tell you! According to the Center of Exhibit Industry Research, I have attended more trade shows than the normal male. They’re communicating, “The majority of trade show attendees are decision-makers or centers of influence that plan to make a purchase within the next 12 months.” Don’t waste an opportunity like that. Soak in this information and use the following guidelines to help you become more effective whenever you attend your next trade show. Avoid being a NambyPamby! The person working the booth must approach the attendee with confidence immediately and invite them to learn more about your product or service. Don’t leave people waiting. Trade show attention spans are short, and people will leave your booth if they can’t get help within 60 seconds or less. They may say they’ll come back later…..but maybe they don’t either. Your greeting has a lot to do with it. Don’t say, “Can I help you?” Instead, ask direct questions that engage the visitor and help you gauge their interest in your company’s product or service. Open-ended questions are the best. Avoid questions that require a “yes” or “no” answer. Ask questions that require them to communicate what they need. Since I am doing a lot of work for Auto Data Direct (by the way, they do over 40 trade shows a year - successfully I might add), they provide real-time vehicle data at a reasonable cost to “get this” QUALIFIED TOW OPERATORS, CAR DEALERS, AUTO RE-

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CYCLERS, INSURANCE COMPANIES, AUTO AUCTIONS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS. Now listen, No general public. I ask, “In what state are you licensed?” Now when they qualify, I show them how they could get vehicle data 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If they want to know who owns the vehicle, get the VIN, tag, make and model and any lien holder information. Getting this information is a lot in a short verbal exchange. Here’s what you shouldn’t do…DON’T EAT DRINK or SMOKE at the booth. Never leave the booth unattended. Don’t spend time chatting with your colleagues instead of focusing on your customers. My biggest DON’T - don’t just sit there like bump on a log. If success is 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration, then trade show success is 90% preparation and 10% perspiration. Consider these questions for each trade show. What size booth do you have? How do the pieces fit and come apart? Where will you stand? What color shirt is everyone wearing? Wear blue on the first day and white on the second day? Does everyone know the benefits of what you do? How does your company compare to the competition? Do you have a giveaway? To whom and when? Here’s a BIG tip! Email your customer base to let them know that you will be an exhibitor at the show with an invite to drop by your booth. If they do, they’ll receive a gift of some kind. It doesn’t have to be a big gift, but have plenty to give to those customers that stop by to meet you. At one show, we gave away a signed book of mine. Let people put their business card in a bowl for cash drawing to be held at the last hour of the show (NEED not be pres-

ent to win). Then you can followup with the people you met at the show. Don’t be disillusioned. The show promoter isn’t the only person who should draw people to the trade show. Do your part to get them there, too. Let your customer base know you will be there and that you would love to meet them face-to-face. This way, you have a more personal relationship with those customers you only know over the phone or through the computer. Remember this important rule: People buy you first, the company second, and product and service third. And, they buy in that order. LACK OF KNOWLEDGE is the #1 complaint of trade show attendees. What you don’t know really can hurt you. Knowledge is power. Lack of it is a killer. Be prepared. Have a plan. Role playing with your team members will help get everyone prepared.

Get plenty of sleep the night before the trade show. Don’t over-drink. Don’t stay out all night thinking you can work the booth well, because you can’t! If you want more information on trade show effectiveness, I have a workbook that I can email you. It’s free. Just email me, and I’ll send it to you. I want all exhibitors to make more money at trade shows so they’ll have more money to help others who are less fortunate. God bless. See you next time. TOW

D.J. Harrington is an author, journalist, seminar leader, international trainer, and marketing consultant. He works primarily with customer service personnel, and his clients include such world-class companies as General Motors, DuPont, Caterpillar, and Damon Corporation He can be reached at 800-352-5252 or by e-mail at dj@djsays.com.

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2013 GUIDE BUYER’S

Professional Your Resource for Towing & Recovery

A AAA 1000 AAA Drive Heathrow, FL 32746 (407) 444-8845 www.aaa.biz/auto Access Tools and Equipment 1628 NW 28th Street Miami, FL 33142 (305) 635-1011 www.caropeningtools.com Advance Capital Group 110 Seaman Avenue 7E New York, NY 10034 (888) 346-6871 www.advancetruckcapital.com Advantage Funding 1111 Marcus Avenue, Suite M27 Lake Success, NY 11042 (516) 280-1375 www.advantagefund.com AGERO 1 Cabot Road # 4 Medford, MA 02155-5130 (972) 753-6230 www.argosiperks.com Akins Ford P.O. Box 280 Winder, GA 30680 (866) 389-4173 www.akinsford.com ALEXANDER INSURANCE AGENCY 909 NE Loop 410, Suite 902 San Antonio, TX 78209 (210) 366-1455, ext. 215 www.towagent.com ALL-GRIP P.O. Box 208 Sedalia, CO 80135 (303) 688-0978 www.all-grip.com Allison Transmissions 4700 West 10th Street Indianapolis, IN 46222-5200 www.allisontransmission.com Allstate Roadside Services 51 W. Higgins Road South Barrington, IL 60010 (469) 734-6632 www.allstateroadsideservices.com Ambest 5115 Maryland Way, Suite 300 Brentwood, TN 37027 (615) 371-5187, ext. 331 www.am-best.com American Eagle Accessories Group 740 N. State Street Garner, IA 50438 (800) 392-3015 www.americaneagleacc.com American Enterprises 5508 Navarre Avenue Oregon, OH 43616 (419) 691-8888 www.am-ent.net

American Force Wheels 12019 SW 114 PLace Miami, FL 33176 (786) 345-6301 www.americanforcewheels.com AMERICAN SAFETY & SUPPLY 77 B Napier Street Springfield, MA 1104 (413) 737-5176 www.americansafetysupply.com AMERIDECK 3550 Perry Hwy. Hadley, PA 16130 (724) 253-2006 ANCHOR GRAPHICS 10015 Rearwin Lane McKinney, TX 75074 (972) 422-4300 www.anchorgraphics.com ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT 5043 Farlin Avenue St. Louis, MO 63115 (314) 679-2571 www.associatedequip.com ATIG 1507 Park Center Drive, Unit 1C Orlando, FL 32835 (407) 472-9600 www.atiginc.com ATLANTA WRECKER 120 North Texas Avenue Chesnee, SC 29323 (864) 590-6177 www.atlantawrecker.com Atlantic Emergency Solutions 12351 Randolph Ridge Lane Manassas, VA 20109 (302) 724-6288 www.atlanticemergency.com Atlas Flasher & Supply Co. 430 Swedesboro Avenue Mickelton, NJ 08056-1208 (856) 423-3333 www.atlasflasher.com ATOMIC LED, INC. 49 Cedar Swamp Road #12 Smithfield, RI 2917 (888) 305-1112 www.atomicled.com Austin Hinds Motors, Inc. 3345 Hwy. 2315 S. Arab, AL 35016 (256) 550-0042 www.austinhindsmotors.com AUSTIN INSURANCE 2109 Broadway Paducah, KY 42001 (800) 548-7538 www.wreckerins.com Auto Data Direct, Inc. 1379 Cross Creek Circle Tallahassee, FL 32301-3729 (850) 877-8804 www.add123.com Auto Equipment Inc. P.O. Box 392 Statesville, NC 28687

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(704) 872-4116 www.autoequipmentinc.com

AW DIRECT 1125 Deming Way Madison, WI 53717 (608) 662-3333 www.awdirect.com

B B&B Industries 1121 D.I. Drive Elkhart, IN 46514 (574) 262-8551 www.www.billbottoms.com BA PRODUCTS 8925 Mcgaw Court Columbia, MD 21045 (800) 327-3301 www.baprod.com Badger Glove and Safety 2635 Raymond Avenue Franksville, WI 53126 (262) 989-7010 www.badgergloveandsafety.com Bailey’s Towing 1422 Wall Road Wake Forest, NC 27587 (919) 562-2984 www.baileystowinginc.com/srg.htm Batchout 1770 E Lancaster Avenue, Suite 10 Paoli, PA 19301 (610) 296-3264 www.batchout.com Beacon Funding 3400 Dundee Road, Suite #180 Northbrook, IL 60062 (847) 291-6494 www.beaconfunding.com BEACON SOFTWARE 6785 Wallings Road, Suite 1G North Royalton, OH 44133 (866) 437-6653 www.dispatchanywhere.com Best Tools 2202 West University Siloam Springs, AR 72761 (800) 541-8568 www.besttools.net Bishop Branding - AUTOW Custom Die Cast P.O. Box 21029 Lethbridge, Alberta T1K6X4 (403) 393-2665 www.bishopbranding.com BLADES TOW RIGHT, INC. 25220 Trans-X Road Novi, MI 48375 (734) 449-0518 www.bladestowright.com Bob Fish Trucks 2275 S. Main Street West Bend, WI 53095 (800) 471-1020 www.bobfishtrucks.com

Boss Industries Inc. 1761 Genesis Drive LaPorte, IN 46350 (219) 324-7776, ext. 214 www.bossair.com BOWERS GROUP P.O. Box 280 Cortland, OH 44410 (330) 638-6146 www.bowersgrp.com BudgetGPS P.O. Box 5695 Chattanooga, TN 37406 (866) 800-8677 www.budgetgps.com Bulldog Towing Products 215 Ford Street Geneva, IL 60134 (630) 301-0553 www.bulldogtowingproducts.com Bully Dog 2839 Highway 39 American Falls, ID 83211 (877) 285-5936, ext.1145 www.bullydog.com Busch Enterprises 908 Cochran Street Statesville, NC 28677 (704) 878-2067 www.buschshineproducts.com Buyers Products Company 9049 Tyler Blvd. Mentor, OH 44060 (440) 974-8888 www.buyersproducts.com

c Cal-Van Tools 4300 Waterleaf CT Greensboro, NC 27410 (800) 537-1077 www.calvantools.com Car - Part.com 1980 Highland Pike Ft. Wright, KY 41017 (859) 344-1925 www.car-part.com Chalmers Suspensions International Inc. 12187 SE 60th Avenue Road Bellview, FL 34420 (352) 470-5867 www.chalmerssuspensions.com Channel Islands Leasing and Loan 306 Descanso Ojai, CA 93023 (805) 646-3576 www.channelislandsleasing.com Chester Point Programs P.O. Box 369 Chester, NJ 7930 (908) 428-4285, ext.112 www.chesterpoint.com Chevron 9401 Williamsburg Plaza, Suite 201

COMPANY LISTINGS Louisville, KY 40222 (502) 420-7039 www.chevron.com

Chevron Commercial 3545 George Street Highland, IL 62249 (618) 654-5555 www.chevroncommercial.com Chevron West 3030 Power Inn Rd Sacramento, CA 95826 (800)869-8757 www.chevronwest.com Chicago Pneumatic 1800 Overview Drive Rock Hill, SC 29730 (803) 817-7349 www.cp.com CLORE AUTOMOTIVE 8735 Rosehill Rd, Suite 220 Lenexa, KS 66215 (800) 328-2921 www.cloreautomotive.com Code 3 / PSE Amber 10986 N. Warson Road St.Louis, MO 63114-2029 (314) 426-2700, ext 1251 www.code3pse.com Coker Equipment 9100 Ambassador Row Dallas, TX 75247 (214) 742-5221 www.cokerequip.com COLLINS MFG. CORP. P.O. Box 1299 Jacksonville, OR 97530 (800) 332-9220 www.collinsdollies.com Columbus McKinnon 140 John James Audubon Parkway Amherst, NY 14228-1197 (716) 689-5568 www.cmworks.com Columbus Truck/ Marietta Mack 127 Court Street Marietta, OH 45750 (740) 373-7200 www.columbusmack.com COMEUP USA 26300 SW 95th Avenue, Suite 103 Wilsonville, OR 97070-8205 (818) 246-5745 www.comeupusa.com Commercial Safety Services P.O. Box 1826 Beltsville, MD 20704 (301) 430-0947 x5 www.commercialsafetyservices.com Condor Lift 210 W. Stephenie Drive Cortland, IL 60112 (847) 394-2646 www.condor-lift.com Consumers Insurance 1620 Gateway Blvd., Suite 201 Murfreesboro, TN 37129 (615) 896-6133, ext. 180 www.ciusa.com

Copart 14185 Dallas Parkway, Suite 400 Dallas, TX 75254 (972) 391-5082 www.copart.com Creditors Speciality Service, Inc P.O. Box 764 Acton, CA 93510 (661) 269-0100 Crouch Tow Trucks P.O. Box 174 Kingston Springs, TN 37082 (615) 952-3287 www.crouchtowtrucks.com CUSTER PRODUCTS 4101 Shuffel Drive N.W. North Canton, OH 44720 (800) 490-3158 www.custerproducts.com CW MILL EQUIPMENT CO., INC. 14 Commerce Drive Sabetha, KS 66534 (785) 284-3454 www.cwkits.com

Harper, KS 67058 (800) 835-1042 www.harperindustries.com

DG Towing Equipment 409 W218th Street New York, NY 10034 (212) 567-0255 www.dgtow.com DIRECT EQUIPMENT 915 Folly Road, #11 Charleston, SC 29412 (800) 992-1478 www.45ul.com DIVERSIFIED PRODUCTS 8330 Atlantic Boulevard Jacksonville, FL 32211-8784 (800) 874-4172 www.pushbumper.com DJ SAYS 2820 Andover Way Woodstock, GA 30189 (800) 352-5252 www.djsays.com DUAL-TECH 540 Industrial Drive Bean Station, TN 37708 (800) 852-0345 www.dual-techinc.com

D&J DIVERSIFIED LLC 2948 Starwood Drive Oviedo, FL 32765 (407) 657-5969 www.thelubepage.com

Durabilt 1900 N. Austin Chicago, IL 60639 (773) 622-7260 www.durabiltusa.com

DACOTAH -WALSH TIRE 80 W 78th Street Chanhassen, MN 55317 (952) 934-8427 www.tireauditor.com

DYNAMIC 1120 E. Brambleton Avenue Norfolk, VA 23504 (757) 624-1360 www.dynamicmfg.com

DAN MESSINA.COM P.O. Box 640 Prosper, TX 75078 (469) 774-0340 www.danmessina.com Danco Products 411 South Cedar Lane Greencastle, PA 17225 (800) 453-2626 www.dancoproducts.com DANGELO’S CUSTOM BUILT MFG., LLC 207 N Fraley Street Kane, PA 16735 (814) 837-6053 www.dangeloscustombuilt.com Der Manouel Insurance Group 548 W. Cromwell Ave, Suite 101 Fresno, Ca 93711 (800) 447-4605 www.dmig.com DETROIT WRECKER 19630 Fitzpatrick Street Detroit, MI 48228 (313) 835-8700 www.detroitwrecker.com DEWEZE MFG / HARPER INDUSTRIES 151 E. Highway 160

E East Coast Truck & Trailer 2906 Elmhurst Lane Portsmouth, Virginia 23701 (757) 465-2200 www.ectts.com East Penn Truck Equipment 1100 Winn Drive Bethlehem, Pa 18017 (610) 694-9234 www.eastpenntrucks.com Eastern Wrecker 13401 US 70 Business West Clayton, NC 27520 (919) 553-4038 www.easternwrecker.com ECMPERFORMANCE.COM 304 Indian Trace, Suite 289 Weston, FL 33326 (888) 768-2447 www.ecmperformance.com Energy Safe Technologies, Inc. 98 Cuttermill Road, Suite 370 South Great Neck, NY 11021 (973) 378-3281 www.energysafetech.com

2013 BUYER’S

GUIDE CATEGORIES Add On Wheel Lifts Air Bags Air Compressors Auto Auctions Body Manufacturers Cargo Control Chassis Manufacturer Communication Computer Mounts Credit Card Processing Damaged Vehicle Movement Systems Dispatch Services Distributor GPS/Fleet Tracking Hydraulics Insurance Jump Starters Lease & Finance Lighting & Accessories Lock Out Equipment Lubricants Motor Clubs Motorcycle Lifts Polishing Supplies Protective Clothing Rope Safety Shop Lifts Shop Tools & Equipment Signs & Graphics Spill Control/Clean-Up Tow Software Trade Shows Trailers Training & Education Truck/Equipment Dealer Video & Security Wheels & Accessories Winches & Accessories Other

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2013 GUIDE BUYER’S

Professional Your Resource for Towing & Recovery

Equipment Sales and Service 152 Floyd Avenue Bloomfield, NJ 7003 (973) 743-7516 www.esstrucksales.com

FleetMatics 1600 E Golf Road, Suite 800 Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 (866) 844-2235 www.fleetmatics.com

Exide Technologies 13000 Deerfield Parkway, Building 200 Milton, GA 30004 (678) 566-9000

FleetNet America P.O. Box 970 Cherryville, NC 28021-0970 (800) 438-8961, ext 2544 www.fleetnetamerica.com

EYE3DATA 9624 Cincinnati Columbus Road, Suite 310 Cincinnati, OH 45241 (513) 770-0550 www.eye3data.com

f Federal Signal 2645 Federal Signal Drive University Park, IL 60484 (800) 824-0254 www.fedsig.com FLASH EQUIPMENT 2061 Whitfield Park Avenue Sarasota, FL 34243 (941) 756-8686, ext. 304 www.flashequipment.com FLEET SALES WEST 2175 N. Pacific Highway Woodburn, OR 97071 (503) 982-5095 www.fleetsaleswest.com

Flitz Intl, Ltd. 821 Mohr Avenue Waterford, WI 53185-4257 (800) 558-8611 www.flitz.com FLORIDA WRECKER SALES 6301 E. Hillsborough Avenue Tampa, FL 33610 (813) 626-2144 www.flwrecker.com FLOW STOP P.O. Box 634 Denver, NC 28037 (877) 356-9767 www.flowstop.net FORD MOTOR COMPANY 16800 Executive Plaza Drive Regent Court Building Room 6N228 Dearborn, MI 48126 (313) 390-3029

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FREIGHTLINER TRUCKS 2477 Deerfield Drive Fort Mill, SC 29715 (803) 578-3263 www.freightlinertrucks.com

G G&S Safety Products P.O. Box 282 McKean, PA 16426 (814) 476-7908 www.gssafetyproducts.com G&W Solutions 990 Little Lehigh Drive Emmaus, PA 18049 (610) 704-6959 www.gandwsolutions.com Gaither Tool 21 Harold Cox Drive Jacksonville, IL 62650 (217) 245-0545 www.gaithertool.com Gamber Johnson 3001 Borham Avenue Stevens Point, WI 54481 (800) 456-6868 www.gamberjohnson.com Geico 4201 Springvalley Road Dallas, TX 75244

(972) 701-1620 www.geico.com

GENERAL MFG. (SAFTLITE) 1336 West Wiley Avenue Bluffton, IN 46714 (260) 824-3440 www.saftlite.com Gessel Insurance Agency 25 W. Fifth Street, Suite N London, OH 43140 (740) 852-7725 www.gesselinsagency.com GOLDEN WEST 1850 E Orangethorpe Avenue Fullerton, CA 92831-5324 (800) 724-8766 www.goldenwesttoweq.com Go-Light Inc. 37146 Old Hwy. 17 Culbertson, NE 69024 (308) 278-3131 www.golight.com Goodall 7558 Washington Avenue South Eden Prairie, MN 55344 (952) 941-6666 www.goodallmfg.com GOODYEAR WRECKER 19109 Hwy 134 Enterprize, AL 36330 (334) 347-3297 www.goodyearwreckersales.com

COMPANY LISTINGS GPS Insight 21803 North Scottsdale Road, Suite 220 Scottsdale, AZ 85255 (866) 477-4321, ext. 8003 GPS SECURED 301 N Walker Ave Oklahoma City, OK 73102 (800) 434-1101 www.gpssecured-online.com Gulf Atlantic Supply P.O. Box 738 Columbiana, AL 35051 (205) 669-2393 www.gasafetywear.com

H HAL KRESSER AGENCY 3045 Symmes Road, Suite F Hamilton, OH 45215 (513) 942-5770 Hale Trailer Brake & Wheel Inc. 92 Route 73 & Cooper Road Voorhees, NJ 8043 (800) 232-6535 www.haletrailer.com Hamby & Aloisio Insurance 53 Perimiter Center E, Suite 400 Atlanta, GA 30346 (770) 804-4829 www.towtruckinsurance.com

HANSCOM K 1250 S. Grove Avenue, Suite 308 Barrington, IL 60010 (847) 756-4808 www.hanscomk.com

Hino 41180 Bridge Street Novi, MI 48375 248-699-9300 www.hino.com

HEARTLAND AUTOMOTIVE EQUIPMENT 1962 N 1000th Rd Eudora, KS 66025 (855) 501-5959 www. heartlandtrucklifts.com

HOLLY’S MESSAGE SERVICE 10 Melrose Drive Farmington, CT 6032 (888) 809-6182 www.hollysms.com

HeavyDuty 413 Quail Street Laplace, LA 70018 (504) 915-1527 www.hdtowingequipment.com Hedingers Equipment 321 S. Wilder Street Greenburg, IN 47240 (812) 663-7885 www.hedingers.com Hide A Lift 3058 320th Street Hull, IA 51239 (800) 634-9340 www.hidealift.com Highway Products 7905 Agate Road White City, OR 97503 (800) 866-5269 www.800toolbox.com

Hooks 83 CR 725 Wynne, AR 72396 (870) 238-4148 www.www.hookswreckersupplies.com House of Wreckers 161 Industrial Road San Carlos, CA 94070 (650) 594-1530 www.houseofwreckers.com Hy-Tech Recovery Equipment 3225 Reagan Drive Fort Worth, TX 76116 (817) 560-4610 www.sneekerlift.com

i IGTC - McManus Pearl & Gesl 237 Main Street #750 Buffalo, NY 14203-2714

(716) 856-6600 www.Towinsurance.com

In The Ditch Towing Products 3195 Industrial Way Mountain Home, ID 83647 (888) 993-4824 www.intheditch.com INDUSTRIAL NETTTING 7681 Setzler Pkwy. N. Minneapolis, MN 55445 (800) 328-8456 www.industrialnetting.com INSIGHT USA 23330 Cottonwood Parkway Suite 333 California, MD 20619 (301) 866-1990, ext. 203 www.mds-inc.com INSURANCE AUTO AUCTIONS Two Westbrook Corporate Center, Suite 500 Westchester, IL 60154 (708) 492-7000 www.iaai.com Integerated Vehicles & Equipment Leasing 734 Walt Whitman Road Melville, NY 11747 (800) 551-4854 www.integratedleasing.com Intek 152 Eagle Rock Avenue Roseland, NJ 7068

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Professional Your Resource for Towing & Recovery

(973) 403-7788 www.intekleasing.com

INTERNATIONAL TOWING AND RECOVERY HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM 3315 Broad Street Chattanooga, TN 37408-3052 (423) 267-3132 www.internationaltowingmuseum.org International Truck/ Navistar 4201 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555-4026 (630) 753-5000 www.navistar.com Isuzu 1400 S. Douglas Road, Suite 100 Anaheim, CA 92806 (714) 935-9425

j J.J. KELLER 3003 Breezewood Lane Neenah, WI 54957 (920) 967-7050 www.jjkeller.com JERR-DAN 13224 Fountainhead Plaza Hagerstown, MD 21742 (240) 420-8781 www.jerrdan.com

k Kalyn Siebert L.P. 1850 Executive Park Drive NW Cleveland, TN 37312 (800) 400-6913, ext. 1006 www.kalynsiebert.com Kavanaugh’s Truck Sales 1383 Belmar Drive Louisville, KY 40213 (502) 454-4960 www.kavtow.com KBK INSURANCE GROUP, INC. 1425 Sams Avenue, Suite 201 Harahan, LA 70123 (504) 736-0690 www.kbkinsgroup.com Kilar 2616 North Main Street Hubbard, OH 44425 (330) 534-8961, ext. 24 www.kilar.cc Kinco Gloves 751 West 800 South Salt Lake City, UT 84104 (888) 737-0233 www.kincoworkgloves.com Kinedyne 151 Industrial Parkway Branchburg, NJ 08876-3451

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(908) 231-1800, ext. 128 www.kinedyne.com

Kinequip Inc. 3708A Performance Road Charlotte, NC 28214 (704) 392-5052 www.kinequip.net Kolo DBS, LLC 696 Abbott Road Buffalo, NY 142220-2019 (717) 829-1761 www.kolodbs.com

l Landoll Corporation 1900 North Street Marysville, KS 66508 (785) 562-5381 www.landoll.com Lift- All P.O. Box 27 Landisville, PA 17538-0027 (717) 898-6614, ext.1162 www.wreckerstraps.com LIFT AND TOW 7660 Molly Pitcher Highway Shippensburg, PA 17257 (717) 532-5558 www.liftandtow.com

LODARUSA Expressway 287 Henrietta, TX 76365 (888) 685-6327 www.lodar.com Loganville Ford 3460 Highway 78 Loganville, GA 30052 (770) 554-9994 www.loganvilleford.com Lube A Boom 8151 River Bay Drive East Indianapolis, IN 46240 (317) 501-1104 www.www.lubeaboom.com Lynch 29000 Sharon Lane Waterford, WI 53185 (262) 514-4000 www.lynchtruckcenter.com Lynch Chicago 7335 West 100th Place Bridgeview, IL 60455 (708) 233-1112 www.lynchchicago.com

m Majestic Glove 6707 Hardeson Road

COMPANY LISTINGS Everett, WA 98203 (425) 407-1200

MARKING PEN DEPOT 41775 Elm Street, Unit 403 Murrieta, CA 92562 (888) 396-3848 www.markingpendepot.com Martens Johnson Insurance 6227 Executive Boulevard Rockville, MD 20852-3906 (301) 231-5447 www.mjia.com Matheny Motors 4125 1st Avenue Nitro, WV 25143 (304) 485-4418 www.mathenymotors.com MAT-JACK 2320 Duke Street Indianapolis, IN 46205 (317) 359-3078 www.matjack.com Merritt 9339 Brighton Road Henderson, CO 80640-8229 (303) 289-2286 www.merrittequipment.com MFR EXPRESS 7-A Donna Drive Wood Ridge, NJ 7075 (201) 266-0910 www.mfrexpress.com

MILE MARKER 2121 Blount Road Pompano Beach, FL 33069 (954) 782-0604 www.milemarker.com

MODULINE CABINETS 20 Holland Street Brockton, MA 2301 (888) 343-4463 www.modulinecabinets.com

MILLER INDUSTRIES 8503 Hill Top Drive Chattanooga, TN 37363 (423) 238-4171 www.millerind.com

Muncie Power Products 201 East Jackson Street Muncie, IN 47305-2834 (765) 284-7721 www.munciepower.com

Minute Man Mfg. 6673 Pine Ridge Ct. Jenison, MI 49429 (877) 593-6959 www.minuteman1.com MITI CO. MFG. 3183 Hall Avenue Grand Junction, CO 81504 (970) 243-9500 www.mitico.com Mitsubishi 2015 Center Square Road Logan Township, NJ 8085 (856) 467-3965 www.mitfuso.com Mobile Awareness, LLC 31200 Solon Road, Suite 12 Solon, OH 44139 (440) 248-5523, ext. 205 www.mobileawareness.com

n National Automobile Club 1151 E. Hillsdale Blvd. Foster City, CA 94404 (650) 294-7000 www.thenac.com National Ins. Brokerage of NY 175 Oval Drive Islandia, NY 11749 (631) 273-4242 www.nibony.com National Interstate 3250 Interstate Drive Richfield, OH 44286 (800) 929-1500 www.natl.com National Motor Club 130 E John Carpenter Fwy. Irving, TX 75062-2708

(469) 524-5122 www.nmca.com

NATIONAL TRAFFIC SIGNS, INC. 14521 60th Street N Clearwater, FL 33760 (727) 446-7983 www.ntsigns.com NBB Controls 5909 School Avenue Richmond, VA 23228 New England Truckmaster 16 Bernhard Road North Haven, CT 6473 (203) 772-1217 www.netruckmaster.com New Pig One Pork Avenue Tipton, PA 16684 (800) 468-4647 www.newpig.com/us NEXT GENERATION TOOL CO. 2527 Crooked Creek Middleburg, FL 32068 (800) 874-5625 www.nextgentool.com NORTH AMERICAN BANCARD 303 5th Avenue, Suite 407 New York, NY 10016 (866) 481-4604 www.nynab.com

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2013 GUIDE BUYER’S

Professional Your Resource for Towing & Recovery

North American Towing Academy 527 East Hillcrest Street Altamonte Springs, FL 32701 (407) 765-5149 www.thenata.com NRC INDUSTRIES 2430 Principale St-Paul d’Abbotsford, Qc J0E 1A0 (450) 379-5796 www.nrc-industries.com NUSSBAUM WRECKERS State Route 17 Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 7604 (800) 922-1122 NUSSBAUM WRECKERS & ROLLBACKS 1628 Lancaster Avenue Columbia, PA 17512 (717 684-0189 www.www.nussbaumequipment.com

www.nussbaumwreckers.com

OHIO POWER SYSTEMS 807 E. Findlay Street Carey, OH 43316 (419) 294-4985 www.ohiopowersys.com

OLSON & COMPANY 3 Oxford Ct. Suffern, NY 10901 (845) 357-0829 www.axelcap.net Onscene Solutions 3660 Center Road #313 Brunswick, OH 44212 (330) 220-8111 www.onscene-solutions.com

p Panasonic Corporation of North America One Panasonic Way 1H-5 Secaucus, NJ 7094 (201) 392-4193 www.panasonic.com/industrialtools Panor Corp (Maxxima) 125 Cabot Court Hauppauge, NY 11788 (631) 434-1200, ext. 200 www.maxxima.com Pelican Rope 4001 W. Carriage Drive Santa Ana, CA 92704 (714) 545-0116, ext. 5 www.pelicanrope.com Permco Hydraulics P.O. Box 2068

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Streetsboro, OH 44241 (800) 626-2801 www.www.permco.com

Peterbuilt 2605 River Road Piedmont, SC 29673 (864) 269-7202 www.thepetestore.com Phoenix USA, Inc. 51 W. Borden Street Cookeville, TN 38503 (931) 526-6128, ext. 2224 www.phoenixusa.com

(800) 864-3817 www.polybilt.com

Power Arc 7556 Watson Road Shrewsbury, MO 63119-3914 (314) 968-1115 www.powerarc.net Prime Industries 525 Central Drive Virginia, VA 23454 (800) 446-1144 www.prime-industries.com

PIERCE AUTO SALES 549 U.S. HWY 287 S. Henrietta, TX 76365 (800) 658-6301 www.piercesales.com

PROFESSIONAL DISPATCH SERVICES, INC 901 SE Oak Street Portland, OR 97214 (866) 382-7374 www.prodispatchservice.com

PILLOW PROTECTION CORP. 9815-149th Street Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5P 1K5 (780) 908-9560 www.panpillow.com

Progressive Commercial Ins. 747 Alpha Drive Highland Heights, OH 44143-2124 (440) 461-5000 www.progressivecommercial.com

PIP 26 Computer Drive East Albany, NY 12205 (518) 595-1539 www.pipusa.com

PROGRESSIVE PLATFORMS 60 Island Street Lawence, MA 1840 (877) 304-4347 www.progressiveplatforms.com

PolyBilt 1821 NW 57 Street Ocala, FL 34475

Pro-Vision P.O. Box 8821 Kentwood, MI 49518

COMPANY LISTINGS (616) 583-1520 www.provsnusa.com

PSE Amber 10986 North Warson Road St. Louis, MO 63114-2029 (314) 426-2700, ext. 1251 www.code3pse.com Purpose Wrecker 1732 Prospect Road Wentzville, MO 63385 (636) 639-9700 www.purposewrecker.com PWOF 4718 Edgewater Drive Orlando, FL 32804 (407) 402-1040 www.pwof.org

Q Quality Craft Tools 8994 SR 73 Hillsboro, OH 45133 (937) 393-4954 www.qct.20m.com Quest Roadside Services 106 West Tolles Drive St. Johns, MI 48879 (888) 295-2584, ext. 5 www.questsoftware.com

r RAM MOUNTING SYSTEMS 8410 Dallas Avenue S. Seattle, WA 98108 (206) 763-8361 www.rammount.com

(574) 295-6641, ext. 101 www.rctoolbox.com

Real Power 8401 Northwest Blvd. Indianapolis, IN 46278 (877) 670-7325, ext.368 www.realacpower.com

RAM Trucks/Chrysler Group LLC 1000 Chrysler Drive Auburn Hills, MI 48326 www.chryslergroupllc.com

Real Wheels Corp/ GS Marketing Corp. 5900 77th Street Kenosha, Wisconsin 53142 (262) 694-4188

Ramsey Winch 4707 N. Mingo Road Tulsa, OK 74117 (918) 234-2130 www.ramseyindustries.com

RECOVERY BILLING UNLIMITED 42 Quanapoag Road E. Freetown, MA 2727 (508) 763-5474 www.bigwheeltowingandrecovery.com

RANGER SST 34194 Aurora Road #274 Cleveland, OH 44139 (440) 498-1495 www.rangersst.com

RECOVERY CONSULTING SERVICES 106 Golden Rod Lane Warners, NY 13164 315-730-6566

RATLER MFG. 41 Granger Avenue Scarborough, ON M1L 3K9 (416) 285-1876 www.ratler.com RC Industries P.O. Box 1555 Elkhart, IN 46515

Reelcraft 2842 E. Business Hwy. 30 Columbia City, IN 46725 (260) 248-8188 www.reelcraft.com RICK’S TRUCK CENTER 260 New Lancaster Road Leominster, MA 1453 (978) 534-0120 www.rickstrucks.com

RMP Powertrain Solutions 9040 Burrough Dover Lane Pennsauken, NJ 8110 (800) 257-7418 www.powertrainsolutions.com Road America 7300 Corporate Center Drive, 6th Floor Miami, FL 33126 (305) 392-4327 www.road-america.com Road Gear P.O. Box 1202 Russellville, AL 35654 (256) 331-9340 www.road-gear.com Roadside Safety 1170 Center Drive, Suite A&B City of Industry, CA 91789 (909) 468-1393 www.roadsidesafety.net ROBERT YOUNG’S TRUCKS 210 Carver Avenue NE Roanoke, VA 24012 (540) 982-3809 www.robertyoungtrucks.com ROI PROTECTIVE TAPES 805 Ward Drive Northampton, PA 18067 (610) 564-7135 www.roiprotectivetape.com

www.towprofessional.com | Volume 2 • Issue 5 | Tow Professional

2013 GUIDE BUYER’S

Professional Your Resource for Towing & Recovery

R-O-M Corp 6800 East 163rd Street Belton, MO 64012-5463 (800) 827-3692 www.romcorp.com Rontan Signals 7859 NW 46th Street, Unit 5B Miami, FL 33166 (305) 599-2974 www.rontan.com RPM Equipment & Wrecker Capital 13317 Chrisman Road Houston, TX 77039 (281) 590-1494 www.rpmwreckersandtowtrucks.com RSIG 9381 Forestwood Lane Manassas, VA 20110 (703) 365-0199 www.rsig.com RUGGEDTOW.COM 778 Pittsburg Road Butler, PA 16002 (724) 586-2900 www.ruggedtow.com Rush Towing Systems 8810 IH-10 San Antonio, TX 78219 (210) 835-2239 www.rushtowingsystems.com

RV WHEEL 4037 Phelan Road, # A133 Phelan, CA 92371 (800) 215-8007 www.rvwheel.com

Sefac 23 Fontana Lane, Suite 110 Baltimore, MD 21237 (443) 730-1025, ext. 102 www.sefac.com

Sensata Dimensions 4467 White Bear Parkway St Paul, MN 55110 (727) 253-4536 www.sensata.com

S&J MFG. P.O. Box 564 Cuba, MO 65453 (573) 885-4460 www.sjmetalmfg.com Safety Vision 6100 W. Sam Houston Pkwy. N Houston, TX 77041-5113 (713) 929-1044, direct to Melissa www.safetyvision.com SAFETYLINE, INC. 176 Shannon Lane Priest River, ID 83856 (208) 448-4000, ext. 105 www.safetyline.com Sam Winer Motors, Inc. 3417 East Waterloo Road Akron, OH 44312 (877) 379-4624 www.samwinermotors.com Savatech Corp. 1300 N. Nova Road Daytona Beach, FL 32117 (386) 760-0706 www.savatech.com

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SERVICE STATION COMPUTER SYSTEMS/SSCS 650 Work Street # A Salinas, CA 93901-5013 (800) 972-7727, ext. 4721 www.sscsinc.com Sneed Robinson & Gerber Inc. P.O. Box 34698 Bartlett, TN 38134 (901) 372-4580 www.sneedtowinginsurance.com SoundOff Signal 3900 Central Parkway Hudsonville, MI 49426 (800) 338-7337 www.soundoffsignal.com SOVEREIGN 3 Huntington Quad, Suite 101N Melville, NY 11747 (631) 531-0630 www.sovereignbank.com/cevf

SPECIALTY VEHICLE & EQUIPMENT FUNDING 538 Broad Hollow Road, Suite 221 Melville, NY 11747 (631) 753-6611 www.specialtyvehiclefunding.com Speedway Wrecker & Trailer Sales 2030 Fairfax Avenue Columbus, OH 43207 (614) 491-6880 Spill King 130 Juno Street, Suite 1 Jupiter, FL 33458 www.spillking.com Sprint Enterprise Accounts 7751 SW 184th Terrace Miami, FL 33157 (913) 653-0662 Star 455 Rochester Street Avon, NY 14414 (585) 226-9787 www.star1889.com Starlight Lighting Systems 1409 N. Camden Circle Savannah, GA 31406 (855) 335-8333 www.itowlights.com

COMPANY LISTINGS STECK MFG. 1115 S. Broadway Dayton, OH 45417 (800) 227-8325 www.steckmfg.com Stertil Koni 200 Log Canoe Circle Stevensville, MD 21666 (800) 336-6637 www.stertil-koni.com Stren Flex 6295 McDonough Drive Norcross, GA 30093 www.stren-flex.com Strobes R Us 820 South Dixie Hwy. West Pompano Beach, FL 33060 (954) 946-9955 www.strobes-r-us.com/index.asp SUMMIT TRUCK EQUIPMENT 1251 Century Avenue Kansas City, MO 64120 (303) 301-7457 www.summittow.com Super Springs 5055 6th Street Carpinteria, CA 93013 (800) 898-0705 www.supersprings.com Superwinch,LLC 359 Lake Road

Dayville, CT 6241 (860) 928-7787 www.superwinch.com

sureFleet P.O. Box 2349 Keller, TX 76244 (877) 401-2345 www.surefleet.com

t Talbert 1628 W. State Road 114 Rensselaer, IN 47978 (800) 348-5232 www.talbertmfg.com TCF Equipment Finance 11100 Wayzata Blvd., Suite 801 Minnetonka, MN 55305 (800) 442-7811, ext. 7415 www.tcfef.com Teletrac 7391 Lincoln Way Garden Grove, CA 92841-1428 (817) 261-5756, ext. 1448 www.teletrac.net The Crosby Group P.O. Box 3128 Tulsa, OK 74101-3128 (918) 834-4611 www.thecrosbygroup.com

The Insurance Professionals 9343 East Bahia Drive Scottsdale, AZ 85260-1559 (480) 991-3600 www.theinspros.com The Tool People 1255 La Quinta Drive, Suite 200 Orlando, FL 32809 (407) 674-8775 www.thetoolpeople.com TIGER TOOL 34434 McConnell Road, Unit 160 Abbotsford, BC V2S 7P1 (800) 661-4661, ext.22 www.tigertool.com Tipton Sales & Parts, Inc 2384 Petersburg Road Hebron, KY 41048 (859) 689-4888 www.tiptonsap.com Tomar 2100 W. Obispo Avenue Gilbert, AZ 85233 (800) 338-3133 www.tomar.com TomTom 150 Baker Avenue Ext. Concord, MA 1742 www.business.tomtom.com TOOLTOPIA 4508 Oak Fair Blvd., Suite 230

Tampa, FL 33610 (800) 794-6793, ext. 112 www.tooltopia.com

TOPS by towXchange P.O. Box 5695 Chattanooga, TN 37406 (866) 800-8677 www.towexchange.ne Tow Dawg Software P.O. Box 221630 New Hall, CT 91322 (888) 486-9329 www.towdawg.com Tow Signs 32430 NE 120th Street Duvall, WA 98019 (800) 800-9470 www.towsigns.com Tow Trucks & Trailers 1420 W Troy Indianapolis, IN 46225 (317) 786-8765 Tow411 (502) 376-3071 www.tow411.com TOWBOOK MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE 1161 S. Carney Drive St. Clair, MI 48079 (888) 884-9598 www.towbook.com

www.towprofessional.com | Volume 2 â&#x20AC;˘ Issue 5 | Tow Professional

2013 GUIDE BUYER’S

Professional Your Resource for Towing & Recovery

TOWING AND RECOVERY ASSOCIATION OF OHIO 1339 US Hwy. 50 Milford, OH 45150 (513) 791-3555 TowLot.com 10331 Ash Drive Overland Park, KS 66207 (866) 263-8611 www.towlot.com Towmaster 61381 US Hwy. 12 Litchfield, MN 55355 (320) 693-7900 www.towmaster.com TOW MART 8029 Pittsburgh Ave. North Canton, Oh 44720 (330) 494-8544 www.towmart.com TOWMATE 15827 Serenity Point Lane Rogers, AR 72756 (479) 925-2131 www.towmate.com towPartners P.O. Box 2349 Keller, TX 76244 (877) 401-2345 www.towpartners.com towPartners Insurance (GIA) 5849 Park Vista Circle, Suite 200 Keller, TX 76244

(817) 431-6035 www.towpartnersinsurance.com

TOWRAMPS (BRUTE INDUSTRIES) 2003 23rd Avenue North, Suite A Escanaba, MI 49829 (906) 786-0585 www.raceramps.com towSearch P.O. Box 2349 Keller, TX 76244 (817) 337-8111 www.towsearch.com

Transportation Information Systems, Inc. 5435 Cahuenga Blvd., Suite #D North Hollywood, CA 91601 (818) 563-2839 www.tisfleet.imagineit.com TRAVIS BARLOW INSURANCE 1002 West Highway 80 Pooler, GA 31322 (800) 537-7152 www.travisbarlow.com

Towtruckinsurance.com 53 Perimeter Center E. Aluna, GA 30346 (770) 804-4829 www.towtruckinsurance.com

Traxxis GPS Solutions 945 NE 118th Street Miami, FL 33161 (888) 447-7059, ext. 102 www.traxxisgps.com

Track What Matters 2652 FM 407, Suite 215 Argyle, TX 76226 (817) 430-9201 www.trackwhatmatters.com

Tulsa Winch/ TWG 11135 S. James Avenue Jenks, OK 74037 (918) 298-8300 www.team-twg.com

Tracker Management Systems 4600 Rockside Road, Suite 205 Cleveland, OH 44131 (800) 445-2438 www.trackermanagement.com

Twin Cities Wrecker Sales 1301 Jackson Street St. Paul, MN 55117 (651) 488-4210

Trail-Eze P.O. Box 1188 Mitchell, SD 57301 (800) 232-5682 www.traileze.com

TWIN STATE EQUIPMENT 4495 Copper Sage Street Las Vegas, NV 89115 (702) 269-1471, ext. 203 www.twinstateequipment.com

Tow Professional | Volume 2 • Issue 5 | www.towprofessional.com

u UIS Brokers East LTD 3 West Main Street, Suite 206 Elmsford, NY 10523 (888) 258-2571 www.uisbrokers.com Unifirst 68 Jonspin Road Wilmington, MA 1887 (978) 658-8888 UNITED PLASTIC FABRICATING 165 Flagship Drive North Andover, MA 1845 (800) 638-8265 www.polybody.com United States Auto Club 3410 Midcourt Rd, Suite 215 Carrollton, TX 75006 (214) 576-9948 www.usacmd.com USFleet Tracking 2912 NW 156th Street Edmond, OK 73013 (405) 749-1105 www.usft.com

COMPANY LISTINGS v Vehiclepath (a division of Spireon Inc.) 17600 Gillette Avenue, Suite 100 Irvine, CA 92614 (877) 299-6544, press 4 for Sales www.vehiclepath.com Velvac 2405 S. Calhoun Road New Berlin, WI 53151 (262) 786-0700 www.velvac.com Viair 15 Edelman Irvine, CA 92618 (949) 585-0011 VIP Tow Dispatch P.O. Box 626 Framingham, MA 1702 (866) 462-4475 www.viptowdispatch.com VTS SYSTEMS 14935 Dunwoody Bend, Suite 100 Cyprus, TX 77429 (281) 373-3072 www.vts-systems.com

Vulcan Brands 14300 Schaefer Hwy. Detroit, MI 48227 (313) 935-3013, ext. 214 www.vulcanchain.com

w Warn Industries 12900 S.E. Capps Road Clackamas, OR 97015 (503) 722-1200 www.warn.com Weathergaurd 420 East Terra Cotta Avenue Crystal Lake, IL 60014 (815) 459-6020 www.weatherguard.com WEISS INSURANCE 683 Trade Center Blvd. Chesterfield, MO 63005 (636) 534-7226 www.weiss-ins.com Weld Built 276 Long Island Avenue Wyandach, NY 11798 (631) 643-9700 www.weldbuilt.com WES WILBURN CONSULTING P.O. Box 007 Wade, NC 37051

(910) 486-8928 www.weswilburn.com

Westend Service, Inc. 8600 Frederick Road Ellicott City, MD 21043 (410) 465-4455 www.westendservice.com Western Star 2477 Deerfied Drive Fort Mill, SC 29715 (803) 578-3553 www.westernstartrucks.com WHELEN ENGINEERING CO. 51 Winthrop Road Chester, CT 06412-0684 (860) 526-9504, ext. 2229 www.whelen.com WILL-BURT COMPANY 169 S. Main Street Orrville, Ohio USA 44667 (330) 684-4024, direct Mel www.willburt.com Wireless Links 1050 Wall Street, Suite 202 Lyndhurst, NY 7071 www.wlius.com Worldwide Equipment Sales 601 Walnut Ct. Rockdale, IL 60436 (815) 725-4400 www.newtowtrucks.com Wreck Master P.O. Box 473

Lewiston, NY 14092 (800) 267-2266 www.wreckmaster.com

y Yale Cordage 77 Industrial Park Road Saco, ME 4072 (207) 282-3396, ext. 23 www.yalecordage.com

z ZACKLIFT 1102 E 1st Street Cle Elum, WA 98922 (509) 674-4426 www.zacklift.com Zendex Tool Corporation 4 Larson Drive Danbury, CT 6810 (203) 778-0400 www.zendextool.com Zip’s Truck Company 316 W. Milwaukee Street New Hampton, IA 50659 (641) 394-3166, ext. 225 www.zips.com Zone Defense, LLC 1700 66th Street North, Suite 300 St. Petersburg, FL 33710 (866) 672-1212, ext. 727 www.zonedefensetruck.com

www.towprofessional.com | Volume 2 • Issue 5 | Tow Professional

BUYER’S 2013 GUIDE

Professional Your Resource for Towing & Recovery

Add On Wheel Lifts Detroit Wrecker Dynamic Hide A Lift Hy-Tech Recovery Equipment Lift and Tow Minute Man Mfg.

Air Bags Goodyear Wrecker Mat-Jack Savatech Corp.

Air Compressors Boss Industries Inc. Viair

Auto Auctions Car - Part.com Copart Insurance Auto Auctions TowLot.com

Body Manufacturers Amerideck B&B Industries Danco Products Dangelo's Custom Built Mfg., LLC Detroit Wrecker Direct Equipment Dual-Tech Dynamic Jerr-Dan Kilar Miller Industries Minute Man Mfg. NRC Industries PolyBilt Ratler Mfg United Plastic Fabricating, Inc. Weathergaurd Weld Built Zacklift

Cargo Control all-grip American Eagle Accessories Group AW Direct BA Products Bailey's Towing Bulldog Towing Products Columbus McKinnon

Detroit Wrecker Diversified Products Durabilt East Penn Truck Equipment Hooks In The Ditch Towing Products Industrial Nettting J.J. Keller Kinedyne Lift- All Mfr Express Rick's Truck Center Robert Young's Trucks Ruggedtow.com S&J Mfg Stren Flex The Crosby Group US Cargo Control Vulcan Brands Worldwide Equipment Sales

Chassis Manufacturer Ford Motor Company FREIGHTLINER TRUCKS Hino International Truck/ Navistar Isuzu Mitsubishi Peterbuilt RAM Trucks/Chrysler Group LLC Western Star

Communication Ranger SST Recovery Consulting Services Sprint Enterprise Accounts

Computer Mounts Gamber Johnson RAM Mounting Systems

Credit Card Processing North American Bancard Ranger SST

Damaged Vehicle Movement System Bailey's Towing Best Tools Collins Mfg Corp. Custer Products

Diversified Products East Penn Truck Equipment Hooks In The Ditch Towing Products Mat-Jack Robert Young's Trucks Steck Mfg. Zendex Tool Corporation

Dispatch Service Holly's Message Service Kolo DBS Professional Dispatch Services, Inc. VIP Tow Dispatch

Distributor Akins Ford American Enterprises Atlanta Wrecker Atlantic Emergency Solutions Austin Hinds Motors, Inc. Auto Equipment Inc. Bailey's Towing Buyers Products Company Chevron Commercial Coker Equipment Columbus Truck/Marietta Mack Crouch Tow Trucks Detroit Wrecker DG Towing Equipment East Coast Truck & Trailer East Penn Truck Equipment Eastern Wrecker Equipment Sales and Service Fleet Sales West Florida Wrecker Sales Golden West Goodyear Wrecker Hale Trailer Brake & Wheel Inc. Hedingers Equipment Hooks House of Wreckers Kavanaugh's Truck Sales Loganville Ford Lynch Lynch Chicago Matheny Motors New England Truckmaster NUSSBAUM WRECKERS Nussbaum Wreckers & Rollbacks Purpose Wrecker

Tow Professional | Volume 2 • Issue 5 | www.towprofessional.com

Rick's Truck Center RPM Equipment & Wrecker Capital Rush Towing Systems Speedway Wrecker & Trailer Sales Summit Truck Equipment Tipton Sales & Parts, Inc. Tow Trucks & Trailers Twin Cities Wrecker Sales Twin State Equipment Westend Service, Inc. Worldwide Equipment Sales Zip's Truck Company

GPS/Fleet Tracking Beacon Software BudgetGPS FleetMatics GPS Insight GPS Secured Insight USA Progressive Platforms Ranger SST TomTom Track What Matters Transportation Information Systems, Inc. Traxxis GPS Solutions Vehiclepath (a division of Spireon Inc.)

Hydraulics CW Mill Equipment Co, Inc. DewEze Mfg / Harper Industries Muncie Power Products Ohio Power Systems Permco Hydraulics

Insurance Alexander Insurance Agency ATIG Austin Insurance Bowers Group Chester Point Programs Consumers Insurance Der Manouel Insurance Group Geico Gessel Insurance Agency Hal Kresser Agency Hamby & Aloisio Insurance IGTC - McManus Pearl & Gesl, Inc. KBK Insurance Group, Inc. Martens Johnson Insurance National Ins. Brokerage of NY

National Interstate Progressive Commercial Ins. RSIG Sneed Robinson and Gerber Inc. The Insurance Professionals towPartners Insurance (GIA) Towtruckinsurance.com Travis Barlow Insurance UIS Brokers East LTD Weiss Insurance

Jump Starters Associated Equipment Clore Automotive Energy Safe Technologies, Inc. Goodall

Lease & Finance Advance Capital Group Advantage Funding Beacon Funding Channel Islands Leasing and Loan Creditors Speciality Service, Inc Integerated Vehicles & Equipment Leasing Intek North American Bancard Sovereign Specialty Vehicle & Equipment Funding TCF Equipment Finance

Lighting & Accessories Atlas Flasher & Supply Co. Atomic Led, Inc Austin Hinds Motors, Inc. AW Direct Bailey's Towing Blades Tow Right, Inc. Buyers Products Company Code 3 / PSE Amber Commercial Safety Services Custer Products Detroit Wrecker East Penn Truck Equipment Federal Signal Flash Equipment Fleet Sales West G&W Solutions General Mfg. (Saftlite) Golden West Go-Light Inc. Kinequip Inc.

C AT E G O R I E S New England Truckmaster Panor Corp (Maxxima) Phoenix USA, Inc. Power Arc Pro-Vision PSE Amber RAM Mounting Systems Rick's Truck Center Robert Young's Trucks R-O-M Corp Rontan Signals Ruggedtow.com SoundOff Signal Star Starlight Lighting Systems Strobes R Us The Tool People Tomar Tow Mart TowMate Whelen Engineering Co. Will-Burt Company Worldwide Equipment Sales

Lock Out Equipment Access Tools and Equipment

AW Direct Bailey's Towing Best Tools East Penn Truck Equipment Fleet Sales West Golden West Hooks Next Generation Tool Company Rick's Truck Center Robert Young's Trucks

Motor Clubs AAA Agero Allstate Roadside Services FleetNet America National Automobile Club National Motor Club Quest Roadside Services Road America United States Auto Club

Steck Mfg. The Tool People

Lubricants

Motorcycle Lifts Amerideck Condor Lift

Ambest AW Direct Bailey's Towing Chevron

Polishing Supplies Busch Enterprises Flitz Intl, Ltd.

D&J Diversified LLC Gaither Tool Lube A Boom Olson & Company Robert Young's Trucks

Protective Clothing American Safety & Supply AW Direct Badger Glove and Safety

Bailey's Towing Gulf Atlantic Supply Kinco Gloves Majestic Glove New Pig PIP Rick's Truck Center Robert Young's Trucks Safetyline, Inc. Unifirst

Pro-Vision Roadside Safety Safetyline, Inc. TowRamps (Brute Industries) Yale Cordage

Shop Lifts Heartland Automotive Equipment Sefac Stertil Koni

Rope Pelican Rope Yale Cordage

Safety American Safety & Supply AW Direct Badger Glove and Safety G&S Safety Products Go-Light Inc. Gulf Atlantic Supply J.J. Keller PIP

Shop Tools & Equipment AW Direct BA Products Boss Industries Inc. Cal-Van Tools Chicago Pneumatic Fleet Sales West Gaither Tool Golden West Goodall Merritt Moduline Cabinets

www.towprofessional.com | Volume 2 â&#x20AC;˘ Issue 5 | Tow Professional

BUYER’S 2013 GUIDE

Professional Your Resource for Towing & Recovery

Panasonic Corporation of North America Phoenix USA, Inc. Quality Craft Tools Sefac Steck Mfg Stertil Koni The Tool People Tiger Tool ToolTopia

Signs & Graphics Anchor Graphics National Traffic Signs, Inc. Tow Signs

Spill Control/ Clean-Up Flow Stop New Pig Spill King

Insight USA Onscene Solutions Progressive Platforms Pro-Vision Ranger SST Service Station Computer Systems/SSCS sureFleet Teletrac TOPS by towXchange Tow Dawg Software Towbook Management Software Track What Matters Tracker Management Systems Transportation Information Systems, Inc. Traxxis GPS Solutions USFleet Tracking VTS Systems Wireless Links Worldwide Equipment Sales

Tow Software Auto Data Direct, Inc. Batchout Beacon Software

Trailers Hale Trailer Brake & Wheel Inc. Kalyn Siebert L.P.

Landoll Corporation Talbert Towmaster Trail-Eze

Training & Education AW Direct Dan Messina.com DJ Says J.J. Keller North American Towing Academy Recovery Billing Unlimited Wes Wilburn Consulting Wreck Master

Truck Equipment Dealer Akins Ford Allison Transmissions Atlanta Wrecker Atlantic Emergency Solutions Austin Hinds Motors, Inc. Auto Equipment Inc.

Tow Professional | Volume 2 • Issue 5 | www.towprofessional.com

AW Direct Bailey's Towing Bob Fish Trucks Buyers Products Company Chalmers Suspensions International Inc. Chevron Commercial Chevron West Coker Equipment Columbus Truck/Marietta Mack Crouch Tow Trucks Custer Products Dangelo's Custom Built Mfg., LLC Detroit Wrecker Dual-Tech Dynamic East Coast Truck & Trailer East Penn Truck Equipment Eastern Wrecker Equipment Sales and Service Fleet Sales West Florida Wrecker Sales Gaither Tool Golden West Goodyear Wrecker Hale Trailer Brake & Wheel Inc.

HeavyDuty Hedingers Equipment Hooks House of Wreckers In The Ditch Towing Products Kavanaugh's Truck Sales Lift and Tow Loganville Ford Lynch Lynch Chicago Matheny Motors Minute Man Mfg New England Truckmaster NUSSBAUM WRECKERS Nussbaum Wreckers & Rollbacks Phoenix USA, Inc. Pillow Protection Corp. Purpose Wrecker RC Industries Rick's Truck Center Road Gear Robert Young's Trucks R-O-M Corp. RPM Equipment & Wrecker Capital

C AT E G O R I E S Rush Towing Systems Speedway Wrecker & Trailer Sales Summit Truck Equipment Tipton Sales & Parts, Inc. Tow Trucks & Trailers TowRamps (Brute Industries) Twin Cities Wrecker Sales Twin State Equipment Velvac Westend Service, Inc. Worldwide Equipment Sales Zip's Truck Company

Video & Security Eye3data Hanscom K Mobile Awareness, LLC Pro-Vision Safety Vision Zone Defense, LLC

Wheels & Accessories American Force Wheels Dacotah -Walsh Tire

Miti Co. Mfg. Olson & Company Phoenix USA, Inc Prime Industries Real Wheels Corp/ GS Marketing Corp. RV Wheel Worldwide Equipment Sales

Winches & Accessories Austin Hinds Motors, Inc. AW Direct Buyers Products Company Columbus McKinnon ComeUp USA Custer Products East Penn Truck Equipment Fleet Sales West Hooks LodarUSA Mile Marker NBB Controls New England Truckmaster

Ohio Power Systems Pelican Rope Pierce Auto Sales Pro-Vision Ramsey Winch Sam Winer Motors, Inc. Superwinch,LLC The Crosby Group Tulsa Winch/ TWG Warn Industries Yale Cordage

Other American Eagle Accessories Group Heavy-duty drawer systems Auto Data Direct, Inc. - Certified Mailing Tools & Real Time Vehicle Inquiries Bishop Branding - AUTOW Custom Die Cast -Promo Items Clore Automotive - Testing equipment CW Mill Equipment Co, Inc. Clutch Pump, Alternator, A/C Compressor Mounting Kits

Direct Equipment - Detachable 5th Wheel Wreckers Diversified Products - Manufacturer of PushBumpers, Winch-Mount PushBumpers, Tow Slings, Truck Bars, Self-Loading Dollies, Cable Tensioners, Roller Guides, Scotch Blocks, Fold-Down Light Bar Brackets, Cam Locks Ecmperformance.com - Custom Engine Control Module (ECM) Programming & Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) Deletion Exide Technologies - Batteries FleetNet America - Fleet Maintenance Goodall - Service truck accessory equipment International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum - Industry Hall of Fame, Museum, Wall of the Fallen and Survivor Fund LodarUSA - Radio remote controls Marking Pen Depot - Vehicle marking

Merritt - Truck Boxes Mobile Awareness, LLC - Obstacle Detection Sensors Moduline Cabinets - Shop cabinets NBB Controls - Controls Pillow Protection Corp. - Oil pan protection Real Power - Electric Vehicle Charging Reelcraft - Hose Reels RMP Powertrain Solutions - Engines and Transmissions ROI Protective Tapes Windshield/vehicle wrap Sensata Dimensions - Power Inverters SoundOff Signal - Switches, electronics & work area lighting Super Springs - Suspension Enhancement Products sureFleet - Fleet Management Tow411 - Industry forum Tow Connections - Industry forum towPartners - Buying Club towSearch - Towing Locating Service Unifirst - Uniforms Zacklift - Underreach Mfr

www.towprofessional.com | Volume 2 â&#x20AC;˘ Issue 5 | Tow Professional

Professional Your Resource for Towing & Recovery

HOOKEDUP

Available Through B/A Products Distributors Worldwide • Manufactured using the highest grade materials • 100% Magnaflux Tested - Standard on all Contact Bearing Swivels • Available in sizes from 3/4 ton to 35 ton and for wire rope sizes from 1/4” to 1-1/4” • Designed with a safety factor of 5:1 • Individually tested to 2 times the safe working load limit with certification • Zinc plated for corrosion resistance and longer life • Manufactured with grease fittings for superior performance • Designed for low starting torque and high rotation speed • 20,000 cycle fatigue rate to 1.5 times working load limit • Supplied with test certs and batch numbers for ease of traceability B/A Products Co. | 8925 McGaw Court Columbia, MD 21045-4725 Toll Free (800) 327-3301 | Phone: (410) 381-1700

Industrial Netting A single wrap of netting around a damaged vehicle helps secure loose parts. Inexpensive compliance with transportation regulations is made easier with specially configured rolls of disposable CAR-GO-NET<. Industrial Netting offers their ” mesh in 56” wide x 1000’ long rolls. Single rolls weigh just 21 lbs. Light enough to ship by UPS and small enough for one person to use. The cost to wrap a typical vehicle is less than a cheap pizza. Scrap recyclers have used CAR-GONET< for more than a decade to comply with transportation regulations. Now, tow operators are using CAR-GO-NET< to help contain small parts and loose debris while transporting wrecked autos or salvaged vehicles. Industrial Netting 7681 Setzler Parkway North Minneapolis, MN 55445-1883 (763) 496-6355 Main | (763) 496-6372 Direct www.industrialnetting.com 42

Tow Professional | Volume 2 • Issue 5 | www.towprofessional.com

HV-15 ComeUp Winch Pierce Sales now carries the HV-15 ComeUp hydraulic winch. Winch strong with 15,000 lbs. of pulling strength at 30 fpm. Winch safe since the HV-15 meets international safety standards. The HV-15 offers 2,175 psi at 15.9 gpm, holds 89' of 3/8" cable, and has a rotating ring gear clutch.

Pierce Arrow Inc. dba Pierce Sales 549 U.S. HWY 287 S. Henrietta, Texas 76365 800-658-6301 toll free | 940-538-5643 phone 940-538-4382 fax www.piercearrow.us www.youtube.com/piercearrowinc www.piercesales.com

Tow Mate

The new ‘GB Series’ of low profile LED lighting by TowMate allows you to maximize light output and minimize the amount of space used. Customize your colors and length to fit your need then simply mount using double-sided automotive trim tape. Pictured is a ‘GB48RW’ combining red and white modules and driving them with a Power-Link PLC-RX, a product within TowMate’s essentially wireless emergency lighting line. As with all things TowMate, these units feature a lifetime warranty and made in the USA. TowMate, LLC. 15827 Serenity Point Ln. Rogers, AR 72756 Ph: (800) 680-4455

GPS Secured has fleet management solutions with GPS tracking software Real-Time Visibility = Real-Time Results GPS Secured fleet management solution with GPS tracking software allows you to effectively monitor your entire fleet in real time. Fleet fuel management Our fleet management software provides fuel management reports that allow you to see, at a glance, how well you are managing fuel consumption. • Preventative maintenance and organization tools • Owner/operator capabilities • Real time vehicle locating and tracking • GPS monitoring modifies driver behavior and increases productivity. Savings, efficiency boost, increased customer satisfaction leading to new customers are the proven results from companies that are already using the GPS Secured PRO Fleet GPS Tracking System. GPS Secured Inc. Phone: 305-851-3700 | Fax: 305-600-1056 Toll Free: 800-434-1101 Email: sales@gpssecured.com | Web: www.gpssecured.com

Pioneer™ SlimLine™ Series, Single and Dual Super-LED Worklights Less than three inches in height, Slim-Line Pioneers have all the reliability, rugged working characteristics and advantages of larger Pioneers in a more compact package. Part of our total range of LED Flood, Spot and Work lighting, these scaled down models are a “fits-all” addition to your vehicle’s supplemental lighting package. They feature rugged diecast white or black powder coated housings and are rated to last thousands of hours with low amp draw. Single Lamp version provides 3000 usable lumens at 35 watts; dual lamp provides 6000 lumens at 70 watts. Versatile size mounts in many places on your vehicle with multiple mounting options, including recessed, low profile pedestal and bail bracket, to choose from. 12 or 24 VDC. Covered by Whelen’s Five Year HDP Heavy-Duty Professional warranty.

Whelen Engineering Co., Inc. 51 Winthrop Road, Chester, CT 06412 860-526-9504 | www.whelen.com

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COMPANY

ADVERTISER INDEX PG

Alexander Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Amerideck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Atlanta Wrecker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Austin Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 AW Direct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 B/A Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10, 46 Beacon Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25, 46 Bowers Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Collins Dollies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 COMEUP Winch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Custer Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 CW Mill Equipment Company . . . . . . . . .39 D&J Diversified, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Dan Messina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Detroit Wrecker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Direct Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Dynamic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IBC ECM Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Eye3Mobile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Flash Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Fleet Sales West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Florida Wrecker Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

COMPANY

FlowStop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IFC, 1 GPS Secured . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Hal Kresser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Heartland Automotive Equipment . . . . . .36 Holly's Message Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 IAA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Industrial Netting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 KBK Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Lift and Tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Lodar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Marking Pen Depot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Matjack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Mfr. Express . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Mile Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Miti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 NABancard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 National Traffic Signs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Ohio Power Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Pierce Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Pillow Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Progressive Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BC

COMPANY

Ram Mount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Recovery Billing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Recovery Consulting Services . . . . . . . . . .40 Robert Young . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 ROI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Rugged Tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 RV Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 S&J Metal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Saftlite (General Mfg) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Steck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Tiger Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Tow Mart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 TowBook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Towmate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 TowRamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Twin State Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 United Plastic Fabricating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Wall of The Fallen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12, 13 Weiss Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Whelen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Will-Burt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Zacklift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

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