American Towman Magazine - February 2020

The Road Calls

Treetop Cessna Expert Recovery

Don’t Become

a Statistic

STEEL

Chain Basics

Improving the Hiring Process

TowIndustryWeek.com

FEBRUARY 2020 AmericanTowman.com

$10

Volume 44 Issue 2

Contents

Cover Feature

February 2020

Treed and Freed

30

Cutting through heavy woods to recover a small plane trapped high above the ground required the experts at Mike’s Towing.

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

Departments 6

The Walkaround

8

News Share

10

Road Tools

11

Zoom In

12

Beacons On!

20

Letter to the Editor

22

Tow Boss

26

Tow Engineer

34

Ad Index

66

Tow Manager

78

Tow Business

16

80

Repo Run

84

Tow Spotlight

86

Towman’s Market

88

My Baby

Learn, use best safety practices on road service calls to minimize dangers to yourself, others.

90

Lowdown

97

Adventures of A.T.

ON THE

COVER:

Features Avoid Becoming a Statistic

by Dom Galdo and Chris Young

35

2019 AT Expo Recap In the 31st Expo’s one-year return to Atlantic City, towers from around the country and the world turned out in force for a look at the newest products and tools, networking, education, awards and recognition.

4 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Mike’s Towing & Recovery in Bridgewater, New Jersey, were called out for a Cessna in the treetops.

First on the scene since 1977

The Walkaround A Fresh, New Look

Dennie Ortiz Publisher

AS WE USHER IN this new year and a new decade, we are eager to unveil a fresh new look for American Towman Magazine. We decided it was time for some refinements. You will still find all of your favorite departments and features in a whole new layout.

The new design sought to create a more modern and uncluttered appearance.

Change is good. So, while we changed the look, you will still recognize the magazine for what is has always been … your go-to resource for towing news and products.

Credit where credit is due, Gina Johnson our graphic designer, did a fantastic job in conceptualizing and creating American Towman Magazine’s new image.

As you peruse the pages and take in the new look, be sure to take a brief step back in time to the first week of December 2019 and the 31st American Towman Exposition through the Expo Recap feature starting on page 35.

In this section you will get a glimpse of the crowds that filled the Atlantic City Convention Center’s exhibit floor, taking in all of the heavy metal that was showcased and meeting with vendors of all types as tow bosses sought to improve their businesses.

Iconic events, such as the Festival Night with the March of the Heroes along with Bull & Pig Roast/Miller Rocks! can be seen in all their glory. Keep an eye out and you just may find yourself or your friends in some of the featured photos as we stroll down the Expo’s memory lane.

Dennie Ortiz Steve Calitri Brendan Dooley Charles Duke Randall Resch Terry Abejuela Jim “Buck” Sorrenti David Kolman Bill Simmons Brian Riker Mark Lacek

Publisher Editor-In-Chief Editor Senior Editor Operations Editor Field Editor, West Field Editor, Northeast Chassis Editor Safety Editor Contributing Editor Repo Run Editor

Editorial Board Tommy Anderson Roy Carlson Debbie Collins Belinda Harris Bill Johnson Ron Mislan Kurt Wilson

Dallas, Texas Saint Paul, Minn.

Las Vegas, Nev. Greensboro, N.C. South Hadley, Mass.

Warren, N.J. Creve Coeur, Ill.

American Towman Staff Page Layout Artist Advertising Sales Mgr. Senior Account Exec.

VP of Accounts General Manager Publisher’s Assistant Customer Service Subscription Manager TIW Media Director Regional Advertising Sales iMarketing Manager ATTV Producer President

Gina Johnson Dennie Ortiz Ellen Rosengart Norma Calitri Jimmy Santos Toni Vanderhorst Henri Calitri Patrice Gesner William Burwell Peggy Calabrese Ryan Oser Emily Oz Steve Calitri

American Towman Media Headquarters 2 Overlook Drive, Suite 5, Warwick, NY 10990 800-732-3869 or 845-986-4546

E-Mail:

The More Things Change …

Brendan Dooley Editor

… THE MORE THEY stay the same, as the popular saying goes.

As you look through the pages of the new and improved American Towman Magazine (thanks, Gina!), you will notice that while things are cleaner and more pleasing to the eye, a lot of those names you’re familiar with are still contributing all the informative content you’ve come to expect in AT. In addition to being grateful for the updated design of the magazine, I am continually rewarded to be working with the best in the business when it comes to content.

From the more recent contributors, like Bobby Tuttle, Paul Stephens and Brian Riker, to the longtime stalwarts of the magazine like Jim “Buck” Sorrenti, Mark Lacek, Terry Abejuela and Randall Resch, they make my job easier in showcasing the news and information you need to know.

6 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Publisher Editor-In-Chief Editor AT’S Digital Edition AT’S Website AT’S Weekly ATTV

dortiz@towman.com scalitri@towman.com bdooley@towman.com itowman.com americantowman.com towindustryweek.com americantowmantv.com

Copyright ©2020 American Towman Magazine is published 12 times a year by American Towman Media, Inc.

Subscription: Single Copy: $10 1 yr: $60 – 2 yrs: $110 International: $75 & $135

All material published through American Towman Media (AT), to include American Towman Magazine, iTowman.com and TowIndustryWeek.com, including advertisements, editorials, articles and all other content is published in good faith. However, AT accepts no liability for any errors or omissions, and does not endorse any companies, products or services that appear. AT does not test or review products submitted for inclusion in its publications. AT does not accept responsibility for the accuracy of content, warranties or claims made or implied by its advertisers. The views expressed are the authors’ alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of AT. The act of mailing or delivering a letter, email or article to AT shall constitute permission to publish that letter or article or any portion thereof. AT reserves the right to edit any and all material submitted. No part of the magazine or websites may be reproduced without prior written consent of AT.

News Share

Speed’s Towing Asks GPS Apps to Warn Drivers Speed’s Towing of Portland, Oregon, is asking popular GPS apps to alert drivers of upcoming stopped emergency vehicles with a “Slow Down Move Over” warning. The hope is that drivers will then be more likely to actually do it.

Carrie Ransome of Speed’s recently submitted the suggestion to Waze and Google Maps, asking specifically for a “Slow Down Move Over” warning to drivers approaching tow trucks or other vehicles on the side of the road helping in an emergency.

“I’m doing this so that everyone gets home safe, so that our family and our loved ones who are out there rescuing motorists on the road, they get home safely,” Ransome said.

Waze already has some similar notifications in place for things like police or disabled cars ahead.

Ransome hopes that with her idea,

tow truck drivers could report to Waze any time they’re pulled over to help someone. Then, Waze could send out the warning.

Source: kptv.com.

CHP Adopts HOS Regulations Changes

After years of working closely with the California Highway Patrol, the California Tow Truck Association recently announced that revisions to California’s hours-of-service regulations for California towmen have been finalized and will take effect on April 1.

Finding the unworkability of

8 • February 2020 | Towman.com

existing hours-of-service rules for the tow industry, CTTA’s Towing Regulatory Oversight Council worked exhaustively to help craft amendments that address industry working conditions.

Provisions specific to towmen include: towmen will be allowed to use the 16-hour “on-duty” time non-consecutively; whenever a tow truck driver first hits 12 hours of nonconsecutive driving time or 16 hours of nonconsecutive on-duty time, he or she would need to take 10 hours off-duty. The exemption will apply when driving all light- and heavyduty tow trucks “and will not have any geographic or line of business limitations. The revisions also include two tracking requirements.

The final adopted regulatory text is available on the CHP’s Regulatory Actions website at chp.ca.gov.

Source: CTTA.

EPA Eyeing Tighter Truck Emissions Standards

Just four years after U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized a sweeping set of regulations aimed at cutting emissions from heavy-duty trucks and tractors by 25% by 2027, EPA is eyeing new federal regulations to further tighten heavy-duty truck emissions and to create a so-called “50-state program” that harmonizes emissions standards nationally.

EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced Jan. 6 an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM), part of the Trump EPA’s Cleaner Trucks Initiative, that seeks input from the public and from trucking industry stakeholders about the next phase of regulations — chiefly, means to curb output of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and other air pollutants, Wheeler said.

Wheeler was joined by representatives from the American Trucking Associations, the OwnerOperator Independent Drivers Association, the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association and the Diesel Technology Forum at Monday’s announcement.

“The U.S. has made major reductions in NOx emissions, but through this initiative we will continue to reduce emissions, while spurring innovative new technologies, ensuring heavy-duty trucks are clean and remain a competitive method of transportation,” Wheeler said.

The 97-page ANPRM was posted online by EPA, though it hasn’t yet been published at press time in the Federal Register. Once published, stakeholders and the public can comment for 30 days. The EPA says it intends to work more closely with manufacturers and other industry stakeholders to develop the new regulations. However, any formal regulations stemming from the ANPRM are likely years away, as rulemakings generally take several years to move from the ANPRM stage to a final, published rule.

Source: ccjdigital.com.

Too Many Tragedies Already

News Share

2020 has to prove safer than it has so far As we entered the new year, it was just a few hours in that we were already mourning with our industry brethren at O’Hare Towing. A struck-by incident there was even preceded by an incident from New Year’s Eve in Kentucky of a deadly loading mishap. Then Jan. 4 saw another towman struck down in South Dakota and another in Hawaii five days later on Jan. 9. Between the time of this writing and when you read it, the odds are another two towmen will have been struck down … and this doesn’t even account for the near-hits.

These occurrences are reaching pandemic proportions, and they compare to increasing struck-by incidents for law enforcement and firefighters on the roadside. Move Over laws and their awareness campaigns can help, but the numbers are ratcheting up higher and faster than we’ve ever seen in the industry. The answers have to come from within, and quickly, to protect our brothers and sisters on the road. As Randall Resch (page 12) and Kurt Wilson (page 20) rightly point out in this issue, towers must get smart and rely on themselves to get home safe each shift. —Ed.

Tower Death Ruled Accidental Louisville (Kentucky) Metro Police Department officials have released more details in the accidental death of a tow operator on New Year’s Eve. Larry Kizer, 62, a longtime towman, died Dec. 31 as he was trying to remove a Ford F-150 that had been abandoned on I-64W. According to police, a passerby traveling east on I-64 called 911 to report an unoccupied LMPD tow truck moving in reverse in the westbound lanes. Another passerby on I-64W observed the tow truck

sticking out into the driving lane. That driver pulled over to render aid. He also called 911 and called for help on the radio in Kizer’s tow truck, police said.

The preliminary investigation stated that it appeared Kizer crawled under it to disengage the transmission after hooking up the F-150, then police said it appeard the truck began to roll and trapped Kizer under the rear axles.

According to the coroner’s office, Kizer died from “mechanical asphyxia.”

Source: wdrb.com.

Towman Fatally Struck on I-290 Towman Andrew Dove-Ferderer, 23, was fatally struck by a vehicle Jan. 1 on Interstate 290 in Maywood, Illinois, according to Illinois State Police.

He was towing cars from an earlier crash when a gray Nissan sedan traveling in the right lane veered to the right and struck him.

The Nissan also hit an unoccupied gray Chrysler sedan parked ahead of the tow truck, state police said.

Dove-Ferderer, with O’Hare Towing, was pronounced dead on the scene, state police said.

Source: chicago.suntimes.com.

South Dakota Towman Killed in Crash The Watertown (South Dakota) Police Department, along with the Codington County Sheriff’s Department, South Dakota Highway Patrol and Watertown Fire Rescue responded to a roadway fatality on Jan. 4.

According to police, a car driven by Quentin Godes lost control on the roadway and struck and killed towman Dale Jones,

47, of Watertown. Jones was assisting in removing another vehicle from the ditch.

Charges were pending further investigation by the Watertown Police Department Accident Reconstruction Team with assistance from the South Dakota Highway Patrol.

Sources: mykxlg.com, ksfy.com.

Hawaii Towman Struck on H-2 A tow operator died after he and another man were struck early Jan. 9 on the shoulder of the H-2 freeway in Honolulu, Hawaii, by a suspected drunk driver.

The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s office identified the towman as Aaron Malama.

According to police accounts, a 45-yearold woman was driving northbound on the H-2 when she veered out of her lane and collided with a stalled vehicle while it

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

was being hooked up to a tow truck. She then struck Malama and the other man; both were standing next to the tow truck, police said.

“I saw him. The way he was laying there—it was something that’s going to be hard for me to forget,” said Malama’s girlfriend, Joenel Quimpo, who often went with him when he worked his overnight tow shifts.

Sources: staradvertiser.com, khon2.com.

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 9

Road Tools Century Masterack Storage System

millerind.com

Century recently introduced its Masterack System for organizing the storage compartments on your Century heavy-duty wreckers. When it comes to toolbox storage on your heavy-duty wrecker, organization equals productivity. Options include:

• Bin system for airlines, tools etc.

• Optional hose racks on doors

• Absorbents container, with bucket and dispenser for eliminated spillage.

• Chain buckets

• Slide-out trays that can go to either side of truck.

• Driveshaft holder.

Keytag Promos with Your Truck

Keytag promos for your business put your name and info right in the customer’s ignition, nearby when it’s needed. With a custom Mr. Key Tag order, get your truck and contact info right on a tag and in the customer’s hands. No art, custom dies or set-up fees; 15-day production.

mrkeytag.com

Diamondlift Fits Variety of Shops

Stertil-Koni’s inground telescopic piston Diamondlift delivers service shops options for a variety of situations, whether constructing a new facility, renovating a workshop, or faced with difficult building conditions Diamondlift is available in either cassette or frame versions that are customized to fit your facility; models come in two-, three- or four-piston verions with lifting capacities of up to 35,000 lbs. per piston.

10 • February 2020 | Towman.com

stertil-koni.com

AirBars

Zoom In

Increase Operator Visibility

By Paul Stephens

nuvech.co.uk

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

Recently debuted stateside at the American Towman Exposition XXXI in Atlantic City, New Jersey, last December, AirBars from the U.K.’s NuVech Solutions are a new approach to improving operator visibility on the roadside.

AirBar’s key function is to slow traffic and direct movement away from the operator. They were conceived by Simon Scaife, an auto transport trainer who had a vision on how to find a better way to protect an operator while working equipment on the side of the roadway after he was struck by a vehicle in October 2017.

With 30 years of driving under his belt, it was not the first time he had a run in with a vehicle or operator. Initially, the idea was something like a large arrow turn signal, something that would grab attention without distraction and without interfering with the vehicle’s operator view.

AirBar was first mocked up and a test control unit was placed in early 2018 on a friend’s truck for some initial assessment.

This unit would serve as the test bed for the next 12 months as the system operation and reliability was tested and refined. The internationally patented tool has been well received in many countries outside of the U.K.; AirBars have been tested on everything from carriers and low-boys to rescue vehicles.

The AirBar concept utilizes a pulse to activate an air switch, which inflates the bar and activates the flashing light. This can be done by activation of the PTO or by an upgraded remote control that will allow activation or cancellation of each auxiliary AirBar, and can help keep the operator out of the No Zone.

The AirBar now boasts fully waterproof electronics and LED lighting to enhance the visibility; it also won the 2019 Lodar Innovation Award.

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 11

Beacons

On!

Road to Ruin or Professionalism?

By Randall C. Resch

A

Operations Editor Randall C. Resch is a retired California police officer and veteran tow business owner, manager, consultant and trainer. He writes for TowIndustryWeek. com and American Towman, is a member of the International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame and recipient of the Dave Jones Leadership Award. Email Randy at rreschran@gmail.com.

fter back-to-back days of tow operator fatalities that heralded a tragic beginning to 2020, I had trouble sleeping as those events kept running over and over in my mind. Because my business is tow operator training, safety and survival, I’m beginning 2020 in a proactive manner searching for ways to curtail the senseless rise in operator deaths on the side of the road.

Many of these tragic incidents involve the same, repeated mistakes made by tow operators. We towers carry a huge responsibility in the reality of today’s industry. While the motoring public is responsible for causing a large

12 • February 2020 | Towman.com

We towers carry a huge

responsibility in the reality of today’s industry.

percentage of tow operator deaths, we need to set that component aside for the moment to consider what tow operators themselves are doing and what needs to happen to keep these deaths from repeating themselves.

◀

Distracted driving is here to stay.

It makes no sense to disregard the fact that everybody has a cellphone, drinking and driving is a gruesome pastime for many and Move Over laws aren’t working. The motoring public’s general inability to operate motor vehicles in perfect control will never happen. That’s not difficult to understand.

the truck. I wondered how the trash and fire industries have come so far to protect their workers. For both the fire and trash industries, the catalyst that turned them from being a rag-tag group of providers into professional workers was formalization and regulation.

Recent forum posts are questioning whether this industry’s

The Wall of the Fallen will continue to add another 10 to 30 names every year if we remain on the same path.

I’ve documented incidents of nearly 1,000 tow operators who’ve been killed in the line of duty since the first wrecker was invented 100plus years ago. I wonder: 1. The fire service, and even trash truck industry, recognized that riding on tailboards was a known cause of operator deaths. From this, they developed rules, guidelines, procedures and criteria that nearly eliminated repeated deaths.

2.

Why is the towing and recovery industry seemingly ignorant to develop industrywide guidelines that lessen the known and repeated causes of its tow operator fatalities?

The repeated and senseless loss of tow operators and industry workers is always on my mind. I recently saw a rural trash truck on its collection route on our mountain … watching the brand-new, fouraxle trash truck do its thing, the truck’s operator never got out of 14 • February 2020 | Towman.com

professionals are first responders.

Most participants didn’t feel the tow industry was regarded as first responders, with many citing lacks in training or formalization of industry standards.

Investigating more on the fire industry, I found that a group of fire administrators took the time to work together and create a set of rules, regulations and criteria to improve safety standards.

I researched back to what criteria the fire service developed to become professionalized where a set of standards trained, upgraded and recognized them.

In 1987, NFPA 1500—the Fire Department Occupations Safety and Health Program—was adopted. (Read more about its development here: nfpa.org/ News-and-Research/Publicationsand-media/NFPA-Journal/2017/ January-February-2017/Features/ NFPA-1500.) From that NFPA article, we find that, “In the three decades since NFPA 1500 was

created, average annual firefighter line-of-duty deaths have been slashed nearly 40 percent as the overall number of response calls has more than tripled. Firefighter injuries are down about 30 percent.

Meanwhile, equipment, apparatus, procedures, incident command, fire-ground operations, and more have all developed with firefighter safety in mind.” It quotes an official who says the improvements are part of, “the fire service’s evolution from a calling to an occupation to a profession.”

The International Towing and Recovery Museum sadly comments, “The towing and recovery industry has an operator killed on-average every six days.” Unfortunately, there is no overarching presence of set rules, regulations, guidelines or industry standards; how long will we let the carnage continue? The Wall of the Fallen will continue to add another 10 to 30 names every year if we remain on the same path.

Our industry must consider what the fire service did to formalize its work, and also keep in mind that not all owners and operators will agree on every point towards safety standards to protect our employees. Towers will have to work together on the criteria and regulations that can lead us to improved professionalism.

If the industry doesn’t strive for excellence and proficiency, we’ll always remain lower paid, disrespected and unrecognized as true professionals. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.

Find us on Facebook Read more towing news at towman.com

Avoid Becoming a Statistic

By Dom Galdo and Chris Young

Tips for Keeping Everyone Safe During Roadside Events

W

ith one in three U.S. drivers experiencing a breakdown event each year, roadside safety is a crucial part of a tow operator’s work. Yet that initial breakdown can quickly escalate as rubbernecking motorists slow to catch a quick glimpse of a service event, potentially causing even more dangerous secondary collisions. In fact, approximately one in every five crashes are secondary crashes resulting from a previous incident.

Dom Galdo is Agero’s VP of Network Operations.

Chris Young is a Network Trainer at Agero.

16 • February 2020 | Towman.com

But the work of a tow operator is dangerous enough already. Each day, tow operators face aggressive drivers, dangers on the side of the road and the risks of operating heavy equipment.

According to the International Towing and Recovery Museum, an average of 60 tow operators are killed each year after being struck by vehicles while working on the side of the road, while new research found that 980 tow operators were injured on the job in 2017. That same research also found more than 700 drivers are killed each year while trying to

resolve a breakdown.

It is, therefore, the tow operator’s job to keep not only themselves, but also motorists safe. With this in mind, the following guidelines will help tow operators better protect lives during service, towing and collision events.

SERVICE EVENTS

Set up your tow truck or service vehicle behind the disabled vehicle.

While this is an industry standard practice for police, fire and medics, it is not required for towers.

Nevertheless, operators should still do this to protect their workspace and the motorist. It is always safer to park behind the disabled vehicle because there is more mass in the tow truck for protection than the customer’s vehicle.

When you are servicing the disabled vehicle, the safest place for the customer is in their own car— with their seatbelts on. Although many customers may think it’s safer to be on the side of the road or in the grass, this is not the case. The safest place is in a vehicle rather than out of it during a collision, as many customers have been struck by other motorists who were not paying attention and veered off the road onto the median or shoulder.

Approximately one in every five crashes are secondary crashes resulting from a previous incident.

In the event you need to move a customer from their vehicle to your own truck and back, remember that you are exposing them twice—once each way—to the dangers you experience as a tow operator. Timing is extremely important when moving the customer; make sure to always be aware of surrounding traffic and get them to safety as soon as possible.

TOWING SCENARIOS

When it comes to responding to a towing event, the same safety tips and best practices apply. In addition: • Bring the customer immediately to your tow truck using the off-traffic side. In a towing event, the safest place for the customer is in your tow truck.

• Have the motorists put on their seatbelts upon getting into the vehicle.

• Any personal items can be retrieved from the customer’s vehicle at the destination. Whether it’s a cellphone, charger, laptop, purse or other personal item, many customers will want to retrieve these items from the backseat or trunk; it’s important to get these individuals into your truck as soon as possible.

18 • February 2020 | Towman.com

COLLISION RESPONSE

Although this may seem obvious, do not allow motorists in the roadway. Because of the shock or frustration resulting from the event, they may not be thinking clearly and could try to pick up pieces of their vehicle or take pictures of the scene for insurance claims.

Once it has been determined that no one is injured, place occupants of inoperable vehicles immediately in your truck with their safety belts on … especially if they appear to be making questionable safety decisions.

Clear all operational vehicles from the roadway to prevent secondary collisions. Remember, secondary collisions are often more serious than the original, and account for approximately 20 percent of all crashes. Always be aware of circumstances that could result in secondary crashes, especially during the winter or inclement weather.

Load and clear non-operational vehicles to prevent secondary collisions. Lastly, clear the accident scene of any debris to prevent secondary object collisions or other safety issues.

BEST PRACTICES

• Wear ANSI Class 3 compliant apparel. This is federally mandated for operating on interstate highways, but good practice in all other situations. Also, make sure to check the condition and location of your apparel.

• Always keep your phone on you and be sure to stay in contact with dispatch. This way, dispatch will know your last position and can send help immediately in case of an emergency.

• Perform a complete commercial vehicle inspection at the beginning of every shift to avoid unnecessary mechanical failures.

• Pull out the winch line and perform a visual inspection of the entire line from drum to hook.

• Avoid blinding approaching traffic—by “over-lighting” the scene—to prevent creation of an additional hazard.

With winter and poor weather conditions upon us, it is especially important to remain aware and stay safe. Be sure to follow these tips and best practices to minimize danger to yourself, your customers and other motorists when responding to service, towing and collision events.

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 19

Letters to the Editor Continuing Tragedies on the Road AS ANOTHER YEAR starts, most of us are reflecting back on the year of 2019 while looking at the present of 2020. Sadly, the towing industry has started the year off with two operators losing their lives in the line of duty (as of this writing): • Larry Kizer, from Louisville, Kentucky, trapped under his vehicle.

• Andrew R. Dove-Ferdere, of Berkeley, Illinois, being hit while loading a vehicle on the Interstate.

My question is what are you (towing industry) going to do to limit the number of deaths for 2020?

There are companies like Zips-AW Direct who have a strong campaign promoting the Slow Down Move Over laws, from different decals to T-shirts and more; it’s hard to miss a Zip’s rollback running down the road that does not have large Slow Down Move Over decals.

B/A Products and American Towman Magazine put

Letters

continued to page 85

20 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 21

Tow Boss

Can I Get Some Help?

By Paul Stephens

W Paul Stephens is a towing industry trainer with more than 34 years of towing experience. He has served as a consultant for many automobile manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, and companies for service provider education, towability and road service procedures.

hen you need help on a job, it doesn’t always mean another employee (or employees).

Whether you come across a scene where you have a lack of equipment, knowledge or simply manpower, you need to have a plan to accomplish the task.

Sometimes, towers go willingly into a situation blind. A good rule of thumb, however, is to keep everything in front of you, that is to say that you have your problems in sight, so they are easier to overcome; seeing the problem for what it is can be half the battle.

For instance, if you get a police call for a tow of a unique luxury or exotic vehicle, and have no experience with that vehicle, the idea of showing up clueless is … poor.

Asking the customer for advice on how to tow it will be frowned upon by them and the officer. Do your homework on the many types of vehicles out there and how attachment points have changed.

Companies are paying a lot of money

Do your homework on the many types of vehicles out there and how attachment points have changed.

22 • February 2020 | Towman.com

in damage claims related to the J-hook on the lower control arm. They now have ABS sensor wires routed on the inside of the A-arm that can get cut or pinched; they are almost impossible to see or feel when trying to check for them. There are several reliable sources for information, including finding the owner’s manual online with a quick search.

If you have a plan for the unknown, you should always be a step ahead when the problem arises. (Always be wary of YouTube videos and social media posts as some of the methods aren’t recommended and it’s you who will be liable for mistakes on scene.)

Another issue that arises often is equipment—rather the lack thereof—on special jobs or in rare situations. When headed out to a job with a question, think about what things you can control to help the customer even if you can’t accomplish the goal. Once the job seems out of your wheelhouse or beyond your equipment’s capacity, know who

◀

Let two people be off work one day and every event possible will come your way. you will call and have a plan with the person who would have that knowledge or equipment.

Having a backup plan in case you are unable to accomplish something while on scene will keep you from losing the revenue for your trip out. I have been to many jobs to view them and then give the customer a price; sometimes I get the job and sometimes not. If I don’t get the job, I refer them to someone else who can help. Sometimes it’s not a price issue at all they just want someone to get it done. If I

24 • February 2020 | Towman.com

get the job and I need assistance, I always have a plan before I price it as to who I will call for the assist so I am as prepared as I can be when starting the assignment.

There are many jobs that are completely past an operator’s limit that some like to go ahead and try— this type of work can get you into trouble or injured. Any operator should always stay within their abilities and learn with someone who actually knows.

Having a lack of manpower can be bothersome. It always seems

that when you are fully staffed ready for any event—unload job, long winch out, clean-up job— inevitably nothing will come. Let two people be off work one day and every event possible will come your way. Have a plan for manpower; if it’s just general labor for an unload job, make sure you have available workers lined up who expect your call and are ready to get to it. The manpower issue will not change in the near future as more and more people seek non labor-intensive jobs.

The common thread through all these scenarios is the many advantages of preparedness and planning. We all need to get some help at some point and having plans on where it will come from ahead of time makes everything less stressful in the end. Preplanning can eliminate stress and help for a much smoother transaction.

Tow Engineer

Back to Basics: Steel Chain

By Terry Abejuela

Field Editor Terry Abejuela has 40-plus years of light-duty towing and recovery experience. He is also a light-duty Level 1 instructor for the California Tow Truck Association.

Chain identification marking on 5/16 Grade 70 chain.

T

ow operators must have a basic knowledge about how to use chain in order to utilize it effectively and safely. Chains, like the winch and wire rope, have been part of our industry since the beginning. Choosing the correct chain for a specific application requires some knowledge of chain basics.

Chain starts as a rod that is cleaned and drawn into an exact wire diameter. It then travels through several different machines that cut, bend, connect, weld and mark the chain links. After the chain is formed and welded it is calibrated to ensure consistency and test its strength. Samples of the chain are cut from the production line and tested to verify the integrity of the weld and check physical properties. Depending on the grade of chain it may also go through other processes or machines, such as quench and temper-induction heat treater.

The chain is then proof-tested to twice its working load limit. Additional processes include shot-blasting, zinc-plating, hotdip galvanizing or other special coatings.

Depending on the grade of chain and its intended use it may go through yet more processes.

26 • February 2020 | Towman.com

There are many terms that may be used when referring to chains. A few of them that you may often hear include: • Proof test: a manufacturers test force applied during the manufacturing process. It is generally twice the Working Load Limit.

• Working load limit: the maximum load that shall be gradually applied to a straight length of chain that is in a new or as new condition.

• Minimum breaking force: the minimum force at which the chain has been found to break when the load is gradually applied to a straight length of chain.

• Design factor: the proportion that the manufacturer uses to determine the WLL based on the MBF. A chain that fails at 18,000 lbs, and has a design factor of 4:1 will have a WLL of 4,700 lbs. This is important to know when purchasing chain. The towing and recovery industry generally uses a minimum of a 4:1 design factor; however, it is possible to find towing chains that only have a 3:1 design factor.

• Overhead lifting: elevating a freely suspended load to such a position that dropping the load would present a possibility of bodily injury or property damage. Note that this definition does not refer to how high the load is lifted. It does not have to be overhead, A suspended load that would allow your foot or hand to be placed under the load is considered overhead lifting.

transportation industry for load securement. Transport chain is generally coated in a gold chromate finish to prevent rust. Transport 5/16 chain has a WLL of 4,700 lbs.

Transport chain is not approved for overhead lifting.

ALLOY

MAKING THE GRADE

There are several common grades of chain used in the towing and recovery industry.

The most common are High Test, Transport and Alloy chain. (With all grades of chain there are several conditions that may affect a chains performance including unusually high or low temperatures, twisting of the chain, dynamic/shock loads exceeding the WLL and exposure to chemicals.)

The marking on the chain, not necessarily the color, will indicate the grade of the chain.

Tow operators should locate the marking on the chain to determine its grade. The National Association of Chain Manufacturers has set standards for markings on chain that requires embossing at intervals of no more than 1’ on High Test and Transport chain that includes the manufacturer’s identification mark or symbol and grade indicator.

Alloy chain must be marked in intervals of no more than 3’.

HIGH TEST

According to the NACM, High Test chain must be embossed with a grade indicator number of 4, 43 or 403. High test chain is a medium carbon steel chain that is generally heat-treated. Most towing equipment manufacturers Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

Basket hitch with 60-degree load-to-sling angle.

Alloy chain has a higher strength to weight ratio; two common grades of alloy chain are grades 8 and 10. According to the NACM, Alloy chain must be embossed with a grade indicator number of 8, 80 or 800 and 10, 100, 1000 respectively.

Alloy chain is approved for overhead lifting. Alloy 5/16 chain grade 8 has a WLL of 4,500 lbs. and Alloy grade 10’s WLL is 5,700 lbs.

GET HITCHED

Basket hitch with 90-degree load-to-sling angle.

used to provide High Test tow chains as standard equipment. The industry has more recently adopted Transport grade chain as standard equipment. High test 5/16 chain has a WLL of 3,900 lbs. Hight test chain is not approved for overhead lifting.

TRANSPORT

According to the NACM, Transport chain must be embossed with a grade indicator number of 7, 70 or 700. Transport chain was developed primarily for the

It is important to know that chain ratings are provided for chain in new or as-new condition when the load is gradually applied and in a straight line of chain. Using the chain in a straight line is known as a vertical hitch.

Using the chain in a choker hitch will reduce the WLL by at least 20 percent. Depending on the choke angle, the WLL may be reduced more than 20 percent.

When using the chain in a basket hitch, the rating will be double that of the vertical hitch rating when the load-to-sling angle is 90 degrees.

When the load to sling angle is reduced, the WLL will be reduced.

A basket hitch with a 30-degree load-to-sling angle will reduce the WLL down to the vertical hitch rating.

Don’t forget the old saying, “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” When connecting two pieces of chain together, adding a hook to the chain or repairing a chain, make sure to use a connecting or repair link that has a WLL that meets or exceeds the limit of the chain.

◀

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 27

Choker hitch with a 90-degree choke angle.

SLING ANGLES

When using a two-legged sling, the WLL will be affected by the sling leg angles. Just like a basket hitch, this is measured by slingto-load angle. Lower sling-to-load angles will increase tension on the sling.

• A chain sling leg that has a 60-degree load-to-sling angle will actually experience

1.15-times the weight of the load.

• A chain sling leg that has a 45-degree load-to-sling angle will actually experience 1.41-times the load.

• A chain sling leg that has a 30-degree load-to-sling angle will experience twice the load.

(A chain sling should not be used when the load-to-sling

Double clevis connecting links.

angle is less than 30 degrees. … A chain sling leg that has a 10-degree sling-to-load angle would experience 5.75-times the load.)

It is very important for towing and recovery operators to understand the basics of steel chain in order to safely and effectively utilize this valuable and common tool we carry. There is an enormous amount of additional information on steel chain available.

28 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Treed AND Freed

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

Expert Jersey tower coordinates the recovery of an airplane 30 • February 2020 | Towman.com

The Cessna was transported out of the wooded area and set onto MTR’s Landoll.

R

ecovery is a process. Sometimes the process requires one operator and one wrecker, but sometimes it requires much more. On Sept. 25, 2019, Mike’s Towing & Recovery in Bridgewater, New Jersey, was called by the Central Jersey Regional Airport requesting that he handle the complete recovery of a single-engine Cessna 172 airplane that had crashed the day before.

Author’s note: Many thanks to MTR operators Gene Meeks and Rich Weinreich for the outstanding photos and to Joyce Powers for providing much needed additional information on this recovery.

A 32-year-old pilot was on his way to the airport in Hillsborough when the Cessna 172, owned by Tri-State Aviation, suffered an engine stall and crashed into the trees.

The pilot was stuck in the trees about 75’ up for about four hours before Keiling Tree Care, could rescue him. The plane remained suspended about 75’ up on State Park Commission land for about three days.

MTR owner Mike Sena was the go-to guy to coordinate this difficult recovery situation.

He spent a day meeting with the proper subcontractors at the crash site to see who would be able to do what he needed when he needed. Once the companies involved agreed, all heavy equipment needed, including two large excavators, a Caterpillar 325 excavator with bucket and a Cat 333 with clamp attachment, as well as a Cat D6 dozer, were brought to the site after hours. MTR also brought in a 2014 Peterbilt 388 tractor and 2017 Landoll trailer.

At 7 a.m. on Sept. 26, the crews were in full swing road cutting and land clearing and they did not stop until a road was complete and the site was cleared of obstructing trees and brush. Besides the heavy equipment, there were five men with chainsaws dropping

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

◀

Once on the ground, the rigging was removed from the plane and it was re-rigged with straps.

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 31

A full day of road-cutting preceded the recovery clear a path to get all the needed equipment on-scene.

trees to be cleared with the machines.

“This particular recovery proved to be a challenge due to the heavily wooded area where the plane went down,” Sena said. “After waiting for the FAA and NTSB inspection, we had the entire land cleared in a single day.

Under normal circumstances this would have been a two-day job minimum.

Whether it was the person high in the tree line or those on the ground, we had everyone covered.

“This was a very time-sensitive recovery because the park police could not leave the location until the plane was recovered and off of the property. Police were stationed there 24/7.”

Sena was lead supervisor on scene; other MTR operators responding included Gene Meeks, Dirk Beasley and Rich Weinreich. All necessary equipment was scheduled to arrive at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 27. MTR’s 2020 Peterbilt 389 tractor with sleeper hooked to a 2019 Landoll 440 rolled in carrying his Gehl 552 all-terrain extendable reach forklift. The Landoll would also be used to transport the plane to hangar no. 7 at the airport. MTR’s 2006

32 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Peterbilt 335/Century 3212 16-ton mediumduty wrecker arrived pulling the 18’ Featherlite recovery trailer. This trailer was equipped with everything that might be needed for any recovery situation: straps, shackles, clevis pins, chainsaws, etc.

“Perhaps the most important pieces in the trailer are the safety radio headsets used on all recovery jobs,” Sena said. “We have [eight] sets of Sonetics wireless headsets. These proved invaluable throughout the entire recovery process. Every person on scene had a headset on and was able to communicate with one another.

Whether it was the person high in the tree line or those on the ground, we had everyone covered.

For safety reasons everyone was in constant total communication. This absolutely helped make a smoother and faster recovery.

“The 50-ton truck-mounted crane with a 135-foot stick was also setting up, so we had the crane and our 135-foot shooting boom truck on one side and Keiling Tree Care’s specialized 8748 spider articulating 85-foot boom lift remotecontrol track machine on the other side.”

Once everything was in place, the airport was shut down, the boom on the crane was extended to 135’, all straps were installed for safe lifting and the plane was safely lifted off and out of the trees, boomed around and set gently on the ground. The airport was called and given the OK to re-open.

Once on the ground, the rigging was removed from the plane and it was re-rigged with straps,

transported out of the wooded area and carried out to the roadway via the Cat 333 excavator and set onto MTR’s Landoll.

The casualty was properly strapped down and transported back to the CJRA. The Gehl 552 all-terrain extendable reach forklift was brought to the airport and the plane was lifted off of the Landoll, set on the ground and pushed into hangar no. 7 for investigation.

“We contracted, managed and coordinated all the subcontractors required for a successful and professional recovery,” Sena said. “Thank you to Adamsville Maintenance, Skyhigh Erectors, Keiling Tree Care, Central Jersey Regional Airport, FAA, Park Police, Manville Police, Park Commission, Flemington-Raritan First Aid and Rescue Squad, the crew at Mike’s Towing & Recovery and anyone we may have forgotten.

“Without the cooperation of all these organizations, this job could not have been done. It was truly a team effort.”

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About Mike’s Towing & Recovery Mike Sena started out in 1980 single-handedly repairing cars in a small shop in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Over the past four decades, Mike’s Auto Service, a state-of-the-art repair shop, has evolved with the addition of Mike’s Towing & Recovery and Mike’s Fuel Delivery, an off-road diesel fuel delivery service.

Along with these new ventures came state-of-the-art equipment including light-, medium- and heavy-duty tow trucks, 50-ton rotators, tractors, trailers, forklifts and a knuckle-boom crane. The team at Mike’s continually attends ongoing training.

February 2020 marks the 40th anniversary of Mike’s start in Somerset County; his companies now employ some 40 employees, including his two children.

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 33

AD INDEX February 2020

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34 • February 2020 | Towman.com

To receive free information on products and services from our advertisers:TowExtra.com

Environmental Chemical Solutions................75 G. Stone Commerical.................................N 96 Hino Trucks................................................100 Insurancehub...............................................74 Intek Leasing...............................................74 Len Zermenos........................................ 64, 65 Lodar USA....................................................79 Lynch Truck Centers.....................................83 Manufacturer Express..................................21 Matheny Motors...........................................69 Matjack Jumbo Safelift.................................99 McMahon Truck Center............................. M 91 Metrocom....................................................68 Miller Industries.............................................7 Mr. Key Tag..................................................21 New England Truckmaster.........................N 93 North American Bancard...............................17 Northeast Wrecker Sales...........................N 94 OMG Tow Marketing............... M, N, W 94, S 91 Pacific General Insurance......................... M 95 Peak Wrecker Sales..................................W 95

PWOF..................................................... 76, 77 Recovery Billing Unlimited............................21 Rick’s Truck & Equipment......................... M 95 Sanderson Truck Equipment.........................63 Santander Bank...........................................73 Sea Crest Insurance Agency.....................W 91 Select Truck & Equipment......................... M 93 Sierra Pacific Insurance............................W 93 Specialty Vehicle Equip. Funding...................13 Spill Tackle................................................N 93 Steck Mfg. Co...............................................84 TLC Truck & Equip........................................75 Towbook Management Software.....................2 Tow Industries..........................................W 94 Towman Games.......................... M 96, N, S 95 TowMate................................................ 28, 85 TruckMax.....................................................19 Utility Trailer Sales S.E. TX........................W 93 Winches Inc.............................................W 91 Zellner Insurance Agency...........................S 91

GREAT

American Towman

CROWDS in Atlantic City

AT EXPO XXXI Gallery

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AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 35

36 • February 2020 | Towman.com

A 60-piece high school marching band led the crowd into the exhibit hall for the Grand Opening of the American Towman Exposition XXXI. The crowds that came to Atlantic City exceeded expectations. Said AT Expo founder Steve Calitri, “American Towman will draw tow bosses anywhere. Of course it helps when it’s a destination site. Attendees and exhibitors alike gave Atlantic City two thumbs up!”

World’s Largest Tow Show Sojourns in Atlantic City

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AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 37

38 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Towing Celebrated the 31st AT EXPO

The show floor was festive and full of surprises, from the heavy-metal variety to the unexpected.

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AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 39

2019 American Towman Medal Recipients For the Simple Act of Bravery …

For the Simple Act of Bravery …

Andrew Heykoop

Alex Petruccio

Eagle Towing; Montague, Michigan On December 10, 2013, while already working along the shoulder of U.S. 31 recovering other vehicles, a Chevy Silverado with four occupants, two of them infants, lost control on the ice causing the vehicle to leave the roadway and roll over multiple times into water. Andrew without hesitation radioed into the sheriff’s office of the incident and then sprung into action running down the hill into the water, despite the possibility of more cars or vehicles losing control on the icy highway in the same spot. He was able to free the two infants and help remove their mother and grandmother from the wet and freezing vehicle and get them to safety as EMS and fire crews were arriving on the call he had alerted them too. A local official said, “Because of his quick thinking and direct action, the individuals involved only received very minor injuries.”

American Towman Medal

Treat’s Garage; Windsor, New Jersey On July 30, 2019, Alex Petruccio arrived on the turnpike on a busy Friday evening to tow a vehicle that was pulled over in the left median against the Jersey wall. He told them to wait in his truck while he hooked up the vehicle. But the man never got in.

“I hear tires lock up and boom,” said Petruccio. “A car violently swerves and like a rocket, it’s coming straight at us.”

Petruccio threw himself onto the flatbed; the man was struck and landed there too—his leg severed at the knee. “I ran to the cab and opened the door and yelled at the woman to call 911. I looked for rags or anything to stop the bleeding.

I ran back and the guy that hit us was in shock at the scene and I yelled at him to take his belt off and I called the turnpike authority. I put the belt around his leg and tried to keep him calm and still. … I’ve never seen so much blood in my life. A trooper there told me he was convinced that if I hadn’t gotten that tourniquet done, he had about another 30 seconds to live before he bled out.” The man survived.

American Towman Medal 40 • February 2020 | Towman.com

For Courage Under Fire …

For Courage Under Fire …

Stephanie Randall, Shad Randall

Erin Erickson, Max Rolfe, Craig Blystone

Randall’s Towing; Florence, Arizona

Blystone’s Towing; Portage, Wisconsin

On April 7, 2019, Shad Randall, his wife, Stephanie, and 10-year-old nephew Charlie were coming back from an accident scene when Shad noticed a small vehicle go into the wide, deep median on U.S. 60. “It must have traveled some 350 feet in the median—I’m surprised it never crossed over into our lanes of oncoming traffic. ... She just missed going into a 20 foot ravine. If we hadn’t seen it happening, I’m not sure how long she might’ve been there otherwise.” Shad pulled over to the center lanes, turned on his beacons and went to check on the driver while Stephanie directed traffic and called 911. Shad found an unresponsive woman in the middle of a seizure. Paramedics were there within 15 minutes.

American Towman Commendation

In the middle of the polar vortex freezing cold on January 21, 2019, multiple agencies responded to a car underwater in the Baraboo River; a female driver in a minivan was underwater for an unknown amount of time. “I dropped everything jumped in my wrecker and headed out,” said Erin Erickson. “I told Max to grab a flatbed and follow.

Craig arrived just after us in his personal vehicle.” Erin backed his wrecker onto the bank within a few feet of the frozen river and the sheriff’s dive team rigged to the back of the van while Erin, Max and Craig secured and anchored the wrecker for the pull. Time from dispatched call to getting the woman out of the van was less than 17 minutes.

American Towman Commendation

For Courage Under Fire …

Jared Hoffman All-Points Towing; Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania “It was a freak accident on the turnpike early last winter where a forklift wheel and axle fell off of a truck, jumped the median and went through the windshield of a car traveling the opposite direction,” said Franklin Township fire chief Lynn Diehl. They struck a mother and children in a rear seat in oncoming traffic. “The scene was very chaotic and emotional dealing with injured children,” Diehl said, adding that Jared “basically took over all communications with the turnpike crews to ensure that all traffic was shut down so the helicopters could land without incident. He jumped the median and got two slow moving tractor-trailers to stop and actually set up a roadblock from gutter to median, thereby eliminating the possibility of any traffic sneaking by.”

American Towman Commendation Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 41

For Courage Under Fire …

For Courage Under Fire …

Rick Brayer, John Brayer, John Fashouer, Joe Rogers, Ken Jackson

Ian Wallace

Brayer’s Towing; Scranton, Pennsylvania

On February 14, 2019, a man was trapped inside the cab of his tractor-trailer for hours after a crash on an off-ramp in South Abington Township, Pennsylvania. Crews spent almost six hours trying to pull the driver from the pile of mangled metal. “They called us when they were on scene a half hour,” said Rick Brayer.

“The load was pushing down on the barrier and firefighters didn’t know how bad the driver was wrapped in.” They used their rotator to support the cab and heavy units to pick apart the cab piece by piece to gain safe access to the driver. “The trauma team was on scene to amputate, but held off while we were making progress.” Without towers, crews said they couldn’t have gotten the patient out.

American Towman Commendation

R.D. Avery Recovery; Landford, England In August 2018, Ian Wallace was dispatched to recover a broke-down 44-ton articulated vehicle. A mobile mechanic had been on scene and unable to fix it, who followed Ian after he had it hooked to go and get off the busy road. They pulled into a service station a short ways away to affix proper safety lights and Ian noticed the mechanic, John, wasn’t responding to him from his van. Ian ran up, opened the door and raised John’s head off of the steering wheel and saw him take a gasp of air. He shouted to someone nearby to call an ambulance and pulled John out onto the tarmac and began CPR (that he’d only seen on TV). Emergency services gave him directions as he continued for several minutes until the ambulance arrived. John was in an induced coma for 10 days after, but was back at work within a few weeks.

American Towman Commendation

For Courage Under Fire …

Andre Clark, Kris Musselman Chesapeake Service Center; Elkton, Maryland On January 17, 2019, a tanker rolled over against the median guardrail, coming to a rest on its roof and trapping the driver, during midday traffic on I-95.

Emergency crews had flown in its “Go Team” to remove his legs that were trapped in the dash. They didn’t have to once they allowed Kris to explain what he needed and could do to help. They rigged to the truck and lifted safely and securely for firefighters to get the trucker out in 20 minutes. He was flown to the Shock Trauma Unit, in tact.

The truck driver was able to walk out of the hospital six hours later that evening.

American Towman Commendation 42 • February 2020 | Towman.com

AMERICAN TOWMAN

SILVER STAR

T

The Joe Doblmeier Memorial Award

he namesake of the Joe Doblmeier Memorial Award overcame the crippling effects of polio to raise a family by operating a trade show business.

Joe teamed with American Towman back in 1989 to found the Exposition that became, and still is, the greatest tow show in the world. The words on the medal known as the American Towman Silver Star, were cast

by Joe’s life: Overcoming Adversity, and, Inspiring an Industry.

This year’s Silver Star recipient from Sioux City, Iowa, was struck by a vehicle during a light-duty winch out on October 9, 2018. He received minor injuries and was back out on a heavy-duty job with his rotator the following morning for a tractor-trailer vs. passenger car incident.

He was struck again, in an accident that sent him to the emergency room with devastating leg injuries.

“It was a bad 24 hours,” said Mark Stockton, owner of Stockton’s Towing.

Mark said the first incident, the light-duty winch out, involved a car that lost control and hit his winch line that then shook and recoiled and brushed back at his face and left a mark on his cheek and knocked him down.

“Nothing serious,” he said.

The next morning, as he exited his rotator and was walking to the scene, a car ran through barricades, hit a DOT truck, bounced off it and hit him. Injured all over, the main damage was to his right leg. Doctors rebuilt the leg and knee cap and he was out of the hospital a few days later.

“A couple weeks later I was working with a walker they set me up with,” Mark said.

Towman Garry Leach, a 2014 American Towman Silver Star recipient, said of Mark: “His tenacity to continue on in spite of his critical injury is an inspiration to the

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towing and recovery industry. Mark is truly worthy of this prestigious award as an acknowledgement of his refusal to allow the dangers and risks of our industry to force him from carrying on in his passion for what he has committed his life work to do.”

In his own words, Mark said his passion for towing is “just what I do. It’s my job that I love and it’s what I signed up for. I love helping people; it’s a simple thing to be there for other people.”

Mark said his experience opened his eyes to quicker road clearance. “It is motivating me to get my employees and police and firefighters off the scene as fast as possible.”

And so, for Overcoming Adversity and Inspiring an Industry, American Towman presents Mark Stockton the Joe Doblmeier Memorial Award: the American Towman Silver Star.

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 43

Donnie and WreckMaster of the Year award recipients

Accepting the ACE buckle

The Industry Took a Bow

Receiving the Cross of the Order of Towman 44 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Pinned with the exclusive Trust Award

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Whether you are receiving an award for performance excellence or simply walking the halls of the world’s greatest tow show, you are recognized as one of America’s greatest service professionals.

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 45

Mark Your Calendar for the 32 nd AT EXPO: Baltimore, MD November 20-22, 2020

AT Expo Exhibitor Encore Supplier names in bold are display advertisers in this issue with their ad page number cross-referenced.

360 Payments AAA, p. 25 Access Tools, p. 15 Agero Alliance Funding Group Allstate Roadside Services, p. 20 Amdor American Safety & Supply, p. 75 American Towman Magazine Anchor Graphics ARI-Hetra Arkon Mounts Ascentium Capital AT&T - The Wireless Experience Atlanta Wrecker Sales, p. 67 Atlantic Emergency Solutions, p. N 91 Aussie Rimshine Austin Insurance, p. M 93 Auto Data Direct Automotive Training Institute AutoReturn, p. 24 B/A Products, p. 3 Bad Dog Tools Battelini Wrecker Sales Bay Street BBSI Beacon Funding, p. 20 Beacon Software Benchmark Payment Best Tools Breg Environmental Brown & Brown Insurance C3LS Capital One Services Car-Part.com Carmalink CDL Life Century Chelsea Products Div. of Parker Chevron Chevron Commercial, p. 34 Clean Diesel Specialists Command Light Copart Auto Auctions

46 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Crawford Truck Sales Crouch’s Wrecker & Equip. Sales, p. 23 Custer Products Custom Radio Dangelo’s Custom Built Mfg. Deal Credit Corp.

Dedicated Funding NY DewEze Mfg. DK2 Warrior Winches Dom’s Wrap-A-Wreck DOT Tie Down Dual-Tech Wreckers & Carriers, p. 19 Dynamic Towing Equip. & Mfg., p. 82 Eagle Wireless GPS East Coast Truck & Trailer Sales East Penn Truck Equipment ECCO Eemerg.com Electric Guard Dog Enviromotive Environmental Chemical Solutions, p. 75 Equalizer Equipment Gateway - Miracle Sys. & Airopower Excel Sportswear Eye3Data EZ Spare Wheel FCar Tech USA Federal Signal Firmhorn Sweeping System First Business FleetNet America Fleetway Capital Force America Ford Commercial Vehicles Fred Beans Parts FULLBAY Repair Shop Software GEICO Global Gadgets Goosetown Communications GPS Pro Guniwheel Distributed by LKQ Corp.

Hale Trailer Brake & Wheel Happy Feet USA HCI

Hero Campaign Hino Trucks, p. 100 Honk Technologies Hooks Towing & Equipment Hunter Engineering I Tow In IAA Illusions Wraps In The Ditch Towing Products INA / Wreaths Across America Int’l Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame & Museum Integrated Veh. Equip. Leasing Intek Truck & Equip. Leasing/Financing, p. 74 International Key Supply International Trucks Jerr-Dan Corp.

Jouvalle Kalyn Siebert Keyline USA Landoll Corporation Legacy Plus Insurance Lift And Tow Lift Marketing Group Lodar USA, p. 79 Lucky’s Trailer Sales Lynch Truck Centers, p. 83 Mach 1 Services Magnetworks / Stamp Works Manufacturer Express, p. 21 Marathon Business Card Program Marlow Ropes Maryland Carrier & Wrecker Sales Matheny Motor Truck Co., p. 69 Matjack Jumbo Safelift, p. 99 McMahon Truck Center, p. M 91 Menzel Technologies Metro Tow Trucks Metrocom, p. 68 MFC International Midwest Wrecker Miller Industries, p. 7 Millner-Haufen Tool Mobile Video Computing Solutions Muncie Power Products

CORPORATE SPONSORS Registration Counters

Lanyards

Hotel Room Keys Information Booth Luxury Vehicle Education

Wrecker Pageant Voting Booth

Myers Benner Corp.

Mytee Products Nation Safe Drivers (NSD) National Automobile Club NBH Tech Nexlink Communications Nite Beam Noco Jump Packs Nottingham Insurance NRC Industries Olson & Company Omadi OMG Tow Marketing, p. M,N,W94, S91 OnlineParkingPass.com OnSpot Automatic Tire Chains OnTrak Solutions Optotraffic Pardo’s Sales & Service Penny Pockets Penske Truck Leasing People’s United Equipment Finance PGM Recovery Systems Phoenix USA Planet Halo Pop - A - Lock Power Home Remodeling Power Tac Lights Powerhouse Industries Priority Capital Pro-Vision Video Systems Purpose Wrecker QuakeLED Quest Towing Services Quick Cash for Remotes R & A Insurance Ram Trucks Ramsey Winch Ranger SST RC Industries Rear View Safety Recovery Billing Unlimited, p. 21 Research Underwriters Ricky’s Sales & Service Road America Robert Young’s NRC Sales & Service RP Recovery Consulting Rydin Decal Santander Bank, p. 73 SBA Loan Group Sepson US Specialty Vehicle Equip. Funding, p. 13 Spill Tackle, p. N 93

Steck Mfg. Co., p. 84 Stertil-Koni, USA T-Mobile T.R.P.M. Talbert Mfg. TBBK Direct Leasing TCF Capital Solutions Teufelberger Fiber Rope TFR Fabrication & Mfg. Time-Out Seated Massage Corner TJR Equipment TLC Truck & Equip, p. 75 Tow Buddy Tow Canada Tow Life Towbook Management Software, p. 2 TowCap Premier TowCash powered by CarBrain Towing & Recovery Assoc. of America Towing.com TowingWebsites.com TowMate, p. 28, 85 TowToolz TowTrax TowTruckLocator.com towXchange Tracker Management Sys. Tri-State Trailer Sales Truck Crane Solutions Trux Accessories TTN Fleet Solutions Urgent.ly US Fleet Tracking Verdant Commercial Capital Verizon Connect Vulcan Warn Industries We Buy Key Fobs Webfleet Solutions Weego West End Service Whelen Engineering Co. Whiterail Reviews Will-Burt Company Witzco Trailers Worldwide Equipment Sales WreckMaster Xpress Pay Xtreme Air Wedge Zellner Insurance Agency, p. S 91 Zip’s AW Direct

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Bull & Pig Roast “Miller Rocks” Expo Info Card Calitri’s Cuba

Outdoor Truck Spaces

Show Bags

Donnie Awards

Badge Inserts

Trust Awards Diamond

Welcome Letters Platinum

ACE Awards

Captains of Industry AT Academy Festival Night Saturday Pie

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 47

American Wrecker Pageant

Light Duty, 2018-2019

1

st

East Coast Auto Body

2

nd

Hawk’s Recovery & Towing

Trenton, NJ 2019 Ford F-550/Jerr-Dan MPL-40

3

rd

Casino Auto Body

Rockaway Beach, NY 2019 Ford F-550/Century 312

48 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Stamford, CT 2019 Ford F-550/ Chevron 408

American Wrecker Pageant

Light Duty, Pre-2018

1

st

Aimes Collision

Freeport, NY 2014 Ford F-550 4x4/ Chevron 408T

2

nd

Bob’s Radiator Service Atco, NJ 2015 Chevrolet 3500HD/ Vulcan 810

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AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 49

American Wrecker Pageant

Medium Duty

1

st

Vintage Auto Body

Westbury, NY 2004 Freightliner M2/Century 3212

2

nd

Battelini’s Garage

Landisville, NJ 1956 REO A603/1960 home-built

50 • February 2020 | Towman.com

American Wrecker Pageant

1

st

Carriers

Mark Allen Auto Repair Lumberton, NJ 2018 Ford F-550/Jerr-Dan

2

nd

Sullivan’s

Fredericksburg, VA 2020 International MV607/Jerr-Dan

3

rd

64 Motor Cars

Middlesex, NJ 2019 International/Chevron

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AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 51

American Wrecker Pageant

Service/Support Vehicle

1

st

Nelcon

Meriden, CT 2019 Kenworth/Maintainer service bed

52 • February 2020 | Towman.com

American Wrecker Pageant

Vintage

1

st

Battelini Transport

Landisville, NJ 1940 Ford 1-1/2 ton/Manley Crane Model 120

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AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 53

American Wrecker Pageant

Heavy Duty Singles

1

st

Bill’s Auto Body

Darien, CT 2019 Kenworth T440/Century 4024

2

nd

Chuck’s Towing Service

Hamilton, NJ 1988 Peterbilt/1988 Bro 250

3

rd

54 • February 2020 | Towman.com

B&C Towing

Newark, NJ 1986 Autocar DKM/ Bill Bottoms Challenger 45-ton

American Wrecker Pageant

Heavy Duty Tandem

1

st

Sullivan’s Towing

Fredericksburg, VA 2020 Peterbilt 389/Jerr-Dan 50-ton JFB

2 rd 3 nd

Non-Stop Towing & Recovery Freeport, NY 2018 Peterbilt 389/Century 5130

Redline Tow

Dickson City, PA 2020 Kenworth T880/Century 5130

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AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 55

American Wrecker Pageant

Rotator

1

st Redman Fleet Services

Alexandria, VA 2015 Peterbilt 389/Century 1150

56 • February 2020 | Towman.com

1

st

American Wrecker Pageant

Best of Show - Working Class

Paul’s Towing

Sewell, NJ 2005 Kenworth T300/Century 4024

Best of Show

1

st

Waggy’s Towing & Truck Service

Manassas, VA 2019 Kenworth W900 B/Century 5230

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AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 57

AT Expo is called the networking mecca of the towing industry.

Towmen and tow-women live it up and share memorable moments.

Once Again the Networking Mecca

Towers Party at Miller Rocks 58 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Lighting up!

Compliments of AutoReturn

Towing industry troubadour Mike Corbin popped up at the Captains Conference, spoke about his incredible experience leading The Spirit Ride and toasted the Spirit Riders who all were Towmen of the Year by playing Bless the Spirit Riders.

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 59

Engaging with Products

60 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Over $100 million in business was transacted on the show floor from wreckers to accessories to motor club contracts.

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 61

See You Next Year in Baltimore for AT Expo XXXII

62 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 63

Tow Manager

The Hiring Process

By Brian J. Riker

Brian J. Riker is a third-generation towman, with 25 years of experience in the ditch as a tow operator, and president of Fleet Compliance Solutions. He specializes in helping navigate the complex world of federal and state transportation regulatory compliance. He can be reached at brian.riker@fleetcompliancesolutions.net

Editor’s note: This article is part one of two on the hiring process from Brian.

This overview is not an exhaustive look covering all your state and local regulations and should not be considered legal advice; be sure to consult with your local legal and/ or HR experts to ensure your procedures are up to snuff. —Ed.

H

iring new employees is a necessary part of operating any business. The process of hiring is governed by both state and federal regulations; hiring managers must be able to verify they are using a legal process to find new employees.

The hiring process usually begins with an advertisement detailing the job opening and general requirements for applicants. Potential new hires then complete an application for employment and wait for a response from you, the potential employer. Most applications include previous employer information and maybe a few personal references.

Driver applications will ask about driving record, license and accident history.

All well-crafted employment applications should include a consumer credit report release and a summary of the applicant’s rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. A copy of this should be made available to them in printed or electronic form upon completion of the application. This release then gives you the right to check with several sources of background information necessary to complete a thorough investigation.

Small businesses most often overlook compliance with data security and permission to access data when hiring new employees or completing required annual reviews of drivers. Employment records are covered under the FCRA and as such must be treated the same as any other consumer credit report. This includes having written permission to disclose or request information to or from other employers, agencies and even third-party administrators.

Please note, beginning Jan. 6, 2020, there is an important change to the drug

66 • February 2020 | Towman.com

and alcohol background investigation obligations of employers that use CDL drivers (see sidebar).

When hiring a commercial driver that will engage in interstate commerce, which is almost every tow operator in the U.S., the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires employers to perform a pre-hire investigation as well as specific annual investigations to confirm continued driver qualification.

The records commonly used to comply with these requirements include the Pre-employment Screening Program (PSP report), driver’s license abstract, Commercial Driver’s License Information System record and previous employer drug and alcohol history inquiries.

All of these records require written permission from the employee, or potential employee, prior to an investigator accessing them. This written permission is usually obtained as part of the employment application and must be for a specific duration which is usually stated as duration of employment.

The driver’s license record check may require an additional state-specific authorization form to be completed and submitted along with the inquiry.

This is separate and in addition to your requirements under the FCRA. Where many employers fail to maintain compliance with the FCRA is in how they disclose information to potential future employees when an investigation inquiry is submitted or in how they take adverse action against a current employee or potential new hire.

To protect against FCRA violation claims, all employers should make sure they have a clear copy of any investigation inquiry they respond to

that includes a signed authorization to release records as well as the specific records that are authorized to release. Employers should only respond with the minimum required information, never offer an explanation or other extra information that is not specifically authorized by your current or former employee.

When taking adverse action against a current or potential new employee based upon information discovered during a background investigation, employers must first give written notice to the affected person. This written notice must include the reason adverse action is being considered, the report(s) that were used to determine the action and give them a time frame to respond before taking any adverse action.

While there is no clearly defined time frame an employer must wait

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

Small businesses most often overlook

compliance with data security and permission to access data when hiring new employees or completing required annual reviews of drivers.

before taking adverse action, it is typical to give five days for the affected person to respond before commencing with any adverse action. Adverse actions may include refusal to hire, termination, change of job duties/shift or any other action that affects an employee’s daily job duties.

If requested, the employer must make available copies of all consumer reports used when making a decision that adversely

affects someone.

Employers must also understand what records they can query and when they may do so. Example, the FMCSA PSP report is a valuable tool that shows a driver’s threeyear history with roadside DOT enforcement officers; however, it may only be queried by a potential new employer. You may not run this report on any current drivers … even with their permission.

There are similar restrictions

◀

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 67

on driver’s license records and drug/alcohol testing records.

Various regulations require an employer to check these records at least annually, or after a potential actionable offense has been discovered; however, that doesn’t mean you can run these reports without cause or written permission.

While a complete background investigation is paramount to ensuring you only hire safe and competent team members, there are very strict guidelines an employer must follow. We have a right to privacy in the U.S. that must be carefully balanced with the need for safety and security.

Please be aware of this when designing your pre-hire processes so as not to accidently violate your current or future team member’s rights.

68 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse Beginning on Jan. 6, 2020, all employers of CDL drivers must comply with new provisions of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s drug and alcohol testing regulations. Specifically, before using a CDL driver for the first time in a safety-sensitive position—and at least annually—the employer must query the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse Database.

This database is only for CDL drivers, it can’t be used to report or investigate non-CDL drivers.

This database is the new repository for all positive drug and alcohol test results and subsequent return-to-duty process information.

In short, employers, testing laboratories and other professionals must report positive results, refusals to test and completion of appropriate return to duty programs.

The concept is to have a centralized database of results in an effort to prevent drivers from hiding their history of drug or alcohol abuse by simply changing jobs before a positive result makes its way through the system and into the hands of a potential new employer.

All CDL drivers must also register an account with the clearinghouse so that they may review their own record as well as give permission for current and potential employers to submit a full record query request as needed. (Drivers, you must allow these queries or you will be removed from all safety sensitive positions—driving a CDL-required vehicle—until your employer can complete the required annual check of your record in the clearinghouse.)

Single truck owner operators with a CDL must have a contract with a third-party administrator for their drug and alcohol testing program (consortium) and must designate this third party as authorized to query the database on their behalf to remain in compliance with the FMCSA regulations.

The clearinghouse provides two levels of record search, limited and full. Both are the same price with the major difference being in how a motor carrier employer must document permission to perform the query. For a limited query, which is acceptable for most investigations including pre-hire and annual checks, written permission in the form of a disclosure on an employment applicant or similar form is all that is required.

If the limited query returns a positive result the motor carrier will then have 24 hours to obtain electronic permission from the driver for a full query. The driver must log into the clearinghouse and grant this permission electronically. The permission is valid for one query only.

The employer, or their agent, will then submit a request for a full query which will return the specific information surrounding all positive drug or alcohol test results and any follow up actions such as reports from a substance abuse professional or completion of the return to duty process. The employer must take immediate action on the results of the full query, including removing the driver from safety-sensitive functions, if warranted.

The employer will then document these results and take further appropriate actions based upon federal regulations and company policy. If adverse action will be initiated against the employee, the employer must first notify them in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

May 13-15, 2020 Hate Filling Out Forms? Register Online at ATShowPlace.com

Welcome CTTA Annual Convention

— R EQU IR ED IN F OR MA T ION —

Mail this form to: 2 Overlook Drive, Suite 5, Warwick, NY 10990 • Or Fax to: 845-986-4171

1. REGISTER HERE

By advance-registering, the company “Boss” and one guest are admitted free to the Exhibit Hall.

A $10 fee applies to all others. Children under 14 free.

Produced by AT Expo Corp.

(or online at atshowplace.com)

1st Registrant: (FREE) 2nd Registrant: (FREE) 3rd Registrant ($10): 4th Registrant ($10): Company: City: Phone:

Title: Title: Title: Title: Mailing Address: State: Zip:

ARE YOU A CTTA MEMBER? o Yes o No

2. PLEASE CHECK BOXES BELOW

CTTA BOARD MEMBER? o Yes o No

Email: Email: Email: Email: Country:

DO YOU TOW FOR YOUR TOWN/POLICE o Yes o No

When did you last attend an American Towman show?

o This is my first show o 3 mos. - 2 yrs. ago o 3 - 5 yrs. ago o More than 5 yrs. ago 2. Secondary Business (check all that apply): 1. Primary Business? (check only one) 3. # Employees: o 1-5 o 6-10 o 11-20 o Towing/Recovery o Service Station o Towing/Recovery o Service Station o 21-50 o 51-100 o 100+ o Auto Repair/Serv. Ctr. o Auto/Truck Dealership o Auto Repair/Serv. Ctr. o Auto/Truck Dealership 4. Check one that best describes your o Repossession o Vehicle Leasing o Repossession o Vehicle Leasing purchasing authority: o Transport/Trailer Serv. o Finance/Banking o Transport/Trailer Serv. o Finance/Banking o I authorize o I recommend o No authority o Salvage/Autoparts o Distributor Equip o Salvage/Autoparts o Distributor Equip 5. # Tow trucks in fleet: o Truck Repair o Lockout o Truck Repair o Lockout o 1-3 o 4-7 o 8-12 o 13-16 o 17+ o N/A o Auto Body Shop o Other o Auto Body Shop o Other 7. What brand(s) of chassis do you use? o Ford o Ram/(Dodge) o Navistar 6. Types of trucks in fleet (check all that apply): o Light o Hino o Chevrolet o Western Star o Peterbilt o Other o Medium Duty o Heavy Duty o Transport o Class 7/8 o GMC o Freightliner o Kenworth o Isuzu o N/A o Service Vehicle o Carriers o Rotators o Other

CONFERENCES: Towing & Recovery • Police Towers • Safety Business Operations • Building Revenue • Insurance

3. EVENT REGISTRATION – Exhibit Hall Open Thurs. 5/14 11 AM - 5 PM & Fri. 5/15 Noon - 5 PM

Quantity

$ Amount

Please Check the Events You Wish to Attend (All conferences take place at Westgate Hotel & Casino.) ✔ Yes! Please advance register me for the exhibit hall. Badge is good for both exhibit hall days! . . . . . . . . # attending: _____ @ $10 pp $______ o o TOW BOSS INTEL CONFERENCE PASSPORT • Good for all Conference Seminars, Wed. afternoon, Thurs. & Fri. mornings. 20 seminars in all! $195 after 5/13/20 – Save $70 by registering now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # attending: _____ @ $125 pp $______ o 1st registrant o 2nd registrant o 3rd registrant o 4th registrant o POLICE TOWERS CONFERENCE • Sat., 5/16, 9 am–12 Noon; Includes light breakfast; Passport includes all conference seminars. o 1st registrant o 2nd registrant o 3rd registrant o 4th registrant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # attending: _______ @ $150 pp $______ o WRECKMASTER HEAVY-DUTY RECOVERY TRAINING: CONVENTIONAL & ROTATOR (12-HOUR COURSE) Wed. 5/13: 8am–5pm, Thurs. 5/14: 8am–Noon; $695 after 5/13/20; Incl. Fri. Conference Passport ... # attending: _____ @ $595 pp $______ o 1st registrant o 2nd registrant o 3rd registrant o 4th registrant

o CTTA LIGHT-DUTY RECOVERY TRAINING & CERTIFICATION (16-HOUR COURSE) . . . . . . . . . . ......Non-Member attending: _____ @ $495 pp $______ Wed. 5/13: 8am-6pm, Thurs. 5/14: 10am–1pm & 6pm–9pm; Test Fri. @ 1pm; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CTTA Member attending: _____ @ $180 pp $______ o 1st registrant o 2nd registrant o 3rd registrant o 4th registrant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CTTA Member ID # ____________________________ o RECOVERY BILLING: 8-HR.COURSE • Thur. 5/14 & Fri. 5/15, 9am–1pm; Incl. Weds. Conference Passport Some restrictions apply; must be accepted by Recovery Billing. Fee covers two (2) people from the same company. # attending: _____ @ $1,850 (for 2) $______ o AMERICAN TOWMAN CUP • Wrecker Pageant; Trucks enter Wed. 8 am–5 pm, Thurs. 8–10 am and stay until completion of awards on Friday Check class you will compete in. One vehicle per class & up to four per company.

• $50: o Light (pre-2019) o Light (2019-2020) o Medium o Vintage (40+ yrs.) o Service/Support Truck • $75: o HD Single Axle o HD Tandem o Carrier o Rotator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $50/$75 $______ o VIP DESERT SMOKE: STEVE CARDINALE MEMORIAL SMOKER • Thur. 5/14, 8 pm; Westgate Hotel.

Sponsored by AutoReturn & Police Towers of America Includes (1) AT Signature cigar, (1) drink ticket, (1) premium cigar & a special gift. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #attending: ______ @ $25 pp $_______ o CTTA INDUSTRY LEADERS & AWARDS NIGHT • Fri. 5/15, 6 pm; Westgate Hotel Ballroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # attending: _____@ $65 pp $______ o SUBSCRIBE TO AMERICAN TOWMAN MAGAZINE o 1 year subscription or renewal $40 (reg $60) • o 2 years $75 (reg $110) . . . . . $_______ o FREE LIVE RECOVERY DEMOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # attending: _______ o FREE AMERICAN TOWMAN WELCOME RECEPTION • Wed. 5/13, 7 pm; Westgate Events Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .# attending: _______ o FREE A.T. DESERT SMOKE • Thur. 5/14, 8 pm; Westgate Hotel.

One free hand-rolled cigar sponsored by AutoReturn & Police Towers of America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # attending: _______ o FREE A.T. RIBSFEST & WINNERS CIRCLE • Fri. 5/15, 5 pm; Westgate Events Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # attending: _______

4. PAYMENT Credit Card Number:

CSV# (on back of card):

Expiration Date:

Name on Card: r Billing Address if Different From Above: HOTEL RESERVATION:

Westgate Las Vegas • 3000 Paradise Road, Las Vegas • AT ShowPlace Headquarters & site of all exhibits r Single/Double Rooms: Tues–Thurs $79; Fri–Sat $139 • Each additional person is $20 per night Amenities include free: WiFi, Cardio Room access for two, in-room safe, local & toll free calls, parking, and scheduled shuttle bus service to Las Vegas Strip and Downtown Las Vegas

Cut-off Date is April 20, 2020

Reservations can also be made by calling 1-800-635-7711: SATE0R

1st: ________________________________________________ 2nd: __________________________________________________ 3rd: ________________________________________________

Feb. Mag

o Guarantee reservation to above credit card. Arrival Date:__________, 2020 - Depart Date: __________, 2020 # Rooms ______ # Guests per room _______ # beds ______ List names for each room: Special Requests ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Supplier Scoop Benson Named AAA Hero of the Road AAA National Network of Savings launched its third annual Real Heroes of the Road Ford Giveaway in 2019.

AAA Service Providers were invited to submit their most rewarding road service experience for a chance to win $30,000 towards a new Ford truck and other valuable prizes from Network of Savings preferred suppliers.

Stories are reviewed and considered by a panel of judges comprised of AAA National and Club executives.

Mike Benson, owner of Powder Mill Towing in Parsippany, New Jersey, was selected as the 2019 first place Real Hero winner for his story of rescuing dozens of children and adults from a fatal school bus crash.

“To say that the selection process was extremely difficult for the judges this year, is an understatement. However, Mike’s story particularly stood out to the entire panel,” said Bob Huffman, Director AAA Network of Savings.

On May 17, 2018, Mike was working a AAA tow when, just in front of him, a dump truck crashed into a school bus full of students and teachers for a field trip. The body of the bus was ripped from the chassis and laid on its side, propped off the ground by the guardrail.

Mike immediately pulled his truck around the bus to block it from oncoming traffic and raced over to help.

First, he rescued three children who had been ejected from windows and trapped between the bus and guardrail, resuscitating one who had passed out during the crash. Then, he went under the bus and crawled through a broken window to find approximately 30 passengers trapped inside. He could only describe it as a “war zone.”

Many of the children were locked in their seatbelts, due to the force of impact. Mike used a pocketknife to cut the seatbelts and free them one by one, safely passing each person through the broken window to others who had now gathered outside the 74 • February 2020 | Towman.com

At the AAA Hero awards were, from left, Pete Bendlak, AAA Northeast; Brion Gopigion, Ford Motor Co.; Joe and Mike Benson, Powder Mill Towing; Bob Huffman, AAA Network of Savings; Sonny Bhinson, AAA Northeast; Eric Rice, Ford Motor Co.; Jessica Pitkowsky, AAA Northeast.

bus to help. Next, a woman called out that a little girl had stopped breathing so Mike rushed over to perform CPR. Shortly after, emergency responders arrived and determined that Mike’s CPR had saved her life. When the EMS were able to take control, Mike returned to work.

“I was just doing my job,” he said.

Mike decided to use his $30,000 Ford credit toward an F-150 truck, which he will use to expand Powder Mill Towing’s fleet.

The second- and third-place winners were RJT Motorist Services of White Plains, New York, and Alamo Auto Service of Hammond, Indiana.

Full stories are available at networkofsavings.aaa.biz/2019/01/2018-real-heroes-of-the-road/.

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 75

Tow Business

Five Tax Reduction Strategies

By Larry Oxenham

A

Larry Oxenham is a senior advisor with the American Society for Asset Protection and is one of America’s top asset protection experts.

mericans pay more in taxes each year than they spend on food, clothing and housing combined, so reducing your taxes to the legal minimum can greatly increase your ability to build wealth. According to the IRS commissioner, millions of taxpayers are overpaying their taxes each year.

Using existing laws to reduce your tax debt is neither immoral nor dishonest.

“Anyone may so arrange his affairs that his taxes shall be as low as possible; he is not bound to choose that pattern which will best pay the treasury; there is not even a patriotic duty to increase one’s taxes,” said Judge Learned Hand.

“The legal right of a taxpayer to decrease his taxes or to altogether avoid them by means which the law permits cannot be doubted,” said Supreme Court Justice George Sutherland.

With those endorsements in mind, following are five strategies to reduce your taxes to the legal minimum.

78 • February 2020 | Towman.com

CREATE NON-TAXABLE INCOME

The IRS allows you to rent out your home for up to 14 days each year without having to declare the rent as income.

When a business partner or client comes into town and stays at your home, you can charge your corporation rent for the room. You can also have a company party or trainings at your home and rent your home to your corporation for the day. The corporation deducts the rental expense, and you enjoy the rental income tax free.

SPREAD INCOME

If you are in a federal tax bracket higher than 15 percent, you may be able to reduce your taxes by setting up a Nevada C corporation and have up to $50,000 of your income flow to this corporation. Nevada has no state income tax and has a federal tax rate of 15 percent on the first $50,000 of taxable income. Your corporation can retain these earnings, so you are not double taxed.

If you had a personal marginal federal income tax rate of 28 percent and a state income tax rate of 7 percent, you would pay $17,500 in federal and state income tax on this $50,000.

If, however, this $50,000 flowed to a Nevada C corporation, you may only pay the federal corporate tax rate of 15 percent (depending on the activity of the corporation), or $7,500, saving you $10,000 in taxes.

Another application of this strategy is to spread income to children in lower tax brackets. Instead of paying your children’s expenses directly with aftertax dollars, hire your children and pay them for the work they do and have your children pay for their own clothes,

food, school, etc. from the money they earn. You can deduct the wages as a business expense, and your children will pay taxes at their lower tax bracket.

MAXIMIZE DEDUCTIONS

There are thousands of items that are allowed as business expenses.

You want to make sure as many expenses as possible are deducted as business expenses. Expenses you may not be taking full advantage of as a business deduction are your medical expenses.

Within a sole proprietorship or an S corporation, there is a limit on the medical expenses you can deduct.

With the right provisions in a C corporation, you can deduct all medical insurance premiums and all out-of-pocket medical expenses for co-pays, medications, first aid items, etc.

DEFER INCOME

One way the IRS allows you to defer income is by contributing to a retirement plan. A retirement plan that works well for a business with no employees (you may have another business with employees) is a Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Account (SEP IRA). The IRS allows you to contribute 18.58 percent of net profit (maximum of $50,000 per year) to your SEP IRA for retirement.

If you have $100,000 net profit in your business, you would be able to contribute up to 18.587 percent, or $18,587, to your retirement account.

You would get to deduct the contribution, saving you thousands in federal and state taxes. Thus, money goes into your SEP IRA taxfree and grows tax-free.

SEP IRA funds are taxed at ordinary income tax rates when qualified withdrawals are taken after 59.5 years of age.

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

PROPER USE OF ENTITIES

The tax rules are different for S corporations, C corporations and Sole Proprietorships. You want to use the entity or entities which require you to pay the least amount of tax. For example, if you operate your business as a sole proprietor, all profit (up to the taxable maximum) is subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes.

$15,300 ($100,000 x 15.3 percent).

In comparison, if an S corporation has a profit of $100,000 and you pay yourself a reasonable salary of $40,000, the other $60,000 would flow to you as profit (K-1) and is not subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes. You only pay social security and Medicare tax on the $40,000 salary, for a tax of $6,120 ($40,000 x 15.3 percent). In this scenario, using an S corporation

As a result of people not using all the deductions and laws available, billions of dollars are overpaid in taxes.

In an S corporation, profits are distributed through a K-1 and are not subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes. Having your profits flow to you as K-1 income, instead of as profit from a sole proprietorship, could save you thousands each year in Social Security and Medicare taxes.

For example, if a sole proprietorship has a profit of $100,000, a 15.3-percent tax (12.4 percent Social Security and 2.9 percent Medicare) would have to be paid on the entire $100,000, totaling

would save $9,180 ($15,300 - $6,120) in taxes each year.

While it would be nice to have the whole $100,000 excluded from Social Security and Medicare tax, the IRS requires that owner-employees of an S corporation be paid a salary that is a “reasonable amount” for the work being performed.

As a result of people not using all the deductions and laws available, billions of dollars are overpaid in taxes. Begin using these five strategies to avoid paying more than you are required in taxes.

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 79

Repo Run

‘Shockly. Maxwell Shockly.’

By Mark Lacek

I Repo Editor Mark Lacek authored the Certified Commercial Recovery Agent certification program and has more than 30 years of recovery experience. He is the former editor of “Professional Repossessor” magazine.

Email him at Mark@commercialassetsolutions.com.

’d like to introduce my readers to Maxwell Shockly. Max was born into a repo family. His father Dexter traveled the world repossessing luxury yachts and Learjets from wealthy tycoons, heads of state and Hollywood types— those who either had a bad turn of luck, or couldn’t really afford such luxury toys to begin with.

When Max was in his 30s, his father went missing somewhere in North Africa, while searching for a jet owned by an Arab prince. As the story was once told at the Le Salama bar in Marrakesh, Morocco, Dex was hot on the trail of the $10 million jet. A snitch that Dex was paying, more than he deserved, doublecrossed him while meeting Dex at the bar. Instead of the snitch revealing the information on the whereabouts of the prince’s jet, the snitch put some kind of knock-out pill in Dex’s drink, who was last seen being helped out of the bar by two large swarthy men and placed in the back seat of a Mercedes.

most prominent banks, as well as some unscrupulous loan sharks, and not a day goes by that he doesn’t think of his father. He doesn’t believe his father is dead and checks in with Interpol every couple of months to see if there are any new leads. Special Investigator Pierre Armand in Lyon, France, has worked the case from the beginning and has yet to close the file for good.

I first met Max in 2009 when he asked for my help to locate some hidden Bernie Madoff assets. It was noon in my Florida office, I was about to hit the local Taco Bell for lunch when my secretary walked into my office.

“There is a guy here,” Sandy said, “and he said he has a suitcase full of blank checks and he needs your help.”

“Bring him in,” I said.

Max isn’t too tall at about 6’, and he probably weighs in at 185 lbs. Standing in front of me wearing a dark suit and a thin black tie, he looked sort of like John Wick meets Colombo.

“My name is Maxwell Shockly,” he said. “Do you have a few minutes?”

“Have a seat,” I said.

Max went on to tell me this story about two matching 90’ yachts bought for Madoff’s business associates. Both were financed at about $5 million each. There were so many lost or missing assets around the Madoff scams; some banks didn’t want to wait for the slow grind of government processes.

“The bank said I get paid 10 percent of value,” Max said with a smile, “and I understand you are the man here in Florida.”

I first met Max in 2009 when he asked for my help to locate some hidden Bernie Madoff assets.

Interpol was notified after Dex failed to return home after a month overseas.

All efforts to locate Dexter Shockly failed and he was presumed dead.

Max carried on the family business from the main office in Burbank, California, working for the world’s 80 • February 2020 | Towman.com

“What makes you think these boats are in Florida?” I asked. “You got a snitch?”

“I don’t trust snitches,” Max said as his face turned serious.

“I’m from the West Coast,” he said. “I know every yacht broker in Southern Cali. I figure you must know every friggin’ boat guy in Florida.”

He was right.

Max and I settled on a fee plus expenses and decided to hit the Charley’s Steak House … on his dime. We both ordered big ribeye steaks. Max ordered a bottle of 25-year-old Macallan scotch whisky.

“This was my Dads favorite,” Max said as he lifted the glass of fine Scotch.

“Here’s to you, Dad.” After a great meal and some quality conversation we departed ways. The next day, Max was on his way back to California and I was looking at the paperwork Max left for me.

My connections in Fort Lauderdale go back to the early ’80s when I was the token gringo for a Miamibased PI agency; I managed the repossession department.

In those days I was introduced to the Cuban culture, as well as Maxwell Shockly needed help and had a stash of blank checks to get it. contacts from all walks of life.

Florida has a fantastic mix of obtained some quality intel. status and protection of a U.S. flag both domestic and foreign cultures.

Shortly thereafter, I found myself vessel.

If you’re in the loop, nothing goes parked on the southbound side Documented vessels are also unnoticed … especially two 90’ of the Florida Turnpike overpass subject to a different set of rules yachts owned by one of the biggest in St. Lucie County looking down when being repossessed. Federal fraudsters ever. over the St. Lucie River at a series law provides that a maritime lien Documented vessels are of yacht storage yards some 300’ may be enforced through a unique registered by the federal below. Looking through my Nikon procedure that calls for a U.S. government through the U.S. Coast binoculars, I could read the name Marshal to seize or “arrest” the Guard. If you sail in foreign waters, on two identical 90-footers sitting vessel. your Certificate of Documentation in drydock, side by side.

It took about a week of talking to facilitates clearance with foreign In Florida, documented vessels my contacts, and throwing around governments and gives you the must show the registration decal some serious talking cash, before I

◀

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 81

on a window or the windshield on the port side of the vessel; smaller boats just have a FL number on the hull. The distance was too far for me to see the numbers with my Nikons, but there was no doubt in my mind the assets on my paperwork were the same as the two yachts in drydock.

If you have been in the repo business as long as me, you understand in some instances you are only as good as your contact list. The U.S Marshals are a great organization with some real tough folks working the front lines, who hunt for and apprehend wanted criminals 24/7. Over the years, I have built a solid reputation with them. In the repo business, occasionally I would locate a known wanted individual, and I would give my Marshal guys a heads-up.

Two days after looking down

82 • February 2020 | Towman.com

on my now-favorite set of twins, I was standing next to both with my friends from the US Marshal’s office verifying the registration numbers.

I was right … cha-ching!

The Marshals placed “Seizure on Site” stickers on both vessels.

This means only agents for the lienholder are allowed access to the vessels. The owner of the property was given strict orders to stay clear of the vessels.

I had kept Max Shockly up to speed on my progress throughout my entire investigation into the location and the recovery plan. He was impressed with the speed the Marshals were able to meet me at the location.

It was time to let Max know the vessels were secure on site. I picked up my phone to give him a call when it rang as I was preparing to dial.

It was Max.

“I’m parked outside your office and was thinking I would congratulate you in person on a job well done,” Max said.

“I’m about three hours away, Max,” I said.

“I’ll see you then.”

Later that night back home, we were at Charlie’s Steak House once again dining on ribeyes, but with coffee and ice water … it had been a long week.

About 4,500 miles from Charlie’s is the Sky 28 Bar on the 28th floor of the Kenzi Tower, located in Casablanca, Morocco.

The bartender poured a Macallan 25 for a man, just as he asked.

“What’s your name, sir?” asked the bartender. He looked back at the bartender, confused.

“I think my name is … Dexter.” … To be continued …

Tow Spotlight

Nick’s Towing Service briefly became the Southold Police Dept. recently for an episode of ABC’s “Emergence” TV drama. NTS image.

Nick’s Towing ‘Ready for Its Close-Up’ Nick’s Towing Service in Rutherford, New Jersey, was transformed into the Southold Police Department for three nights while an episode of the ABC-TV drama “Emergence” was filmed there.

“It was an exciting adventure that took a tremendous amount of orga-

84 • February 2020 | Towman.com

nization and planning to move the entire business off premise for those three days,” said Joyce Powers.

The tow company has a thriving film and entertainment division that handles movement of vehicles and set pieces to filming sites, but having the towing facility on camera repre-

sented a first for the division.

“Special thanks to the Borough of Rutherford, the Rutherford Police Department and Chief John Russo who worked with us to address traffic concerns, filming, nighttime lighting and gunshot sounds,” Joyce said.

Letters

continued from page 21 together the Spirit Ride where towers took turns transporting a coffin via rollbacks in a procession across the nation to raise awareness of Move Over with the public.

SLOW DOWN MOVE OVER has become the battle cry of those working on public roads.

not always in the right direction.

I believe it is time to start a crusade to increase the level of education … not only for the motoring public, but especially those within the industry

to work smarter, safer and stronger.

Strength not only comes with numbers it will come with knowledge.

— Kurt Wilson

WreckMaster Lead Instructor

BUT WHAT ARE YOU DOING? We as an industry need to come together to form guidelines and standards to be followed with repercussions for those not following them.

If there was an easy solution to this problem, it would have been resolved by now.

We as an industry need to be conscious of the way we are operating on the side of the road while realizing that flashing lights offer a false sense of protection—they don’t give motorists enough advance warning of the work being performed.

This doesn’t mean we simply start blocking or closing down lanes to protect those who are working on the roadways. There are times this is necessary, while other times having another vehicle parked upstream would be enough.

We need to educate the operators who are on the roadway to limit their exposure from traffic whenever possible. Something as simple as operating the truck from the non-traffic side.

When building new equipment, having full-function remotes added to allow the operator to control the truck from inside the cab would limit exposure.

Ongoing training in all departments from the office staff, managers and operators. You either master your craft or the craft masters you. Becoming proficient and efficient in your job will reduce mistakes as well as time per call.

Then working together with others not only in the industry but outside of it. With everyone focused on the same goal, progress happens. When we are fighting one another, the direction gets changed several times with movement

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 85

Towman’s Market

To Advertise In Towman’s Market CALL

800-732-3869 Ellen Rosengart x 203 erosengart@towman.com 410-784-7029 86 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Towman’s Market

CALIFORNIA TOW TRUCK ASSOCIATION INTRO TO TOWING The California Tow Truck Assn. presents INTRO TO TOWING. A new 5-part online course for towing beginners and new hires!

Through five videos and corresponding quizzes, operators will learn the basics of towing.

Students will receive a certificate of completion, and company owners are able to track their progress!

Available now at: ctta@ctta.com

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 87

My Baby

Incredible Hulk Makes Five

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

Jim “Buck” Sorrenti, a longtime editor of American Towman, has been our field editor for the past 10 years.

He is a freelance writer and photographer with more than 40 years of experience covering motorcycle, hot rod, truck and towing culture. He writes weekly for TowIndustryWeek.com.

J

ose and Delfina Acosta started Pepe’s Towing Service in March 1978 with one tow truck, converted from a standard Ford F-350 pick-up truck. In those early days, Pepe’s served the community of Los Angeles and quickly earned a reputation for providing prompt and honest service at a reasonable price. As the business grew, brothers Jose Jr. and Manny followed in their father’s footsteps.

In March 1997, Jose Jr. and Manny became full-time employees bringing renewed energy and fresh ideas.

Manny runs the Inland Empire offices and Jose Jr. runs the L.A. offices. Jose’s son Joshua is the manager at the L.A. base of operations.

Pepe’s Towing Service now has more than 60 employees and a fleet of more than 80 trucks, trailers and miscellaneous vehicles to handle everything from vehicle transport to major accidents. Their primary focus is medium- and heavy-duty towing and recovery. Pepe’s recently added this Century 50-ton beauty to its extensive fleet, giving them five rotators between 40-ton and 75-ton capacity.

“I am a massive comic book fan, with my favorite character being ‘The Incredible Hulk.’ I wanted to incorporate this onto my new rotator and my father came up with the idea to have a custom wrap to reflect it,” said Josh. “The wrap suits the truck perfect because of its brute strength and power.”

This incredible Hulk is a 2020 Peterbilt 389/Century 1050 50-ton rotator; it’s powered by a Cummins ISX 535 engine mated to an Eaton 18-speed

88 • February 2020 | Towman.com

trans. It features a full 100-percent custom signature wrap completed in one week by American Wrap Shop in Rancho Cucamonga.

Miller Industries built this unit with additional work done by Tow Industries in Los Angeles.

The Hulk is set up with dual 50,000-lbs. planetary winches and a 35,000-lbs. drag winch. It has a collapsible second pylon, dual spreader bars, a full Snap-On Tools toolkit, power saw, air recovery mats and even a custom-built minifridge.

“This unit is our fifth rotator and was purchased to replace our first rotator, a 1999 Peterbilt with a Century 40-ton rotator boom,” Josh said. “We chose to go with the 50ton over another 40-ton for the vast increase in power and performance.

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

“We specialize in heavy-duty recovery and towing; this truck will be able to handle any recovery we throw at it with the ability to tow as well. The truck is stationed out of our Los Angeles base right next to our 40-, 60- and 75-ton rotators.

We also have a 60-ton rotator at our Inland Empire base.”

Josh said the Hulk has performed quite a few memorable jobs, especially: • Suspending a crashed trailer that was dangling hundreds of feet in the air over a bridge, using spreader bars.

• Winch out of a mixer over 300’ that was deeply stuck in mud, using just the deck winch with straps.

• Uprighting a loaded tractortrailer in the tight, confined space under a bridge.

‘Hulk’ Highlights Chassis: 2020 Peterbilt 389.

Wrecker: Century 1050 50-ton rotator.

Engine: Cummins ISX 535.

Trans: Eaton 18-speed.

Winches: Dual 50,000-lbs. planetary, 35,000-lbs. drag.

Built by: Miller Industries.

Equipment: Dual spreader bars, full Snap-On tool kit, power saw.

Extras: Collapsible second pylon, air recovery mats, custom mini-fridge.

Graphics/Lettering: American Wrap Shop.

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • 89

Lowdown

Imagine This

Steve Calitri Editor-in-Chief

I

magine a Legion of our industry’s most involved, on-the-ball, forward-thinking tow bosses, and that this Legion of dedicated characters gather at a special clubhouse to share information, tell stories around their towing equipment and over grub and brew.

Imagine a legion of towing’s finest leveraging their numbers for lower insurance premiums, a lower-cost healthcare program for all their operators, significant savings on uniforms, pooling night-time dispatch services and more.

Imagine a legion of towmen and towwomen that earns their rights to the clubhouse based on their intelligence to get there.

Imagine a union whose membership entry is based on merit.

Well the clubhouse is the American Towman Exposition in Baltimore and satellite shows in Las Vegas, Cleveland and San Antonio. The Legion is the tow bosses who attend these shows, coming to engage with their peers, industry educators and suppliers; coming indeed to seek opportunities for their towing operations back home. These are the tow bosses willing to invest in their business future.

Now, imagine how these tow bosses not only benefit by engaging with peers, industry leaders and exhibitors, but earn even more benefits by just hangin’ in the Clubhouse, benefits and perks not offered up by any other organization.

The American Towman Legion, formalized this year, is the only merit-based membership organization in the country.

90 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Traditional member-based groups, whether non-profit or for-profit associations, operate on members’ dues. The Legion does not ask for dues for its basic membership. It asks for your intelligence, your energy, your time and getting there. It asks for your dedication and professionalism that you prove by participating in the American Towman show experience. No other company, organization or association is engaged with as many tow business owners and tow operators in the flesh or in the virtual world as American Towman is engaged with its tens of thousands of event attendees.

The great value one receives at an American Towman show has all been brought about by leveraging the numbers of the “Legion” who are there: the hundreds of exhibitors under one roof, the resource of educational seminars and training, the various networking events connecting towers to unexpected opportunities … all created by American Towman drawing a legion of tow bosses in the tens of thousands across its four shows.

The same is true with American Towman Magazine, in print and online. By your eyeballs being there along with thousands of your peers, American Towman is able to draw advertising support that allows AT to deliver to you the best intelligence in the industry.

So, imagine how American Towman can deliver to its Legion of attendees other valuable products and services not being offered by anyone. Just imagine.

Stay tuned.

In Memoriam

Tribute to a Recovery Legend

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

O

n the morning of Dec. 10, 2019, I received a call from Jamie Dougherty of Janeway Towing letting me know that Bill Leonhauser, 57, owner of Penndel Towing had passed away the day before.

Jamie said they had just gotten together at the American Towman Expo in Atlantic City the past weekend and he was devastated.

“I am devastated to hear this news that one of the best recovery men in the world is gone,” Jamie said. “He was not only a friend, he was like my brother. We spent many days and nights together on the roadways of the Philadelphia region doing what he loved the most.

“He guided me and gave me knowledge that I will never forget! One thing that many don’t know about Billy is that he was one of the inventors of the Brake Buddy.”

Since my first year as the in-house editor of American Towman Magazine many years back, I’ve covered some of Bill’s great recoveries and his trucks. We took part in WreckMaster and MatJack training programs and stayed in contact over these many years. Bill was an invaluable resource of recovery knowledge. It’s with a very heavy heart that I write this; no matter how many I’ve done, it never gets easier.

Johnson’s and Abel Brothers’ booms extended over Bill’s 1964 Autocar twin-steer in honor of a fallen comrade.

North 92 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Bill in Papua, New Guinea.

Penndel Towing & Recovery is a family owned & operated business that was started in 1947 by Harry Leonhauser. Bill was much admired and respected for his knowledge and skill in the towing and recovery Industry.

He volunteered extensively at the 9/11 tragedy, helping with search and recoveries and was part of the recovery team for “Swamp Ghost,” a submerged WWII airplane in Papua, New Guinea. He also aided in training various fire companies during Super Storm Sandy.

Dozens of wreckers met for a procession in Bill’s honor on Dec. 19 to be part of Bill’s escort on his last ride that went from the funeral home in Levittown, Pennsylvania, and past Bill’s shop—where Johnson’s and Abel Brothers’ booms extended over Bill’s legendary 1964 Autocar twinsteer wrecker—to the Pine Grove Cemetery in Hatboro.

Bill at AT Expo XXXI in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in December 2019 just a week before he passed. He’s flanked by NRC’s Bruce Jackson (left) and MatJack’s John Sweezy Jr.

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • North 93

North 94 • February 2020 | Towman.com

North 96 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • South 91

In Memoriam

Tribute to a Recovery Legend

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

O

n the morning of Dec. 10, 2019, I received a call from Jamie Dougherty of Janeway Towing letting me know that Bill Leonhauser, 57, owner of Penndel Towing had passed away the day before.

Jamie said they had just gotten together at the American Towman Expo in Atlantic City the past weekend and he was devastated.

“I am devastated to hear this news that one of the best recovery men in the world is gone,” Jamie said. “He was not only a friend, he was like my brother. We spent many days and nights together on the roadways of the Philadelphia region doing what he loved the most.

“He guided me and gave me knowledge that I will never forget! One thing that many don’t know about Billy is that he was one of the inventors of the Brake Buddy.”

Since my first year as the in-house editor of American Towman Magazine many years back, I’ve covered some of Bill’s great recoveries and his trucks. We took part in WreckMaster and MatJack training programs and stayed in contact over these many years. Bill was an invaluable resource of recovery knowledge. It’s with a very heavy heart that I write this; no matter how many I’ve done, it never gets easier.

Johnson’s and Abel Brothers’ booms extended over Bill’s 1964 Autocar twin-steer in honor of a fallen comrade.

South 92 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Bill in Papua, New Guinea.

Penndel Towing & Recovery is a family owned & operated business that was started in 1947 by Harry Leonhauser. Bill was much admired and respected for his knowledge and skill in the towing and recovery Industry.

He volunteered extensively at the 9/11 tragedy, helping with search and recoveries and was part of the recovery team for “Swamp Ghost,” a submerged WWII airplane in Papua, New Guinea. He also aided in training various fire companies during Super Storm Sandy.

Dozens of wreckers met for a procession in Bill’s honor on Dec. 19 to be part of Bill’s escort on his last ride that went from the funeral home in Levittown, Pennsylvania, and past Bill’s shop—where Johnson’s and Abel Brothers’ booms extended over Bill’s legendary 1964 Autocar twin-steer wrecker—to the Pine Grove Cemetery in Hatboro.

Find us on Facebook Read more towing news at towman.com

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

Bill at AT Expo XXXI in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in December 2019 just a week before he passed. He’s flanked by NRC’s Bruce Jackson (left) and MatJack’s John Sweezy Jr.

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • South 93

News Flash Biodiesel Could Offset Rising Fuel Prices

According to a recent report, a possible hedge against ultra-low-sulfur diesel price increases brought on by international factors and the International Maritime Organization’s new low-sulfur requirement could come from use of renewable and biodiesel fuel.

Increased demands on ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel used in on-highway diesel engines are expected to put upward pressure on prices. The North American Council for Freight Efficiency anticipates a 25to 50-cent per gallon uptick this year owed to the IMO rule.

Steve Larsen, Ruan Transportation’s director of procurement and fuel, granted that renewable and biodiesel could help defray rising ULSD costs.

Source: ccjdigital.com.

Peterbilt, Dana Announce Collaboration

Peterbilt Motors Co. and Dana recently announced their collaboration on electric powertrain development for Peterbilt Model 220EV battery electric vehicles.

Peterbilt will integrate Dana’s Spicer Electrified e-propulsion system into its 220EV chassis. The truck will also be equipped with two battery packs and an on-board charger.

“By using the Dana electric powertrain for the Model 220EV in the Medium Duty pick-up and delivery market, we will be ready to meet the growing demand of our customers who want to incorporate zero-emissions vehicles into this application,” said Jason Skoog, PACCAR VP. Source: Peterbilt.

Find us on Facebook Read more towing news at towman.com

South 94 • February 2020 | Towman.com

South 96 • February 2020 | Towman.com

In Memoriam

Tribute to a Recovery Legend

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

O

n the morning of Dec. 10, 2019, I received a call from Jamie Dougherty of Janeway Towing letting me know that Bill Leonhauser, 57, owner of Penndel Towing had passed away the day before.

Jamie said they had just gotten together at the American Towman Expo in Atlantic City the past weekend and he was devastated.

“I am devastated to hear this news that one of the best recovery men in the world is gone,” Jamie said. “He was not only a friend, he was like my brother. We spent many days and nights together on the roadways of the Philadelphia region doing what he loved the most.

“He guided me and gave me knowledge that I will never forget! One thing that many don’t know about Billy is that he was one of the inventors of the Brake Buddy.”

Since my first year as the in-house editor of American Towman Magazine many years back, I’ve covered some of Bill’s great recoveries and his trucks. We took part in WreckMaster and MatJack training programs and stayed in contact over these many years. Bill was an invaluable resource of recovery knowledge. It’s with a very heavy heart that I write this; no matter how many I’ve done, it never gets easier.

Johnson’s and Abel Brothers’ booms extended over Bill’s 1964 Autocar twin-steer in honor of a fallen comrade.

Midwest 92 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Bill in Papua, New Guinea.

Penndel Towing & Recovery is a family owned & operated business that was started in 1947 by Harry Leonhauser. Bill was much admired and respected for his knowledge and skill in the towing and recovery Industry.

He volunteered extensively at the 9/11 tragedy, helping with search and recoveries and was part of the recovery team for “Swamp Ghost,” a submerged WWII airplane in Papua, New Guinea. He also aided in training various fire companies during Super Storm Sandy.

Dozens of wreckers met for a procession in Bill’s honor on Dec. 19 to be part of Bill’s escort on his last ride that went from the funeral home in Levittown, Pennsylvania, and past Bill’s shop—where Johnson’s and Abel Brothers’ booms extended over Bill’s legendary 1964 Autocar twinsteer wrecker—to the Pine Grove Cemetery in Hatboro.

Bill at AT Expo XXXI in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in December 2019 just a week before he passed. He’s flanked by NRC’s Bruce Jackson (left) and MatJack’s John Sweezy Jr.

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • Midwest 93

Midwest 94 • February 2020 | Towman.com

News Flash Biodiesel Could Offset Rising Fuel Prices According to a recent report, a possible hedge against ultra-low-sulfur diesel price increases brought on by international factors and the International Maritime Organization’s new low-sulfur requirement could come from use of renewable and biodiesel fuel.

Increased demands on ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel used in on-highway diesel engines are expected to put upward pressure on prices. The North American Council for Freight Efficiency anticipates a 25to 50-cent per gallon uptick this year owed to the IMO rule.

Steve Larsen, Ruan Transportation’s director of procurement and fuel, granted that renewable and biodiesel could help defray rising ULSD costs.

Source: ccjdigital.com.

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • Midwest 95

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • West 91

In Memoriam

Tribute to a Recovery Legend

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

O

n the morning of Dec. 10, 2019, I received a call from Jamie Dougherty of Janeway Towing letting me know that Bill Leonhauser, 57, owner of Penndel Towing had passed away the day before.

Jamie said they had just gotten together at the American Towman Expo in Atlantic City the past weekend and he was devastated.

“I am devastated to hear this news that one of the best recovery men in the world is gone,” Jamie said. “He was not only a friend, he was like my brother. We spent many days and nights together on the roadways of the Philadelphia region doing what he loved the most.

“He guided me and gave me knowledge that I will never forget! One thing that many don’t know about Billy is that he was one of the inventors of the Brake Buddy.”

Since my first year as the in-house editor of American Towman Magazine many years back, I’ve covered some of Bill’s great recoveries and his trucks. We took part in WreckMaster and MatJack training programs and stayed in contact over these many years. Bill was an invaluable resource of recovery knowledge. It’s with a very heavy heart that I write this; no matter how many I’ve done, it never gets easier.

Johnson’s and Abel Brothers’ booms extended over Bill’s 1964 Autocar twin-steer in honor of a fallen comrade.

West 92 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Bill in Papua, New Guinea.

Penndel Towing & Recovery is a family owned & operated business that was started in 1947 by Harry Leonhauser. Bill was much admired and respected for his knowledge and skill in the towing and recovery Industry.

He volunteered extensively at the 9/11 tragedy, helping with search and recoveries and was part of the recovery team for “Swamp Ghost,” a submerged WWII airplane in Papua, New Guinea. He also aided in training various fire companies during Super Storm Sandy.

Dozens of wreckers met for a procession in Bill’s honor on Dec. 19 to be part of Bill’s escort on his last ride that went from the funeral home in Levittown, Pennsylvania, and past Bill’s shop—where Johnson’s and Abel Brothers’ booms extended over Bill’s legendary 1964 Autocar twinsteer wrecker—to the Pine Grove Cemetery in Hatboro.

Bill at AT Expo XXXI in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in December 2019 just a week before he passed. He’s flanked by NRC’s Bruce Jackson (left) and MatJack’s John Sweezy Jr.

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • West 93

News Flash Biodiesel Could Offset Rising Fuel Prices According to a recent report, a possible hedge against ultra-low-sulfur diesel price increases brought on by international factors and the International Maritime Organization’s new low-sulfur requirement could come from use of renewable and biodiesel fuel.

Increased demands on ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel used in on-highway diesel engines are expected to put upward pressure on prices. The North American Council for Freight Efficiency anticipates a 25to 50-cent per gallon uptick this year owed to the IMO rule.

Steve Larsen, Ruan Transportation’s director of procurement and fuel, granted that renewable and biodiesel could help defray rising ULSD costs.

Source: ccjdigital.com.

West 94 • February 2020 | Towman.com

Work the non-traffic side - Stay Safe!

AmericanTowman.com | February 2020 • West 95

West 96 • February 2020 | Towman.com

CopyrightŠ2019 American Towman Magazine. Characters and stories are fictitious; no resemblance to real life characters is intended.

Send your thoughts/suggestions on the Adventures to scalitri@towman.com or American Towman, 2 Overlook Dr #5, Warwick NY 10990