News Flash

Procession Honors Fallen Towman

A convoy of towers showed up at the Acosta Bridge in Jacksonville, Florida to honor fallen tower Austin Gayne who was killed two years ago. Events were also held in Canton and Orlando, Florida. Gayne, when 24 years old, was struck while loading up a dump truck on Feb. 1, 2021, and spent several weeks in ICU before he died.

Organizers said the event was meant to draw attention to the Move Over law and to show support for other towers who have fallen under similar circumstances.

“It’s to bring awareness that tow truck drivers do matter,” said his sister Alexis Gayne, who was at the event in Jacksonville. The message to the public was that if more drivers slowed down to 20 mph, more lives would be saved.

Gayne’s mother, who was in Canton organizing another procession, pointed out that, “There were plenty of lights and cones. The person just wasn’t paying attention.” The mother added that while nothing will bring her son back, she will continue to work so that everyone will become aware of the law.

Source: news4jax.com

Portland Tow Yards Bustling After Historic Storm

A snowstorm that hit Portland, Oregon in late February left hundreds of motorists abandoning their cars, requiring tow companies to clear the roads and store the vehicles. At least 609 cars were abandoned on Portland roads and freeways during the historic snowstorm. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) said 349 cars were towed.

People lined up all day at Retriever Towing in Northwest Portland to get their cars; however not all drivers were happy about the circumstances and having to pay storage fees, even though fees were waived on citations.

Many people who were trying to get their cars back from towing companies said they were frustrated because they were not sure which towing company had their car.

Source: katu.com

Tower’s Death Leads to Indictment

A man who struck and killed a tower on the Long Island Expressway (LIE) has been indicted for second-degree vehicular manslaughter and other charges in what authorities allege was the alcohol-related death on Oct. 8. Tow truck operator Carlos “Campy” Santiago, 47, was on the shoulder of the westbound LIE helping a stranded motorist.

The driver, Denzel Porter, was also indicted on charges of criminally negligent homicide, first- and second-degree vehicular assault, second-degree assault, operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, and operating or driving an unregistered vehicle, according to a statement from the office of Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.

“There’s nothing more selfish than getting behind the wheel and driving under the influence,” Katz’s press release stated. “Everyone with whom we share the road deserves our respect and consideration, and has every right to reach their destination safely. The defendant is alleged to have been driving while intoxicated and will be held to account for the tragic consequences of that decision.”

Porter, who is due back in court on May 2, faces up to seven years if convicted.

Source: qchron.com

Heavy-Duty Repair Revenues Recovering

Heavy-duty repair shop revenue is climbing back to pre-pandemic form in 2022, according to the third annual State of Heavy-Duty Repair report issued by repair shop software maker Fullbay.

Among the key findings of this year’s report:

-76% of shops raised their labor rates in 2022, 24% did not.

-25% of shops surveyed were pulling in between $1 to $2 million each year, while 17% reported revenue between $250,001 and $500,000.

-19.8% of shops reported having a better handle on their P&L, as compared to only 9.8% last year.

The report’s data is based on survey responses from more than 1600 individuals from shops in North America, Australia and New Zealand, across all avenues of the commercial freight, logistics, and repair industries.

Source:

American Trucking Association

Georgia Legislators Proposing Ban on Booting

A bipartisan group of state lawmakers has filed legislation to com- pletely ban the booting of vehicles in Georgia. State Sen. Josh McLaurin (D), lead sponsor of Senate Bill 247, believes the practice is overused and abused.

“It’s so low cost to the property owners that a lot of times booting companies will put boots on cars that they’re not sure are unauthorized,” McLaurin said. “So you’ve got tons of people who actually pay the fee, or their invitees or guests of the property, and they’re still getting booted because it’s much easier for the property owner to just let the driver and the booting company figure it out, than care about the inconvenience.”

Senate Bill 247 would specifically ban towing and storage companies to use immobilization devices on cars that are improperly parked.

Source: wabe.org

Procession Honors Fallen Towman

A convoy of towers showed up at the Acosta Bridge in Jacksonville, Florida to honor fallen tower Austin Gayne who was killed two years ago. Events were also held in Canton and Orlando, Florida. Gayne, when 24 years old, was struck while loading up a dump truck on Feb. 1, 2021, and spent several weeks in ICU before he died.

Organizers said the event was meant to draw attention to the Move Over law and to show support for other towers who have fallen under similar circumstances.

“It’s to bring awareness that tow truck drivers do matter,” said his sister Alexis Gayne, who was at the event in Jacksonville. The message to the public was that if more drivers slowed down to 20 mph, more lives would be saved.

Gayne’s mother, who was in Canton organizing another procession, pointed out that, “There were plenty of lights and cones. The person just wasn’t paying attention.” The mother added that while nothing will bring her son back, she will continue to work so that everyone will become aware of the law.

Source: news4jax.com

Portland Tow Yards Bustling After Historic Storm

A snowstorm that hit Portland, Oregon in late February left hundreds of motorists abandoning their cars, requiring tow companies to clear the roads and store the vehicles. At least 609 cars were abandoned on Portland roads and freeways during the historic snowstorm. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) said 349 cars were towed.

People lined up all day at Retriever Towing in Northwest Portland to get their cars; however not all drivers were happy about the circumstances and having to pay storage fees, even though fees were waived on citations.

Many people who were trying to get their cars back from towing companies said they were frustrated because they were not sure which towing company had their car.

Source: katu.com