American Towman Magazine - November 2014

More $$$ with PPI Honoring the Military Working Fatal Scenes

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First On The Scene

Since 1977

FEATURE CONTENTS Two rotators and several medium-duty wreckers combined forces to lift a 94,000-lbs. crane truck in Laguna Beach, Calif.

36

Raising Crane Five towing companies in Southern California teamed up on a complicated lift.

by Oscar Chavira

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Military Honors Departments Walkaround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 News Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Road Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Beacons On! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Pageant Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Tow Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 AD Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Repo Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . .50 On the Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Work Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 My Baby. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Towman’s Market . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Low Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 Tow Boss . . . . . . .N 83, W 84, S 83 Adventures of A.T. . . . . . . . . . . . .85 4 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

Tribute trucks to the Armed Forces turn heads with their spirited imagery and patriotic graphics.

by George L. Nitti

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Make More Money in PPI Private-property impounds are a tough way to pay bills, but two companies are trying to make it easier.

by Brendan Dooley

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Towing Pride, Legacy Premature death is, unfortunately, an extremely real circumstance of the towing profession. It is a very dangerous job. The Wall of the Fallen at the International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum in Chattanooga, Tenn., recognizes the towing professionals who lost their lives on the job. The museum’s Survivor Fund provides death benefits to the families of the fallen towers.

The annual Wall of the Fallen ceremony, which includes the new names to be placed on the wall, is touching and at times heart-breaking.

It is usually a somber occasion and this past September’s observance was no different.

Through the tears that were shed by friends and family alike, it was the incredible strength of the survivors that stood out in my mind. There was strength to persevere amidst such ter-

Let It Breathe

by Dennie Ortiz

rible loss and strength to keep not just the family, but also the company going forward.

It reminds me of the type of industry this is. We are proud, hardworking individuals. The museum is a symbol of this pride. It could even be considered a house of worship in which we pay homage to the men, women, innovations and equipment that has shaped this industry.

As you read this month’s issue, we will be in the final preparations for the AT Exposition in Baltimore, Md. Like the museum, the Expo covers all things towing—including an exhibit booth for the museum. The museum and the Survivor Fund are entities that continue with the support of both towers and industry suppliers.

Hopefully you’ll be able to attend the Expo this month; if you do, one stop should be the museum booth to learn how you too can support the legacy of the towing industry.

by Brendan Dooley

I’ve been an editor for many years now, across different trades and in various media. One thing that’s a constant is getting enough stories to fill your space. It is a feast-or-famine proposition (much like towing in the winter months).

One important task is to recognize a great story when you see it. Regardless of whether you really need to fill space or don’t have an inch to give, a great story needs to be given the placement it deserves.

This month, I played with the space a bit here, a bit there and so on, because the crane truck recovery (page 36) deserved a good home. It came to me from Oscar Chavira of Anaheim Fullerton Towing, whose company was one of several on the job.

This complicated recovery stood out immediately for its depth and breadth, and the wide selection of great images Oscar included sure helped tell the story. Though there had been some Facebook and other pick-ups of this recovery, you won’t get a better look at what they did than in the pages of AT this month (unless you were in on the recovery itself).

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First On The Scene!

Dennie Ortiz Steve Calitri Brendan Dooley Charles Duke

Publisher Editor-In-Chief Editor Senior Editor

Randall Resch

Operations Editor

Terry Abejuela

Field Editor, West

Jim “Buck” Sorrenti David Kolman Bill Simmons

Field Editor, Northeast Chassis Editor Safety Editor

Emily Oz

On Screen Editor

Mark Lacek

Repo Run Editor

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

Dallas, Texas Jefferson City, Mo. St. Paul, Minn.

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

Warren, N.J. Creve Coeur, Ill.

American Towman Staff Ann Marie Nitti Dennie Ortiz Ellen Rosengart Norma Calitri Neila Smith Miriam Ortiz Henri Calitri Toni Vanderhorst William Burwell Peggy Calabrese Ryan Oser Emily Oz Steve Calitri

Page Layout Artist Advertising Sales Mgr. Senior Account Exec.

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

American Towman Media Headquarters 7 West Street, Warwick, NY 10990 800-732-3869 or 845-986-4546 E-mail: Publisher: dortiz@towman.com Editor-In-Chief: scalitri@towman.com Editor: bdooley@towman.com AT’S Digital Edition: itowman.com AT’S Website: towman.com AT’S Weekly: towindustryweek.com ATTV: americantowmantv.com Copyright ©2014 American Towman Magazine is published 12 times a year by American Towman Media, Inc. Subscription: $50–1 yr., $95–2 yrs. • US $65 -1yr., $105-2 yrs. • International Editorial Policy: the act of mailing or delivering a letter or article to American Towman Magazine, shall constitute permission to publish that letter or article or any portion thereof. American Towman Magazine reserves the right to edit any and all material submitted.American Towman Media does not test or review products submitted for inclusion in its publications. All included information, specifications and abilities are as claimed by the equipment manufacturer who is solely liable for any defects or misrepresentations in its products.

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N.C. Towers Seek Relief Towing companies in Cumberland County, N.C., want to require vehicle owners to pay their bills before they’re able to retrieve most items from their vehicles.

Wrecker companies are asking the county to require owners to pay the towing bill before taking anything other than a wallet, pocketbook or medications out of a vehicle.

“We think that would be fair,” said Jay Barr, chairman of the county’s Wrecker Review Board. “The wrecker community feels it’s a burden on them.”

He said 78 percent of cars removed from crash scenes by wreckers are subsequently abandoned.

Under current county regulations, wrecker companies must allow vehicle owners to retrieve anything from their cars that doesn’t require tools to remove—even if the owner doesn’t pay anything to the tow company. Source: www.fayobserver.com.

Canadian Towers Seek Equal Opportunity

A long-standing feud among tow companies in Windsor, Ontario, was resurrected recently, with several small operators saying they’re getting an unfair share of business from accident calls from the Ontario Provincial Police.

The discord stems from the sentiment of several tow companies that Sam’s Towing and Recovery is receiving a high volume of business from those accidents at the expense of others.

The dissenting towers are arguing for a rotation list, where all calls are dedicated to one company during a designated week. Rotating through the list would ensure business is spread evenly, according to tower Rodney Gomes.

Source: blogs.windsorstar.com.

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Municipal Tower Meets President

President Barack Obama meets municipal tower Clarence Baugh in New York City, N.Y. White House photo.

Clarence Baugh, longtime driver of the tow truck in the “sweep team” for the New York City (N.Y.) Police Department, had the honor of meeting President Barack Obama during the president’s visit to the city.

The sweep team is a part of the security detail that precedes all presidential motorcades through the city, removing any obstructing vehicles.

Arranged by his colleagues in the department, the 49-year-old Baugh got a call on his cellphone from the Secret Service while outside the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.

The tower, who has worked for the city for 28-1/2 years and has handled presidential details for more than two decades, has served every president since George H.W. Bush but never met one, according to a police commander.

Baugh has been decorated several times by the department for his work, including the 1993 World Trade Center attack when he helped tow wrecked cars from the bombed garage. Source: www.thedailybeast.com.

WTRAA

Honors Rochester Gaynell “Gay” Rochester of Interstar Fleet Services in Florence, Ky., was named WTRAA’s 2014 Tow Woman of the Year. She was recognized by the group for serving as an industry advocate and for her efforts to improve the towing industry in general.

Gay has been involved in the towing industry for more than 32 years, and currently serves as WTRAA’s 2nd vice president. She developed the towing program for Interstar and serves as its general manager. She also acts as a consultant to governmental and private agencies as a transportation incident management specialist.

WTRAA said that Rochester “is

Gaynell “Gay” Rochester is presented her 2014 Tow Woman of the Year honors from 2013 honoree Joanne Blyton. WTRAA photo.

one of the most selfless people anyone can ever know and WTRAA is proud to crown her 2014 Tow Woman of the Year.” Source: www.wtraa.org.

. . . Make sure that the tow companies can make a living . . .

Tow Company Cited 178 Times Quality Towing of Las Vegas, Nev., has been cited for violating state laws that regulate non-consent tows by the Nevada Transportation Authority.

A total of 178 citations included 84 for not charging the state-approved rate.

Another 84 counts were for failing to notify law enforcement, and 10 violations are for failing “to list all required information on specific tow requests.”

The citations came in light of a recent report filed by an advocacy group related to homeowners associations. Many residents felt that there was an agreement made between Quality Towing and the community manager related to the towing activity. The Vistana Homeowners Association and property manager First Service Residential are both under investigation by the Nevada Real Estate Division for their role in the towing activity.

Quality Towing had a scheduled hearing with the Transportation Authority as of press time. Source: www.jrn.com.

Tower Attacked

by Semi Driver

A tractor-trailer driver, angry that his truck was being towed, allegedly lashed out at an employee of Interstate Towing of Chicopee, Mass., biting the worker on the hand and putting him in a chokehold.

Brian McNally was treated at a local hospital and later released after suffering a “severe wound and bleeding to his hand,” according to Interstate officials.

The tow company said McNally and another Interstate employee were responding to a “commercial vehicle enforcement tow” on behalf of the Massachusetts State Police at the time of the incident.

Troopers responded and arrested the driver, Alpha Sakho, 49, of North Carolina. He was charged with assault and other offenses, according to a local television station. Source: www.masslive.com.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

Mayor Charged With Tower Extortion The mayor of a suburban town outside St. Louis, Mo., has been indicted on federal extortion charges for allegedly demanding bribes from a local towing company in exchange for city business.

Federal prosecutors say Pine Lawn Mayor Sylvester Caldwell, 54, was arrested recently by the FBI and charged with one felony count of interference with commerce by extortion.

Pine Lawn (Mo.) Mayor Sylvester Caldwell.

Caldwell is accused of Pinelawn.org photo. using his municipal position to extort money from an unidentified towing company. The indictment says Caldwell accepted five payments totaling $1,600 between December 2013 and April 2014, in exchange for ordering the Pine Lawn police force to use the company’s services. The payments allegedly took place at gas stations and restaurants in the St. Louis area. Sources: www.dailyjournal.net.

UDOT Studies Tow Fees The Utah Department of Transportation is conducting what’s being called the Non-Consent Towing Cost Study. Results are expected by the end of the year, which could change the fees towing companies are allowed to charge for their services.

Currently, towing companies are allowed to charge a $145 base fee for a non-consent tow. They can also charge up to $30 as an administrative fee and 10 percent as a fuel surcharge. Per-day storage costs for impounded vehicles are also regulated, and are $40 per day.

In the past, non-consent towing rates have been set and adjusted in discussions among UDOT’s Motor Carrier Advisory Board, a panel made up of members from both government and the trucking industry. However, UDOT recently contracted with two consulting firms to conduct the study. According to a UDOT official, getting a third party involved avoids any possible conflicts of interest.

A representative of one of the consulting firms stated that the idea behind this study is to make sure that the tow companies can make a living and to make sure motorists are not getting “gouged” for a non-consent tow. UDOT is also interested in setting up a mechanism to fairly adjust these rates in the future. Source: www.standard.net.

TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • 9

American Towman’s Emily Oz, Anchor & Editor of ATTV

AmericanTowman.com TowIndustryWeek.com

EXHIBIT HOURS Fri. 2-5 Sat. 11-6 Sun. 10-4

November 20-23 WWW.ATEXPOSITION.COM

Check Out What’s NEW and HOT! On-the-Job Traction Solution STABILgear’s new STABILicers Heel are ice cleats that provide improved winter traction to protect against dangerous slips and falls. The heel-only design firmly attaches to any shoe or boot with a fully integrated tension-fit system. The company said the STABILicers Heel improve productivity and traction during outdoor work, driving and indoorto-outdoor transitions in transportation work. The product features replaceable cleats.

www.stabilgear.com Number 200 on Reader Card

Lighter Snatch Blocks New from Bailey’s Towing Accessories is the Yoke alloy snatch block, a lightweight block the company said saves 40 percent off of the weight of standard blocks. The Yoke alloy blocks meet ASME B30.26 requirements and feature standard latched swivel hooks and closed die-forged steel sheaves.

www.baileystowinginc.com Number 201 on Reader Card

Stertil-Koni Lift for Large-Tire Vehicles Stertil-Koni’s new ST 1065 mobile column lift uses a lifting technology specifically engineered for safely raising vehicles with large wheel diameters. The ST 1065 has a maximum lifting capacity of 14,500 lbs. per column, and is able to accommodate vehicles with wheel diameters up to 71”. Reducer plates are available for wheel diameters between 31.5” and 51”. The ST 1065 reaches a maximum lifting height of 73” in 89 seconds.

www.stertil-koni.com Number 202 on Reader Card

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Synthetic Rope Saves Weight, Time

M

arlow Ropes USA said its synthetic winch lines offer advantages over steel cable that include improved strength-to-weight ratios, visual examination and safety in the event of catastrophic failure. The company recently partnered with Superwinch to provide Marlow’s Dynaline synthetic ropes on several of Superwinch’s higher-end offerings.

Marlow said Dynaline’s features include: • High strength: Weight-for-weight, the Dynaline fitted to the Superwinch drum is 15-times stronger than industry-standard wire rope.

• Lightweight: With a weight eight-times lighter than steel of the same diameter, Dynaline easily spools off the drum, minimizing the operator’s time in rigging.

• Unsinkable, unkinkable: Dyneema fiber doesn’t kink and lose strength like wire rope, and it floats (beneficial when winching in waterlogged or flooded conditions).

• No snags: Dynaline’s textile construction elimi-

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

nates 100 percent of the nasty “surprise” barbs and cut wires of a damaged wire rope.

• No strength loss on drum: Overlapping steel on a winch drum can crush the wire causing it to lose strength.

Dynaline’s strength is unaffected by crushing or overlapping.

• No recoil: In the unlikely event Dyanline fails, there is virtually no dangerous recoil, greatly increasing safety factors.

The company said the durability, hardiness and ease of use of its synthetic ropes led the military to demand it in vehicle recovery solutions. Marlow Ropes said the product minimizes exposure during firefights (securing a disabled vehicle for a tow once took three soldiers more than a minute, but can be achieved by one soldier of average size in under 20 seconds with synthetic rope).

www.marlowropes.com www.superwinch.com Number 203 on Reader Card

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Responding to Fatality Scenes

by Randall C. Resch

O

n Sept. 25, 1978, Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight No. 182 approached San Diego’s Lindbergh Field and was struck by a Cessna airplane steered by a student pilot. The Boeing 727 carried an estimated 6 tons of fuel in its wings, when, in a gallant effort to spare lives on the ground, Captain James McFeron banked 50 degrees right in an intentional high-speed nose-dive to certain demise. Upon impact, the aircraft erupted into a monstrous fireball killing all 144 persons aboard Flight 182, the Cessna’s student pilot, his trainer and another seven residents on the ground.

I was a 26-year-old police officer working patrol in a police ambulance as an EMT. My partner and I were dispatched to the crash scene, only to learn there were no survivors. With no need for emergency medical care, we were immediately assigned to a body recovery team. I’d never seen anything like it. The San Diego Police Department provided immediate counseling to all officers who worked the crash.

Fatal traffic accidents are a common scenario we towers face. If you tow for law enforcement or your company is an evidence contractor, you know the potential of having to respond to fatalities. Although we towers aren’t part of a coroner’s victim recovery team, the carnage we see is real. There are responsibilities and recovery techniques we deploy that sometimes result in behaviors or feelings after the fact, but knowing what to expect up front is key to surviving potential long-term emotional trauma.

The Reality Is? Working fatality scenes sometimes can get a hold of one’s innards and mental capacities and twist you inside out, 14 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

• A two-vehicle, high-speed, onhighway collision left one victim nearly severed in two and lodged under a small box truck. Towers had to lift and secure both truck and car before the coroner’s team could extricate the bodies.

• A small sports car lost control and lodged under a center divider’s high-suspension cable, decapitating the driver. The tower responds to learn that the driver is still within the vehicle.

Working fatality scenes is the dark side of towing and recovery, and requires towers to initiate their strongest will to overcome the potential psychological damages that comes with the territory.

Critical Instructions

If you tow for law enforcement or your company is an evidence contractor, you know the potential of having to respond to fatalities. “Roadside Memorial” photo

by Artaxerxes.

but only if you let it. Here are four typical fatality scenarios to consider how you might react: • An incident commander advises a big-rig tower that a passenger’s body is trapped beneath the underside of a rolled-over bus. It’s the tower’s job to lift the bus so the body can be recovered.

• An elderly woman mistakenly drove her husband of 58 years through the back wall of their garage. Their vehicle came to an abrupt stop atop his body. With the coroner on scene, recovery requires the tower to lie at the rear and under the vehicle and push the victim’s arm out of the way to hook-up the vehicle.

Working fatality scenes demands that tow dispatchers know who their “go-to guys” are. When towers arrive on-scene at a fatality, they need to park in an appropriate location that doesn’t destroy investigative evidence, deter patient rescue/patient extrication, or impede any on-scene task of police, fire or paramedics. This isn’t one of those scenarios to dispatch the new guy to.

Working fatality scenes always includes obtaining specific instructions from the person in charge of the recovery. Without delay, locate the Incident Commander and determine what their needs are regarding working the accident scene. Most likely, their instructions will include determining: • Does the vehicle have any holds for evidence?

• Which vehicle is to be towed for evidence?

• Does the vehicle still contain a victim(s)?

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• Am I clear to begin recovery? (Never commence recovery work until you’re told to do so.)

Control Your Mind I received a phone call from a young tower who upon working his very first fatality asked, “What kind of aftereffects will happen to me?” He asked how to keep it from bothering him and how to overcome recurring thoughts about the accident. He said he was so upset that he was afraid to go back to work.

Although I’m not a health care professional, one technique regarding vehicle fatalities is disassociation. This is one’s ability to visually and mentally commit to the work to be done in a non-comparable mental capacity. Don’t think of the fatality as having to deal with persons killed or deceased because of their vehicle’s activities. Disassociation is immersing yourself in the work and concentrating on the recovery aspects, and not that of the condition of the driver/passengers.

At the time you receive instructions from the IC, that’s the time to explain if you have specific needs in for what your recovery plan might be, whether you’ll need an additional lane, to turn around, additional towing or transport equipment. All of these are valid considerations when working recovery scenes.

Once recovery is initiated, go to work in a manner that plunges you into the recovery and not thinking of the vic-

continue to page 26

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TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • 17

Showing Off His New Baby in Baltimore

by Steve Calitri and Brendan Dooley

T

here may be no more thrilling way to experience the world’s premier tow show than to actually be in the show with one of your own wreckers, or two, in the American Wrecker Pageant Hall at the Baltimore Convention Center. Just take it from Mike Mazzio, owner of Mike’s Heavy Duty Towing, Brooklyn, NY, who has competed in the Pageant during AT Expo since 1997: “It’s a very good experience taking the trucks out there,” he said. “That’s family time, and a good time for meeting up with other people and friends in the industry.”

Mazzio has been successful in the pageant, though that’s not the main goal, he said.

“We’ve won first place maybe six or seven times, and a couple of Grand Champion trophies,” Mazzio said. “It’s good to go out and have fun with your guys and relax.”

Together, they get the trucks ready for the judges, and “get them organized, straight and orderly for judging.” The Pageant is judged by a system that incorporates the votes of official judges as well as attendees casting their votes in an electronic ballot on the floor.

Mazzio is entering his new Kenworth T880/Century 1150 RXP in this year’s pageant.

“I like the RXP; it’s a beefy truck to do towing and recovery with every day,” he said. “I especially like the new Kenworth it’s on. The new T880 is very

Pageant bound: Mike's Heavy Duty Towing in Brooklyn is bringing its new Kenworth and Century 1150 RXP to Baltimore.

18 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

comfortable—it’s like driving a car.”

There are three heavy-duty categories among the nine classes to compete in, including a rotator class. This year a Service Truck/Support Vehicle class has been added. The Pageant takes in a full range of sizes, including Vintage wreckers, pre-1985.

Anyone who has seen it will tell you that it’s the largest, most colorful, and most artistic truck pageant in the world. Each year, as many as 80 wreckers and carriers, working trucks and “show trucks” vie for American Towman’s coveted silver trophies.

As towers who walk the hall find out, aside from all the color, the Pageant Hall bursts with pride.

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Wire Rope Construction

by Terry Abejuela

W

ire rope is a complex machine of moving parts composed from a precise number of strands and wires that must work and move together for strength and flexibility in operation. The basic parts of a wire rope include wires, strands and a core.

A wire is made by drawing a selected grade of steel to a specific size.

A predetermined number of wires are then helically laid together to form a strand. The required number of stands are laid symmetrically in a specific length of lay around a core to complete the wire rope.

Wire rope is identified by its number of wires and strands. For example, 3/8 6x19 wire rope is standard for use on light-duty tow trucks. The diameter of the rope is 3/8” and the rope is made with six strands comprised of 19 wires each.

There are several different grades of steel that can be used to make wire rope. Improved Plow Steel is commonly used for 3/8 6x19 wire rope because it is a strong and durable steel that has great strength and high resistance to fatigue. Other grades of steel are available including Extra Improved Plow and Extra Extra Improved Plow steel.

Most wire rope used in the towing and recovery industry is manufactured with no protective coating or finish other than lubricant. This is referred to as a bright finish. In applications that require more corrosion resistance, a galvanized finish is possible.

Compromise There is no single wire rope that can do it all. Wire rope engineers design ropes with different grades of steel, finishes and construction to attain the best balance of strength, abrasion resistance, bending fatigue resistance, crushing resistance and cor20 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

New wire rope with flemish eye splice, thimble and swivel hook.

rosion resistance for a specific application.

All wire ropes feature design characteristic trade-offs. In most cases a wire rope cannot increase in both abrasion resistance and fatigue resistance.

If you select a rope with more wires to increase fatigue resistance, it will have less abrasion resistance because of the greater number of smaller outer wires.

A wire rope with fewer outer wires will increase abrasion resistance but decrease fatigue resistance. You must consider all operating conditions and wire rope characteristics when choosing a wire rope. Consider the original equipment manufacturer’s recommendations for your towing equipment.

Common strand construction includes Single Size, Seale, Filler Wire and Warrington.

• Single Size features strands made

of the same size wound around a core.

• Seale utilizes larger outer wires with the same number of smaller inner wires around a core wire.

• Filler Wire uses smaller wire to fill spaces between larger wires to improve resistance to crushing and provide a good balance of strength, flexibility and abrasion resistance.

• Warrington uses an outer layer of alternately large and small wires to produce a wire rope that has good strength and flexibility, but less resistance to crushing and abrasion.

The core of the wire rope is its foundation and its primary function is to support the wire strands and keep them in their relative position during

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TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • 21

Bending stresses are evident in this wire rope; wires and strands are shifting and adjusting to a bend.

the operating life of the rope. There are basically three types of cores: a strand center, a fiber center and an independent wire rope center.

• The strand center is usually used in stationary wire rope applications such as suspension bridge cables. It may also be used when severe crushing may be experienced.

• A fiber center is commonly used when flexibility is important in normal operating service. Natural fibers (like hemp) and manmade fibers (like polypropylene) are commonly used. Fiber cores can be pre-lubricated to protect the rope during storage and initial use. This pre-lubrication does not last and the rope must be properly lubricated throughout its normal service life.

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Wire rope wires, strands and fiber core.

• An independent wire rope center can be utilized when increased strength, greater resistance to crushing or resistance to heat is needed. These cores increase wire rope strength by approximately 7 percent but also increase the weight of the wire rope by approximately 10 percent.

Wire rope is identified not only by its component parts but also by its construction as it relates to the way the wires have been laid to form and how the strands have been laid around the core. Right lay and left lay refer to the direction of the strands. A right lay wire rope means that the strands pass from the left to the right across the wire rope (and a left lay rope the strands pass the opposite way).

Regular lay and lang lay refer to the way the wires are placed within each strand. Regular lay means that the wires in the strand are laid in the opposite direction of the lay of the strand. It is easy to identify a regular lay wire rope because the wires in the rope appear to run parallel to the axis of the rope. Due to the difference in the direction between the wire and the strands, a regular lay rope is less likely to untwist or kink. Regular lay ropes are also more resistant to crushing and distortion because they have a shorter length of exposed outer wires. Right regular lay is common to most wire rope applications.

Lang lay means that the wires in the strand are laid in the same direction as the lay of the strand. A lang lay wire rope is easily identified because the wires spiral in the same direction as the strands around the axis of the rope. Lang lay ropes have a longer length of exposed outer wires which results in better flexibility and abrasion resistance than regular lay wire ropes, but they are more susceptible to twisting, kinking and crushing.

Alternate lay means the strands are alternately regular lay and lang lay. This type of lay is not very common.

Lay also refers to a unit of measurement in a wire rope.

A lay length refers to the length for one strand to travel completely around the rope.

Rotation-resistant wire ropes are contra-helically laid and are different from standard ropes because they are designed to reduce rope torque. Rotation-resistant ropes require special handling, selection and usage. They are susceptible to kinking, crushing and unbalancing. Rotationresistant ropes should not be used with swivel hooks that

allow rope rotation. Rotation of the rope will cause a reduction in strength, and unequal loading. Rotational resistance is achieved by laying strands around the rope’s core in one direction and laying another set of strands around the first set of strands in the opposite direction. When the rope is under tension, opposing rotational forces are created between the inner and outer layers. Because rotation-resistant ropes are so different than standards ropes there are separate design, inspection, maintenance and removal criteria established for them. They are not common to the towing and recovery industry.

To get the best service from your wire rope, make sure to select the correct grade for your application and follow all of the manufacturer’s recommendations for use, inspection, maintenance and removal criteria.

Field Editor Terry Abejuela has 30plus years of light-duty towing-andrecovery experience. He is also a light-duty Level 1 instructor for the California Tow Truck Association.

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Beacons On! continued from page 16 tim in any way. Because recovery demands complete concentration, don’t let your mind wander to thoughts that a victim is still within the casualty vehicle, but concentrate on tasks and techniques of total recovery. In doing so, body parts become nothing more than thinking of them as debris, and blood is nothing more than fluids associated with fluids found at the crash site. Disassociate the reality of the fatality with it being on a working scene.

After working a fatality scene and you have something bothering you, don’t simply go into hiding and lock your feelings inside. Here’s a time that you’d be wise to let perhaps a fellow employee, supervisor, or family member know how you’re feeling. There’s nothing wrong with feeling distressed, and it’s well worth your sanity to first identify your feelings and then seek help to get back on track.

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Company’s Duty Owners and managers should be aware that some drivers aren’t built with steel-lined fortitudes. It takes a special resilience to respond to traffic accidents and recovery scenarios where visual carnage resulted. Towing for law enforcement means tow operators are most likely to be exposed to horrific carnage and death. Working fatality recoveries are far more demanding mentally than load-and-go scenarios.

Although most managers aren’t trained to handle persons with depression, a little compassion and empathy goes a long way simply by having a chat with your employee who just returned from working a fatality scenario.

If you know that one of your drivers just worked a fatal, take a moment to talk with them to help decompress their busy minds. Ask them how things are going and if they need to talk about what just happened.

If it’s their first fatality, explain gently to them that what they’re feeling is generally a sordid welcome to a job problem that’s generally overcome with time and exposure. You don’t have to have a Ph.D. to do so; just show consideration and compassion for what they may be experiencing.

continue to page 28

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Beacons On! continued from page 26 Allow them to vent some of their feelings. Once your meeting comes to an end, you’ll have an indication where their head is. Remember, a troubled employee may have a wandering mind that could get them injured or killed. Not everyone has the ability to handle stress in the same manner. If one of your drivers has worked a fatality and is experiencing some form of anxiety, your time spent could be beneficial to relieving mental stresses that might lead to a jobinduced Worker’s Comp injury.

Through the years, I’ve had several drivers express that they had weird feelings after they worked a fatal. These feelings don’t always surface the day of the accident. It could happen some days or weeks afterwards. Because I (as manager or owner) am aware of a potential employee experiencing worry, I make it a point to get with the driver and allow them an opening to discuss their feelings. Simple conversation lets them unwind and shows them you’re concerned for their welfare.

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As far as responding to Flight 182, I’ll share that I’ve never forgotten the carnage that crash etched in my memory. To this day, I believe that I still can smell and taste jet fuel even though it’s been more than 35 years since my job required me to wade through that total devastation.

Drivers, if you’re new to this industry and haven’t responded to a fatality call yet, this article is for you to learn what may be required. If you’re not able to accept the potential severities of working fatality scenes, you might consider working a different profession. That’s a choice you may have to ultimately deal with.

Operations Editor Randall C. Resch is a retired California police officer and has been in the towing and recovery industry for more than 40 years as an owner, manager, consultant and trainer. He writes weekly for TowIndustryWeek.com, and is a 2014 inductee into the International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame. Email Randy at rreschran@gmail.com.

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Innovation Group Buys USAC/MD Innovation Group, a U.K.-based global provider of software and business process services to the insurance and fleet industries, acquired USAC/MD. “We have been providing a set of claims solutions to the insurance and fleet industries for years, but didn’t have a towing solution,” said Lewis Miller, CEO at Innovation Group North America. “This is where USAC/MD fits in.”

A release said USAC/MD will remain in its headquarters in Dallas, Texas, and its entire management team will remain in place.

“The culture of both businesses are very similar,” said Staley Cash, executive VP at USAC/MD. “Combining USAC/MD and Innovation Group creates new opportunities for our service provider network. We look forward to extending our service

capabilities to Innovation Group’s clients.”

Unrelated to the acquisition, USAC/MD’s Jim Hurst has joined United Road Towing as VP of Business Development. He had been with USAC/MD since 1994.

“I have been contemplating this move for some time now,” Hurst said.

“This new opportunity gives me more flexibility in my day-to-day life. I can work from home, and spend more time with my family.”

“You cannot replace a guy like Jim Hurst. He will surely be missed,” Cash said. “I will step into Jim’s role— a job I have done before—and, fortunately for me, Jim is only a phone call away. We are looking forward to working with Jim in his new role.”

At URT, Hurst will focus on recruiting towers for the vendor network and Disaster Support Team.

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“The timing of my departure and Innovation’s acquisition of USAC/MD was completely coincidental. In fact, I am extremely excited for USAC/MD. This acquisition is very meaningful for the company, as it sets the stage for significant growth in the number of service calls USAC/MD will be dispatching to their network.

And, I am looking forward to continuing my relationship with all my USAC/MD colleagues in my new role.” “(Hurst’s) vast knowledge of dispatch operations and tower vendor support will enhance our goal of partnering with local-based towers to protect them from a third-party dispatch service in municipal contracts, as well as enhance our growing disaster support team network of qualified towers,” said Jerry Corcoran CEO/president of URT.

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Rush Expands in Texas Rush Enterprises expanded its Rush Truck Center (www.rushenterprises.com) in Abilene, Texas, to offer enhanced service to customers.

In addition to an extensive inventory of new and pre-owned trucks, the facility has doubled the size of its parts warehouse and now offers 18 state-of-the-art service bays, including a dedicated natural-gas-vehicle service area.

“We are pleased to offer these enhanced capabilities at Rush Truck Center-Abilene,” said Randall Craig, general manager. “Our expanded parts warehouse, best-in-class service bays and updated driver lounge ensure we can provide superior support to our customers while allowing them to relax in a comfortable setting,” he added.

TomTom PRO 8 Adds Driver Terminals TomTom Telematics recently introduced its new PRO 8 series driver terminals that are connected to the SaaS fleet management platform WEBFLEET, and are designed to integrate information captured in the field into back-end systems and enable decision-making based on real-time data.

The PRO 8270 and 8275 come with a mobile-device management platform to administer the various apps and workflow scenarios. This gives customers full control over platform and devices, and the ability to service the driver terminal remotely. Companies using this platform ensure information security and contribute to increased safety on the road by reducing driver distraction.

The new PRO 8 series (www.tomtom.com/telematics) is based on the TomTom BRIDGE and is the exclusive device platform that is fully out-of-the-box compatible with TomTom WEBFLEET. The PRO 8 series offers additional integration capabilities for customized apps using the new PRO.connect API.

Stertil-Koni Installs Largest Platform Lift Stertil-Koni recently installed one of the largest platform lifts of its type in North America and one of the biggest in the world, according to the company.

The new four-post ST 4600 has a capacity of 132,000 lbs. and is ALI/ETL certified. The drive-on platform lift was installed in a public works facility in Jersey City, N.J., where technicians who service fire rescue equipment and other large, heavy-duty vehicles will use it. The company (www.stertil-koni.com) said the installation took four days.

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Fax to: 888-847-6035 RS# 101 102 106 114 126 183 104 179 153 111 197 108 170 136 116 143 180 217 177 128 164 140 192 185 123 152 187 107 216 176 178 218 212 110 145 134 174 150 112 139 207 149 166 137

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Miller Eaton 17 MFR Express 17 New England Truckmaster N 79 North American BanCard 29 NRC 45 Nussbaum Equipment N 80 OMG 67 OneForm 28 Pacific General Insurance Agency S 80 Pardo’s Sales & Services MW 79 Parker Chelsea 47 Police Towers of America 72 Powerbilt 21 PWOF 15 PowerHouse Ind. 22 Recovery Billing Unlimited 48 Road America 28 Rochester Trucks N 80 Santander Bank 88 Santander Merchant Services 35 Santiam Enterprises W 83 SavaCOMM 53 Savatech 26 Smyrna Truck Center S 79 Sonetics Corporation 65 Specialty Vehicle & Equip. Funding 27 Steck Mfg. 16 Synergy Truck Equipment W 79 TowBook 42 TowIndustryWeek 72 TowLot.com W 82, MW 84, S 84, N 83 TowMate 35 Tow Trucks of America (TTA) 51 Tracker Mgmt.

71 Triple K Industries 54 Twin Cities Wrecker Sales MW 81 TwinState Equipment W 81 United Road Towing 59 USAC/MD 5 Utility Trailer Sales S.E.TX W 80 WreckMaster 44 Worldwide Equipment 53 Zacklift International 48 Zip’s Truck Equipment 87

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TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • 35

Raising

Crane Five SoCal Companies Cooperate on Complicated Lift

by Oscar Chavira

The 94,000-lbs. crane truck fell over on a house and was on a 13-percent grade with limited accessibility.

Anaheim Fullerton Towing; Anaheim, Calif.

O

n July 25, 2014, we were called out to assist on the salvage and recovery of a 94,000-lbs. crane truck that was on a 13-percent grade with limited accessibility in Laguna Beach, Calif. I responded with another operator and talked with the fire chief and city manager at the scene. We would need additional resources and agreed on a plan that required a joint effort between city maintenance, the fire department and several other towing companies.

We explained to city reps that the equipment we could use in recovery would depend on what we could drive up

36 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

the hill. We planned for a heavy-duty recovery team, a medium-duty recovery team and a combination of both; it all depended on what would best fit the circumstances.

That evening I created a plan and contacted seven other tow companies to assist (two could not). Bill & Wag’s, of Ontario, Calif., agreed to help, but wanted to assess the scene first. We met at the scene later that night. I advised that I had one rotator, two heavies and five medium-duty trucks set to respond the next morning. They agreed to provide another rotator, one heavy, one medium and a mobile mechanic. The mechanic would provide brakes to the front

axles of the crane truck to assist in recovery, and inspect the casualty before we would attempt to bring it down the hill.

The following morning we met the other four companies out at the recovery site, which included Bill & Wag’s, To’ and Mo’ Towing, B&D Towing and Aliso Viejo Towing. (One other tow company was called out and showed up, but left once he saw the situation.)

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

The equipment we could use in recovery would depend on what we could drive up the hill.

We started our recovery and salvage operation at 10 a.m. after the city assisted in demolition of landscaping and property so that we could get our equipment up the hill to put in position and start rigging. We started by using a 1-ton self-loader to relocate vehicles so that we could make room to get our bigger equipment into position.

The 60-ton crane truck’s boom was

TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • 37

A total of 12 wreckers from light- to heavy-duty were sent to the scene. Dual winch lines from one of the 50-ton wreckers went to the anchor points of the crane truck.

in a fully elevated position on the first stage with outriggers fully retracted.

A total of 12 wreckers including a 65-ton rotator, 60-ton rotator, two 50ton heavy-duty wreckers, a 35-ton heavy-duty wrecker, six 16-ton medium-duty wreckers, the 1-ton self-

loader and a service truck with mobile mechanic were sent out to the recovery scene. The equipment included: • Bill & Wag’s Kenworth T800/NRC 50/65 Rotator and Kenworth T800/Century 9055 and Isuzu NPR mobile repair truck. (Not used

but on scene: International 4300/Century 3212 16-ton.)

• To’ and Mo’ Towing’s Peterbillt 379/Jerr-Dan 35-ton, Kenworth T270/Chevron 16-ton and Ford F550/Dynamic self loader for relocating vehicles.

There were two plans of action in place depending on what equipment they could get up the grade.

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The crane truck falling over on the house in Laguna Beach, Calif., was well covered by local media and it was important to get the recovery right. ABC7 image.

• Anaheim Fullerton Towing’s Peterbilt 357/Challenger 9902 60-ton rotator and Peterbilt 378/Century 9055. (Not used but on scene: Peterbilt 330/Century 3212 and Peterbilt 335/B&B 16-ton.)

• Aliso Viejo Towing’s Kenworth T270/Century 3212.

• B&D Towing’s Freightliner/Vulcan V30.

There were two plans that we were ready to implement. The first, and preferred plan, was to use a combination of heavy- and medium-duty wreckers to perform the recovery with strategic placement of all the equipment that we could utilize. This is what we were able to do. (The alternate would have been to use a three-stage rotator on the low side to perform a vertical lift and to have seven medium-duty wreckers upright the crane truck, pulling it back onto its wheels after the rotator did the initial deadlift, then utilizing the rotator as the catch truck.)

The mechanic tapped into the braking system of the crane truck, which had four axles—four of the Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

wheels had contact with the ground.

Of the four axles, the two rear axles had spring brakes, the front two only worked on applied air pressure. One spring can was missing the clevis pin connecting the slack adjuster rod to the spring chamber. Since a brake adjustment must be performed with the brakes released and maximum air pressure built up, we had to approach the recovery as if the No. 3 axle brakes were out of adjustment and inoperable—even after the missing pin was replaced. Therefore the calculations were that one axle is all we had to hold and plant the 94,000-lbs. casualty on the ground, pointed in the direction of a 13-percent grade going downhill.

The mechanic disconnected the brake valves from the crane and connected constant air to the applied brake’s valve so that it would give us maximum braking on all four axles to prevent movement. Placing a person in the cab to apply brake pressure was not an option.

We ran dual winch lines from one of the 50-ton wreckers to the anchor

points of the crane and anchored an additional 16-ton wrecker to the 50-ton to prevent movement while performing the recovery. We ran snatch blocks to redirect the cables to the low side of the wreckers and perform a low line pull; we then two-parted the lines with snatch blocks to reduce the working load limit of the lines. We ran a total of four low lines, using an eight-part line system.

We also rigged a mid-level twopart line at the lowest point of the boom of the crane truck to assist with stability once it was upright, to control the crane as we lowered the boom. We cross-chained the counterweight of the boom using 6-3/8” Grade 7 chains with ratchet binders and 2-1/2” Grade 10 chains with binders to prevent the boom from swinging in either direction. (From what we saw in the video that the occupant of the house showed us, the boom’s counterweight swung to the low side as the crane went over.)

We removed the crane’s cable weight from the roof of the house with the 65-ton rotator, along with the crane TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • 39

block against the wishes of the truck’s owner. We needed to remove as much weight as possible for our sake and to prevent the weight and block from swinging or doing any more damage to the property. We also ran two twopart lines from the 65-ton rotator and the heavy wrecker that was connected to the boom in assistance with the low line pulls for the recovery.

We ran a catch line from the 60-ton rotator down below to prevent the boom from swinging in the opposite direction and to accomplish a fully controlled recovery along with an anchor line from the 60-ton rotator to one of the heavy-duty trucks to prevent any type of swing from our boom, since the rotator was catching at an angle.

After the recovery was performed and the crane truck was upright, we kept all of our lines intact until all of the fluids could work back down to the bottom and prevent hydro-locking.

The motor was fired up so that the

boom could be lowered back to its lowest position; we asked the crane truck’s owner to set the outriggers to stabilize the crane while its boom was repositioned.

Little by little, we started removing the rigging, initially from the low line pull. The brake system was reassembled so that we could have applied brakes when the crane truck was driven back down the hill. We were having a little problem trying to pull the wheel straps out since part of the straps were under the tire, so we asked the owner to back up just a bit.

When he tried backing up and the weight of the crane shifted and it spun the wheel, it was enough to scuff against the asphalt and at that point the straps were ruined.

After the ruined straps were removed, the crane was then winched back up the hill using a 50-ton wrecker and 65-ton rotator on the back end.

The crane’s rear axles continued coming off the ground and leaning as

though trying to roll over again. A 50ton wrecker was placed on the right side of the crane using a low-side pull with a snatch block and a mid-level pull at the counterweights to keep the crane from transferring weight to the left side, and to assist the rear trucks in winching by the front wheels together with the rear.

The wreckers did get the crane back onto the asphalt. The rigging was removed and the crane was backed up to stable ground. After eight hours of setup and rigging, the crane was righted and placed back onto its wheels with no additional damage to the crane or the property.

At that point we were asked not to do anything more as law enforcement was contacted. They didn’t want us to attempt moving the crane down the hill until a safety inspection was performed (by someone other than the crane owner ’s mechanic). Laguna Beach Police Department officers arrived and took notes and photos;

Lifting this crane involved several key crew members from five different companies (left). After eight hours of setup and rigging, the crane was righted onto its wheels and on the asphalt (below).

A catch line from one of the rotators attached to the crane truck’s boom to keep it from swinging.

then California Highway Patrol was notified and we waited on a CHP supervisor.

We were finally told that the crane was going to be taken in for investigation to one of the storage facilities. We were asked not to let the crane owner back into the unit. After the scene was written up and a safety inspection was performed, the crane truck was driven down by one of the tow operators. The casualty was escorted back to To’ and 40 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

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Mo’ Towing in Laguna Beach by two wreckers for storage and further inspections.

Editor’s note The photos accompanying this article came from a variety of sources, including drivers from the various tow companies, Scott Brashier, Laguna Beach Fire Department and Orange County Fire Authority. Thank you to all for helping illustrate this complicated recovery.

TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • 41

Peterbilt Axle Improves Efficiency Delivering improved fuel economy, reduced maintenance and lower weight, the Dana Spicer AdvanTEK 40 tandem drive axle is now available for all Peterbilt heavy-duty truck models, Peterbilt Motors Co. recently announced.

The axle design with AdvanTEK gearing and optimized integration with Peterbilt’s chassis is claimed to improve fuel efficiency by up to 2 percent, or approximately $1,500 in fuel costs annually.

The company (www.peterbilt.com) said customers can realize additional savings through lower service requirements and reduced downtime. For instance, it features the industry’s first non-maintenance U-tube breather that extends lubricant life. And less lubri-

cant is required with an on-demand lubrication system that only pumps when necessary, reducing the needed amount by up to five pints.

Durability and reliability are enhanced through the AdvanTEK 40 design. Optimum inter-axle driveline angles minimize noise vibration harshness to increase u-joint life and reduce wear on other components.

The axles also feature differential locking to provide maximum traction when needed.

The AdvanTEK 40 is ideally suited for direct-drive transmission drivetrains requiring ratios from 2.26 to 2.79.

Koster Joins ALT Enterprises Jerry Koster was named VP of Sales for ALT Enterprises (www.ALTENT.com), a manufacturer of LED

Number 115 on Reader Card

42 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

work lights and stop lights for tow trucks. He has 30 years of experience with the lighting industries in the towing and recovery market. ALT Enterprise is in Valencia, CA. The website is www.ALT-ENT.com

Check out AT’s latest digital edition at itowman.com

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TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • 43

Duracell Powers Forward in Disaster Relief The Duracell Power Forward program, known for donating batteries to those affected by natural disaster since 2011, is expanding its fleet and joining forces with The Weather Channel and Ready.gov to reach more people, more quickly during devastating storms.

With the addition of new vehicles and hubs in New Orleans, La., San Francisco, Calif., and St. Louis, Mo., the fleet’s goal (www.duracell.com/en-us/power-

forward) is to reach any storm site in the continental U.S. within 24 hours.

“Being in the battery business, we know all too well when a natural disaster strikes, power fails and communities aren’t always prepared,” said Jeff Jarrett, Duracell marketing director.

“Duracell believes a little power goes a long way in reviving hope, so we have committed to expanding our fleet and relief efforts.”

Teen Steals Nissan from La. Tow Company A Scott, La., teen who was unable to retrieve a vehicle from a towing company was arrested for allegedly breaking into the towing business and taking the car.

According to police, 17-year-old Jacob Lee went to Anybody Towing to pick up a 1986 Nissan Maxima, but was turned away because he did not have car registration and the temporary tag was expired.

Police said Lee later broke into the business, taking both the car and the tow company’s surveillance DVR box.

The car was later found less than five miles away.

Lee was also accused of fleeing from officers when they approached

him on the University of LouisianaLafayette campus. He was later detained when he went to the towing company with his father to return the DVR box.

Two other Lafayette teens, 18-yearold Zackary Kutcher and 19-year-old Joshua Williams, were arrested for reportedly aiding Lee in the theft.

Lee is being held on charges of obstruction of justice, two counts of unauthorized entry of a place, unauthorized removal of a motor vehicle, simple criminal damage to property, principal to theft, and two counts of resisting an officer.

Kutcher and Williams were booked for unauthorized entry of a place and theft. Source: www.katc.com

N.Y. Man Arrested, Drives Car off Lift in Repo A dispute about the repossession of a motor vehicle led to the arrest of a Utica, N.Y., man, police said.

Enrico Robinson, 42, of Utica, was charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief, police said. Robinson allegedly attempted to drive his car that was being repossessed off the tow lift, causing damage to the tow hitch Number 127 on Reader Card

44 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

of the tow truck, police report.

Prior to this incident, police were looking to arrest Robinson for an active arrest warrant for felony second-degree assault, officials said. It is alleged that on Sept. 15, Robinson struck an adult man in the face with a baseball bat, Utica police said. Source: m.uticaod.com.

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Sacrificing Quality … I Think Not!

by Mark Lacek

A

fter my recent column on Automatic License Plate Recognition technology (August 2014 issue), I received several emails on the issue. We have all seen police cars equipped with cameras mounted on each corner driving up and down roads both public and private. The cameras snap a realtime photo of every license plate it passes, and then sends the photo to a database. Before that information is sent into storage, the plate number is matched up against a list of wanted persons and stolen vehicles.

I get it; I’m all for taking bad guys and car thieves off of the streets.

Hey wait a minute … why does that tow truck have a camera stuck on each fender and next to the light bar?

Why did that camera on top of the pole at the mall just snap the photo of my license plate? That’s not law enforcement.

The cameras are not only for law enforcement. The practice of collecting license plate information is not restricted to our government-run protective services, but also legal in the hands of private enterprises.

As we have reported to AT’s readers, one of the industries utilizing ALPR is the repossession industry. If the last Repo Run column was unclear on how exactly this works, let me explain the details.

A bank sends delinquent account information to a company that provides ALPR data. Let’s use MVTrac, for example, an Illinois company that provides services to the banks while selling cameras to repossession companies. The repossession truck takes thousands of photos of license plates daily. From their website: “Financial institutions simply 46 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

upload their delinquent account details into the network, then use the real-time online database interface to watch MVTrac specialists manage the entire process. The vehicle ‘hotlist’ is distributed into MVTrac’s worldwide monitoring system, which consists of Automatic License Plate Recognition cameras for vehicle location; recovery specialists for fast, compliant recovery and field agents for remarketing services.”

Suddenly, the day begins with a very angry customer on the phone.

How this works on the repossessors’ end is easy. The camera mounted on the tow truck snaps a photo of the license plate, and the data is uploaded into the MVTrac storage files. If there is a match on a plate the bank has placed with MVTrac for repossession, the

agent in the tow truck is immediately sent a repossession order.

This sounds like a great service, expediting the process while saving money for the lender and the repossession company. Right?

Tom’s Story Recently I was at a repossession convention speaking to a repossessor who has ALPR cameras installed on his trucks. Let’s call him Tom (because his name is Tom). Tom said the cameras had several problems, including initial costs and frequent breakdowns.

Tom added that sometimes the assignment to repossess would be sent to a competitor who had contracted to repossess the car for a lower fee. He would receive a $25 check for a location fee—if the car was actually recovered.

He said the information is “less than real-time,” and if the bank’s customer sent a payment in that was received on a Saturday, accounts aren’t updated fast enough like, say, when the repossessor grabs the car on a Monday at 4 a.m. Suddenly, the day

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TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • 47

begins with a very angry customer on the phone. Tom said on a few occasions he was asked to take the car back— without getting paid.

Tom said he has been using the cameras for about a year and he has yet to show a profit. He plans to give it another six months, only because breaking even includes paying off the cameras (about $15,000).

Sacrifice Quality?

At this same convention, I learned that MVTrac President/CEO Scott Jackson would be in attendance. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to get some questions answered. I didn’t get a one-on-one conversation with Jackson, but did hear his comments on the convention floor about ALPR. When the question was raised about any shortcomings in ALPR technology, Jackson said “repossession agency owners must sacrifice the quality of service because of the volume of assignments.”

Jackson must not have understood how his comments would be perceived. In the towing and repossession business, when the owner of the towing or repossession company “sacrifices the quality of service,” people die.

Imagine cutting back on vehicle maintenance or lowering your hiring standards: think maybe an office location in a less expensive part of town or cutting cost on yard security. Maybe those reflective vests are a bit more costly than what the budget allows.

“Sacrificing the quality of service,” is not what a professional service provider is about. In America, we work

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hard to provide a service better than our competitor. In return, our competitor works hard to provide a better service than ours. This is what separates the best from the “just as good.”

Legalities Recently, the American Civil Liberties Union jumped into the activities of private enterprise tracking the movements of citizens without their permission. Check out the ACLU website and see for yourself why the ACLU is claiming ALPR is a privacy violation (www.aclu.org/alpr).

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also is looking into the possibility that the ALPR companies are violating third-party disclosure rules. The CFPB is an independent government agency responsible for consumer protection regarding banks, credit unions, securities firms, payday lenders and other financial companies operating in the United States (www.consumerfinance.gov).

Finally, recently I was at a function where I was speaking out against the use of both repossession assignment forwarders and ALPR technology. A company CEO said that I “have a lot of balls” in regard to my comments. I thank him and say I would be very disappointed to hear the opposite was true.

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Repo Editor Mark Lacek has more than 30 years of recovery experience and is the former editor of “Professional Repossessor” magazine. Email him at Mark@commercialassetsolutions.com

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Readers Respond to AutoReturn

In the Sept. 2014 issue of American Towman, Editor-in-Chief Steve Calitri interviewed AutoReturn CEO John Wicker about the company's controversial third-party dispatch model. As we already know, the company has been at the center of heated debates at an AT seminar during Tow Industry Week at the AT ShowPlace-Las Vegas, in online forums and municipal meeting halls across the U.S. We promised to run reader responses to that September Q&A in this issue. Please note that responses may have been edited by AT for space considerations and/or to eliminate redundancies. —Ed.

Calitri’s Low Down column, “Municipal Madness.”

As a towing company that does not have any contracts with any municipalities or police departments, it boggles my mind that the professional towers are willing to tow for such low return. Why are we willing to be used so that others can be profitable?

Wicker has the right idea in that he is going to get a proper return on his investment, which is why he retains “$130 of that amount” ($438 in San Francisco for a police tow) and the tower gets “$80 for an average light-duty tow.” He states the rent and costs of doing We have the was disappointed that you guys didn’t business as justification for getting $130 for ask about the app AutoReturn uses. It’s making a dispatch. The tower goes out in on YOUR phone, not one they give you. right to make a his truck that he is paying for, in addition It uses YOUR data and minutes. So, the to paying for fuel, insurance, wear and tower has to use the phone to accept and profit and to be tear, and taking all of the risk and is satisclear calls. … fied with $80? What kind of return is that I have noticed that other motor clubs on the tower’s investment? paid what our are going to this as well. Hopefully someThe towing industry needs to open its one will figure out a better way. eyes and look at the big picture. We have services are Mike Nichols the right to make a profit and to be paid via Facebook what our services are worth, not what worth. someone else feels they are worth. ere is my opinion with regards Recently, the city of Lancaster, Pa., to AutoReturn. I have read the many different con- decided to update its towing ordinance. The towers in the city tracts that AutoReturn has drafted with regards to attended the city council meeting and made their voices the towers in Pennsylvania. I attended the hearing heard. They told the council that they could not be profitable of the Pennsylvania House Veterans Affairs and Emergency with the limits that the council wanted to put on the rates for Preparedness Committee in May. I also watched the hearing towing. The towers said that they would not be able to remain again online to make sure I heard what was said. I watched in business in the city at the proposed rates. As a result of the the video of the AutoReturn presentation in Las Vegas. I read towing professionals stating their case, the council removed AT Editor Brendan Dooley’s article of that presentation. I also anything having to do with rates from the new ordinance. read the interview of John Wicker, CEO of AutoReturn. But AutoReturn, Agero, AAA and all of the other disthe best piece that I have read was AT Editor-in-Chief Steve patch/motor clubs only work if the towers agree to the terms

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that are set. They need us more than we need them. The towers in western Pennsylvania have proved that towers can unite and work together for the good of the industry. Stop the madness and stand up for your business rather than let someone else micro-manage it for you.

Gwen Null Null’s Towing

receive clear answers. Once again, I am unable to do the math Wicker’s way. I have seen the actual tow rates for San Francisco along with an actual invoice.

The invoice is for a front-wheel-drive Ford that was towed for being parked in a construction zone. The vehicle was in a parking space and towed 1.5 miles to a storage facility and stored for eight hours. No flatbed or dollies were required, though they were charged for it (possibly to elevate the fee).

The total ticket paid is $577. When the San Francisco just read September’s issue of American Towman, and tower was questioned in Las Vegas, he said he gets $54 for a couldn’t help but notice how two artibasic tow and would receive more for cles complaining about different issues dollies or flatbed. Let’s say he did receive in our industry seem to “say it all.”

We need to move $80. Taking the $254 city admin fee and First was Operations Editor Randall the tower’s take of $80 from the $577, that Resch’s article on “TIM.” It made it clear would leave AutoReturn with $243. forward with that there are really no standards in roadWhere does Wicker come up with less side safety procedures, and if there are, than $130? Wicker said that the SF towers they are not enforced by authorities and technology, think used to get $42 for a base tow; his contow company owners. The cities and tracted tower said in Las Vegas that he towns we clear the roads for, or owners outside the box, receives $54. Then I learned of another SF that hire us, don’t give a “rat’s ass” about tower who receives $52. how we do our work. Why would anySo here is the “Borowski math” and take hold of methodology. Fiscal Year 2014 for San one, especially a young operator, think they are doing anything that has not been Francisco had 37,023 tows on June 13, approved from the police to the Depart2014 (approximately 17 days short of a our future. ment of Transportation to company manfull year). At $254 per call, that’s $9.4 milagement? Bad work habits become lion for the city admin fees. AutoReturn’s standard practice, and we know the results that happen far to share at $243 per call is $8.9 million. The towers’ take at $80 often. per call is $2.9 million … and they did the actual work!

Second was the Q&A with AutoReturn’s CEO. It’s obviIs this what Wicker refers to as fairness and respect? ous that cities still do not respect our industry and the efforts Since I have been studying this third-party dispatch that many men and women put forward to do the best job approach, I have to say that I did not agree with another party possible. If AutoReturn can charge large and still return much in the mix between towers and their municipality. I have needed funds to the municipalities, all the power to them. learned that there are instances where towers are their own Obviously there was a need for improvement from the previ- worst enemy and will not comply with the requests of the ous system in whatever city you may choose. authority. But with that said, even if a third-party administraThe old systems that have been in place for many years tor/dispatch service is used, the public should not be charged are not as efficient or as transparent as some politicians and these exorbitant fees and the tower paid so little. I believe that city managers would like. They certainly didn’t add much this is a city’s way of finding money within their ailing budneeded funds to a city’s budget. AutoReturn shows us that gets. These city officials need to be exposed as to what their higher revenues are there to be had, but not by doing business actions are costing the public at the expense of the towers and as it always has been done. their industry.

We need to move forward with technology, think outside The public knows one thing: “I got towed and it cost me the box, and take hold of our future. Change is not only com- $577.” ing, it’s coming fast and hard, and is probably here already. It John Borowski, president Police Towers of America will be an opportunity for some, and will signal the end for others.

Here in Ontario we haven’t got it right either. In many his isn’t rocket science. AR brings nothing to the table ways it’s a bigger mess. Just my thoughts from a distance. that cannot be provided by local vendors. AR has a comSteve Redpath plicated computerized dispatch system. More and more Ottawa, Ontario tow companies get this every day. All of the major software vendors advertise in trade magazines like yours. Just look. want to thank American Towman for taking the initiative And yes, they can do what AR does. At least my software comto question John Wicker, CEO of AutoRetun, and get his pany (Beacon) can.

Benefits to the city and its police: AR twists reality when viewpoints through direct questioning. However, I was hoping that in a more relaxed format (not under the they say the city is getting out of the towing business. It looks scrutiny of a room full of heated towers) that we would like the city is staying in the towing business, transferring

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TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • 53

costs and often making a profit. In theory, cities should not be cials understand what equipment is necessary for a particular in the towing business. In reality, they often must be. They situation. Adding a third party’s interpretation that is in a should never profit from it. Can you spell completely different area of the country t-a-x? Call it what it is and AR should not would be absurd. assist any government in the deception Dispatching closest truck: AR hardly Other motor that this is good for the general public. has anything fancy here. My companies Rates and benefits to the towing indushave been utilizing GPS locators and clubs are going alone try: AR claims to increase rates paid to digital dispatching for many years. Our systowers. That is a lofty claim. Unverified tem allows us to dispatch the closest correct to this as well. truck the first time. rumors say otherwise. Regardless, AR only takes the cream off the top. They take Criticisms of AR contracts and paymost of the “profit” from local smaller busiments to cities: From a taxpayer point of Hopefully nesses. Municipalities almost shoot themview, if a service I receive and pay for is regselves in the foot by using a company like ulated by any government entity, I should someone will this because the “profits” are not reinvested have a clear understanding of what I am in the local community. AR wants to come paying for, without it being hidden in a configure out a in and “manage” all aspects of municipal tract provider’s bill to me or my insurance towing. Once the contract is signed, it’s company. better way. their way or the highway (Pennsylvania Five year contracts with cities, and atnotwithstanding). will contracts with towers: This just reinKey features that police departments like: This is going to forces AR’s ability to over control the industry. Like they have vary widely by area, however AR offering a single point of shown previously, you play by the rules that they want you to contact is without merit. AR only serves as a middleman. If play by or you don’t get to play. There is no opportunity to the local police need a tow truck they have to communicate address grievances. It is the AR way or the highway as they that desire or request to some entity. Adding a third party to hold ALL the cards. intercept, interpret and decide seems like extra work, very AR fees collection: How much extra does AR pay the inefficient and opening Pandora’s box for additional errors. tower for acting as its collection agent? AR certainly gets In our area, our local association works to help police offi- money for being the agent of the city. Fair is fair.

Motor club similarities and low-ball rates: AR is certainly a third party. Like a motor club, it is a company that works to make a profit. We certainly work to do that also. I think the difference is that the public can see what we do, whereas AR is hidden to them. Motor clubs often dictate or at least approve rates and they have been known to lower standards for a better price. It looks like AR lowers standards to protect its contract. You have to ask your self if this third party is even necessary? If you find that it is necessary, then is it just and proper? I can’t seem to get past the first question myself.

Political ramifications of AR and the fees they must receive to be a viable business: Steve Calitri, editor-in-chief with American Towman, said that it would seem the AR strategy is “fraught with political landmines.” I absolutely agree.

Politicians beware. Should we be looking at the financial disclosure documents of politicians in areas served by AR? AutoReturn and a city near you: Like it or not, here they come. I cannot effectively dispatch wreckers 80 miles away in Jackson, Tenn., because I am not familiar with the area. How can a company over 1,000 miles away effectively and properly dispatch wreckers in a town they have likely never even visited?

Politicians should be ashamed for putting a hidden tax on people in some jurisdictions and then making the tow company collect and be the bad guy. That kind of thing only makes us look bad when we are not. Our industry does not need that kind of assistance.

Philip R. Julian The AUTOW Group Cos. Number 100 on Reader Card

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Social-Network Recruiting

by Randall C. Resch

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watch how companies are using some of today’s social sites to recruit tow operators. Sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Craigslist are some of the favored web locations where companies go to look for or advertise for potential drivers, dispatchers and support staff.

According to Randall-Reilly Market Intelligence, drivers are a fleet’s primary Facebook audience, citing that more than 96 percent of a company’s drivers have a Facebook account. That’s a huge number to consider when looking for potential towers or driver-related positions.

For many commercial truck carriers, Facebook has become the go-to resource for drivers looking to change careers. I see companies like Crete Trucking, C.R. England and others periodically run ads on Facebook that target certain demographics like commercial truck drivers. It makes sense for tow companies to follow suit. There are qualified drivers out there who actively use Facebook and other social media to find prospective employers.

The key to using social media is producing an effective narrative and overview of your company’s strengths and reputation, and listing the agencies, entities and accounts you serve.

Consider these ways to use social media to your advantage: • Build a list of tow industry-related or similar sites, or persons involved in trucking, automotive, military, first responders, etc.

• Answer all inquiries with complete answers; don’t play games with anyone’s time.

• Have in mind the details you want prospective employees to know about your company, such as work hours, benefits, salary and insurance.

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• In the same manner you’d hire any employee, be aware, be concerned and be responsive to those honestly looking for career employment.

• Don’t be overly anxious to fill that empty seat.

• It’s a two-way street; employees look to find great employers, while employers are looking for the best match for their company.

Rest assured, most people in today’s social media have enough smarts to know that they’re being conned by someone only trying to fill that vacant seat. Your social media response has to go far beyond minimal answers to convince the respondent that your company offers them what they’re looking for.

Sometimes, those posting or responding on social sites are fishing for a greener pasture. How you respond should answer why your company is more attractive than your competitors. Be truthful, and do as you promise. Making promises up front and then not keeping them could result in a disgruntled employee writing a scathing narrative that trashes your company. If you’re a company that stands by its word, this shouldn’t be a problem for you.

Social media is simply another way of reaching out to find qualified and interested applicants. It could be beneficial with little effort on your part. If it leads you to finding a great employee for your team, you’ll have served your time and efforts well.

Editor’s note: This story originally ran on AT’s sister site, towindustryweek.com, which features industry news, training, recoveries, new products and more. Don’t miss out—make sure to check it out each week.

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Procision Automatic Excels in Practical Use

Kauff’s Transportation Systems in south Florida tested the Procision on a mediumduty 2014 Freightliner with Chevron 21’ LCG carrier wth Miller side-puller.

by Brendan Dooley

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aton recently unveiled its new Procision medium-duty dualclutch automatic transmission, scheduled to be available in the North American market by mid-year in 2015.

The new seven-speed transmissions feature a dual clutch and electronic shifting that uses grade, vehicle weight and throttle input to provide optimal fuel efficiency and smooth delivery of torque under all shift conditions. Gear changes are made by swapping the engine torque between clutches with the next gear preselected.

At a ride-and-drive debut event, I was impressed by the transmission’s programming that seemed to anticipate my moves. The one-tap downshift was smooth and easy, and the transmission’s “hold” when coasting down steep grades or when slowly climbing was reassuring to me, the driver.

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The driver likes how it shifts, especially ... where you worry about getting up to road speed from a standing stop.

Eaton (www.eaton.com) said its Dynamic Shifting allows the transmission to automatically switch between economy and performance shift schedules based on mass, grade and driver demand. Base shift results are modified dynamically based on available torque, engine acceleration and grade.

In addition to the ride-and-drive, Eaton’s Procision received thousands

of miles in practical use in the towing field already. Kauff’s Transportation Systems tested one of the units; the south Florida towing and transport company has around 100 light- to heavy-duty units in its fleet.

Kauff’s tested the Procision on a medium-duty 2014 Freightliner with Chevron 21’ LCG carrier with Miller sidepuller that received more than 55,000 miles of actual use over the past several months. Geoff Russell, president/CEO of Kauff’s, also served on Eaton’s Development Council for the product since its inception a few years back.

“They’re very simply a great for application on the turnpike here, with transitions from soft, wet ground and sand to the Interstate, which is a very hard transition for any transmission and especially an auto transmission,” Russell said.

“There were absolutely no problems. Our driver in this truck has been

The automatic transmission seems to anticipate the driver’s needs.Eaton Dynamic Shifting allows the transmission to automatically switch between economy and performance shift schedules.

with us for a number of years; he was comfortable with performance and the way it shifts.”

That driver’s previous truck was around 300,000 miles, so Russell is quick to note that there is some “newcar smell” variable to consider with the input. But overall, good reviews.

“The fuel economy is slightly better—probably 7 percent—and it’s in a truck that is slightly bigger on weight than what he was driving,” Russell said. (Eaton said the Procision delivers up to 10 percent better fuel economy than a similarly equipped vehicle with a torque converter automatic.)

The company said economy and performance shift tables can be adjusted to tune an overall calibration to meet any customer’s specific needs.

“The best thing I can say is that going from one transmission to the other has been seamless,” Russell said. “The driver likes how it shifts, especially when he’s stationed on the turnpike where you worry about getting up to road speed from a standing stop with approaching traffic. It performed exceptionally well, and far better than any manual [transmission].

“I anticipate we will inject a number of these transmissions into our fleet as time goes on,” Russell said.

He added that he’s looking forward to Procision’s expansion into Class 7-8 that’s coming, to spec into a number of Class 7-8 trucks Kauff’s is set to order in the near future.

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Military Honors

Action Towing’s truck memorializes all five branches on its light-duty Ford wrecker (above). The patriotism on Westway Towing’s Peterbilt/Jerr-Dan showcases soldiers in combat and the American Flag (below).

November’s Veterans Day Gives Pause to Remember Those Who Served

by George L. Nitti

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eterans Day on November 11 each year is a day to remember and celebrate the service and sacrifices of America’s veterans. When it comes to towing, patriotism and the U.S. military are common themes throughout the country.

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The action on Action Towing’s truck was inspired by the owner’s years of Army service.

These tribute trucks, which run the gamut from light- to heavy-duty, turn heads with their spirited imagery and fine graphics, elicit strong public support and win awards at tow shows; some are even used to raise money for selected military causes.

“How can one not love these trucks?

Most people share our patriotic feelings to the country and are stirred up by the graphics,” said Steve Preston of LW Towing’s camp scheme helped it win Best Carrier at the USA Wrecker Pageant in San Antonio, Texas.

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Sergeant’s Towing in Portland, Ore., who owns several military tribute trucks.

Of Sergeant’s 16 trucks, seven of them are dedicated to the armed forces, honoring the men and women of each branch of the military. They recently added a 2015 GMC 3500/Jerr-Dan autoloader that is dedicated to the memory of POW/MIA. “My father was a pilot in the Coast Guard,” said Preston. “When I was young, I was nicknamed Sergeant Preston, based on a TV series called, ‘Sergeant Preston of the Yukon.’ After working as a mechanic for several years, I started my own company and named it ‘Sergeant’s.’ ” Part of Preston’s plan was to merge his interest in the military with a way to organize and brand his company.

At Crockett’s Towing, their Peterbilt/Holmes “The Patriot” showcases the flag, fighter planes and bald eagles, and has a memorial to Raymond Crockett Jr., owner Tim Baumgartner’s brother-inlaw, who died from Agent Orange’s effects after returning from Vietnam.

“In some ways, we run our company like the military,” he said. “Our towers receive rankings. The higher the rank they attain—based on performance, experience, longevity—the better their rank and the more they are paid. Our retention rate is great due to this incentive program.”

Retention is also enhanced because their towers feel good about the trucks they drive and enjoy driving new equipment, which the company regularly incorporates.

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At Sergeant’s Towing, in a fleet of 16 trucks, seven have military themes that include flags, military seals and vintage fighter plane-style graphics.

max 6.2 diesel engine. With the right maintenance, the trucks should get 350,000 miles,” said Preston.

Their trucks convey military themes that include the use of camouflaged colors, black-and-white imagery, military seals and symbols, stars, flags and logos corresponding to causes like “You Are Not Forgotten” with their new POW/MIA truck.

“We spend a lot of time on the Internet researching the logo,” Preston said. “Then it is brought to the art department at Cortez Graphics, a local company, where it is digitally created.

They send us the proof and when we approve, they do a digital overlay on

the truck, full scale. It’s simple once the design is done.”

At LW’s Towing, of Frisco, Texas, recently got into the spirit of the military theme when they transformed a recent purchase, a used 2007 Kenworth T300/Vulcan 15 series heavy-duty bed.

Its camouflaged scheme was good enough to win the Best Carrier in the USA Wrecker Pageant at the International Tow Expo in San Antonio this August.

“I bought this truck for my son, Larry Jr.,” said owner Larry Haynie.

“He went to college for five years and then joined the Army. I basically bought the truck as a tribute to him.”

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Larry Jr. is serving in South Korea as a combat medic and has been there almost a year. Larry Sr. looks forward to the day when his son returns from the military to take over the business and drive the truck he created for him.

“The ’07 model was the first truck I ever wrapped. The rest are custompainted,” said Larry Sr. “There is no chrome on the truck. It was made as close to military spec as possible. All the colors are official Army camouflage colors. We got the paint codes off of the government’s website.”

Another great looking militarytribute truck, beautifully decorated, is owned by Tim Baumgartner of Crock-

ett’s Towing and Interstate, in Eugene, Ore. That truck was created as a memorial to Baumgartner’s brother-in-law, Raymond Crockett Jr., who died from Agent Orange, a lingering effect of the Vietnam War. A 2004 Peterbilt 330 called “The Patriot,” it has a custom-built boom and a 1982 Holmes 1601 (serial No. 1), and showcases superb custom graphics from Ed Hubbs of Full Blown Kustoms.

At its core are several bald eagles in different poses, each stunning and beautiful.

“What I find so extraordinary about [Hubbs’] work is that the eyes and feathers are made to look so real,” said Baumgartner. “It took Ed three to four days to paint it. First they did the yellow base and then he came in and did all of the detail work.”

Other graphics include the American flag that flows and waves across the entire truck, an image of an American Marine, warplanes and a sailor holding his lover in his arms. There is also the stunning graphic giving tribute to Crockett.

In Rochester, N.Y., Action Towing gave its 2012 Ford F-550 Crew Cab lightduty wrecker a military theme touting all five branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. Beautiful medallions, representing each branch, are clearly visible on the side and back of the truck.

According to manager Steve Wlosinski, Action Towing owner Craig Camp was inspired by his eight years of Army service. A focal point on the truck is a picture of his good friend Chief Warrant Officer Shawn Cronk to honor him and the life he gave in service to our country.

Just under Cronk’s portrait is a large image of three military men entering a HUMVEE. Next to that, soldiers walking in a field and a symbol, above, between the two windows, of the Wounded Warrior Project, with one soldier carrying another. The camouflage coloring on the front of the truck alongside the desert-sand color on the sides underpin the imagery. “Freedom is not Free” and “Support our Soldiers” are both prominent slogans on this truck.

Westway Towing, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has several trucks dedicated

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A POW/MIA ‘You are not forgotten’ light-duty truck is the latest addition to Sergeant’s Towing.

to a variety of causes: 9/11, fight against breast cancer, and the military.

One of their latest additions is a 2012 Peterbilt/Jerr-Dan HDL 1200 60-ton rotator showcasing spectacular graphics of armed soldiers in combat.

“We recognize all of the armed

forces on this truck,” said owner Craig Goldstein. “We actually had a threestar general call me to say thanks.”

What makes this truck stand out is how skillfully the graphics are layered, beginning with the American flag as a backdrop. On top of that sit various

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units of military men and equipment of different branches arranged over the entire body. The red, white and blue colors blend together and the company name is finely rendered on their doors and body, which states in large lettering “WESTWAY SALUTES OUR TROOPS.” “These trucks I design personally and the satisfaction of watching people’s eyes come out of their head when they see the trucks pass them is worth all the hard work it takes to create,” said Goldstein. “The smiles and sometimes emotional tears are brought out at every parade and function we attend.”

George L. Nitti has written for American Towman since 2009.

He started out as a news writer and now writes a weekly feature on TowIndustryWeek.com, Tow Illustrated, which spotlights the tow truck graphics.

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Make More

Money

in

PPI

OnlineParkingPass.com and Parking Enforcer are using technology to help towers make more money with less aggravation on private-property impounds.

by Brendan Dooley

Technology Is Changing the Game in Parking Lot Management 68 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

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t’s easy to make money with privateproperty impounds: Get a contract, post some signs and off you go. No fuss, no muss.

Err, right?

Any company doing PPI work is quick to say it’s a tough day’s work and the payday is hardly guaranteed.

PPI work nets most companies wrongful tows and bring-backs, paying drivers to patrol lots and check stickers (or paying spotters) and nearly 100percent angry customers coming in to pay impound fees. Where’s the profit?

More like, where’s the aspirin?

Two companies, though, have come on the scene recently in an effort to make impound work and lot management a much easier sell, and income base, for towing companies.

With the entrance of Online Parking Pass and Parking Enforcer, companies that include private impounds in the bottom line could see bigger profits by adding more lots that are more efficient to manage (and get less grief at the counter from violators).

Though both companies target PPI efficiency, their systems differ somewhat in execution.

OnlineParkingPass.com Started about four years ago (and spending two years in beta testing), OnlineParkingPass.com was developed by tow boss Rick Chambers to make parking management more efficient and cost effective for towers and lot managers.

“Our product is Internet-based. It’s just for parking management on private property, like in apartments and on college campuses; wherever you need to control the parking,” Chambers said. “Instead of looking for parking permits, drivers can ride through the lots and scan the vehicles from their truck.”

Chambers owns three tow companies in Maryland, and two just do PPI work. He said the beta testing through his own companies led him to add features like complete reporting information for the managements companies.

“Drivers get more information than just a permit,” he said. The readout in the truck shows the driver make, model, color, license plate, last four of the VIN. “This way, a permit issued to a gold Honda Accord that pops up on a black Cadillac, we know there’s a

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Parking Enforcer A permit issued to a gold Honda Accord that pops up on a black Cadillac, we know there’s a problem. problem. … There’s no more swapping of permits.

“The companies are able to turn permits on and off with a mouse click,” Chambers said. “It increases the ability to monitor property by 80 percent and increases accuracy to 100 percent.”

The system eliminates bring-backs and combats the “things that plague our industry, like ‘I forgot my permit’ and ‘I just moved in and didn’t put it in my car yet.’ Now you can verify by plate as well as permit to verify a new car registered to the property.”

Tenants and the management companies can take care of issues, like renewing and guest passes, 24/7 through an online portal.

“The management company is moved out of the process, and they love it,” Chambers said.

He said the system really shines in college areas and during inclement weather.

“In the college arena with multiple specific cars allowed on different lots, our system can automatically identify whether a vehicle belongs in that parking area. … It can separate out limiteduse violations, or residential from commercial on different garage levels.”

And no more lost days to snow or frost. You can’t scrape windshields to look for permits, and now you don’t have to, he said.

“You could lose 30 days per towing per year to elements,” due to frosted windows, “that you don’t lose anymore.”

The model at Parking Enforcer has been developed over the past year or so, and debuted during the Tow Industry Week Expo at the AT ShowPlaceLas Vegas in spring 2014.

For Parking Enforcer, President Dan Kendrick said the patent-pending system covers “soup to nuts” for tow companies to add more PPI business by making the task easier to manage and helping them market their services to more parking management businesses.

“When you add a property to the system, the property and tow company each have a system,” Kendrick said. “The system stores contract info, and the property sets up its parking rules and monitoring schedules.

“Each property is different on monitoring procedures and violations; it’s hard to keep track of violations for individual complex. Our system can pull info up and lists violations drivers should be looking for in that lot.”

Pro-Tow owner Joe Richard said that’s precisely what works well for him, where his company manages about 80 apartment complexes and retail lots in and around Overland Park, Kan. He’s been using the system just under a year.

“The beauty of the whole thing is we set up a property and [the properties] have their own login page and website instantly,” Richard said. “We can then go out and monitor a property and take pics of cars in violation for their terms—whether inoperable, expired tags, etc.—and send to the manager.”

Once a driver takes pictures of a car in violation, that information is emailed to the management office to approve, hold or decline scheduling a removal. All those that are approved are emailed back to the tow company for service.

“We’ll place a warning sticker about the pending removal on the driver’s window. … It takes some of the liability off of us, like the accusations of going through and towing at random. Now we can show the approval by the complex to take the vehicle,” Richard said. He said managers can

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also schedule removals on their own when they notice cars in violation themselves. Residents can also report suspect cars to the office.

“Like with any impound, when people come in to retrieve their car, of course they’re pissed and we hear all the excuses,” Richard said. “Saying they were ‘removed’ by Parking Enforcer takes some of the heat off of us. … When we print the picture of their vehicle in violation and show it to them, 99 percent of them say, ‘Oh, I guess I was wrong.’ All the [BS] stops there.”

Kendrick said that the system also

When we print the picture of their vehicle in violation and show it to them, 99 percent of them say, ‘Oh, I guess I was wrong.’

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makes it easier to keep accounts when apartment managers change—a common occurrence. Richard agreed.

“Apartment managers are like service writers at a car dealership— turnover is crazy,” Richard said.

“Many will have a tow company they want to use when they come in. When there is turnover now, where Parking Enforcer is in place, they’ll lose all the information they have. It’s just easier to stay with us once it’s in place and keep the record of everything we do and keep track of complex issues.”

The system has helped build ProTow’s cash business as well as its PPI. “We’ve added probably 50 percent new properties because of the system, a lot by word-of-mouth through the big companies that own several properties and love us at one and tell the others to use us too.

“When we pitch to an apartment complex, we also offer an ‘extreme multi-family discount’ vehicle assistance program for residents for onproperty service calls.” Richard said they give out cards for service calls with a number that goes direct to the towing company. While they offer a discount for on-property calls (to guests or anyone there, not just residents), he said most calls coming from that number are off property.

“It rings straight to us and they aren’t shopping around,” Richard said.

“As a Parking Enforcer Provider, our monthly fees are $59 for up to 10 properties with the ability to purchase additional blocks of properties as we grow,” Richard said. “Our average revenue for 10 properties is generating an additional $15,000 to $20,000 each month from removals and our discount service call cards that all of the residents have. Not a bad price to pay for all of the extra business!”

Whether you’re looking at getting into PPI, or trying to find ways to make it more efficient and cost-effective, there are emerging technologies at work to help you out. You can talk to both of these companies this month on the show floor at the AT Expo Nov. 2123 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Md.

Number 129 on Reader Card

Number 207 on Reader Card Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • 71

Towers Become Violent at Scene Employees of two competing Philadelphia, Pa., companies recently became violent at an accident scene.

A woman and a daughter were being treated by medics at an accident scene when tow truck operators from Central Penn Towing and Siani’s Towing began to argue. Things escalated, and a driver from Central Penn pulled a gun.

“The tow truck drivers facing off with each other, five or six in each group. They were yelling screaming, cursing, threatening each other,” said Bobby Morell, husband and father of the accident victims. “My daughter was on the gurney when the shots rang out,” he said.

Police arrived on the scene and arrested 26-year-old Wilfredo Rosario on aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and other charges. Investigators say he shot the owner of Siani’s in the hip.

“A new towing system was put in place by the city and things seemed to calm down, but now sources say Central Penn and Siani’s are at odds over parking lot towing rights,” said Police Lt. John Stanford. Source: www.myfoxphilly.com.

Report: Repo Work Rising Car repossessions jumped 70.2 percent in the second quarter, with much of that increase coming from finance companies not run by automakers, banks or credit unions, according to a report appearing in USA Today.

The newspaper cited a report that said, “The repo man is getting very busy as a growing number of car and truck owners are struggling to make their monthly auto loan payments.”

Melinda Zabritski, senior director of automotive finance for credit reporting bureau Experian, said that borrowers with subprime and deep subprime credit scores are primarily the ones

Number 104 on Reader Card

72 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

who are driving the surge in delinquencies and repossessions. Source: www.usatoday.com.

Man Damages Truck in Attempted Repo Joseph Ryan, 30, was recently arrested in Silver Creek, N.Y., when he attempted to stop a repo agent from repossessing his vehicle and caused damage to the tow truck.

Deputies responded to reports that a man was becoming disorderly as his vehicle was being repossessed. They say Ryan got into his vehicle while it was in tow and began spinning the vehicle’s tires to attempt to get it off the flatbed. The vehicle ended up partially off the side of the tow truck, where it became lodged, causing damage to the tow truck.

Ryan was arrested and charged with second-degree reckless endangerment. Additional charges were pending at press time. Source: wivb.com.

Number 206 on Reader Card

Number 178 on Reader Card

Number 192 on Reader Card Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • 73

Why So Serious?

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

J

amey Garner started Garner’s Towing Service in Fortville, Ind., in 1984. He has built the business into one of the most respected in the area based on his passion for the industry. His fleet of custom trucks has won many awards and has earned him a reputation for doing some amazing custom paint.

Garner’s is a full-service facility that offers mechanical repairs besides bodywork and outstanding paint.

They handle all aspects of towing and recovery, from light-duty towing to heavy-duty recovery. Garner saw a need for an off-road recovery vehicle so he built this one to fill that need.

The business end of “Why So Serious?” is a modified Holmes 440 series wrecker.

74 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

“Why So Serious?” is Garner’s offroad recovery wrecker, built from a 1984 Chevy C20 pickup with a 1972 Holmes 440 on the business end.

The Holmes 440 has a low profile eight-ton recovery boom equipped with twin lift cylinders for greater stability and 8000-lbs. winches mounted directly to the recovery boom to ease operation of cables when lowering and elevating the boom. The body came standard with features such as an integrated driver’s side tool compartment to help prevent rust, removable access covers for easy maintenance and rear “L” arm storage tubes for easier and quicker hookups … but this rig

is anything but stock. It’s received the full Garner’s treatment.

“This is farm country. We needed something that could handle the calls for stuck equipment in the fields,” said Manager Mike Scheidt, in charge of Garner’s heavy-duty division. “Conventional light- and medium-duty wreckers just don’t have the traction or clearance for working recoveries in the fields and the bigger wreckers are just too heavy and would get stuck in the soft ground. So we custom-built this unit to handle those situations. We modified the boom and bed. The mast and tailboard are still stock Holmes.”

To get it down—and off—the road,

This off-road recovery rig is a regular in the farm fields around Fortville, Ind.

Tech Highlights Chassis: 1984 Chevy C20.

Wrecker: 1972 Holmes 440, modified.

Engine: 400 Chevy small block.

Trans: Muncie top-loader four-speed.

Winches: Holmes 8000-lbs.

Builder: Garner’s.

Paint/graphics: Garner’s.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

this workhorse is powered by a 400 Chevy small-block engine mated to a Muncie top-loader four-speed transmission. To give it the needed clearance, the crew added 16” of lift.

This rig is equipped with monster 44” Super Swamper Bogger tires (which are built primarily for the professional mud bogger).

“The tire is versatile, DOT approved and street legal and easy to modify. We cut every other tread to make it more aggressive like we do on our monster trucks,” Scheidt said.

Following the same signature design that has made all of his trucks distinctive, Garner painted the unit inhouse.

“This custom-built 4x4 off-road wrecker isn’t just a pretty face,” Scheidt said. “It was built to be a working machine and it is. There are miles and miles and miles of corn and soybean fields in our area. We have used this off-road wrecker to recover every kind of farm equipment, including combines, harvesters and many, many tractors.

“As equipment gets bigger, the farm ground can’t support it. We had a lot of rain this year and did many more recoveries in the fields than we had in previous years. It has become a valuable, useful member of our fleet.”

There is no doubt that this actually is one serious rig!

TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • 75

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76 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

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Call 800-732-3869 E. Rosengart x 203 erosengart@towman.com D.Ortiz x 213 dortiz@towman.com Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • 77

Judge AutoReturn Going Forward

by Steve Calitri

J

ohn Borowski continues to attack AutoReturn and its CEO John Wicker over the issue of towing rates charged in San Francisco, Calif., the first city AutoReturn contracted with to manage towing and rotation, 10 years ago. I agree with John that that deal stinks for the motorist and the tower. The city is taking the motorist and the towers for a ride.

AutoReturn started that contract, according to Wicker, with the city taking a $35 administration fee. Over time that fee escalated to today’s $254. According to the published Schedule of Fees, there is also a base “towing fee” of $218, of which the tower is paid a sum that still is unclear, but falls into a range of $54 to $80.

I don’t object to AR making a profit. They have their costs running a major impound yard as well as administering the AR dispatch system. If towers were making the $254 instead of the city and the city was taking $54, there would not be any controversy. Everyone would be getting their fair share.

While I don’t like the San Francisco deal, I give Wicker a pass on it, and I’ll tell you why. An outside contractor cannot control a city’s bureaucratic politics. Towers know that from their own experience. Given the cities that AR has subsequently signed on to manage towing and rotation, and reports that towers’ rates in these cities are fair, the cities’ take reasonable, and AR’s take in reason, I think it would do tow bosses good to focus on what AR is doing now and how it is treating towers overall.

The San Francisco deal is an issue for San Francisco towers to address.

78 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

No tower should be pulling in less than $100 a tow. It’s also the kind of deal that AutoReturn may have figured out by now isn’t in its own best interest; AR’s best interests going forward should be aligned with the independent towers, not just the city bureaucracies.

Indeed, the towers have the investment in the necessary equipment and do the work. They also have political relationships and influence in their respective municipalities.

Towers are the greatest service professionals in America. They need to be paid on the value of their work.

But towers are their own worst enemies. Few charge what they should be charging. Dealing with towers in a given town can be like poking into a hornet’s nest. City authorities reportedly have their headaches dealing with rotation management. Towers reportedly have their discontent with the politics of it all.

AR’s management of towing dispatch and rotation faces inherent discontent—not everyone is going to be happy. That has always been the case.

Yet some towers have spoken out that AR’s system and how it deals with rotation is fair. Let’s see what the deals are in new cities that AR takes on.

AT will continue to report on cityregulated rates and developments with third-party dispatchers. We also invite towers to attend John Borowski’s seminar in Baltimore, Md., on Nov. 21 during AT Expo. He will discuss why cities are welcoming third-party management of towing and rotation, and how his Police Towers of America is offering an alternative third-party system.

American Towman Magazine will be in full force covering AT Expo in Baltimore. Editors Brendan Dooley, Randall Resch, and Terry Abejuela will be there, talking to towers and exhibitors alike, occasionally hanging at the AT booth on the show floor, and sharing duties either giving seminars or introducing seminars, when not judging trucks in the American Wrecker Pageant. Same with Charles Duke, editor of TowIndustryWeek.com, who will be emceeing events, including the Pageant Winners Ceremony.

Emily Oz will be at the events and on the show floor looking for new product developments to present on AmericanTowmanTV.com.

And she’ll interview tow business owners at the AT booth on the most pressing challenges facing the towing industry today. Emily with the ATTV cameraman and AT photographers will have their hands full with all the goings-on on the floor, from exhibits to the wrecker pageant, to the luxury vehicle training conducted by Allstate Roadside Services.

Repo Run Editor, Mark Lacek, will be conducting a Repo seminar for those towers considering getting into the repo field, as repo activity has spiked in the U.S. This seminar is sponsored by RepoTimes.com, another outlet of AT Media.

Number 153 on Reader Card

Number 171 on Reader Card Work the non-traffic Side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • NORTH 79

Wisconsin Creditors Want PADs Creditors are urging Wisconsin to change its stance regarding starter interrupters and GPS trackers, referred to as payment assurance devices. The state outlawed the use of PADs, saying that they constitute “an improper repossession.”

Creditors are arguing that with the extra protection PADs provide for collateral, consumers that otherwise couldn’t qualify to buy cars now could. On the other hand, debtors say PADs are an invasion of privacy and are dangerous, with some claiming their cars were shut off while idling or driving, even on the highway.

Nationwide, car dealerships and lenders are increasingly using PADs to protect their collateral, especially for loans made to subprime borrowers. According to The New York Times, about 2 million vehicles are equipped with PADs. Source: www.postcrescent.com.

Number 124 on Reader Card

Woman Becomes Violent During Repo Spartanburg County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Tiffany Neely after she assaulted the man trying to repossess her car.

According to deputies, Neely became violent with an employee from Mission Towing and Recovery, when they had found Neely’s SUV hidden in her backyard.

The driver hooked up the SUV and was about to pull off with it when Neely walked up and told him to get away from her car.

According to reports, Neely then attacked the driver with a knife, hitting him in the face above his eye, before pulling out a gun. Deputies said the driver was wounded by the knife’s handle.

Neely was charged with assault and battery third-degree and was released on $2,000 bond.

This was the second run-in Mission Towing had with a repossession in a few months. In July, they shot cellphone video of a woman damaging a car they were trying to repossess, and damaged the tow truck in the process. Source: www.foxcarolina.com.

Number 168 on Reader Card

NORTH 80 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

Number 152 on Reader Card

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TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • NORTH 81

Close Call Causes Owner to Act

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A driver’s close call shook up tow company owner Bennis Moss, to the point of launching a campaign to educate motorists about the Move Over law.

Driver David Perks of Moss Towing in Bay St. Louis, Miss., was working on the Interstate picking up an RV when he came close to losing his life. An 18wheeler traveling at 70 mph sideswiped his tow truck, causing major damage.

“I had just stepped away from the truck. It could have easily been me,” he said. Moss’ first initiative is cutting a series of public service announcements at a local radio station. He plans to lobby for more signs on the roadways, reminding motorists about the law.

“We have the lights on the trucks for a reason,” said Moss, “and that’s to let people know we’re out there working on the roadside, and we need them to slow down and move over just to be safer on us. We’ve noticed, since the law has been in place, it’s not really changed us a whole lot.” Source: www.wlox.com.

La. Installs ‘Move Over’ Signage

Download music on iTunes and Amazon.com NORTH 82 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

Louisiana has announced the installation of several dozen “Move over for emergency vehicle” signs throughout the state in support of the “Move Over” law. The signs, placed along major travel routes and state line crossings, are designed to serve as a reminder to motorists to slow down and make a lane change to the left, if possible, when coming upon a disabled vehicle.

“First responders across our state and the nation routinely risk their lives to provide emergency services to citizens in need on our roadways,” said State Police Superintendent Col. Mike Edmonson.

“While Louisiana’s ‘Move Over’ law has been in effect for a number of years, these signs will bring increased awareness to the responsibility each driver has to keep both our emergency workers and citizens safe.”

“I am very happy to see the installation of these signs,” said Louisiana DOT and Development Secretary Sherri H.

LeBas. “They will be a constant reminder to motorists on proper driving etiquette when encountering emergency vehicles on the roadway, and most importantly it will help keep our emergency vehicle personnel safe.” Source: www.myarklamiss.com.

Colorado Towing Task Force Announced Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper recently announced the members of that state’s Towing Task Force.

The task force will be comprised of eight people.

Among the appointed were John Patrick Connolly of Connolly’s Towing; William Thompson, towing general manager at Western Distributing Trans Corp., and Ronald D. Jack of the Colorado Public Utilities.

Other appointees include representatives from motor carrier and automobile owners associations, insurance companies, law enforcement, and private property owners who contract for towing services.

Established this year, the task force will make recommendations to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission about the maximum rates that may be charged for the recovery, towing and storage of a vehicle of non-consensual tows. It also advises the commission concerning investigations of overcharges made by towing carriers. Source: insurancenewsnet.com.

Number 137 on Reader Card Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • NORTH 83

Five Strategies to Ensure Family Business Success

by Henry Hutcheson

N

on-family businesses can learn a lot from family businesses. Family businesses outperformed non-family businesses during the boom years leading up to the 2008 recession, and during the 2001 and 2008 recession years, according to a recent Harvard Business Review study.

My new book, “Dirty Little Secrets of Family Business,” shows family businesses were less likely to lay off workers during the lean times, and more likely to maintain their emphasis on socially responsible programs.

But that’s just the businesses that survived.

Many closed their doors.

With 25 years of business management and family business consulting experience, I’ve seen the patterns that can lead to major problems. And they’re almost always preventable.

The factor that enables family businesses to rise to the top is trust: Family members can potentially trust one another far more than non-family members. But trust can erode—when a family member can’t or won’t perform at the necessary level; when there’s a sense of entitlement; drug abuse; laziness. And that can have serious, business-killing consequences.

If the business is professionalized, there will be a way to deal with those issues. But too often, safeguards are not in place.

Top success strategies for family businesses include: • Keep the lines of communication open. Schedule regular family meetings to discuss issues of concern and topics such as business transition, business performance and responsibilities. Include all of the family members, no matter where in the hierarchy their jobs fall; exclusion

As the saying goes, “I shook my family tree and a bunch of nuts fell out.” When it comes to working with family, assigning clear roles and making sure relatives are properly trained for their jobs are key elements.

creates animosity. Create a family manual that lays out the ground rules for how the meetings will take place to ensure everyone gets a chance to be heard and impediments to communication are left at the door.

• Assign clear roles and responsibilities. As a family member, it’s natural to feel that everything is “my” business.

However, not everything is every family member’s responsibility. Job definitions prevent everyone from jumping in to tackle the same problem, and help ensure the business runs smoothly.

• Keep good financial data. The downfall of many small businesses and family businesses is not having solid data. Have a single point of contact to manage the finances. If you’re small enough, you can rely on a family member. Otherwise, you’ll need to bring in a qualified accountant. You may cringe at the cost for this, but the difference between a good accountant and a bad one is the difference between knowing exactly where you are on the road and trying to drive with a mud-covered windshield.

NORTH 84 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

• Avoid overpaying family members.

Market-based compensation is fundamental and essential. Parents in family businesses tend to overpay the next generation, or pay everyone equally despite differing levels of responsibility. Both are bad practices. The longer unfair compensation practices continue, the messier it will be to clean up when it blows up.

• Don’t hire relatives if they’re unqualified. Competence is key. Family businesses are a conundrum: The family aspect generates unqualified love, while the business side cares about profits.

Thus, family members will be hired to provide them with a job, even though they’re not qualified. The remedy is to get them trained, move them to a role that matches their skills, or have them leave.

More than 70 percent of all businesses are family businesses; they account for a significant number of new jobs and a large portion of the GDP. But that’s not the only reason they’re so important. They’re motivated by profits, but also by other important considerations: pride in the family name, building something for future generations, philanthropy.

For those reasons, they contribute in tremendous ways to social stability. They make our communities better.

About the Author Henry Hutcheson is president of Family Business USA and specializes in helping family and privately held businesses successfully manage transition, maintain harmony, and improve operations. His newest book is “Dirty Little Secrets of Family Business: How to Successfully Navigate Family Business Conflict and Transition,” (www.dirtylittlesecretsoffamilybusiness.com). Hutcheson grew up working for his family’s business, Olan Mills Portrait Studios. He studied psychology and has an MBA from Columbia Business School, and is a popular speaker at professional, university and corporate-sponsored events.

Copyright 2014 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, 7 West St, Warwick NY 10990

Number 104 on Reader Card

Number 113 on Reader Card Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • SOUTH 79

Wisconsin Creditors Want PADs Creditors are urging Wisconsin to change its stance regarding starter interrupters and GPS trackers, referred to as payment assurance devices. The state outlawed the use of PADs, saying that they constitute “an improper repossession.”

Creditors are arguing that with the extra protection PADs provide for collateral, consumers that otherwise couldn’t qualify to buy cars now could. On the other hand, debtors say PADs are an invasion of privacy and are dangerous, with some claiming their cars were shut off while idling or driving, even on the highway.

Nationwide, car dealerships and lenders are increasingly using PADs to protect their collateral, especially for loans made to subprime borrowers. According to The New York Times, about 2 million vehicles are equipped with PADs. Source: www.postcrescent.com.

Number 180 on Reader Card

Number 107 on Reader Card

SOUTH 80 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

Woman Becomes Violent During Repo Spartanburg County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Tiffany Neely after she assaulted the man trying to repossess her car.

According to deputies, Neely became violent with an employee from Mission Towing and Recovery, when they had found Neely’s SUV hidden in her backyard.

The driver hooked up the SUV and was about to pull off with it when Neely walked up and told him to get away from her car.

According to reports, Neely then attacked the driver with a knife, hitting him in the face above his eye, before pulling out a gun. Deputies said the driver was wounded by the knife’s handle.

Neely was charged with assault and battery third-degree and was released on $2,000 bond.

This was the second run-in Mission Towing had with a repossession in a few months. In July, they shot cellphone video of a woman damaging a car they were trying to repossess, and damaged the tow truck in the process. Source: www.foxcarolina.com.

Number 111 on Reader Card

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Number 179 on Reader Card

TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • SOUTH 81

Ga. Woman Arrested in Altercation

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Jasmine Nicole Dowdy, 25, of Athens, Ga., was arrested after she tried to prevent a repo agent from repossessing her SUV, according to police.

Dowdy ran out of her home screaming as the repo agent from Outlaw Recovery prepared to attach the SUV to his wrecker; she then got into the SUV and drove it forward, striking the wrecker, She backed up in an attempt to drive away, but the employee closed the gap so she could not get around the wrecker, according to police.

She struck the tow truck a second time, then drove backward and struck a neighbor’s car, sending it six feet from its parking space. The SUV got stuck on some grass, police said, because it stayed in place while the wheels spun as Dowdy tried to drive away.

Dowdy was charged with reckless conduct, two counts of criminal trespass and driving while her license was suspended, police said. Source: http://onlineathens.com.

Repo Agent Threatened

Download music on iTunes and Amazon.com SOUTH 82 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

A repo agent attempting to repossess a car was threatened with a handgun in Rochester, Minn.

Rochester police said a man was working to repossess a car found parked in a KFC parking lot. When the agent attempted to hook to the car, he found 23-year-old Anthony Wallace in it. Wallace, who police said was homeless and living in the car, maneuvered the vehicle out of the spot and took off.

Wallace ran several stop signs, according to police, and stopped less than a mile later. When the repo agent pulled up next to the car, Wallace allegedly flashed a handgun at him.

The agent called police and officers arrested Wallace.

Wallace is facing a charge of second-degree assault, as well as several other charges. Source: www.kttc.com.

Five Strategies to Ensure Family Business Success

by Henry Hutcheson

N

on-family businesses can learn a lot from family businesses. Family businesses outperformed non-family businesses during the boom years leading up to the 2008 recession, and during the 2001 and 2008 recession years, according to a recent Harvard Business Review study.

My new book, “Dirty Little Secrets of Family Business,” shows family businesses were less likely to lay off workers during the lean times, and more likely to maintain their emphasis on socially responsible programs.

But that’s just the businesses that survived.

Many closed their doors.

With 25 years of business management and family business consulting experience, I’ve seen the patterns that can lead to major problems. And they’re almost always preventable.

The factor that enables family businesses to rise to the top is trust: Family members can potentially trust one another far more than non-family members. But trust can erode—when a family member can’t or won’t perform at the necessary level; when there’s a sense of entitlement; drug abuse; laziness. And that can have serious, business-killing consequences.

If the business is professionalized, there will be a way to deal with those issues. But too often, safeguards are not in place.

Top success strategies for family businesses include: • Keep the lines of communication open. Schedule regular family meetings to discuss issues of concern and topics such as business transition, business performance and responsibilities. Include all of the family members, no matter where in the hierarchy their jobs fall; exclusion

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

As the saying goes, “I shook my family tree and a bunch of nuts fell out.” When it comes to working with family, assigning clear roles and making sure relatives are properly trained for their jobs are key elements.

creates animosity. Create a family manual that lays out the ground rules for how the meetings will take place to ensure everyone gets a chance to be heard and impediments to communication are left at the door.

• Assign clear roles and responsibilities. As a family member, it’s natural to feel that everything is “my” business.

However, not everything is every family member’s responsibility. Job definitions prevent everyone from jumping in to tackle the same problem, and help ensure the business runs smoothly.

• Keep good financial data. The downfall of many small businesses and family businesses is not having solid data. Have a single point of contact to manage the finances. If you’re small enough, you can rely on a family member. Otherwise, you’ll need to bring in a qualified accountant. You may cringe at the cost for this, but the difference between a good accountant and a bad one is the difference between knowing exactly where you are on the road and trying to drive with a mud-covered windshield.

• Avoid overpaying family members.

Market-based compensation is fundamental and essential. Parents in family businesses tend to overpay the next generation, or pay everyone equally despite differing levels of responsibility. Both are bad practices. The longer unfair compensation practices continue, the messier it will be to clean up when it blows up.

• Don’t hire relatives if they’re unqualified. Competence is key. Family businesses are a conundrum: The family aspect generates unqualified love, while the business side cares about profits.

Thus, family members will be hired to provide them with a job, even though they’re not qualified. The remedy is to get them trained, move them to a role that matches their skills, or have them leave.

More than 70 percent of all businesses are family businesses; they account for a significant number of new jobs and a large portion of the GDP. But that’s not the only reason they’re so important.

They’re motivated by profits, but also by other important considerations: pride in the family name, building something for future generations, philanthropy.

For those reasons, they contribute in tremendous ways to social stability. They make our communities better.

About the Author Henry Hutcheson is president of Family Business USA and specializes in helping family and privately held businesses successfully manage transition, maintain harmony, and improve operations. His newest book is “Dirty Little Secrets of Family Business: How to Successfully Navigate Family Business Conflict and Transition,” (www.dirtylittlesecretsoffamilybusiness.com). Hutcheson grew up working for his family’s business, Olan Mills Portrait Studios. He studied psychology and has an MBA from Columbia Business School, and is a popular speaker at professional, university and corporate-sponsored events.

TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • SOUTH 83

Mom, Son Charged in Repo Attempt A Sioux Falls, S.D., teen accused of aiming a loaded handgun at a repo agent is facing assault and drug charges after a traffic stop that closed off a portion of a Sioux Falls street.

The repo agent was threatened as he tried to repossess a Nissan 350, according to the Sioux Falls Police Department.

The victim called police and kept dispatchers updated on the vehicle's location.

Officers caught up with the sports car as 18-year-old Justus Zafft and his 52-year-old mother, Lesa Zafft, were called from the vehicle and detained in a parking lot.

Police found a loaded gun, as well as methamphetamine, marijuana and cash inside the car.

Justus Zafft was charged with aggravated assault. Mother and son were both charged with possession of

marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and ingestion. Source: www.argusleader.com.

Father, Sons Accused in Ring The owner of an auto yard in Portland, Ore., has been accused of heading up a family-run ring of illegal tow truck drivers who were paid in cash for delivering stolen vehicles to be crushed for scrap.

A local newspaper said 34 people have been indicted in an investigation that began more than a year ago. Portland police placed surveillance cameras outside two auto yards, and identified 110 stolen vehicles.

Tony Dreu Schneider Sr., 51, pleaded not guilty recently to charges of racketeering, money laundering, theft and fraud, His two sons also pleaded not guilty to racketeering and other charges.

Indictments earlier this month said Schneider ran an auto yard and his two sons ran a car-crushing business.

Police Bureau investigators said a network of illegal tow truck drivers picked up cars from Portland to Salem that were legally parked outside homes and businesses or disabled along the shoulders and exit ramps of freeways.

The vehicles were hauled to the yard of West Coast Car Crushing, where they were weighed and crushed, and the drivers would then take a weight slip to A-1 Light Truck & Van Parts to be paid in cash even though they had no titles or ownership documents required by law, investigators said.

Also accused is a former city employee who has pleaded guilty to official misconduct. Police say she got cash for tipping off a tow truck driver to cars the city marked as abandoned.

Source: www.statesmanjournal.com.

Woman Arrested After Firing Shots A Flint, Mich., woman allegedly fired her gun at a repo agent, landing herself in the lockup, according to a police report.

Flint police were called to the area in reference to a felonious assault. The officer spoke to the victim, a repossession agent who was attempting to repossess a vehicle when the woman came outside and allegedly fired five to six shots at him. The agent told police he then left the home and called 9-1-1.

Flint police found the suspect and arrested her for assault with intent to murder.

Eugene Canales, owner of Canales Towing in Saginaw, was later interviewed on a local TV station about repossession work in light of the shooting. He said although it’s quick money, learning about the repo man that was fired at reminds him of how dangerous his job can be.

“It’s scary sometimes,” Canales said. “Anytime you take a vehicle it’s dangerous,” adding that sometimes it’s not worth the reward.

A local attorney added that the law states a person may use lethal force to protect themselves, but not their vehicle, adding that “there is no legal justification for using lethal force even if they are standing on your front lawn.” Sources: www.mlive.com/news; www.wnem.com.

SOUTH 84 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

Wisconsin Creditors Want PADs Creditors are urging Wisconsin to change its stance regarding starter interrupters and GPS trackers, referred to as payment assurance devices. The state outlawed the use of PADs, saying that they constitute “an improper repossession.”

Creditors are arguing that with the extra protection PADs provide for collateral, consumers that otherwise couldn’t qualify to buy cars now could. On the other hand, debtors say PADs are an invasion of privacy and are dangerous, with some claiming their cars were shut off while idling or driving, even on the highway.

Nationwide, car dealerships and lenders are increasingly using PADs to protect their collateral, especially for loans made to subprime borrowers. According to The New York Times, about 2 million vehicles are equipped with PADs. Source: www.postcrescent.com.

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Woman Becomes Violent During Repo Spartanburg County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Tiffany Neely after she assaulted the man trying to repossess her car.

According to deputies, Neely became violent with an employee from Mission Towing and Recovery, when they had found Neely’s SUV hidden in her backyard.

The driver hooked up the SUV and was about to pull off with it when Neely walked up and told him to get away from her car.

According to reports, Neely then attacked the driver with a knife, hitting him in the face above his eye, before pulling out a gun. Deputies said the driver was wounded by the knife’s handle.

Neely was charged with assault and battery third-degree and was released on $2,000 bond.

This was the second run-in Mission Towing had with a repossession in a few months. In July, they shot cellphone video of a woman damaging a car they were trying to repossess, and damaged the tow truck in the process. Source: www.foxcarolina.com.

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TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • MIDWEST 79

Ga. Woman Arrested in Altercation

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Jasmine Nicole Dowdy, 25, of Athens, Ga., was arrested after she tried to prevent a repo agent from repossessing her SUV, according to police.

Dowdy ran out of her home screaming as the repo agent from Outlaw Recovery prepared to attach the SUV to his wrecker; she then got into the SUV and drove it forward, striking the wrecker, She backed up in an attempt to drive away, but the employee closed the gap so she could not get around the wrecker, according to police.

She struck the tow truck a second time, then drove backward and struck a neighbor’s car, sending it six feet from its parking space. The SUV got stuck on some grass, police said, because it stayed in place while the wheels spun as Dowdy tried to drive away.

Dowdy was charged with reckless conduct, two counts of criminal trespass and driving while her license was suspended, police said. Source: http://onlineathens.com.

Repo Agent Threatened A repo agent attempting to repossess a car was threatened with a handgun in Rochester, Minn.

Rochester police said a man was working to repossess a car found parked in a KFC parking lot. When the agent attempted to hook to the car, he found 23-year-old Anthony Wallace in it. Wallace, who police said was homeless and living in the car, maneuvered the vehicle out of the spot and took off.

Wallace ran several stop signs, according to police, and stopped less than a mile later. When the repo agent pulled up next to the car, Wallace allegedly flashed a handgun at him.

The agent called police and officers arrested Wallace.

Wallace is facing a charge of second-degree assault, as well as several other charges. Source: www.kttc.com.

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Colorado Towing Task Force Announced Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper recently announced the members of that state’s Towing Task Force.

The task force will be comprised of eight people. Among the appointed were John Patrick Connolly of Connolly’s Towing; William Thompson, towing general manager at Western Distributing Trans Corp., and Ronald D. Jack of the Colorado Public Utilities.

Others appointees include representatives from motor carrier and automobile owners associations, insurance companies, law enforcement, and private property owners who contract for towing services.

Established this year, the task force will make recommendations to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission about the maximum rates that may be charged for the recovery, towing and storage of a vehicle of non-consensual tows. It also advises the commission concerning investigations of overcharges made by towing carriers. Source: insurancenewsnet.com.

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TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • MIDWEST 81

Ignorance and Jealousy

Ignorance and jealousy help drive the calls of gouging in any industry where the public doesn’t understand how costs and services are related.

by Don Archer

Calls Against Price Gouging Are Misdirected

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G

as prices are coming down, and, as always, there’s a fluctuation in prices amongst the varying locations. As stations with higher volumes (the ones who sell the most gallons) quickly run through their higher priced fuel— their prices come down faster than those with lower volumes. And due to this not-so-new development, in my city, there’s sprung a Facebook page aimed at getting to the bottom of, what its founders consider to be, price gouging. Simply put there’s a discrepancy in the gas price, from city to city, that they just can’t abide.

Since I once owned a convenience store, and am now in the towing business and spend thousands monthly on diesel, I thought I might have something to offer.

So I commented on the page.

You might think I’d align my thinking with the page because I’d like to pay less for fuel. But, no. Even though it’s true I’d like to see my fuel bill cut to pre-2008 levels, I had to side with the gas station owners.

I started by giving an example, explaining that when a credit card is used to purchase fuel at $3 per gallon, and the gas station owner is making 3 cents per gallon (the average when I was in the business), the credit card company may be charging the gas station owner as much as 3 percent to 4 percent for the transaction—which means he’s actually losing money for every gallon sold.

I went on to explain that areas with larger populations and traffic counts sell more gas and run through their higherpriced supplies quicker, which allows their price to come down sooner.

I thought I’d built a pretty good case; problem solved.

the playing field” by inviting the authorities to force change. When you go that route, you’re setting yourself up for a fall.

Unwittingly you’re playing right into the hands of those who depend upon your ignorance to make a living.

I believe that what’s happened over time is that attorneys and governments have worked together to create myriad confusing, mostly unintelligible laws designed to keep us fearful of taking a step without first consulting them. As a result, we’ve become so dependent on them to solve all our “big” problems, we run to them before even thinking about the implications.

Watch out.

Once they’ve finished “helping you” and churning through your perceived oppressor, once they’ve bled dry an industry whose practices or pricing structure you’ve found to be undesirable— they’ll become emboldened.

Ever-hungry, they will find someone who dislikes what you do—and the exorbitant profits you make—then you’ll be the one who needs to be taken down a notch.

stand. For whatever reason, they’re more comfortable wallowing in the belief that someone is out to gouge them.

Where will all this ignorance and jealousy get them?

Let’s take the price of gas. The ultimate goal of those complaining about price discrepancies is to see gas come down. Rather than taking steps to decrease the cut the government takes from each gallon sold (24 to 41 cents in my state), many would rather petition lawmakers to step in and enforce price controls.

If price controls were in place, then the incentive to be in this competitive market would further decline, which could result in fewer places to fill up.

This would, in turn, decrease the number of competitors selling the other goodies consumers desire (alcohol and cigarettes) making it considerably less convenient and less competitive in those markets.

Of course higher-priced beer and cigs will warrant more government inquiry … and more price controls …

If price controls were in place, then the incentive to be in this competitive market would further decline.

But, no.

Nobody wanted to hear it. Instead, the majority clamored for some sort of government investigation into the matter, insisting that collusion was taking place.

That’s when I backed away and realized I was dealing with the same mentality I’ve dealt with all my life: ignorance and jealousy.

Ignorance is defined as a lack of knowledge or information. It doesn’t mean someone is stupid or ill-equipped; it just means that they don’t know. Jealousy is feeling or showing envy of someone or their achievements and perceived unfair advantages. Put them together and you’ve got a dangerous combination.

When you believe that someone is unfairly getting more than you due to circumstances outside your understanding (like decisions they made years before to better their life), you take steps to “level Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

This mentality reigns in the towing industry. It comes from everywhere: customers, competitors and employees.

They all believe the guy paying the bills is taking home stacks of cash … and it’s just not fair. In many states, laws have been put in place to ensure this doesn’t happen. In the name of “doing what’s best for the traveling public,” towing profits are curtailed and rates are capped because those doing the capping are envious of the perceived rewards and ignorant of what it really takes to be in this business.

The reality is the tower is just a guy trying to make a living. One month he might make it but the next … great weather, diminished sales and high repair bills will have him giving it all back, and then some.

Do you think people understand that?

No, they don’t want to under-

and on and on until our own ignorance and jealousy has sucked every ounce of incentive from the gas, beer and cigarette business.

Over time this will give the government an excuse to step in and take over, because “those greedy business owners” don’t want to play in a losing game.

About the Author: Don Archer lives and works in Jefferson City, Mo., where he and his wife, Brenda, own and operate Broadway Wrecker, a 12-truck operation that's been in business since the 1950s.

Email him at don@broadwaywrecker.com.

Editor’s note: This story originally ran on AT’s sister site, towindustryweek.com, which features industry news, training, recoveries, new products and more. Don’t miss out—make sure to check it out each week.

TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • MIDWEST 83

Mom, Son Charged in Repo Attempt A Sioux Falls, S.D., teen accused of aiming a loaded handgun at a repo agent is facing assault and drug charges after a traffic stop that closed off a portion of a Sioux Falls street.

The repo agent was threatened as he tried to repossess a Nissan 350, according to the Sioux Falls Police Department.

The victim called police and kept dispatchers updated on the vehicle's location.

Officers caught up with the sports car as 18-year-old Justus Zafft and his 52-year-old mother, Lesa Zafft, were called from the vehicle and detained in a parking lot.

Police found a loaded gun, as well as methamphetamine, marijuana and cash inside the car.

Justus Zafft was charged with aggravated assault. Mother and son

were both charged with possession of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and ingestion. Source: www.argusleader.com.

Father, Sons Accused in Ring The owner of an auto yard in Portland, Ore., has been accused of heading up a family-run ring of illegal tow truck drivers who were paid in cash for delivering stolen vehicles to be crushed for scrap.

A local newspaper said 34 people have been indicted in an investigation that began more than a year ago. Portland police placed surveillance cameras outside two auto yards, and identified 110 stolen vehicles.

Tony Dreu Schneider Sr., 51, pleaded not guilty recently to charges of racketeering, money laundering, theft and fraud, His two sons also pleaded not

guilty to racketeering and other charges.

Indictments earlier this month said Schneider ran an auto yard and his two sons ran a car-crushing business.

Police Bureau investigators said a network of illegal tow truck drivers picked up cars from Portland to Salem that were legally parked outside homes and businesses or disabled along the shoulders and exit ramps of freeways.

The vehicles were hauled to the yard of West Coast Car Crushing, where they were weighed and crushed, and the drivers would then take a weight slip to A-1 Light Truck & Van Parts to be paid in cash even though they had no titles or ownership documents required by law, investigators said.

Also accused is a former city employee who has pleaded guilty to official misconduct. Police say she got cash for tipping off a tow truck driver to cars the city marked as abandoned.

Source: www.statesmanjournal.com.

Woman Arrested After Firing Shots A Flint, Mich., woman allegedly fired her gun at a repo agent, landing herself in the lockup, according to a police report.

Flint police were called to the area in reference to a felonious assault. The officer spoke to the victim, a repossession agent who was attempting to repossess a vehicle when the woman came outside and allegedly fired five to six shots at him. The agent told police he then left the home and called 9-1-1.

Flint police found the suspect and arrested her for assault with intent to murder.

Eugene Canales, owner of Canales Towing in Saginaw, was later interviewed on a local TV station about repossession work in light of the shooting. He said although it’s quick money, learning about the repo man that was fired at reminds him of how dangerous his job can be.

“It’s scary sometimes,” Canales said. “Anytime you take a vehicle it’s dangerous,” adding that sometimes it’s not worth the reward.

A local attorney added that the law states a person may use lethal force to protect themselves, but not their vehicle, adding that “there is no legal justification for using lethal force even if they are standing on your front lawn.” Sources: www.mlive.com/news; www.wnem.com.

MIDWEST 84 • November 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

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Work the non-traffic Side–Stay Safe!

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TOWMAN.COM - November 2014 • WEST 79

Wisconsin Creditors Want PADs Creditors are urging Wisconsin to change its stance regarding starter interrupters and GPS trackers, referred to as payment assurance devices. The state outlawed the use of PADs, saying that they constitute “an improper repossession.”

Creditors are arguing that with the extra protection PADs provide for collateral, consumers that otherwise couldn’t qualify to buy cars now could. On the other hand, debtors say PADs are an invasion of privacy and are dangerous, with some claiming their cars were shut off while idling or driving, even on the highway.

Nationwide, car dealerships and lenders are increasingly using PADs to protect their collateral, especially for loans made to subprime borrowers.

According to The New York Times, about 2 million vehicles are equipped with PADs. Source: www.postcrescent.com.

Number 218 on Reader Card

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Michigan Law Prohibits Tower Harassment A new law in Michigan will fine tow truck operators who use aggressive or unethical practices to solicit motorists.

Rep. Dale Zorn sponsored the law. He said traffic problems caused by unsolicited tow trucks often distract emergency workers at accident scenes.

"Some wrecker companies will race out to the scene of an accident and solicit the work. And what that's doing is it's causing traffic problems at the scene of accidents, a confusion for both law enforcement and for those whose own vehicles are involved," said Zorn.

Tow truck drivers often use police scanners to find out where accidents happen and rush to the scene to solicit business.

David Jerome, executive secretary of the Michigan Towing Association, said that this new law will protect the public as well as reputable towers.

“I can’t see a downside to the law. That’s like the implementation of seat belt laws – I’d be an idiot not to wear a seat belt. But not wearing seat belts now can be a crime and you’ll get fined,” said Jerome.

The law also bans local governments from collecting a portion of fees from towing services as a condition of contracts. Source: michiganradio.org.

Woman Becomes Violent During Repo

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Spartanburg County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Tiffany Neely after she assaulted the man trying to repossess her car.

According to deputies, Neely became violent with an employee from Mission Towing and Recovery, when they had found Neely’s SUV hidden in her backyard.

The driver hooked up the SUV and was about to pull off with it when Neely walked up and told him to get away from her car.

According to reports, Neely then attacked the driver with a knife, hitting him in the face above his eye, before pulling out a gun. Deputies said the driver was wounded by the knife’s handle.

Neely was charged with assault and battery third-degree and was released on $2,000 bond.

This was the second run-in Mission Towing had with a repossession in a few months. In July, they shot cellphone video of a woman damaging a car they were trying to repossess, and damaged the tow truck in the process. Source: www.foxcarolina.com.

Number 141 on Reader Card

Five Strategies to Ensure Family Business Success

by Henry Hutcheson

N

on-family businesses can learn a lot from family businesses. Family businesses outperformed non-family businesses during the boom years leading up to the 2008 recession, and during the 2001 and 2008 recession years, according to a recent Harvard Business Review study.

My new book, “Dirty Little Secrets of Family Business,” shows family businesses were less likely to lay off workers during the lean times, and more likely to maintain their emphasis on socially responsible programs.

But that’s just the businesses that survived.

Many closed their doors.

With 25 years of business management and family business consulting experience, I’ve seen the patterns that can lead to major problems. And they’re almost always preventable.

The factor that enables family businesses to rise to the top is trust: Family members can potentially trust one another far more than non-family members. But trust can erode—when a family member can’t or won’t perform at the necessary level; when there’s a sense of entitlement; drug abuse; laziness. And that can have serious, business-killing consequences.

If the business is professionalized, there will be a way to deal with those issues. But too often, safeguards are not in place.

Top success strategies for family businesses include: • Keep the lines of communication open. Schedule regular family meetings to discuss issues of concern and topics such as business transition, business performance and responsibilities. Include all of the family members, no matter where in the hierarchy their jobs fall; exclusion

As the saying goes, “I shook my family tree and a bunch of nuts fell out.” When it comes to working with family, assigning clear roles and making sure relatives are properly trained for their jobs are key elements.

creates animosity. Create a family manual that lays out the ground rules for how the meetings will take place to ensure everyone gets a chance to be heard and impediments to communication are left at the door.

• Assign clear roles and responsibilities. As a family member, it’s natural to feel that everything is “my” business.

However, not everything is every family member’s responsibility. Job definitions prevent everyone from jumping in to tackle the same problem, and help ensure the business runs smoothly.

• Keep good financial data. The downfall of many small businesses and family businesses is not having solid data. Have a single point of contact to manage the finances. If you’re small enough, you can rely on a family member. Otherwise, you’ll need to bring in a qualified accountant. You may cringe at the cost for this, but the difference between a good accountant and a bad one is the difference between knowing exactly where you are on the road and trying to drive with a mud-covered windshield.

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• Avoid overpaying family members.

Market-based compensation is fundamental and essential. Parents in family businesses tend to overpay the next generation, or pay everyone equally despite differing levels of responsibility. Both are bad practices. The longer unfair compensation practices continue, the messier it will be to clean up when it blows up.

• Don’t hire relatives if they’re unqualified. Competence is key. Family businesses are a conundrum: The family aspect generates unqualified love, while the business side cares about profits.

Thus, family members will be hired to provide them with a job, even though they’re not qualified. The remedy is to get them trained, move them to a role that matches their skills, or have them leave.

More than 70 percent of all businesses are family businesses; they account for a significant number of new jobs and a large portion of the GDP. But that’s not the only reason they’re so important.

They’re motivated by profits, but also by other important considerations: pride in the family name, building something for future generations, philanthropy.

For those reasons, they contribute in tremendous ways to social stability. They make our communities better.

About the Author Henry Hutcheson is president of Family Business USA and specializes in helping family and privately held businesses successfully manage transition, maintain harmony, and improve operations. His newest book is “Dirty Little Secrets of Family Business: How to Successfully Navigate Family Business Conflict and Transition,” (www.dirtylittlesecretsoffamilybusiness.com). Hutcheson grew up working for his family’s business, Olan Mills Portrait Studios. He studied psychology and has an MBA from Columbia Business School, and is a popular speaker at professional, university and corporate-sponsored events.

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