American Towman Magazine - April 2016

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Orcas Towing uses its Chevron 408 and a tree as a deadman to get a Chevy 2500 out of a tight spot.

FEATURE CONTENTS

28

Little Monster & the Big Helper Uzek Susol makes creative use of rigging and equipment to get the best recoveries at Orcas Island, Wash.

by Jim “Buck“ Sorrenti

Departments Walkaround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 News Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Road Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Work Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Beacons On! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Tow Boss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 AD Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Tow Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 On the Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Repo Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 On the Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92

69

Buyers Report Towers nationwide share their thoughts and opinions on dozens of companies and their products/services.

90

Medium-duty Winch Out Equipment expertise is crucial to move a semi with a medium-duty truck.

by Jim “Buck“ Sorrenti

Towman’s Market . . . . . . . . . . . .94 My Baby. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 Low Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98 Adventures of A.T. . . . . . . . . . . .106 Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 3

There’s an App for That First On The Scene!

by Dennie Ortiz

Dennie Ortiz Steve Calitri

In this day and age of technology, connectivity is what it’s all about.

American Towman keeps connected, to you and the industry as a whole, through many different mediums. Our print magazine is still the main vehicle to reach you and keep you apprised of what is happening within the towing marketplace.

Several years ago, we went beyond and introduced a digital version of our magazine that could be reached online via your desktop computer at itowman.com. Then last year we made the digital edition mobile-friendly so you can access our magazine content anywhere and everywhere 24/7/365.

Now we are very excited to

announce the American Towman App. The goal of the AT app is to increase engagement with our readers and the attendees of our expositions.

“We wanted to provide access to everything American Towman in a mobile user-friendly format,” said Helen Gutfreund, AT Communications Manager who spearheaded the project.

Through the app you’ll be able to access American Towman magazine, TowIndustryWeek.com, and current information on our trade shows as well as our social media.

To download the free American Towman App visit the App Store for iPhone or the Play Store for your Google-based devices.

Check it out and let us know what you think. Let’s stay connected.

Word of Mouth

by Brendan Dooley

Every April, American Towman brings you the best kind of information on dozens of companies supplying this industry: Firsthand, word-of-mouth testimonials.

Editors and staff work for weeks sending out emails and making calls, and follow-up calls, and follow-up emails (and new this year, follow-up texts) getting recommendations on the products and businesses that you use.

In many ways, those towers who take the time to talk with us genuinely and frankly about their business are going above and beyond to help educate the industry as a whole. American Towman is proud to serve in its role as a messenger for this issue, bringing all that product knowledge to you.

4 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

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 Jimmy Santos Miriam Ortiz Henri Calitri Toni Vanderhorst William Burwell Peggy Calabrese Ryan Oser Helen Gutfreund Emily Oz Steve Calitri

Page Layout Artist Advertising Sales Mgr. Senior Account Exec.

VP of Accounts General Manager Subscription Manager Customer Service Publisher’s Assistant TIW Media Director Regional Advertising Sales iMarketing Manager Communications Mgr. 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 ©2016 American Towman Magazine is published 12 times a year by American Towman Media, Inc. Subscription: $50–1 yr; $95–2 yrs • US $65 and $105 • 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.

TRAA Convenes at Tow Expo Int’l The Towing and Recovery Association of America will hold a conference for state towing association presidents and executive directors as well as TRAA board members this August at Tow Expo Int’l in Arlington, Texas.

The meetings, according to TRAA Executive Director Cindy Martineau, will address issues and challenges facing the towing industry in various states, and will give state leaders an opportunity to share vital information.

The TRAA Conference takes place during American Towman’s Centennial Celebration in Arlington.

TRAA joins a roster of Tow Expo Conferences focused on education and training.

Tiny Robots Tow 3,900-lbs. Car Six microbots managed the extraordinary feat of pulling a car that weighs 3,900 lbs., showing how teamwork goes a long way.

Attributing the success to biomimicry, the researchers at Stanford’s Biomimetics and Dexterous Manipulation Laboratory developed what they call microTug or uTug robots.

Even though they are similar to ants in the sense of working together, each is more or less the size of a cockroach and weighs about 0.2 lbs. Each microbot sports gecko-inspired sticky feet, allowing it to pull heavy loads over 100 times its weight. uTug co-creator David Christensen said that the demonstration is the functional equivalent of six people moving the Eiffel Tower plus three Statues of Liberty.

Stanford researchers recently demonstrated how six microbots could work in unison to move a 3,900-lbs. car. Techtimes.com image.

While they can’t exactly move or pull the car that fast, they do get the job done. (The accomplishment is similar to the Autonomous MultiRobot System for Vehicle Extraction and Transportation, a group of relatively larger robots that can also pull a 2-ton car.)

Source: techtimes.com.

Illinois Considering New Tow Lights

Lawmakers are studying a plan to make roads safer for towers when they work in hazardous conditions like snowstorms.

The plan would allow tow operators to use red, white and blue lights similar to police cars.

Tom’s Towing in Springfield, Ill., favors the plan, but said it’s up to motorists to help keep everyone safe.

“I don’t really know what else they can do. They’ve done the visibility jackets, they’ve done the lights, and they’ve done the cones. I think a lot of it is just up to the drivers and the traffic,” a company representative said.

Another tow truck operator said he’s concerned that the new lights might get abused and could confuse drivers. So far in 2016, there have been 121 fatal crashes on Illinois roads.

Source: foxillinois.com.

8 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Wisconsin Rally for

‘Move Over’ Law Dozens of flashing lights were seen in Eau Claire, Wis., on March 5 as part of a rally to raise awareness about Wisconsin’s Move Over law.

Nearly 30 trucks participated in the rally that was one of many being held across the nation.

“My son was killed as a tow operator in October 2014 because someone was not paying attention, was not aware; everybody suffers in those cases,” Gary Walsh said, the father of tow operator Nate Walsh.

“So we’re asking the public, ‘Hey just take the time out, enjoy your trip, but be safe and when you see flashing lights, move over and just give them room to work.’ That’s all we’re asking for.”

A Wisconsin “Move Over” rally in March included 30 tow trucks to raise motorists’ awareness of roadside safety.

Weau.com image.

Rally organizers also sold vehicle stickers to raise money for the International Towing and Recovery Survivor Fund.

Source: weau.com.

. . . We get 3-, 6-, 8-car pileups all the time . . .

ATRI Collecting Crash Data The American Transportation Research Institute launched a new data collection initiative to create a database of motor carrier crash costs by crash type and severity.

The data collection is designed to enable carriers to make betterinformed onboard safety system deployment decisions.

ATRI is working with the insurance industry to complete the database. Motor carriers will be asked to provide information on common crash costs such as property damage, attorney and court costs and towing and recovery costs.

Source: atri-online.org.

Tow Scheme Costs Town $1.2M

A judge recently approved a lawsuit settlement that requires King City, Calif., to pay $1.225 million to victims of a police-towing scheme.

The class-action lawsuit was filed in 2014 days after six King City police officers were arrested and accused of abusing their authority as law enforcers.

According to prosecutors and the lawsuit, officers pulled over drivers for minor traffic violations and towed the cars to a yard owned by the police chief’s brother. Police never told victims why their cars were being towed and many victims never got their cars back.

The lawsuit said an estimated 200 drivers were targeted.

Source: ksbw.com.

Luxury Vehicle Education in Las Vegas

Luxury Vehicle Education will be conducted by Allstate Roadside Assistance at the South Point Arena Concourse during Tow Industry Week, May 12th and 13th.

This takes place during the American Towman ShowPlace-Las Vegas.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

134-Car Crash in N.C. A 134-car pileup was an involved series of wrecks on Interstate 40, near Burlington, N.C., recently.

Towman Robert Turner of Darrell Allen Body Shop in Burlington said he had never seen a pileup so large.

“We get 3-, 6-, 8car pileups all the time, but we have A 134-car pileup kept towmen busy on a recent never had one of this weekend near Burlington, N.C. Wral.com image. magnitude,” he said.

“Every time I went out to get another car ... I would be like, ‘I am going to get called again because there is a lot of cars.’ ” He was one of several tow companies who responded to the crash. A Highway Patrol spokesman said wet roads, fog and speed were all factors in the collisions.

Source: wral.com.

Towman Assists Downed Pilot after Engine Failure When an engine failed mid-flight for pilot Adam Taylor of Watford City, N.D., recently, he had to use the interstate for an emergency landing.

“I was about 20 miles east of Bismarck when the engine started to go out. I was lucky to be Towman Mike Berland of Zobadak Towing in close enough to the interBismarck, N.D., assisted pilot Adam Taylor whose state to try and make it engine failed mid-flight. Watfordcitynd.com image. there,” Taylor said. “I was flying pretty low and I had to glide the plane down.”

When Taylor glided onto the interstate, everyone behind him saw the landing and stopped their vehicles. Mike Berland, a tower with Zobadak Towing, was headed to Bismarck when he saw the plane descend. He pulled over, right behind Taylor and the plane.

Taylor said that Berland got him inside the tow truck to warm up. The plane was towed to a private air strip and flown back to the Watford City Municipal Airport the following week.

Source: watfordcitynd.com.

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 9

Check Out What’s NEW and HOT! Panasonic Adds Toughpad Tablets Panasonic added two rugged handheld tablets with its Toughpad FZ-F1 and FZ-N1. The Android and Windows Toughpad handheld tablets include a glove enabled, multi-touch, sunlight viewable display with a rain-sensing mode that delivers accurate operation, even in inclement weather. The new Toughpad tablets can operate beyond a typical eight-hour shift

on the standard, field-replaceable battery, and with an optional extended life battery it can go well beyond two full work shifts. The FZ-F1 and FZ-N1 feature a drop rating of 6’ and have also passed a torturous tumble test that saw the devices endure 2,000 consecutive 3.3’ drops – so they can stand up to the abuse of the demanding usage environments.

panasonic.com

Battery-Powered LED Light Tower Larson Electronics introduced its 120-watt self-contained LED light tower that offers high power, portability and versatile lighting configurations in a compact and durable design. The WAL-BP3XLED-CPR rechargeable LED light tower features three light heads attached to a circular bracket and an articulated center support,

allowing for a wide range of positioning. The three light heads are independently adjustable for 360degree illumination. Each light head is housed within a rugged aluminum alloy body and protected behind a shatter-resistant polycarbonate lens. The tower comes with a case for mounting, transport and storage.

Larsonelectronics.com

Move Over Strobe Towmate’s new Move Over Strobe dominates the horizon with super-bright red, white and blue LED strobe lenses to get the attention of distracted drivers. The Move Over Strobe is not intended for vehicle mounting or for use in motion. It is designed for stationary roadside traffic control only. The Move Over Strobe Pod contains eight light heads with four LEDs each and is rechargeable. The pod quickly mounts to a tripod and lasts three hours per charge.

Towmate.com 10 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Cummins Expands ISX15 Ratings, Unveils Smart-Acceleration

C

ummins Inc. sought efficiency with its three new ISX15 ratings targeting premium fleets and performance hauling applications. The company said its new 475-, 450- and 400-hp ratings with 1,850-ft./lbs. of torque blend performance and fuel efficiency for high-load applications or fleets that frequently encounter mountainous terrains and require strong pulling power.

The fuel-efficient ratings build upon the low-end torque that is readily available at 1,000 rpm. Customers who traditionally opted for a 485-hp or 500-hp rating to access 1,850-ft./lbs. of torque can benefit from the increased fuel economy of operating at a lower rpm and still meet expectations.

The company said customers that typically operate in high-load conditions or in mountainous ter-

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

rains that want to achieve better fuel economy should consider the new 1,850-ft./lbs. ratings. Customers that typically operate in light-load conditions or in hilly or flat terrains with maximum fuel economy as an operational goal should consider the ISX15 SmartTorque ratings with up to 1,750-ft./lbs.torque.

Cummins offers electronic features designed to modulate torque ramp-up and vehicle acceleration through the lower side of the gearbox, and to assist the driver in lowspeed maneuvering. These features include Powertrain Protection, Vehicle Acceleration Management and the just unveiled Smart-Acceleration. With Smart-Acceleration enabled, the Cummins ISX15 modulates the amount of commanded fueling, to control the torque ramp-up rate to a customer-defined threshold in specific gears.

cummins.com TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 11

Antifreeze/Coolant Essentials for HD Trucks

by David A. Kolman

W

hile the importance of regular service intervals for heavy-duty diesel engines is well understood, too often the service focus is on things other than the engine’s cooling system, say officials at Cummins Filtration, a global filtration, coolant and fuel additive specialist for all commercial engine systems. This could result in additional downtime and repair later on.

They said that research shows 40 percent of all engine problems in heavy-duty diesel engines are related, directly or indirectly, to improper cooling system maintenance.

If not properly cooled, the temperature of a heavy-duty diesel engine can reach up to 2,000 degrees C, which would easily be enough to melt the engine, the officials said. The heat must be dissipated or the engine can’t operate at its maximum potential.

Only a third of the total heat energy produced is converted into mechanical energy used to move the vehicle. Another third is removed as heat energy by the exhaust system.

The remaining third of heat energy is mitigated by the coolant.

This heat removed by the antifreeze/coolant is critical to ensuring that the engine operates properly.

Consequently, the Cummins Filtration officials emphasize that correct coolant maintenance is the key to reducing operating costs, minimizing engine downtime and ensuring better reliability and durability from engines and cooling systems alike.

Four Purposes AFCs, when working properly, provide four key functions, according to officials at Prestone Products Corp., 12 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

In heavy-duty conditions, taking proper care of the cooling system and its fluids will help keep vehicles efficient and reliable. Terry Abejuela photo.

a leading manufacturer of antifreeze and coolant, cooling system flush and cleaners and other performance chemicals for the North American vehicle market.

They are: • Provide efficient heat transfer to control critical metal temperatures.

• Increase the cooling index to help prevent boilover and overheating failures.

• Provide freezing protection to prevent freeze-ups or non-starts in the lowest temperatures.

• Provide effective inhibition of corrosion for all cooling-system metals through a wide range of temperatures and operating conditions.

AFC producers have taken great pains to refine the science behind their formulations, all with the final goal of

Research shows 40 percent of all engine problems in heavy-duty diesel engines are related … to improper cooling system maintenance. developing a product that optimizes heavy-duty engine performance.

Inhibited ethylene glycol—along with propylene glycol, a similar, less toxic, odorless, colorless, viscous organic compound—remains the major

component of antifreeze/coolant, the officials said. Over the years, a number of new inhibitor technologies for these formulations have entered the market as heavy-duty engine manufacturers have refined the capabilities of their products.

Because both water and antifreeze are colorless, manufacturers add a colored dye to the solution so the user can: • Differentiate between it and other under-hood fluids.

• More readily know if a heavyduty engine is experiencing a coolant leak.

Traditionally, the most commonly used antifreeze/coolant has been dyed green.

The growth in the number of available antifreeze formulations has caused manufacturers to use different color dyes for different types of AFCs. An unintended aftereffect is that the current AFC market has become cluttered, confusing and downright frustrating, due to the multiple formulas to choose from in various colors and for different engine types. Therefore, antifreeze/coolant color should not be used as a positive indicator.

AFC Types The basic types of AFC are: Inorganic Acid Technology: This is the chemical basis for the traditional green antifreeze. Nowadays, fully formulated purple formulas with a precharge of supplemental coolant additives are available, and these do not require the addition of SCA until the first maintenance interval, at 25,000 miles, or as specified by the engine manufacturer.

Hybrid Organic Acid Technology: This is a combination of some of the inhibitors used in inorganic IAT and Organic Acid Technology antifreeze/coolants. This technology is typically based on a low-silicate, nitrite technology and, like the IAT coolants, is recommended to have SCA added at the first maintenance interval. HOAT coolants may not be compatible with certain NOAT or OAT coolants and should not be mixed with them.

Nitrited Organic Acid Technology: Often referred to as Extended Life Coolant, this coolant type does not 14 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

require a supplement until 300,000 miles. NOAT AFCs use organic acids (organic additive technology), nitrite and/or molybdenum as part of their inhibitor package.

Organic Acid Technology: This is a combination of organic acids and other inhibitor chemistries that remove the need for regular additions of SCAs so the coolant lasts longer than IAT or HOAT antifreeze/coolants.

OAT coolant typically is good for about 600,000 miles, but its performance life can be drastically reduced if contaminated with nitrite-containing coolants.

Concentrations It should be noted that pure antifreeze actually freezes at a higher temperature and transfers less heat from an engine than a 50 percent antifreeze/water solution. That is why it is recommended that antifreeze be mixed at a proper 50 percent proportion of both water and antifreeze.

If the concentration is less than 30percent antifreeze, Prestone officials say potential harm could include: • Temperature extremes.

• Overheating with boilover.

• Freeze-up that can crack the head or block.

• Cooling system component corrosion.

• Increased incidence of pitting in the cylinder liner.

Antifreeze that exceeds 70 percent may cause: • Temperature extremes.

• Slushing of the coolant.

• Poor heat transfer that can result in overheating.

• Additive precipitation.

• Water-pump leaks.

•Cooling-system corrosion and/or component fatigue.

Corrosion Protection In addition to protecting the engine from overheating and freezing, another key requirement of AFC is to prevent the cooling system from degrading and to defend components against corrosion. Because glycol and water are naturally corrosive, coolant manufacturers add different inorganic and/or organic salts and other chemi-

cals to the coolant in order to prevent the cooling system components from corroding.

Prestone officials say these additives are known as corrosion inhibitors. Some of the more common inhibtors used are: Silicate: Provides protection for the aluminum components in a vehicle’s cooling system.

Triazoles/Thiazoles: Protect copper and brass components.

Sodium Molybdate: Protects ferrous metals, cast iron and steel from corrosion.

Nitrate: Protects against pitting and crevice attack in aluminum components.

Nitrite: Prevents cylinder-liner pitting in cast-iron components in heavyduty engines.

Organic acids: Used as a replacement for other inhibitors, such as silicate/silicone, nitrites, nitrate, phosphates, amines and borates.

Anti-foam: Added to minimize foaming when the coolant is mixed with water.

Because additives in conventional IAC and HOAT coolants are consumed during the vehicle’s operation, they must be refortified with supplemental coolant additives in order to maintain effective corrosion protection. (OAT and NOAT coolants do not require SCAs.) The inhibitor package does not determine the level of freeze or boilover protection in the coolant. The inhibitor is responsible for corrosion protection only.

Most modern-day coolants have been formulated to meet the performance requirements for the life of the engine, according to Prestone. But in heavy- or severe-duty conditions, taking the proper care to maintain the cooling system and its fluids will help keep vehicles running at their efficient and reliable best throughout its serviceable life. This includes choosing the appropriate antifreeze/coolant for the vehicle and its application.

Editor’s Note: AT Chassis Editor David Kolman is a multi-faceted trucking trade journalist with experience in print, online and broadcasting. He has hosted trucker television and radio programs and helped write trucking industry documentaries and video programs.

Look Up: Electrocution Dangers, Part 2

by Randall C. Resch

I

n part one last month, I covered the dangers towers face (when dispatched as first responders) entering potentially dangerous recovery zones, especially when accident vehicles hit and sheer off high voltage poles.

However, in non-accident scenarios, what mindset should we have regarding potential electrocution?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2001 through 2007, reported that approximately 250 deaths occurred annually from electrical-shock injuries in the U.S. More than 1,000 employees are killed and another 30,000 are injured annually from electrical shock.

Towers should never doubt that even the simplest or slightest contact with energized overhead wires will cause injury or death. Metal ladders, bucket trucks, farm equipment, boat masts, construction machinery, antennas and similar objects are frequently involved in fatal contact with highvoltage overhead wires.

In 1992, in Wisconsin, a tow operator with seven years’ experience was electrocuted when his truck’s boom contacted a 4,800V power line. While lifting a car from atop a stack of junked cars, he attached a looped chain to the top car and pulled the cable’s hook toward the looped chain.

While standing on the ground, the boom swung into close proximity of the overhead power line. Power surged from the 4,800V line into the boom’s cable and then into the victim’s right hand still holding the hook. Current exited his left hand as he grasped the chain. A co-worker warned the victim that the boom was close to the 16 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Where high voltage is present, the first responsibility is to react by observing high-voltage lines, and then set up according to available space and access.

power line when shock happened.

EMS arrived within minutes and transported the victim to the hospital; he died one hour later.

Reach for the Sky Today’s biggest rotators are equipped with three-stage booms capable of 360-degree rotation, some reaching near 495” of maximum hook height and boom angle around 66 degrees. In gaining the highest reach or best mechanical advantage, operators commonly reach for the sky and position their rotator’s boom tip above the casualty. In doing so, they’ve increased the danger of moving into a high-voltage nest that oftentimes isn’t noticed.

Responding to and working within high-voltage areas are valid training topics to be presented in on-going operator training and safety meetings.

Equally important is when training identifies Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements necessary to working high-voltage

areas; spotters are required as an active part of work and recovery activities.

High-voltage danger is one of those day-to-day dangers that don’t always make it to the forefront of our work plans. Regardless as to what level of on-scene experience one has, or how many recoveries they’ve worked, high voltage is a category that can never be overlooked or underestimated.

I’ve read many, many OSHA fatality investigations involving construction workers, crane operators, dump-truck drivers, firefighters with ladders, even roofers, where I’m sure they felt they were aware, but perhaps strayed into areas they never thought would harm them. When it comes to electrocution, I’d rather have some level of on-scene mental awareness,

On the web • www.cdc.gosh/docs/95/7V • youtu.be/7VXEb3_apOc • youtu.be/dJ1NoYfEdZw

even fear, than be mindless of pending danger.

While there’s many ways to conduct recoveries, best practices suggest towers should always pre-plan and discuss recovery plans with on scene Incident Commanders via documented job briefings; identifying correct work techniques and tactics that include hazards, risk mitigation, applied safety, emergency-response procedures, techniques, tools and equipment including use of industryrequired personal protective equipment.

The Rules OSHA dictates and oversees workplace safety, worker training and administrates what’s right in the workplace. Regulations requiring topic-specific training are mandated for working around high-voltage and voltage-laced power lines.

OSHA regulations for crane operators include: • Train workers to comply with current OSHA regulations. These regulations require workers and employers to consider all overhead power lines to be energized until (1) the owner of the lines or the electric utility indicates that they are not energized, and (2) they have been visibly grounded [29 CFR 1910.333 (c)(3); 29 CFR 1926.550(a)(15)].

• Employers shall ensure that overhead power lines are deenergized or separated from the crane and its load by implementing one or more of the following [29 CFR1910.333(c)(3); 29 CFR 1926.550(a)(15)]: • De-energize and visibly ground electrical distribution and transmission lines at the point of work.

• Use insulated barriers that are not a part of the crane to prevent contact with the lines.

• If the power lines are not deenergized, operate cranes in the area ONLY if a safe minimum clearance is maintained as follows: • At least 10’ for lines rated 50 kilovolts or below.

18 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Make it part of your recovery routine by saying, 'Look up before you hook up.'

• At least 10’ plus 0.4” for each kilovolt above 50 kilovolts; or maintain twice the length of the line insulator (but never less than 10’).

• Where it is difficult for the crane operator to maintain safe clearance by visual means, designate a person to observe the clearance and to give immediate warning when the crane approaches the limits of safe clearance [29 CFR 1926.550(a) (15)(iv)].

• Do not use cage-type boom guards, insulating links or proximity warning devices as a substitute for de-energizing and grounding lines or maintaining safe clearance [29 CFR 1926.550(a)(15)(v)].

Identifying Dangers Being a true professional demands fine-tuning the senses. When immersed in recovery operations, a properly developed safety mindset always lends credence towards input from all five senses.

Where high voltage is present, the first responsibility is to react by observing high-voltage lines, and then set up according to available space and access. High-voltage assessment happens when the operator looks skyward for potential dangers every time before equipment or truck placement begins.

Make it part of your recovery routine by saying, “Look up before you hook up.”

Another consideration is visual reminders in the form of warning labels and safety stickers. Call them subliminal reminders if you will— whatever it takes to initiate memory.

Every wrecker, big rig and rotator in the company’s fleet should be equipped with bright yellow safety labels specific to high-voltage or elec-

trocution warnings. Safety stickers are inexpensive and available at tow shows and online in many styles and shapes.

Outfitting your tow truck’s boom, structure and/or operator controls is a constant reminder to be vigilant. Stickers and labels are inexpensive reminders that could save a tower’s life.

Equipped with Purpose Available in today’s work areas are early warning systems that, unfortunately, haven’t yet reached prominence in the towing and recovery world—especially electrocution warning devices.

Advanced warning for potential electrocution comes in the form of warning devices for vehicles equipped with extendable booms; fire trucks, ladder trucks, bucket trucks, but not yet tow trucks. Equipping your wrecker, big rig or rotator with a “Proximity Warning Device” may be the difference between life and death.

Some of the products out there include a sensing device designed to emit an audible alarm should the truck’s boom enter into a high-voltage environment. As our industry advances in size and reach of towtruck booms, so are the possibilities of electrocution as operators encroach into high-voltage wires.

It’s our responsibility to be aware of lessons learned in other industries that crossover to our own. Learning those “what ifs?” beforehand gives us the edge to possibly survive a wouldbe fatal incident.

Author’s note This article is a primer on high-voltage dangers. Towing and recovery personnel conducting service activities in and near high-voltage environments must obtain topic-specific training from competent sources or companies specializing in the same. Neither American Towman nor the author accepts responsibility for practices beyond the scope of reasonable and prudent operations.

Operations Editor Randall C. Resch is a retired California police officer and veteran tow business owner, manager, consultant and trainer. He writes for TowIndustryWeek.com and American Towman, is a member of the International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame.

Email Randy at rreschran@gmail.com.

The Right Financing Helps Company Growth

by Brian DeClesis

The Seacoast Roadside Services towing team and fleet.

A

fter working for tow companies for about 20 years, Matthew “Matty” Porter decided it was time to launch out on his own. In 2009, he started Seacoast Roadside Services and Towing in Portsmouth, N.H., with one older tow truck. For almost 2-1/2 years, Seacoast was a one-man operation with Matty doing everything.

He was determined to take his business to the next level, but like many small business owners, he faced many challenges. The recession at that time also created headwinds that Matty had to fight through.

Matty decided he would add a used flatbed to his business and talked with a financing company to help.

That 2008 Ford F-550/Jerr-Dan flatbed helped Seacoast grow in leaps and bounds.

With two trucks on the road, Matty’s Seacoast team was able to service both the Massachusetts and New Hampshire area and business started to grow rapidly. Matty’s Facebook page is filled with customer thanks and testimonials of how Seacoast has 20 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

helped them. Pictures of the red and white Seacoast vehicles are always in the spotlight.

Though business was good, Matty still needed more and newer trucks to serve his growing customer base. Seacoast was getting more business, having taken on a road-service account as well. He went back to the same lender where he was building a relationship and trust, and financed a late-model wrecker as he traded in the original

Matty Porter (right) and Brian DeClesis of Specialty Vehicle & Equipment Funding next to the new Hino/Jerr-Dan flatbed.

one. Within a year, Seacoast financed a new Ford F-550 and a 2012 Hino/JerrDan flatbed.

Today, Seacoast towing boasts a fleet of six trucks. The relationship with his lender is important to Matty.

It really boils down to how a small tow business that focuses on quality service to its customers can do well when given strong support. When Seacoast needed that support, the lender was there with financing that worked—not once, but six times.

The latest addition was a brand new 2016 Ford F-550/Jerr-Dan flatbed acquired in January.

Starting small against stacked odds is nothing new and Matty and Seacoast Roadside Services are prime examples of the can-do attitude that America’s tow industry is built on.

Here are five basic tips every small tow business can follow to the next level: 1. Have a plan. It sounds simple enough, but even if you are starting with a single truck and a dream, you must know where you want to take your business and map out a path to get there. Ask yourself: what are the

various milestones I want to reach? At what point will I try to get another truck? How will I do marketing? How will I keep my profitability up? What area will I need to cover to ensure my tow trucks get enough work? A written plan can help when you apply for a loan or other financing.

2. Knock on as many doors as you can. In the early stages of your business, you have to knock on the door of every possible opportunity. For example, if you are seeking funding, you may have to try a few lending companies before you get to “yes.” Remember, you are more than an application form and there will likely be a lender who will see more about you than what is on paper.

3. Don’t overextend yourself. In the race to grow your business, it is easy to bite off more than you can chew. You may have to purchase a used truck before you can afford a new one. A small wrecker may be all you can manage before you graduate to a heavy-duty rotator. Remember your plan and take one step at a time.

22 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

4. Focus on your customer. This perhaps should be No. 1. For every customer’s vehicle you hook up, you can win a lot more business through good word of mouth and reviews.

Conversely, you can lose potential customers through a single bad review as well. Focusing on your customer is akin to growing your business one customer at a time. It’s a cliche, but it is true.

5. Pay on time. Getting financing for your business, whether for a truck or other equipment, is often the difference between making it to the next level or faltering. Reward the confidence your lender has in you by paying on time. It will make it easier next time you come for a loan to help you reach the next milestone in your business.

About the author Brian DeClesis is Regional Business Manager for Specialty Vehicle & Equipment Funding and has 30-plus years in the tow industry.

Coach-Net Dispatch Now Pinnacle Dispatch Solutions Coach-Net Dispatch, the operational group responsible for roadside assistance dispatch operations in support of Coach-Net and its sister companies, is now Pinnacle Dispatch Solutions. The company said the new identity reflects the organization’s capabilities in serving vehicles beyond RVs to include anything from commercial trucks down to motorcycles.

24 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Under the Pinnacle name (viewpinnacle.com), the group will continue to market itself as a provider of “concierge-class” roadside assistance as well as private-label product marketing for corporate clients including insurance companies, membership associations, corporate employee benefits groups, auto aftermarket providers, commercial fleets, auto

dealers and original equipment manufacturers.

“The renaming helps eliminate confusion, clarifying that we offer much more than support only for the RV industry, although that remains one of our core focus areas,” said Robert Henry, Pinnacle president/COO. Long-time Coach-Net Director of Dispatch Management Rod Fone will continue in this same capacity with Pinnacle.

“It’s important for tow professionals and service centers to know that the name change doesn’t alter how we do business, nor has our ownership changed,” said Fone. “Most importantly, the renaming changes nothing about our strong commitment to our provider network, or ultimately, to our customers. I am truly excited about what this change means for our service providers across North America.

With the Pinnacle name, we can capture even more highly desirable business, which means even more revenue opportunities for our entire network.”

As part of its commitment to innovation, Pinnacle will soon be rolling out new or enhanced tech-driven solutions to make working with the company even easier. As an example, through digital dispatch, Pinnacle will speed up dispatch requests so tow providers can be more efficient in doing their job, and moving on to the next one.

Additionally, through its newly enhanced online partner portal, Pinnacle will simplify the process of running reports that yield meaningful data, enabling tow providers to see how well the partnership is working and where it might be possible to do even better.

Pinnacle also offers a Preferred Partnership Program offering an incentivized bonus structure, giving tow providers the opportunity to make more money if they commit to priority call acceptance, quick response times, high customer satisfaction and professionalism, among other criteria.

Visit Us At AT ShowPlace-Las Vegas Booth # 1219

PCS Marks 30 Years Photo Card Specialists Inc. is celebrating 30 years in business in 2016.

Working part-time, night and weekends, Terry Biddle took and sold aerial photographs, which grew into a business card venture. In 1986, Linda met Terry, incorporated Photo Card Specialists Inc. and they turned a hobby into a national supplier of photographic promotional products.

The business grew and now inhabits a 12,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing facility.

“Thank you, to all of our friends and customers in the towing industry, for the success of those 30 years,” said Terry and Linda.

IAA Adds Claims Tracking Site Insurance Auto Auctions Inc., a business unit of KAR Auction Services, launched its MyVehicleClaim.com site that allows insurance companies to provide vehicle owners with an effec-

tive means to track the progress of their total-loss claims.

Through MyVehicleClaim.com, vehicle owners can easily receive communications and track their information throughout the claims process including visibility of real-time status updates, messaging features, document downloads and multiple claim management.

“IAA’s continued focus on innovation and technology advancements that streamline the process and increase customer retention is critical,” said John Kett, CEO/president, IAA.

Miller Revamps Site Miller Industries launched a revamped millerind.com it said is streamlined for mobile devices while focusing on content sharing, customer support and its products.

A release said that customer expectations were the focus of the new site, where photos and videos are larger, more detailed, and easier to share on

social media. An updated catalogue can be browsed by brand or product category.

‘Paco’ Honored

by Tow Procession

Francisco ‘Paco’ Nowlin.

Francisco “Paco” Nowlin passed away on Nov. 30, 2015. He was 62. The longtime Florida Wrecker Sales associate was honored with a tow-truck procession during his memorial.

Paco was born in Sevilla, Spain, and is survived by his wife, Stella; daughters Nancy and Rebecca; his brother, Bill; sister, Anita; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Stella wrote a letter after the memorial that Florida Wrecker Sales posted on its Facebook page. It said, in part: “To see Paco had so many friends that were willing to take time out of their work day and to commit their truck to participate in such a farewell is heartwarming. … The tribute has truly left us with an uplifting memory.”

Tow411 Marks 15 Years Towing and recovery-related message board Tow411.net is celebrating its 15th year serving the towing industry.

Administered and operated by 2006 American Towman of the Year Ron Parrish, the board serves as an information network for the industry.

“I want to also take this opportunity to thank each and everyone throughout the years for supporting the effort,” said Parrish. “Without your continued active membership and support, the strength the community membership possess would not be possible.”

26 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

SERVING THE TOWING AND RECOVERY INDUSTRY SINCE 1966

Exotic, High Performance or Low Clearance vehicles are no problem for Chevron’s Generation II LoadRite carriers. The LoadRite features a unique “drop deck” design with a sloped tail section that improves the load angle an additional 3 degrees. For ease in securing your load, the LoadRite option on a steel carrier features bidirectional chain locks down the inside rail every 12 inches.

“Little Monster” and

A Big Helper

Tree Helps as Deadman for Chevron 408

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

28 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

U

zek Susol owns and operates Orcas Towing on Orcas Island in Washington State.

Besides being a tower, Susol is an ace mechanic and fabricator who builds awesome hot rods and bikes.

He has transported everything from classics, hot rods and custom cars to mobile homes and buses and has han-

dled a variety of situations from loaded tractor-trailers to runaway cars.

On a chilly damp morning in the middle of December, Orcas had a request to recover a truck that was ready to slide off the edge of a steep driveway and over a log retaining wall.

“The Chevy 2500 Silverado pickup was going down a steep, slippery, sloped hill when the front brakes locked up,” Susol said. “The front driver’s side tire slid over a log held in by long pipe stakes and got stuck between two pipes.”

Susol responded in his “Little Monster,” a 2001 Ford F-550 4x4/Chevron 408 8-ton twin-line wrecker. It has dual 9,000-lbs. planetary winches with 150’ of 7/16” steelcore swedged wire rope on each and a shallow toolbox on top.

“It’s an aluminum pickup truck above-the-rail toolbox that I cut the bottom out of and bolted to the top of Winching in and sliding out.

Susol hooked a line through snatch block hooked to chain on helper tree to tow strap wrapped around driver’s side tow hook of Silverado.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 29

The Little Monster and Silverado ready to roll.

the tunnel box for extra storage,” Susol said. “It holds all my blocking and wood. Being on an island, I pretty much have to show up with whatever I may need to do the job, so having extra storage is a big plus.

“The State Patrol requires slings on our wreckers. My Chevron 408 is equipped with scotch blocks and snatch blocks and can do some amazing things. I have scotch blocks that chain to the D-rings on the tailboard and keep the wheel lift up; they anchor pretty good for me.”

After surveying the scene, Susol saw the truck would need to come out sideways with lift on the front.

“A nice old-growth tree was perfectly placed by the tow gods for a lift and sideways pull to the front lowside of the casualty.”

Susol positioned his Little Monster at the top of the driveway with its business end facing downhill and set his scotch blocks under the rear tires.

“With scotch blocks under the tires attached to safety chain pockets and scotch block under the wheel lift, my truck will pull anything it’s hooked to and never move,” he said. “I did a tractor/trailer with 18,000 pounds inside that was about 48,000 pounds combined, sitting in 12 inches of snow 30 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

on a 15-degree uphill grade. … Did I say I love my scotch blocks? This Silverado wasn’t going to be a problem with this setup.”

Did I say I love my scotch blocks?

This Silverado wasn’t going to be a problem with this setup.

He got to rigging and used the old tree as a deadman. He rigged a line to the rear to prevent the truck from sliding down the hill and also to provide a sideways pull. He then climbed a ladder to wrap a chain high enough around the trunk of the big tree to perform the lift-and-slide. He ran a line through a snatch block hooked to the chain on the helper tree to a tow strap wrapped around the driver’s side tow hook of the Silverado.

Once everything was rigged and re-checked, he spooled in and up and slid the Silverado off the log.

“I typically don’t use tow hooks off

these trucks while pulling or winching like this, except for on the continuous loops like on the Ford Super Duties.

This truck didn’t offer much except for an under-bumper method, which probably would have caused damage to both the lower plastic valance and the thin bumper, even with blocking.

Sometimes damage is unavoidable, but on this one even if the tow hook broke the truck wasn’t going anywhere and no one was in the path of my hook.

“The owner was there and happy to have not slid further than he did on the slippery driveway. Once I pulled up and off the log and back onto the driveway, he was able to drive it away.”

Anyone can drive a tow truck, but it takes a trained and talented operator to actually work it to its full potential in high stress, extreme situations and having the knowledge to rig the job for safety and efficiency using what the terrain offers and what you have in your toolbox.

Jim “Buck” Sorrenti, a longtime editor of American Towman, has been our field editor for the past few years. He is a freelance writer and photographer with more than 40 years of experience covering motorcycle, hot rod, truck and towing culture. He writes weekly for TowIndustryWeek.com.

AutoReturn Renewed in San Francisco The San Francisco (Calif.) Municipal Transportation Agency’s Board of Directors renewed its contract with AutoReturn for $65.4 million, for a five-year term that began April 1.

“These improvements have enabled the SFMTA to redirect enforcement labor to other transportation commitments.”

32 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

“To date, AutoReturn has performed their contractual obligations, under the current agreement, to the satisfaction of the SFMTA, including successful technological improvements and integrations with other Agency software,” SFMTA staff wrote. “These improvements have enabled the SFMTA to redirect enforcement labor to other transportation commitments.”

SFMTA wrote that the numbers of tows “decreased significantly” throughout the course of the contract, from about 71,000 tows in 2005 to 42,000 in 2015. They attributed the decline in part to more information to the public on towing times and locations.

Source: sfexaminer.com.

Zacklift Updates Website Zacklift International launched an updated, interactive website at Zacklift.com that features scaling calculations and ratings, tech highlights and new images that demonstrate the wide use of Zacklift and its numerous capabilities.

Rotary Lift Adds FAQ Videos Rotary Lift (rotarylift.com) has added videos to its site that answer frequently asked lift operation, maintenance and installation questions in a new series dubbed “90 Second Know How.” These short videos cover lightduty and heavy-duty lifts, including two-post lifts, four-post lifts and inground lifts.

“Our inspiration in developing the ‘90 Second Know How’ video format was to not waste people’s time,” said Brad McAlister, video and multimedia specialist at Rotary Lift. “Cut to the chase and get right to the point. We even included a small 90-second running stopwatch in the bottom left corner that’s counting down the whole time the video is running. The 90 Second Know How videos provide just what our customers tell us they want – the technical information they need – not a commercial.”

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*New* White 2016 Kenworth T880, Cummins, 18 Spd, Century 9055 50 Ton Wrecker, Dual 50K Winches, 55K Underlift, Dual Reverse Camera, Tailboard Remote, Much Much More.

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*New* 2016 Peterbilt 389, Cummins Engine, 18Spd, Air Ride, Air Brake, Alum Wheels, Century 1140 RXP 40 Ton Rotator, 55,000lb Underlift, 40 Ton Boom, Dual 35,000lb Winches, 35,000lb Drag Winch, Remote Control...Much More...Stk# 19770W

*New* White 2016 Freightliner M2 Extended Cab, Cummins Engine, Auto, AR/AB, Alum Wheels, Century 3212 16 Ton Wrecker, 12K Underlift, Dual 15K Winches, 32K Boom, LED Lightbar, Alum Pylon...Much More Stk# 19553W

*New* Red 2016 Freightliner M2 Regular Cab, Cummins Engine, Auto, AR/AB, Alum Wheels, Century 3212 16 Ton Wrecker, 12K Underlift, Dual 15K Winches, 32K Boom, LED Lightbar, Alum Pylon...Stk# 19881W

*New* Red 2015 International 4300 XCab, Cummins Engine, Auto, Spring Susp, Hyd Brake, Wheel Sims, Vulcan 21.5' Steel Carrier, Removable Blade Rails, Galv Subframe, Wheel Lift, 8000lb Winch, LED Lightbar, 48" Toolbox...Stk# 3554C

*New* White 2015 Dodge 5500, Cummins Engine, Auto, Alum Wheels, Century 19.5' Aluminum Dual Angle Carrier, Solid Rails, Wheel Lift, 8K Winch, Stationary Pylon, LED Lightbar, 48" Toolbox...Stk# 3613C

*New* Black 2016 Hino 258ALP, 260HP Engine, Auto, Air Ride, Air Brake, Alum Wheels, Vulcan 21.5' Steel LCG Carrier, Removable Rails, Wheel Lift, 8000lb Winch, LED Lightbar, 48" Toolbox...Stk# 19690W

*New* Black 2015 International 4300 XCab, Cummins, Auto, Hyd Brake, Spring Susp, 22.5 Tires, Century 21.5' Steel Carrier, Removable Rails, Wheel Lift, 8000lb Winch, 48" Toolbox, LED Lightbar...Stk# 3620C

*New* Red 2015 Dodge Ram 5500 SLT, Cummins, Auto, PW/PL, Alum Wheels, Vulcan 19.5' Steel Carrier, Rem Rails, Wheel Lift, 8000lb Winch, LED Lightbar, 48" Toolbox, Hot Shift PTO...Call for Details. Stk# 19564W

*New* Black 2016 Dodge Ram 5500, Hemi Engine, Auto, PW/PL, Alum Wheels, Vulcan 19.5' Steel Carrier, Removable Rails, Wheel Lift, 8000lb Winch, LED Lightbar, 48" Toolbox, Hot Shift PTO...

Call for Details. Stk# 19767W

*New* Black 2016 Dodge Ram 5500, Cummins, Auto, PW/PL, Wheel Sims, Vulcan 19' Alum Carrier, Removable Rails, Wheel Lift, 8000lb Winch, LED Lightbar, 48" Toolbox, Hot Shift PTO...Call for Details. Stk# 19571W

*Used* 2012 Kenworth T800, Cummins ISX15, 18 Spd, Air Ride, Air Brake, Alum Wheel, Century 7035 35 Ton Wrecker, 35 Ton Boom, Dual 35,000lb Winches, 35,000lb Underlift, Wireless Remote, Alum Pylon, Lots of Extras...Stk# 8369W

*New* Red 2015 Hino 268, Jo8E-220HP Engine, Auto, Air Ride, Air Brake, Alum Wheels, Vulcan 23' Steel Carrier, Removable Rails, Wheel Lift, 8000lb Winch, LED Lightbar, Stationary Pylon, 48" Toolbox...Stk# 3438C

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Visit our booth#235 at the Florida Tow Show

AD INDEX

April 2016

Page#

AAA 45 Access Tools 83 Advantage Funding 34 Agero 57 Akins Body & Carrier Sales 37 Allstate Roadside Services 19 American Towman App 87 AT ShowPlace Las Vegas 54, 55 Atlanta Wrecker & Carrier Sales S 103 Austin Hinds Motors S 99 Austin Insurance S 101 Auto Data Direct 36 AutoReturn 53 AW Direct 89 B/A Products 39 B & Z Sales S 102 Beacon Software 22 Chase Insurance Agency S 103 Chevron 27 Chevron Commercial 62 Condor 58 CRASHFILM 92 Crouch’s Wrecker Equip. & Sales 63 Dan-Am/SATA Spray Equipment S 100 Danco Products 46 DewEze 67 Don Jackson Carrier & Wrecker Sales 52 Dual-Tech Wreckers & Carriers 59 ECM Performance 43 Elizabeth Truck Center 84 Equipment Sales & Services N 101 ESTRA Tow Show N 100

34 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

To receive free information on products and services from our advertisers go to www.TowExtra.com Page#

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Florida Wrecker Sales S 100 Ford Commercial Trucks 15 Freightliner 5 G. Stone Motors N 103 Ginn Carrier & Wrecker Sales 51 Hino Trucks 35 Hub International S 102 Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA) 66 Integrated Vehicle & Equip. Leasing 24 Intek Truck Eq. Finance & Lease 48 Jerr-Dan 108 Kavanaugh’s Towing Equip.

M 101 Landoll Corp.

51 LDM 93 Lift & Tow 32 Lodar 26 Loganville Ford 65 Lynch Chicago 33 Manufacturer Express 67 Matheny Motors 49 Matjack Jumbo Safelift 47 McMahon Truck Center M 99 Miller Industries 6, 7 Nussbaum Equipment 22 New England Truckmaster N 103 North American BanCard 23 OMG National N104, M103, W103 OnlineParkingPass 26 Pacific General Insur. Agency M 101 Performance Advantage Co. N 99 Pinnacle Motor Club 13 Progressive Commercial Insurance 17

Quest Towing Systems Quick Draw Tarpaulin Recovery Billing Renew Truck Body Rick’s Auto Sales Ricky’s Sales & Services RPM Equipment Rush Towing Systems Safety Vision Santander Bank Santiam Enterprise SavaCOMM Savatech Lift System Savatech Sea Crest Insurance Agency Smyrna Truck Center Specialty Vehicle & Equip. Funding Steck Mfg. Sun Country Trailers Tow Expo Int’l Tow Industries Towman Hero Award TowMate Truck Body Sales USAC/MD Utility Trailer Sales S.E.TX VTS Systems Warn Industries West End World Class Insurance Service Worldwide Equipment Zacklift International

43 92 24 N 100 38 88 S 104 31 21 107 W 102 36 50 25 W 99 S 104 68 50 S 101 85 W 99 86 65 W 100 52 W 101 S 99 43 N 101 W 101 40, 41 2

‘Tow Support’ from Jerr-Dan Jerr-Dan Corp., an Oshkosh Corp. Co., recently launched “Tow Support,” its new approach to customer service. The company said Tow Support focuses on supporting customers after the initial purchase, and making it easy for them to do business with the company’s distributors.

Tow Support focuses on supporting customers after the initial purchase.

The launch of Tow Support includes the release of a new Parts and Accessories Catalog available in hard copy and on the Jerr-Dan website, jerrdan.com.

“Jerr-Dan understands the importance of getting customers back up and on the road as soon as possible.

By working together with our distributors, we can greatly minimize downtime for our customers,” said Mike VanAken, Jerr-Dan’s Director of Aftermarket Support .

Tow Support also includes the addition of two district service managers whose primary responsibility is to assist in parts business development and warranty/service issues.

••• Jerr-Dan parent Oshkosh Corp. (oshkoshcorporation.com) was recently named to the Ethisphere Institute’s 2016 World’s Most Ethical Company list (ethisphere.com). Oshkosh is one of only 131 companies, representing 54 industry sectors in 21 countries named to this list. Oshkosh was the only company selected in the “Trucks and Other Vehicles” category.

The list is based on the Ethisphere Institute’s research that generates scores in key categories covering ethics and compliance, corporate citizenship and responsibility, culture of ethics, governance and leadership, innovation and reputation.

‘The Dirt’ on Worldwide Worldwide Equipment Sales recently was featured in ECCO Safety Group’s “The Dirt” house magazine (thedirtonline.com).

The article covered Worldwide (newtowtrucks.com) for its lighting and Freeway Service Patrol tow truck business.

It included quotes from shop foreman Fred Svenson for his input on building trucks, a Q&A with fabricator Adriana McVey on her typical workday and comments from Jim Baldridge, GM, on the company’s plans to expand into lighting sales beyond the tow industry.

36 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Hino Opens 2nd Parts Center Hino Trucks (hino.com) recently opened its new California Parts Distribution Center and Training Center in Ontario. The facility is Hino’s second U.S.-based PDC, and the first to combine parts distribution and training functionality.

The company said the California PDC will give its U.S. dealer network a more cost-efficient way to serve customers and provide increased support in the western region. The training facility was designed as an extension of Hino’s National Training Center in Michigan.

Rear View Safety Best Backup Camera Rear View Safety was named “Best Backup Camera” in 2016 by TopTenReviews.com for its RVS-091406 that won both the 2016 Gold Award and the Excellence Award.

38 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

TopTenReviews.com cited Rear View Safety’s camera for its rugged design, ease of installation, wireless range of 70’, waterproof construction, support options and monitor quality.

Omadi Teams with TomTom Telematics Omadi joined with TomTom Telematics to allow current TomTom Telematics customers to access the Omadi software platform (omaditowing.com/tomtom), resulting in tracking and transparency.

Omadi’s integration with TomTom WEBFLEET allows tow operators to access data they need to be more efficient. Omadi offers drag-and-drop dispatching, paperless reports, onduty task assignments, photo management and more. The platform is both iOS and Android compatible.

In addition to the software and hardware integration, Omadi also became an official reseller.

Check out AT’s digital edition at itowman.com

Loading a Car Carrier

by Terry Abejuela

C

ar carriers are one of the most versatile pieces of equipment used by tow companies. They are able to transport passenger automobiles, light vans and pick- up trucks as well as motorcycles and many types of equipment. Tow operators must know the proper techniques to load vehicles or equipment on a car carrier to avoid injuries and damages.

The car carrier loading process can be dangerous for operators and anyone else in the vicinity. Developing a safe routine and practicing it every time you load the car carrier is the best way to avoid injuries and damage.

I recommend that you first obtain and thoroughly read the manufacturer’s operation and maintenance manual and follow all manufacturer instructions: •Know the working load limits and ratings of all of your carrier equipment.

•Know the ratings of the cab and chassis that your car carrier is mounted on.

•Know how to estimate the load that will be placed on the equipment and cab and chassis when loading a specific vehicle or piece of equipment.

Never load a vehicle or piece of equipment that will cause overloading of your cab and chassis ratings or any of your equipment working load limits. Make sure everyone is clear of the immediate area around the car carrier during the loading process. Keep a close eye out for anyone that enters the immediate area around the car carrier and stop the operation until the area is clear and it is safe to continue.

There are many areas to cover with

Skates ease the loading process of vehicles with locked, turned wheels.

loading a car carrier safely, so for this column I will address loading vehicles forward vs. rearward, deck angle, winching on vs. driving on, and winching vehicles with wheels that are turned and locked or don’t roll freely.

Whenever possible, load vehicles faced forward. Most vehicles weigh more in the front than they do in the rear. If you load a vehicle backwards, the heavier end of the vehicle will be to the rear of the car carrier’s rear axle.

This results in a transfer of load from front axle to the rear axle of the car carrier. Loading the heavier end of the vehicle forward will shift some of the load’s weight to the front axle of the car carrier. Another good reason to load vehicles facing forward when possible is that many aerodynamic Lumber and ramps ease the load angle for your carrier.

42 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 43

The carrier deck, fully extended (above) makes for easier loading, in particular of low-profile vehicles, than partially extended (below).

effects on vehicles don’t fare well at highway speeds going backwards.

(Rear window louvers, open sun roofs, open van or camper shell vent caps, pick-up truck bed covers or liners, and bug deflectors are just some of the parts on vehicles that I have seen damaged from being transported facing rearward.)

When backing up a car carrier to load a vehicle, stop far enough from the vehicle to be loaded so you are able to fully extend the carrier deck. When transporting low-clearance vehicles, being able to extend the deck fully will provide the lowest deck angle. For some vehicles, this may not be enough and you may need to use lumber or ramps.

Use caution when loading vehicles facing downhill. You may need to leave the emergency brake partially applied to prevent the vehicle from rolling out of control. There are options available that provide some help with deck angles to accommodate low-clearance vehicles. Low center of gravity trucks, low-profile tires, and air-dump rear suspension are avail44 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

able from some if not all cab and chassis manufacturers. Towing equipment manufacturer’s have designed some solutions such as angled approach plates to assist operators with loading low-clearance vehicles.

In the classes that I teach, I recommend that all transported vehicles be winched onto the deck and never driven on. (I don’t know of any carrier manufacturers that recommend loading vehicles any way other than winching.) There are several problems I see with driving vehicles on to the deck. I personally would not trust the emergency brake and automatic transmission parking pawl to keep the vehicle from rolling off of a 15-degree inclined plane. I’ve seen a vehicle slide down the deck without the wheels rolling in the right circumstances. Walking on the deck is also a dangerous thing to do. Many tow operators have slipped and fallen when walking on a car carrier deck.

If you provide private-property towing and use a car carrier, inevitably you will have to load vehicles where the tires won’t roll and/or the steer

wheels are turned and locked. There have been many techniques developed to load these types of vehicles including soapy water, plastic trays, lumber and VW hubcaps. Now, fortunately, we have skates to help us perform our job. Skates come in several different styles and are an essential tool to equip on a car carrier. Placing skates or lumber on the end of the deck in front of turned and locked steer wheels works well for loading as they reduce the amount of weight and contact surface between the tire and the deck. For unloading, though, skates are much more effective.

During the loading process, keep yourself and others out of the path of the vehicle being loaded in the event it rolls off the deck. This has happened before and people have been severely injured and/or killed in this type of accident. Stay clear of behind the vehicle as much as absolutely possible.

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.

Newark Backs Off on Towing Ubers

Utah Senators Reject Higher Tow Fees

A Newark, N.J., official said the city is backing away from a recent threat to start towing Uber drivers caught operating at Newark Liberty International Airport and Newark Penn Station.

“We do not anticipate any towing,” Anthony F. Ambrose, the city’s public safety director, said.

Mayor Ras J. Baraka said city ordinances require the licensing of commercial vehicles to pick up passengers from the airport and train station.

The airport’s operator, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said Port Authority police “will not take steps to prevent access” to ridesharing firms at Newark Liberty.

Source: northjersey.com

Utah state senators refused to allow tow-truck operators to charge a bit more for non-consent towing recently.

The Senate Transportation Committee voted down Rep. Keven Stratton’s H.B. 129 on a tied 3-3 vote.

Stratton had proposed allowing towing operators to charge a 3-percent fee above the maximum now permitted to cover processing fees if a customer uses a credit card.

“To me, this is really a predatory practice,” griped Sen. Wayne Harper.

“I will not support going through and giving them this extra … just because of how they are treating my constituents.”

Stratton said because the state three years ago more closely regulated the industry, including setting maxi-

46 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

mum charges, operators said that put an undue burden on towers because they cannot reflect the price of a credit-card fee in their pricing.

Harper said, “You’re talking about an undue burden. I think a lot of these non-consent tows are an undue burden when people park rightly or wrongly, or their vehicle ran out of fuel … and their car is towed.

“Until we’ve fixed everything, I don’t think they should get any more compensation.”

Source: sltrib.com.

Official Wants Tougher Laws Tampa (Fla.) City Councilman Charlie Miranda wants beefed-up local ordinances, after local TV news investigated a towing company and apartment complexes targeting residents.

“There’s not enough signage to say that an expired tag would be hauled

away, just vehicles that are unauthorized,” Miranda said.

Apartment complexes are increasingly allowing towing companies to patrol their lots, and they’re looking for expired tags, even if it’s actually just the sticker that’s expired.

Miranda said he plans to ask city staff to research what can be done.

Source: wfla.com.

Tow Regulation Being Considered The Chicago (Ill.) City Council recently met on a number of issues, including the regulation of towing companies in the city.

According to a document filed with the city clerk, two Chicago aldermen are calling for hearings “on regulating tow companies to prevent illegal tows and other unsavory behaviors by towing operators.”

Many Chicago residents have complained about their cars being towed from legal parking spots; one woman said her car was towed from

48 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

her building’s parking lot while she was out of the country and it was returned only after her alderman got involved.

Source: abc7chicago.com

Conn. Tickets for ‘Move Over’ Connecticut State Police issued 479 tickets during its “Move Over Law campaign” to raise awareness about the state’s law that motorists move over to make room for emergency vehicles, highway maintenance crews and tow trucks.

State police issued the tickets from Feb. 22 to March 4, the campaign’s final day, according to a state police news release. The state police promoted the law during the first week on social media, posting information, pictures and videos about the law, and its importance.

Seven Connecticut troopers have died after being struck by a motor vehicle while on duty, according to the state police.

Source: rep-am.com.

Settlement in Texas Lawsuit The city of New Braunfels, Texas, has paid $25,000 to resolve a lawsuit brought by three towing companies that claimed the city violated state bidding regulations and open meetings laws in awarding a contract in 2012.

Lead plaintiff Garrison Maurer of Comal Towing, one of several towing operators who sued the city over a contract to tow wrecked cars awarded to other companies, said a changed city ordinance opening the work to any qualified company is fair.

The 2013 lawsuit arose over the city hiring four companies to conduct non-consent tows despite specifying in its RFP that only one company would get the contract.

Source: expressnews.com.

TowShow.com

HOF Inductees Announced Nine outstanding industry leaders will be inducted into the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame in 2016.

Bruce Campbell, Eric Hammond, Belinda Harris, Garry Leach, Stephen Smith, Nicholas Testa, John Weaver, Kenneth Weber and Michael Wildman were nominated by members of the ITRHFM for their contributions to the industry, their families and communities.

“This year’s inductees share a dedication to their state and local towing organizations as well as the national towing and recovery community,” said Troy Barnett, ITRHFM president. towingmuseum.com

Responders Call for Adherence to ‘Move Over’ It was a scare for first responders at the scene of an accident in Webster, N.Y., after they were involved in a multi-car crash. Now those emergency responders are pleading for drivers to move over.

The local fire department was helping at the scene of a separate accident when a car sideswiped the truck they were in, causing a chain reaction of crashes.

At least 10 vehicles were involved in three separate crashes.

Emergency responders began emphasizing the importance of the Move Over law, especially on slick, icy roadways.

“Drivers need to know they need to move over when they see emergency vehicles or flashing lights—police, fire trucks, ambulances, tow truck drivers,” said Gary Finlayson, captain of the Gates Fire Department. “Move over at least one lane and give us some working space.”

The firefighters in the truck did not suffer from any injuries and the person trapped was extricated and taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. One other person was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

Source: 13wham.com.

Shots Fired at Colo. Tower A Colorado Springs, Colo., towman escaped injury after someone fired several shots following a dispute over an impounded vehicle.

Police said a man who claimed to be the owner of the vehicle saw it being towed and asked it to be released.

The tower refused.

When the tow truck pulled into an impound lot, a vehicle pulled up to the gated entrance and someone fired several shots. No one was hit, and the vehicle sped away.

The tower chased the suspects and cornered the vehicle; but the suspects sped away, hitting the tow truck.

Source: chieftain.com.

50 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 51

52 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

AAA: Potholes Are $3B Pest A new study from AAA reveals that pothole damage has cost U.S. drivers $15 billion in vehicle repairs over the last five years, or approximately $3 billion annually.

“The problems range from tire punctures and bent wheels, to more expensive suspension damage,” said John Nielsen, AAA’s managing director of Automotive Engineering and Repair.

The study estimated drivers are paying an average of $300 per potholerelated incident, though it wasn’t clear if that number included towing or roadside tire service.

Source: aaa.com.

Towmen Pay Homage to Perez-Borroto About 60 tow truck drivers from six Florida counties paid homage recently to Rogelio “Roger” Perez-Borroto, 43, a driver with Lou’s Total Car Care and Towing in Tampa, who was struck and killed while helping stranded motorists.

Tow boss Luis Moralez praised Borroto, who worked for him about four months.

“He always had a smile on his face,” Moralez said. “He was the kind of co-worker who always called to ask

if you needed anything. He always showed up (for work) early, and if he was going to lunch, he’d ask if he could pick up something for you.”

Ginger Darling of Nationwide Towing in Clearwater coordinated the memorial ride.

“It was an awesome sight to see all these trucks, and all these guys and women, coming out on their day off, or doing this without pay, to support the move-over law and show Rogelio’s family that we’re here for them, too,” Darling said.

Source: tbo.com.

Companies Warned to Stop Gouging Towing companies in Hot Springs, Ark., were summoned to the police department recently for a mandatory meeting regarding “price gouging” and “bad practices” in the city.

Rotation towers must charge $85 for a basic tow and have a maximum amount for each action. Lee Woods of Driven Towing & Recovery said not everyone has complied. He said some companies are beating police to the scene, telling the crashed motorist to request them, then charging exorbitant prices.

Police and city officials said they’re suspending anyone off their list for 90 days if they’re caught gouging or getting business the wrong way.Source: katv.com

Towman Killed After Suspect Stole Truck Hidalgo County (Texas) Sheriff’s deputies were investigating an overnight homicide of 30-year-old Obed Nolasco. Police said Nolasco was killed when a suspect stole his tow truck then ran him over.

A 42-year-old man was taken into custody on unrelated charges in connection with the homicide investigation. A justice of the peace ordered an autopsy to be conducted.

Source: themonitor.com.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 53

USAC/MD

You may also register online at www.atshowplace.com

REGISTER NOW! REGISTER BEFORE APRIL 30TH & SAVE! Las Vegas, NV • May 11-13 2016 Mail to: 7 West Street, Warwick, NY 10990 • Fax to: 845-986-5181 Phone: 800-732-3869 ext. 214 By advance-registering, the company “Boss” and one guest are admitted free to the Exhibit Hall.

A $5 fee applies to all others. Children under 14 free.

1st Registered Name: |

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Produced by AT Expo Corp.

Title

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2nd Registered Name: |

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Title 3rd Registered Name ($5): | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Title 4th Registered Name ($5): | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Title Company: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Address: City: State: Zip: Phone:

Fax:

2. PLEASE CHECK BOXES BELOW 1. Is your Primary Business Towing/Recovery:

Yes or

How are you traveling to the show: No

Country:

E-mail: Driving

Flying

2. Secondary Business (check those that apply):

1a. If NO check your primary business: Towing/Recovery Service Station Auto Repair/Serv. Ctr. Auto/Truck Dealership Repossession Vehicle Leasing Transport/Trailer Serv.

Distributor Equip Salv/Autoparts Lockout Truck Repair Other______________ Auto Body Shop

Towing/Recovery

Service Station

Auto Repair/Serv. Ctr. Repossession

Auto/Truck Dealership Vehicle Leasing

Transport/Trailer Serv.

Salv/Autoparts Truck Repair

Distributor Equip Lockout Other______________

Auto Body Shop

1-5 6-10 11-20 3. # Employees: 21-50 51-100 100+ 4. Check one that best describes your purchasing authority: I authorize/approve purchases No authority I recommend 5. # Tow trucks in fleet:

1-3

4-7

8-12

13-16

17+

6. Types of trucks in fleet (check those that apply): Light Duty Medium Duty Heavy Duty Transport Class 7/8 Service Vehicle Carriers Rotators Other 7. Number of unclaimed vehicles sold to salvage or auctioned each month: 10

20

30

3. EVENT REGISTRATION – Exhibit Hall Open Thurs. 5/12 Noon - 5 PM & Fri. 5/13 Noon - 6 PM

Getting Paid by the Clubs • Recovery Police Towing • Diversification • The Uber Towman

— REQUIRE D INFORMATION —

1. REGISTER HERE

40

50

75

100

Quantity

$ Amount

Please Check the Events You Wish to Attend (All special events and conferences take place at South Point Hotel & Casino.)

EXHIBIT HALL • Thurs. 5/12 Noon-5 pm & Fri. 5/13 Noon-6 pm • 1st & 2nd registrants are free! Each additional: $5 per person.

Yes! Please advance register me for the exhibit hall. Badge is good for both exhibit hall days! # attending: _____ $5 per person $______ Conference Passport • Passport good for all Conference Seminars starting Wed. afternoon, Thurs. & Fri.- mornings. 20 seminars in all! $75 advance registration fee; $150 on site – Save $75 by registering now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .# attending: _____ $75 per person $______ 1st registrant 2nd registrant 3rd registrant 4th registrant Heavy-Duty Recovery Training: Conventional & Rotator • Wed. 5/11: 8 am-Noon; 1-5 pm, Thurs. 5/12: 8 am-Noon $595 per person advance registration fee; $695 on-site. Fee also includes Conference Passport . . . . . . . .# attending: _____ $595 per person $______ Conducted by WreckMaster, includes 8-hrs. classroom & 4-hrs. hands-on instruction inside South Point Arena.

1st registrant 2nd registrant 3rd registrant 4th registrant American Towman Cup • Wrecker Pageant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$50/$75 $______ Check class you will compete in. One vehicle per class & up to four per company. Trucks enter Wed. 8 am-5 pm, Thurs. 8-11 am and stay in Arena until Fri., 8 pm • $50: Light (pre-2015) Light (2015-2016) Medium Vintage (Pre-1990) Service/Support Truck • $75: HD Single Axle HD Tandem Carrier Rotator WreckMaster Convention • Thurs. 5/12; Wecome Reception/Meat Carver Hospitality 6 pm; Class 7-9 pm. Fri. 5/13: Class 8 am-3 pm, Box Lunch Included. Also good for all Conference Seminars. $195 per person through advance registration, $350 on site – Save $155 by registering now . . . . . . . . . . . . .# attending: _____$195 per person $_______ AT’s Desert Smoke VIP Passport • Thurs. 5/12, 9 pm; Poolside gazebo at South Point Hotel. Sponsored by Savatech & AutoReturn Includes (1) AT Signature cigar, (1) drink ticket, (1) premium cigar & a special gift by Savatech. # attending: _____ $20 per person $______ AT Open (Golf) • Wed., 5/11, 8 am; Tow Bosses & Industry Suppliers compete for AT Desert Open Golf Tourney sponsored by USAC. Benefits the Survivor Fund 1st registrant 2nd registrant 3rd registrant 4th registrant # attending: _____ $125 per person $______ Subscribe to AT Magazine & Receive a 100 Years of Towing Commemorative Coin 1 yr. $50 • 2 yrs. $95 . . . . . . . . . . . $_______ Total Fees: $_______ Welcome Reception - Pie Extravaganza • Wed. 5/11, 8 pm; FREE pie & coffee. South Point Arena Concourse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .# attending: _______ Live Recovery Demo • Wed. 5/11, 7 pm FREE at South Point Arena. Sponsored by Worldwide Equipment Sales & Jerr-Dan . .# attending: ______ Live Recovery Demo • Thurs. 5/12, 5 pm FREE at South Point Arena. Sponsored by Miller Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .# attending: ______ AT’s Desert Smoke • Thurs. 5/12, 9 pm; Poolside at South Point Hotel. FREE hand-rolled cigar Sponsored by Savatech & AutoReturn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .# attending: _______ Live Recovery Demo • Fri. 5/13, 11 am FREE at South Point Arena. Sponsored by Eppler Truck Sales/NRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . .# attending: ______ Centennial Celebration • Fri. 5/13, 6 pm; FREE RibsFest, entertainment & gift to Advance Registrants: South Point Arena Concourse# attending: _______

4. PAYMENT Credit Card Number: Name on Card:

CSV# (on back of card): Signature:

Expiration Date:

Check Enclosed Payable to A.T. Expo. Corp.

HOTEL RESERVATION FORM: Make Your Reservation Today!

The hotel will email your reservation confirmation

South Point Hotel & Casino & Convention Ctr. • AT ShowPlace Headquarters Hotel • S/D • Tues.-Thurs. $59, Fri.-Sat. $99.

The per-night resort fee is waived for AT ShowPlace guests.

9777 Las Vegas Blvd., S. Las Vegas, NV. • Hotel, Casino & Convention Center - site of AT ShowPlace Exhibits. Complimentary items include: Fitness Center, In-room WiFi/Internet, Local phone calls, WiFi in Business Ctr., Parking, Valet. Other hotel amenities: Bowling, Movie Theater, Live Shows, Airport Shuttle Guarantee reservation to above credit card. Arrival Date:__________, 2016 - Depart Date: __________, 2016 # of Rooms ______ # of Guests per room _______ # of beds ______ List names for each room: Special Requests ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1st: ________________________________________________ 2nd: __________________________________________________ 3rd: ______________________________________________

Towman Robbed via Bogus Call White Lake, Mich., towman Brian Dunleavy thought he was going to help a woman who said she was stranded after her car broke down. But the call turned out to be a trick to get Dunleavy out of his home.

“It hurts. They took stuff that I can’t replace,” said Dunleavy of Varsity Towing. “As soon as I pulled out, that’s when they came in. They knew I was going to be 25 minutes there and 25 minutes back. So they figured they had 50 minutes to get in the house.”

Police were still looking for the suspects, two white females, at press time.

Source: wxyz.com.

Alabama Truck Driver Guilty An Alabama truck driver who originally pleaded not guilty to strik-

58 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

ing and killing a Ravenna, Ohio, tower last May was found guilty of vehicular manslaughter.

David Atkinson will be sentenced this month in the death of 56-year-old Michael W. Kennedy. Kennedy, who was employed by Interstate Towing of Macedonia, was struck and killed by Atkinson’s tractor-trailer while loading a disabled car.

Atkinson told police he was going about 65 mph and was trying to merge left, into the center lane, when another car merged in front of him. Atkinson said by the time he saw Kennedy in the roadway, it was too late to avoid hitting him.

Source: hudsonhubtimes.com.

Towman Helps Ill Man John Hodgson of BMS Towing and Recovery in Burlington, N.J., knew something wasn’t right. He had just

“When he looked at me, I knew something wasn’t right.” finished a call about 1 a.m. when he saw a young man walking down the road barefoot in pajama pants.

“I went up and turned around and came back to check on him,” said Hodgson. “When he looked at me, I knew something wasn’t right.”

Hodgson realized the man had Down syndrome and called the state police. Over an hour later, the police tracked down his residence and returned him home safely.

Source: nj.com.

N.C. Guard Trains for Disaster Operations Soldiers of the North Carolina National Guard’s 105th Engineer Battalion completed chainsaw, sandbag, road construction and vehicle recovery training at a North Carolina Department of Public Safety campus in Durham, N.C., March 9.

The state’s Department of Transportation shared their expertise in the best and safest techniques for towing abandoned or damaged cars in case of natural or man-made disaster with the Guard engineers.

Under the guidance of Ben Griffin, a NCDOT incident management engineer, soldiers practiced attaching tow straps to several abandoned cars.

“We want to ensure folks do not get stranded and get them off the roads and home safe,” said Griffin.

“People have died (in a disaster) because no one checked on them.”

The training also prepares Soldiers

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

for Operation Vigilant Guard, a statewide exercise held this month testing National Guard response to domestic emergencies.

Source: dvidshub.net.

Mo. Bills Would Set Rotation Lists There are bills in the Missouri state legislature being considered that would set up a rotation list for towing.

Critics say the list is being considered as a result of truckers and others paying more to get towed.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol would be responsible for setting up rotations to tow or remove disabled vehicles at accident scenes.

Under the bill, towers already on the scene of wrecks when law enforcement arrives could be dismissed in favor of a listed wrecker. Additionally, towers who stop and tow a vehicle from the scene of a wreck without having been called by the vehicle owner

or contacted from the rotation list would face fines and the possibility of the tow truck being impounded.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is on the record at the statehouse in opposition to setting up rotation lists.

Mike Matousek, OOIDA director of state legislative affairs, said the association receives no complaints about existing rules on arranging for towing services from its nearly 7,200 Missouri members.

“In fact, based on available data the Highway Patrol’s non-consensual towing policies appear to treat truckers fairly, at least more so than in other states,” Matousek said.

“Our concern is that the legislation, without the addition of numerous provisions to protect consumers and regulate this segment of the towing industry, will create more problems than it solves.”

Source: landlinemag.com.

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 59

An Uber Week in Vegas Towers checking into South Point for the American Towman ShowPlaceLas Vegas will be the Industry’s dominators and risk-takers. The Conferences line-up for Tow Industry Week, May 11-13, are about winning and dominating one’s market area. Among some 20 seminars the headliner is the one titled, The Uber Towman, uber as in super.

Tow bosses will be flying in from around the nation and it can be assumed some card players and dice thrower will be among them.

Those who can’t get enough of risk will be convening, as WreckMasters hold their national convention at South Point. The WM Convention focuses on parlaying one’s WreckMaster credentials and experience into more business.

The Week also features the Police Towing Conference, highlighted by Randy Resch’s discussion on Forensic Towing and all about preserving evidence at towing, recovery and investigation scenes; and with a seminar on The Art of the Contract, dealing with municipal towing contracts.

Other Conferences, Diversifica-

62 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

tion, Towing & Recovery, and Getting Paid by the Clubs round out a powerhouse week.

With 140 exhibitors at the South Point Hotel & Casino, American Tow-

man is celebrating the towing industry’s Centennial with Pies, Ribs, commemorative coffee mugs, music and more. You can check it out at atshowplace.com

Does TV News Seek Real Truth?

by Don Archer

W

hat happens when the press isn’t interested in the truth and a reporter’s desire for ratings and accolades supersedes responsible news coverage?

Damion Marcus, along with his mother, own and operate a second-generation towing business in Shreveport, La. You don’t stay in business for two generations unless you know the rules and operate well within the law. However, sometimes abiding by the law just isn’t enough, especially when dealing with the local television news.

It was around midnight when Damion’s company, Tow Masters, got the call. Ceaseless rains flooded many of Shreveport’s streets. Damion was dispatched by the police to pick up an abandoned vehicle whose owner had attempted to drive through a flooded roadway.

When he arrived to where the car was supposed to be it was gone.

There was no car and no law enforcement present. He then called police dispatch to get more information.

He was told the vehicle had been pushed into a nearby apartment complex parking lot and he should go there to pick it up. When he found the vehicle, once again, there was no one with it. He called police dispatch a second time to verify that it was the correct vehicle. The police dispatcher verified the information was correct and told him to tow the car. So he picked it up and took it to his lot.

That’s when the trouble started.

What Damion didn’t know was when the police were done assuring that everyone was safe and that a tow truck was on the way, they left. But rather than 64 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

waiting for the tow truck to arrive, Deborah Speights and a girlfriend decided to push her vehicle into the nearby apartment complex lot where Damion found it.

The next day when Speights noticed her vehicle missing she became livid.

And after finding out where it was, she contacted Tow Masters to claim her car.

Being considerate of the situation, Tow Masters offered to let her pay less than their standard police tow rate.

Speights wasn’t satisfied. She became angry, feeling that the towing company had wronged her, and went to the press.

That’s when Adam Hooper of KSLA Channel 12 News in Shreveport became involved.

Armed only with the biased and subjective information Speights gave him, Hooper contacted Tow Masters.

First, there was the call to Tow Masters office, asking for their side of the story. But when Damion and his mother refused to participate in the process, the Channel 12 reporter became upset and assured them that, whether or not they provided him with a statement, it was going to be news.

Which they understood to mean that Hooper was going to spin the story any way he wanted.

And spin it he did.

When the story aired that next day, it started off with a one-two punch to the gut. It began by suggesting that Speights’ car was being held for ransom and that she was out nearly $700.

If you’re the general public, and you’re only half-listening, you might be inclined to believe it. The reality was she didn’t pay a dime to Tow Masters. The

city accepted full responsibility and ended up paying the bill. If she had decided to pick up her car the next morning, it would have only cost her $117.

Of course, that didn’t fit the narrative.

Rather than seeking the truth by contacting the police department or the city, Hooper chose to go after the low-hanging fruit, the towing company. Since he’d previously reported on a mishap that Tow Masters had with damage to another vehicle years before, he figured they were once again ripe for the picking.

Here are the facts: Rather than risk his relationship with the city, Damion Marcus chose not to participate in the mud-slinging. He did no wrong; he towed the vehicle he was dispatched by the police to tow.

For the police dispatcher to know that the vehicle had been pushed into the apartment complex lot that night, they would have had to contact Speights for that information. That means that Speights knew the police were looking to tow her car. If she didn’t want it towed at that time, she should have spoken up.

As for Hooper, his abuse of the freedom accorded by the First Amendment is unacceptable. Rather than fully investigating and reporting what actually happened, he chose to distort the situation using only subjective information.

Some might say he sought to harm a local business for his own ends.

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.

He writes a weekly column for TowIndustryWeek.com. Email him at don@broadwaywrecker.com..

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 65

Donkey Rescued from Pit Red Boiling Springs, Tenn., resident Benton Massey had no idea what was waiting for him when he decided to do some yard work last week.

“I was out picking up some limbs in the yard,” said Massey. “I was going to walk down behind the trailer [next to my house] picking up limbs when I happened to see it sticking its head out of the hole.”

That “it” was a donkey who was trapped in a hole and up to its chest in old septic tank water. The septic tank pit had been covered with a tin and some lumber and evidently the donkey took one step too many.

Massey contacted officials who sent Macon County Animal Control Officer Corey Lawrence out to investigate. When Lawrence arrived at the property on Rose Hill, he called the City of Lafayette ACO Tom Dallas and others for some assistance. Lawrence noted that evidence suggested the

66 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

donkey had been in the pit for at least a couple of days.

Dallas went to the City of Lafayette and Sewell’s Towing to borrow their heavy-duty straps because they knew this was not a small job.

Members of the Red Boiling Springs Rescue Squad and Fire Department, as well as Barry Newberry of Newberry’s Towing arrived at the scene to help. Within a matter of minutes, the men had gotten the straps in place, bridled the donkey and pulled her to safety.

Brenda Lees with Horse Haven of Tennessee, a rescue operation based out of Knoxville, was also on hand to load the newly freed burro to a safe place in Middle Tennessee. Lees said that the donkey was taken for vet care.

Lawrence was grateful for the quick help he received. “Many thanks goes to ACO Tom Dallas, City of Lafayette and Sewell’s Towing for loaning the straps, Newberry’s Towing for the equipment, RBS Fire/Rescue

for the manpower and Brenda Lees for the rescue.”

Source: maconcountytimes.com.

ISU Hosted Insurance Summit ISU Insurance Services, a national insurance brokerage specializing in towing, hosted its first Tow Insurance Industry training program at Pro-Star Towing in Milpitas, Calif.

During its two-day sessions, a panel of CEOs and other tow industry executives engaged with insurance company underwriters and select ISU brokers to discuss major insurance concerns encountered by the tow industry.

Peter Fuerst of the International Institute of Towing & Recovery provided technical education to the attendees. Tow industry participants in a panel discussion included California towers Ted Dixon, Pro-Star Towing (Milpitas); Lisa Cahillane, Ellison's Towing (Mountain View); Jeff Bram-

mer, Miller O'Brien Towing (Pacifica); and Robert Inskeep, Yarbrough Bros. (Santa Rosa).

The goal of the summit was to build communication and understanding among insurance carriers, ISU brokers and the tow industry.

Source: marketwired.com

Towers Remove Last of Stranded Cars Kentucky State Police said area interstates and parkways are free of abandoned cars with thanks to the quick work of private tow companies.

Carl's Auto Care & Towing in Elizabethtown said they responded to hundreds of calls after the snow hit, just a week ago.

The crews covered a wide stretch of I-65 and surrounding areas to help in any way possible.

“It was unbelievable. I've been in this business 30 years,” said Mike Graham, “and I have never seen anything like it.”

Graham, along with his 16-year-old son, spent almost 24 hours straight towing stranded cars.

While business should be back to normal, the crew at Carl's is now working on repairing two cars damaged in the snow—reminders of their largest towing job to date.

Source: wave3.com.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 67

Buyers Report

What The Users Say

*Product reviews of participating advertisers

Access Tools 100-percent Success “I use all of Access Tools’ lockout tools and have since 2003; back then I was doing roadside rescue. Now getting back in business, I went straight for them. Their lockout tools are the only ones I’ve considered using. … Once I found Access, I didn’t look any further. Their kits are so thorough. … In 12 years, I’ve had 100-percent success rate with very few casualties with Access. They’re good tools that don’t bind in the window mechanisms.” Michael “Mo” Bailey, Street Aces; Tacoma, Wash.

See ad on page 83

Agero Gets Stable Call Volume “Agero for me means a stable call volume; we know through thick and thin there will always be a stable book of business to rely on. It’s been a light winter that Agero’s call volume helped to keep us going. They’ve moved … to make calls more seamless with instant dispatch so we get calls faster and can make ETAs and get calls to our drivers digitally—that speeds up the process.”

Mike Guske, Wells Automotive Service; Chicago, Ill. See ad on page 57

Akins Body & Carrier Sales Is Straightforward “We’ve bought about 10 trucks from them, and if you want the best price in the country, that would be Akins. We’ve been doing business with them a little over two years. We bought a Dodge 5500 with a Cummins diesel in it. They’re great on fuel economy, and we’ve had no problems with it. They’re straightforward and they’re great to do business with. Great customer service.”

Tom Owens, W-Car Group – Logan’s Towing; Springfield, Ohio See ad on page 37

Atlanta Wrecker Sales Works to a ‘T’ “Martin and his family are awesome, we’ve bought our last six or seven trucks from Atlanta Wrecker Sales; it’s a pleasure every time. There are seldom any issues, but they are right on top of it. They are a family business just like ours, and do things to a ‘T’ like us. I couldn’t think of anything bad to say about them if I tried.”

Mike Gray, Gray’s Towing; Havelock, NC See ad on page S 103 Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 69

BUYERS REPORT

Austin Hinds Makes It Happen “We bought the 50-ton Century from Greg, Austin’s son, two years ago; and we’ve been doing business with them for the last two years pretty solid. Since we’ve been doing business, I’ve bought two medium-duties and a carrier. The 50-ton rotator has just opened up so many doors as far as opportunities to be more versatile. It’s a convenience to our customers to be able to off-load, reload and reposition loads. What stands out to me with Austin Hinds is their willingness to make it happen. Greg’s 45 miles up the road; and he’ll drive down here in a heartbeat. He’s gone out of his way to make us happy.”

Lynn Hurst, Hurst Towing & Recovery; Fultondale, Ala. See ad on page S 99

Austin Insurance Knows Towing “We’ve been using Austin Insurance since the late 1990s. They care about their customers and go beyond what they need to do for you. … They really care about their people and want to help you. If there’s ever an issue with a certificate or a deadline, they make sure it’s done for me. They’re on top of everything. They really know this business and are there for towing people.”

Carrie Meeks, Bentonville Towing; Bentonville, Ark. See ad page S 101

AutoReturn Reduced ETAs Significantly “We use Aries/AutoReturn for all of our dispatching and vehicle processing. It is an easy product to use. It can provide us with the details of any tow that was performed. We can have specific details, photos, police documentation and any other detail at the touch of a button. … They have improved the service we provide significantly. Our response times to tow requests before AutoReturn were 30 to 45 minutes. Now we respond on average at a rate of 8.4 minutes. … The efficiencies in the system have made us more effective and have eliminated a significant amount of staff involvement in the day-to-day operation.”

Nathan Pare, Kansas City Tow Services Division; Kansas City, Mo. See ad on page 53

AW Direct Is Speedy “AW Direct’s SLS dollies work really well and hold up pretty well. They cut maintenance time down—they take just two minutes to grease down every other day. We also get straps and general light- and medium-duty equipment from them. They are very nice people to deal with—friendly and knowledgeable. They have good prices, good product knowledge and are pleasant to deal with. They have speedy service; we always get our orders right away.

Nate Serna, Chase Towing; Maple Grove, Minn.

See ad on page 89

B/A Products on All Trucks “They have good products, I haven’t had a problem with anything. I’ve had great experiences. I can’t recall anything we’ve used that broke and had to be warrantied. Their big snatch blocks and the 12” wide straps on heavy rollovers are great. I’ve never felt like they were giving too much or going to fail. All my trucks are equipped with B/A Products equipment.”

Clayton Elmore, Waco Towing; Waco, Texas See ad on page 39 70 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Beacon Software Automates Dispatch, Recording “We’ve gone from five calls a day to now 26,000 calls a year. ... I met Bob and Todd at a tow show. I found they were on the ball with where I wanted to take my company with technology and looking for a way of not duplicating things. With their Dispatch Anywhere and Tow Magic programs, we can receive the calls from the motor clubs and other people that gets reported right into the system. The dispatchers have less typing to do, and they can send it straight to the driver with the click of a button. Secondly, it did all the motor club and shop billing. We didn’t need a secondary program to track all the money.”

Jason Ward, Safari Towing; McKinney, Texas See ad on page 22

Century Is Strong, Detailed “We basically buy 99 percent of our equipment from Century and have for a long time. I personally like the styling of it; it’s fairly easy to work on, and the finish is good. The finished product is detailed and the final paint and insulation are strong. We have very little problems with our Centurys.”

Ted Durig, Sandy’s Towing; Dayton, Ohio See ad page 6, 7

Chevron Commercial Pays Attention “We started buying from Chevron Commercial a year ago, and I’m pleased with the way they do business. They take the time to pay attention to detail on painting and coating frames and things that others don’t. If you ask for it, they will do it for you. You buy a truck there the way you want it because you designed it. They have good quality equipment. … The people are friendly and easy to work with—personable. There’s a family feel to it, and they are receptive to our input.”

Trey Ward, Ward’s Wrecker Service; Jackson, Miss.

See ad page 62

Condor Products Increases Calls “We have all of our trucks stocked with Condor’s motorcycle racks. We bought them about seven or eight years ago and even have one on the sling truck. You don’t have to tie the customer’s bike down—you can put the motorcycle on the rack and know there won’t be damage. We get more calls because motorcycle clubs know we use the Condor racks and care about their bikes; police use us more because they know we’re giving the bike back the same way it was picked up. You don’t need two people to pick up a bike with it either.”

Kim Reiter, Barnes Towing and Recovery; New Windsor, Md. See ad page 58

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 71

BUYERS REPORT

CRASHFILM Holds Up “We’ve been using Crashfilm for about a year and it's the best crash wrap we’ve tried. This one holds up the longest; it's a minimum of 41 days before we can auction the cars off and we need to protect the property from the weather. I’ve never had any issues with them. They know my order and when I call they know me and have it here by the next day. I believe it's the best product out there.”

Chloe Borden; Beard’s Towing; Fort Worth, Texas See ad on page 92

Crouch Wrecker Sales Fair on Trade-ins “We buy exclusively with Crouch. They’ve always been fair with our family on pricing.

They’ll find a way to help us by giving us what we need on trade-ins and values. Since the beginning of time, we’ve been a Miller family and they are the Miller guys here in Tennessee about 30 miles down the road from us. We have shops in Nashville and Memphis, and it’s important to have a shop with parts and trucks ready for us and whatever we need, they’ve got it. … My dad is always quick to pull the trigger, and Crouch is always able to get him a truck without much notice.”

David Williams, Tow Pro; Nashville, Tenn.

See ad page 63

Dan-Am Hasn’t Failed “Their paint guns are all I’ve ever used for 10 years since I began. The new SATA 5000 is untouchable in how it works for me in the paint booth. The filtration system in the booth has helped a lot—the cleaner the paint, the quicker the job goes. … I’ve never had a problem with Dan-Am. It all snaps together and works flawlessly. You can install it yourself with no issues. Their customer service has lead me to not want to go another direction and their products have never failed on me.”

K.C. Mathieu, KC’s Paint Shop; Burleson, Texas See ad page S 100

Danco Helps with Everything “I bought an International rollback from Danco and it’s a good aluminum bed on a truck with over 1 million miles. … Working with Danco is awesome; we’re a small towing company, but they’ve helped with anything we’ve needed. When ordering parts, they’ve always been kind and friendly. Anything we’ve needed, they overnighted the pieces, and they’ve helped with everything. Their product has held up without any issues.”

Chuck Taylor, Chuck’s Towing; Mount Airy, N.C. See ad page 46

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DewEze Ready for New Models “I’ve been using DewEze’s kits for around 30 years, since the early days.

I’ve done a lot of business with them. What I like about DewEze is that they are ahead of the times and proactive to get kits ready when new models come out. They do the best job, so that’s what we want to deal with.”

Randy Meyer, Meyer Truck Center; Olathe, Kan. See ad page 67

Don Jackson Sales Does What They Say “Right now, my Don Jackson Dodges are the only trucks I have on the road— the other are in the shop. I’ve never had a problem with his trucks. Customer service, buying, delivering—everything’s on time, what’s said is said and done is done. They answer my calls whenever and return calls. I’m even talking about them to get a personal Dodge truck for myself even though I have other Dodge dealers closer here in Louisiana.”

Joe Zahn, Zahn’s Towing & Automotive; New Orleans, La. See ad page 52

Dual-Tech Is Versatile “I purchase all new carriers from Dual-Tech. I like the versatility. The load angle allows me to load high-end cars without using boards, and they’re strong enough to allow me to tow an F-550 or a skid-steer loader. Load angle is second to none.

The foot is adjustable with the wheel lift which not only keeps the truck stable, but also allows the tailboard to be lifted which keeps from having to drag the bed across someone’s driveway. … You can talk to the person who designed it, and to the craftsmen who actually built your truck. This also allows you to customize your truck from the factory the way you want it.”

Scott Griffis, Courtesy Towing; Apex, N.C. See ad page 59

Elizabeth Truck Center Gets What You Need “Elizabeth Truck Center stands behind their product—any problem I’ve ever had, there’s always personalization in repairing their equipment. They always make sure you’re satisfied before you leave. They’ve been in business a long time, so they must not be doing that for just me. Salesman Jimmy Powers is second to none in dedication, which to me means a lot. Even with ordering parts, they’ll help past 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. or whatever to get what you need ordered. They don’t sell you something and forget about you.”

Don Francis, A&D Towing and Recovery; Little Ferry, N.J. See ad page 84

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 73

BUYERS REPORT

Florida Wrecker Sales Are a Go-To “They’re our go-to guys when we buy new trucks. We bought from Florida Wrecker Sales first in 2009 or 2010. D.J. is so easy to work with, always answers the phone and is a great salesman. He does everything we need and gives great trade-in values. Recently we had a handle break on a truck with 60,000 miles. I called him and he shipped a new handle the same day without question. … Even with major issues, they’re in Florida and I’m in Ohio, but he can tell us where to go and what to do and he calls to follow up and is always on the ball.”

Jon Wright, Elite Auto Services; Pataskala, Ohio See ad page S 100

G. Stone Motors Is Personal “G. Stone Motors has a hometown, personal touch. I’ve been doing business with them for about four or five years. If I have an issue, I can bring the part back and don’t have to deal with shipping—it takes some of the headache out of it. They’re reliable; they sell a good product and I don’t have to worry about breaking down. If I do break down, their sales and service backs it up. I’ve bought a couple of older model Internationals from them; one rollback and one medium-duty. One product that stands out to me is a Wolo lightbar. It’s pretty amazing with what it does and it was a good price.”

Travis Bovey, Boondock Motors; Brandon, Vt. See ad page N 103

Ginn Fleet and Commercial Center Is Competitive “We bought three Dodge 5500 SLTs with Jerr-Dan and Kilar flatbeds. Not much trouble with them. We love them, there’s been little trouble with any of them. Ginn Fleet and Commercial Center is competitive on prices—usually a couple thousand dollars lower than elsewhere I see. They are easy to work with on the financing and with minimal money down. The sales staff helps us with anything we ask, whether it’s a pick-up at the airport or anything else.”

Nathan Hail, Hail Transport; Cincinnati, Ohio See ad page 51

HUB International Transportation Services Gives Peace of Mind “They have been great for us. Every year they save us money on insurance. I can call our rep any time day or night with changes or adjustments as needed and get results within 24 hours. We’ve been working with them for three years, since they took over Larry Alexander Agency. I met the main boss at AT’s Tow Show International in Texas who was pleasant and so easy to get along with I ended up talking with him for hours. Usually you never know who you are going to deal with, but he was just as nice to me as to anyone else. … They have pointed out big truck claims and what are the right amounts of coverage in order to protect you and give you piece of mind.”

Jason Banis, Banis Towing Service; San Antonio, Texas See ad page S 102

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Integrated Vehicle Service Has No Issues “We’ve been using Integrated Vehicle Service for over 15 years, ever since Mitch Ball opened. They are easy to work with, we have a good relationship with them. It’s turned from a business relationship to a friendship. If I want a vehicle, I’m pre-approved with them and can get it with no issues. They overnight the documents to us and there’s never an issue with tags or anything like that.”

Aaron Watkins, Pasco Towing; Port Richey, Fla. See ad page 24

Intek Truck & Equipment Leasing Is Hassle-Free “They have competitive rates and awesome customer service. One phone call and they take care of the rest; its hassle-free which is big for me. Been using Intek since 2009, they are my definite go-to. There’s no run-around.”

Rick Chambers, Authorized Towing; Rockville, Md. See ad page 48

Jerr-Dan Great on Service “I’ve always been a Jerr-Dan man. One of the great features of their rotator is the reach; it has 41’ of boom. They come in very handy when it comes to recoveries and anywhere where you need that reach. As far as the lifting, the six-leg outrigger layout makes it a lot more stable. My relationship with Jerr-Dan is very good. I would like to thank Mike VanAken, Shane Coleman and Jeff Irr from Jerr-Dan and all the employees of my distributor Truckmax for being so great when it comes to service.

Thanks also to Rudy and Lisa Carvajal owners of American for giving me the chance of running their operation and being part of equipment buying decision-making that has allowed me to turn everything into Jerr-Dan.”

Jorge Delgado, American Towing; Miami, Fla. See ad page 108

Kavanaugh’s Towing Equipment a One-Call Shop “I started buying consumables, straps and ratchets, from them. They grew to become a Miller dealer and I’m a Miller fleet, so now it’s a one-call stop to rattle off what we need. … I just purchased my first truck with them, and the whole experience was just wonderful. They put attention to detail on spec’ing out the truck—even suggesting an option that most people don’t know about. There was an inexpensive option on the carrier I bought for tie-down straps for cargo, weld-on attachments underneath, that make it really easy to tie cargo down. I used them immediately.”

Marty DiMichele, Red Carpet Towing; Brook Park, Ohio See ad page M 101

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 75

BUYERS REPORT

Landoll Finish Holds Up Well “I’ve had Landoll sliding-axle trailers since 1996, and running six of them now.

Bought an 855 55-ton lowboy last year and both drivers love it. The biggest thing with Landoll is they stand behind their product and fix any problem right away. … Parts availability is always tops. The paint holds up well, the powdercoat, especially in our environment in Colorado with the magnesium chloride used on the road. The powdercoat and newer galvanized Landolls hold up much better.”

Vic Girardi, Girardi’s Towing and Heavy Haul; Grand Junction, Colo.

See ad page 51

Lift and Tow Expands Business "I purchased the Series 5 wheel lift. I’ve wanted one for a long time. It’s slick and clean and I like the wired or wireless remote system 100 percent. I needed the unit as an economical way to expand my business. This was perfect with our F-250 Service pickup. Good people to work with."

Matt Monarchie, Tow Boss Towing & Recovery; Hopewell Junction, N.Y. See ad page 32

Loganville Ford Can’t Get Any Easier “They’ve been very good and always take good care of me and get my trucks in and out and do what they’re supposed to do in a timely manner. A lot of times they go beyond and pick up my trucks and deliver them back for me. It’s very easy to buy—I call Chris Chitwood and tell him what I want, he tells me what they have and we agree on it and he delivers it to me. It can’t get any easier that that. He takes care of whatever I need.”

Roger Baty, JLB Auto Sales; Dallas, Ga. See ad page 65

Lynch Chicago Is Innovative “About 10 years ago, I started buying my first trucks from Lynch, then I grew the company from the two tow trucks that my dad had to three heavy-duties, a Landoll, four flatbeds and two light-duty wreckers. Lynch is very accommodating, very helpful; they do a lot of fabrication. If I want something extra on the tow truck, they’re real good at coming up with different ideas; they think outside the box—very innovative. ... Lynch is real good about getting me in for service when I need it.”

George Garbis, Classic Towing; Plainfield, Ill. See ad on page 33

Matheny Motors Is In-Tune on Equipment “I’ve been buying from Matheny for about two years; 15 trucks so far. They get trucks done right away and get me exactly what I need. They are insightful on service and financing. They’re very hands on and have good customer service. When I’m trying to buy a truck, they can figure out the exact specs I need to get a truck to do what I need it to. They are very intune on the equipment and its abilities. They don’t over- or under-sell.”

Dale Kufner, Kufner Towing; Cleveland, Ohio See ad page 49 76 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Matjack Cuts Down on Manpower “I just switched over to Matjack cushions probably a year ago, and it is one of the best switches I ever made. I do a lot of recovery jobs, and Matjack makes it much, much easier. We built ourselves up to where we had two sets of ‘Brand X,’ and just from looking at others using Matjack I said, ‘Pop, you know we’re just working too hard.’ I sold both sets, turned right around and handed Mr. Sweezy the money; and after our first couple of jobs, I never knew it could be so easy. … The Matjack cushions have definitely help cut down on the manpower needed on a job and essentially the equipment needed at a scene.”

James Cady Jr., Ten West Towing; Bakersfield, Calif.

See ad page 47

McMahon Truck Centers Follows Up “McMahon is definitely comfortable to work with; on a scale of one to 10 they are definitely a nine. I really admire the constant requests for more feedback. After the sale has been completed, there is a follow up call, and then another follow up. At the end of the day, that is very welcome. We appreciate the work and kind gestures and random calls to check in as well. We definitely recommend them to other Houston providers.”

Kebba Nyang, Roadnet; Houston, Texas See ad page M 99

New England Truckmaster Is Different “I’ve been working with New England Truckmaster since 2002. Over the years we’ve dealt with different dealers, but [New England Truckmaster] does things different. The products they sell, there is a difference. When he specs out a truck on a bigger commercial vehicle, the axles are heavier or a lot of things other companies don’t know or do. They explain what you’re getting is not an average truck.

Biggest thing is buying from them there is a difference.”

Paul Hilario, Hilario’s Service Center; Newtown, Conn.

See ad page N 103

OMG National Drives Traffic “OMG’s marketing has improved the way we do business at Mike’s Towing & Recovery by helping us create a much greater online presence in which we have the ability to interact with customers. OMG went to great lengths to include photos and detailed descriptions about Mike’s on each and every one of our search engine pages, such as Yelp and Google Plus. This kind of personalization gives the customer a feel for our business and who we are before they ever step foot in our door. Also, OMG regularly posts on our social media accounts, writes and edits company videos, and provides us with on-hold messages that change seasonally. OMG has successfully helped us drive traffic to Mike’s Towing & Recovery through the web, which is something we always wanted to do but never knew how.”

Brittany Sena, Mike’s Towing & Recovery; Bridgewater, N.J. See ad page N 104, M 103, W 103 Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 77

BUYERS REPORT

OnlineParkingPass Eliminates Bad Tows

“I’ve been using OnlineParkingPass for two years; I got involved with them after the Las Vegas tow show.

It works great—it’s been wonderful. It’s great for marketing perspective, a tech solution to the age-old problem of park permits. For permits that aren’t visible or not in car, because cars are registered online we can find it and it helps eliminate bad tows. It has allowed us to distinguish ourselves from our competitors by offering services above and beyond what others can offer.”

Troy Porras, Wyatts Towing; Denver, Colo.

See ad page 26

Pinnacle Pays Within 24 Hours “We’ve been working with [Pinnacle] for two years. It’s been pretty good—they pay better for motor clubs, especially for hookups and lockouts. … The electronic payments are fast usually within 24 hours.”

John Lefevre, J&L Towing; Miami, Fla. See ad page 13

Quest Towing Service Pays Fast “I love Quest. The volume of calls is good and payments are quick and everyone is nice and friendly. They pay really fast which helps us a lot. Agents are super friendly. They are flexible—they know when its super cold and snowing for instance, and that a 45-minute ETA is less probable in the snow. They understand what’s going and work with us.”

Binh Ho, Family Auto Care; Blaine, Minn.

See ad page 43

Quick Draw Tarps Work Well in Towing “Working with Quick Draw Tarps has been a very good experience.

The last two years they’ve seen an explosion in growth of popularity with towers and this industry. Towers like the Quick Draw Tarp with the soft sides and quick slide from front to back. They know the tow trucks and specs and heights. I don’t think I’ve ever had any parts issues. They’ve been dealing with the trucking community for a long time, and have a product that works very well.”

Jim Powers, Elizabeth Truck Center; Elizabeth, N.J. See ad page 92

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Rick’s Auto Sales Does What They Promise “Rick’s a good guy, he built two trucks for me last year and there’ve been no problems. We’ve been using him for three years— all of our small wreckers and rollbacks are Jerr-Dan. Everything he’s said he’s going to do, he’s done. Anytime we need parts, they ship direct from the factory if needed. Their normal is to go above and beyond. As a dealer and supporting dealer for Jerr-Dan, they’ve been super-smooth to deal with.”

Nick Laneve, A and M Towing & Road Service; Girard, Ohio See ad page 38

RPM Equipment Goes Beyond “I buy all my supplies from them: chains, lockout kits; and they work on my truck and always save me in a bind. It’s a family-oriented business that always goes the extra mile for us. My truck went down on a Friday—hydraulic lines. He had some guys work through the weekend to get my truck back on the road by Monday. He made it happen – that’s our livelihood and it was in a busy time of the month for us. And its just one example of how he’s gone above for us. I could write a book with more.”

Will Marrero, H.I.T.S. Wreckers Service; Houston, Texas See ad page S 104

Safety Vision Trained Local Provider for Us “We put a four-camera Safety Vision unit in one of our trucks for six months and liked it so much we did all of our trucks that way. … [For repo work], it helps working at night to record someone approaching the driver, or catch if someone is trying to get in a vehicle when it’s behind because the pylon camera goes about 130 degrees. The low camera sees underneath as the wheel lift approaches the car when working at night and also proves under certain circumstances we did not damage anything during the repo. It’s simple to use, and turns on when truck turns on. … When we bought the 10 additional units, Safety Vision trained a local provider to be a contractor to install their product and software, so now we always have a local guy who can work on the system for us.”

Frank Massey, S.C.A.R.; San Antonio, Texas See ad page 21

Santander Bank Inspires Trust “Santander is a bank we’ve been using for 18 years; they specialize in towing equipment. What has transpired is a real great relationship where I trust them. We send financials to them annually and buy two to three trucks a year through Santander. We’ve tried using our own local bank, and have a great relationship there, but it’s so difficult and requires a lot of paperwork to buy a truck.

Santander docs are very small. We buy and pay off in three years and look for short-term money and interest rates are better than anywhere else. … I don’t even think twice about it.”

Sean Loscalzo, A Superior Towing; Davie, Fla. See ad page 107

SavaCOMM Increases Safety “I’ve had SavaComm headsets for a couple years and they work great—it’s the best money I’ve invested in a safety issue. We can communicate with each other on heavy-duty calls and, instead of hollering and yelling and hand signals, we can just talk through what we’re doing. … They work great. I bought another set a year ago to get extras.”

Brice Dennis, Dennis Garage; Jennings, Fla. See ad page 36 Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 79

BUYERS REPORT

Savatech Bags Work Well “We’ve got a bunch of their high-pressure bags, low-pressure lift bags, and two sets of the landing catch bags. I’m pretty saturated with their product. … I was so happy with all the high-pressure bags—we have seven heavy wreckers, each equipped with a set of high-pressure bags—we decided we’d add their lift cushions and have been able to use them on about three jobs so far and we’re very happy. All of their products have worked very well for us. … We get into all kinds of situations and weather, and haven’t had any issues with any of the products.”

Ron Myers, Pine Tree Towing & Recovery; Cambridge, Ohio See ad page 25, 50

Specialty Vehicle Listens, Works with You “I’ve been using Specialty Vehicle & Equipment Funding for about four years and the financing team is amazing. They listen to all your concerns and work with you to get what you need at the lowest rate possible. When no one else wanted to touch me because of my credit, they worked with me over the phone for a day to get me financed. As we got going with them, they’d do anything for us—they’re not like a normal bank that just runs numbers. I’m friends with them and can call them anytime.”

Matthew Porter, Seacoast Roadside Services; Portsmouth, N.H. See ad page 68

Sun Country Trailers Are Versatile “At one point we were using 20 trailers; we moved about 72,000 cars a year. We deal and probably sell 30 or so Sun Country Trailers a year or more. We’ve been using the trailer since 2010 and became a dealer shortly afterward because we liked it so much. The trailers are extremely reliable and versatile; able to haul cars or heavier trucks and trailers. We use them to transport our 10-car stinger trucks.”

Jeff Trent, Trent Enterprises; Elkton, Md. See ad page S 101

TowMate Figures It Out “All of my trucks, five light-duties and a heavy, have TowMate lightbars; we have four wireless bars and drag lights as well. Their customer service is awesome. … In Wyoming, we run red and blue, unlike anywhere else, so all my lightbars are custom. … I don’t like the big box on the dash with all the different light patterns, so they delete a whole circuit board for what I want, which is to push one button that activates a strobe on my truck and everything lights up. I want my trucks to explode with light so [motorists] have no doubt something is happening. … Nobody there has ever said ‘No.’ They say, ‘We’ll figure that out.’’’

Ron Reaves, Ron’s Towing; Jackson Hole, Wyo. See ad page 65 80 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Truck Body Sales Builds Right “We’re doing more flatbed carrier work now and we’re running six of them now as the bread and butter of the fleet. We’re doing high-end and are a direct facility with Tesla. We want carriers put together a certain way because we do a variety of work form motorcycles to equipment to containers to high-end cars—I like my trucks equipped so they can go out and handle anything without help, or needing extra straps, chains or special equipment brought out. We load boxes to handle whatever is needed, and they have to be organized. We are over-equipped, probably, but Truck Body Sales builds toolboxes that are sturdy enough and good about helping us keep everything organized.”

Richard Valles, B&D Towing; Concord, Calif.

See ad page W 100

USAC/MD Pays Everything “We’ve been a provider for 15 years; we primarily have post office business with them. It’s a big account that ties up six trucks every day. … They pay everything. They don’t screw around with the miles, and they pay a fuel surcharge. We get paid for everything we do. There’s not much involvement with them, the jobs come in the previous night, we do them the next day and it’s all electronic and pretty simple.”

Mike Bolin, Bolin Services; Florissant, Mo. See ad page 52

VTS Systems Simple to Learn “We’ve used VTS Systems for about six months, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. … I used to do everything by hand, including registered letters. VTS has taken 90 percent of the work off me where now it’s a click of the button and the work gets done. They trained me over the phone, while I dispatched, to learn the system. … It’s so simple.”

Michelle Jinks, Todd’s Towing; Royce City, Texas See ad page S 99

Vulcan Does What We Want “We have about 12 Vulcan heavy units and 28 or so smaller ones. I definitely prefer Vulcans, especially in the heavy fleet with the integrated units. They are superior quality. … We have Vulcan heavy units from a V-30 to V-100, and they do anything and everything we want. They are pretty much indestructible; we do very few rebuilds on them. We have about 20 Vulcan carriers and they are reliable and work well for us.”

Dale McLaughlin, Rich’s Towing and Service; Middleburg Heights, Ohio See ad page 27 Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 81

BUYERS REPORT

West End Service Spec’s Are Right “I went to West End Service to buy a 75-ton rotator. Since then, I also bought an LCG carrier, a 25-ton wrecker and am waiting on a new rotator that’s on order. They and Miller have treated us really good and appreciate our business by going above and beyond. Ordering our heavy, they’ve got the right people involved to be sure its spec’d out right for us. … They’re as good as it gets. They treat you right and personable and honestly.”

Dave Betts, Betts Garage; Newark, Del. See ad page N 101

WorldClass Insurance Talks Straight “Steve is an excellent guy, who doesn’t beat around the bush and covers all the bases of insurance coverage. I have nothing but good things to say. Other companies will tell you what they want you to know. Steve tells you the truth.

I’ve been in the towing business for 34 years and we’ve been using WorldClass Insurance for 11-12 years. His prices are competitive and he helps you with claims and how to treat them. … I feel very comfortable with Steve. I can call and ask questions and he always gives a straight answer.”

Paul Nisqually, Nisqually Towing; Olympia, Wash.

See ad page W 101

Worldwide Equipment Sales Gets Parts You Need “I feel the best bang for the buck is at Worldwide Equipment Sales. I was born and raised in the business, since my parents started it in 1972. Towing is the only job I’ve ever had and know the industry. … Worldwide’s parts people are knowledgable. One guy is from Miller, so now there is an ability to cross-reference parts for me and has the knowledge of all the part numbers I need for Miller or Jerr-Dan. When trucks are down, it’s about getting parts in as quickly as possible. … They follow through very well and their pricing is very competitive.”

Kevin Farthing, Waffco Towing; Lake Station, Ind. See ad page 40, 41

Zacklift Is Agile, Easy to Use “We bought Zacklift’s 303 fifth-wheel mount and aluminum toolboxes and all the attachments and we’ve had great luck with them; a perfect success. What I appreciate is that with less-seasoned drivers, the product is so easy to use. There’s no issue with sending those guys out with it. The truck is agile and self-explanatory and simplistic. We have other heavies and this one is easier to use on a regular basis. … They are very easy people to work with—extremely easy.”

Allen Dosch, Elite Towing and Recovery; Yakima, Wash.

See ad page 2 82 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Va. Tower Aust Dies Pulaski, Va., tower Jimmy Aust of Jim Dandy Wrecker Service hauled away his last vehicle from the scene of a wreck March 6 before succumbing to a medical condition while he was driving.

According to Sgt. Steve Lowe with the Virginia State Police, Aust, 66, was towing a vehicle from a wreck on I-81 and made it almost four miles when his tow truck ran off the road.

“There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary, no issues there,” Lowe said of Aust before he took off.

Lowe said troopers at the scene thought he had stopped to help a disabled vehicle nearby. When they went to check on him, they realized he was having issues, what they assumed to be a heart attack.

There was minimal damage to Aust’s tow truck, as there appeared to be nothing more than a dent after he ran off

84 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

the road. According to Lowe, it appeared Aust managed to switch off the vehicle’s ignition in the sudden moment that he realized something was wrong.

“He was one of the most safety-conscious people we’ve worked with,” Lowe said. “His last act was to keep from harming someone else.”

Aust owned and operated Jim Dandy Wrecker Service for more than 40 years, working closely with state and local responders during that time. Lowe spoke highly of him, saying he would come out to help in extreme weather conditions, and became like family to many of the officers currently on the force who have worked with Aust for more than 20 years.

“We all lost a very close friend,” Lowe said.

Source: southwesttimes.com.

Toronto Towing 80-110 Vehicles Daily Officials in the city of Toronto, Canada, said between 80 and 110 vehicles belonging to habitual parking offenders are now towed every day as the city continues its crackdown on problem parkers.

Parking enforcement released new numbers for its no-tolerance enforcement blitz this week. Some 15,666 vehicles were ticketed during rush hours since Jan. 5, with 2,734 being towed. In addition, 1,614 habitual parking offenders with Ontario plates were towed since the beginning of the year and 245 out-of-province vehicles were towed since Feb. 23.

The goal, the city says, is to improve the flow of traffic in the city core.

Source: cbc.ca.

Commercial Repos Are a Different Beast

I

n my last 30 years repossessing trucks and equipment, there have only been a few occasions where the collateral has been cut up or dismantled for parts. Some trucks do become parts for others, but not often. If your recovery agency has not located and recovered the collateral, chances are the assignment has not been prioritized.

I have said this time and time again, but for some reason many commercial clients cannot figure out why many recovery assignments just aren’t getting picked up. The reason is simple: The person working your assignment is … unsure what they are doing.

If the commercial lender is using

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one of the large assignment-forwarding companies to locate and recover the collateral, the assignment is often sent to an auto repossession company who has no idea how to locate a commercial account. Let me reel it in, just a little: Not all large assignment forwarders are useless. There are a few, only a few, that actually offer a reasonably good service. But the others have a tough time locating and recovering commercial assets. Reasons for that include: • The account is sent to an automobile repossession agency. When the commercial lender sends the assignment to the forwarding company

by Mark Lacek

including the address of the debtor, the forwarder plugs in the debtors ZIP code to his “database of agents” and hands off the assignment, often without verifying any of the information.

• The forwarder has been forced to negotiate with the lender a less-thanreasonable fee to recover the collateral.

He is now unable to pay his “database of agents” a reasonable fee to locate and recover the asset. The agent drives by the home address or business address and determines the asset is not at the location. The following morning he sends in his update to the forwarding company, “truck not at given address.”

• The agent working the assign-

ment probably has 30 automobile assignments to check that night. He is paid a $50 commission per car. Most of the time the automobile account will be at the residence address. The faster he checks these addresses, the more cars he can repo. Why should he spend his time randomly searching the neighborhood for a parked truck that could be on the road 500 miles away when he could make more money repossessing those easy-to-locate cars.

• Your assignment-forwarding company has not hired a skip-tracer knowledgeable in commercial accounts. Because of this, information sent to the “database of agents” is either old or outdated.

• Your forwarding company handles 15,000 repossession assignments per month and they are relying on license plate recognition technology to locate the asset. Notice: LPR seldom works with commercial trucks. Commercial license plates are spotted while working on the road causing the data to be worthless. Who cares if the asset was spotted driving north on I-75?

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License plate recognition seldom works with commercial trucks. Commercial license plates are spotted while working on the road, causing the data to be worthless. Rennett Stowe image.

• The over-the-road asset is equipped with GPS. The commercial lender notifies the forwarder of the GPS location, which is usually a delivery location. The forwarder gets this information to his “database of agents” only to determine the asset is long gone. If the asset is still at the location, the debtor is often with the asset, sleeping in the bunk or loading or unloading the trailer making a confrontation

unavoidable ... see you in court.

Commercial repossessions are unique to the repossession industry.

Although there may be 1,000 professional repossession agencies across the country, most of these agents are automobile repossession agencies.

These professional repossession agencies are the best of the best when it comes to repossessing autos. But, when it comes to commercial trucks,

most of these professional automobile agencies can be successful with only the voluntary surrenders.

I would be willing to admit there are probably about 20 repossession agencies across the country qualified to work commercial trucks and equipment. The forwarding companies often have no choice but to send the commercial assignments to those less qualified to secure the collateral.

That’s just the way it is.

An Easy Solution If this is when you expect me to offer you the “quick fix” to the problem, sorry. Even I have a problem finding a qualified commercial agent in many areas of the country. It has taken time, but repossession agencies are learning through trial and error to become better at performing commercial repossessions. Over the last few years, and during the next few, automobile repossession agencies will become more productive on commercial accounts.

The problem with trial and error is that the client suffers the consequences. As forwarding companies force-feed commercial assignments to automobile repossession companies, there will be more clients brought into the courtroom over wrongful repossession practices. Trial and error is rarely a good thing … just ask an explosives’ expert.

To help ease the burden of civil actions on the commercial client and to help train the repossession specialist to work commercial accounts, I have written a certification program for the repossessor who has a desire to learn the commercial side of the repossession business. The project took me about two years to write from my 30 years of commercial repossession experience. The final product is the Certified Commercial Recovery Agent National Certification Program. For more information, you can log onto www.riscus.com. Recovery Industry Services Co. is an organization dedicated to providing services specific to the collateral recovery industry and advocate on behalf of all professional practitioners within the Industry.

RISC is dedicated to the profesWork the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

sional training and certification of collateral recovery specialists. Joe Taylor, founder of RISC, wrote the Certified Asset Recovery Specialist training program for the automobile repossession industry. Taylor was excited to include the commercial program in the RISC educational platform.

There was a time, years ago when the commercial lender could call upon those well-known pros who were the experts in commercial repossessions.

Many will remember guys like Shorty Barrett, Steve Trees, Ed Story, Don Peterson and Pete Gunn; legends all of them. There was a time when a com-

mercial lender could call upon one of these guys and the asset would be located, recovered and delivered.

Recovery rates were often 100 percent.

Those guys are long gone, fishing, retired, who knows where. If there is ever a commercial repossessors hall of fame, their names will be included.

Be safe out there.

Repo Editor Mark Lacek authored the Certified Commercial Recovery Agent certification program and has more than 30 years of recovery experience.

He is the former editor of “Professional Repossessor” magazine. Email him at Mark@commercialassetsolutions.com.

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 89

Medium-Duty Winch Out

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

Equipment Knowledge Key to Heavy Recovery

E

d’s Auto Service and Towing in Mount Pocono, Pa., is a family owned and operated company started by Ed Cardiello and his wife, Yvonne, in 1995. Their three children, Eddie, Joey and Catie are also involved in the family business.

On Oct. 24, 2015, Ed’s was very busy and trying to get ready for the Barret Halloween Parade as well, when they got a call for a tractortrailer stuck in the mud.

“So Saturday we are jamming light- and heavy-duty. Everyone was also busy trying to get trucks ready for the parade on Sunday,” Joey said.

“Our heavy was busy running a tractor swap for a customer so I knew he was going to be gone for a few hours. We just got the medium-duty

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Tractor is stuck hood-deep in the muddy ditch.

out a few days before and I was polishing it for the parade, but duty calls so off I go.”

Joey took his 2005 Ford F-650 extended cab with a Jerr-Dan HPL-60 Cougar 12-ton medium-duty wrecker out to get the semi. The wrecker had just returned from getting a new paint job and wrap.

Once Joey arrived on scene, he did his walk-around survey of the situation to come up with a plan of action that would be the best and safest way considering the location and the equipment he had on hand.

“The tractor-trailer was on a narrow road in a little private community where it shouldn’t have been in the first place,” Joey said. “It got stuck in a muddy ditch when the driver was trying to turn on a cul-de-sac. It was sunk in hood-deep and could not move. I have nothing but faith in my HPL-60 medium-duty, so I decided to back it up as close as I could to the front of the tractor and got busy rigging.”

Joey rigged it with snatch blocks in the two lines from the HPL-60 so he had four lines to the load. In this case, using the snatch blocks in a double-line pull split the weight and increased the power, which comes in handy when recovering a vehicle that’s bigger than what you have. This double-line setup with the snatch block doubles the pulling power of the winch, but when you double the power, you also cut the line speed in half.

The snatch block may be simple in design, but using one properly requires some creative thinking. They are one of many tools for working smarter—not harder.

Joey stayed in close to the chassis and took small bites to lift it out of the hole.

“That’s the benefit of being a third generation tower,” he said. “My father taught me well. He instilled the importance of knowing weight and the working load limits of your equipment. I knew I was well within the [limits] of this medium-duty.”

The tractor-trailer came right out.

“After I winched him out, and he was unstuck and back on the pavement, he had to back the tractor-trailer Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

out of the cul-de-sac because there was just not enough room for him to turn,” Joey said. “I cleaned up, got paid, drove back to the shop and went back to polishing for the parade.”

This is a very good demonstration of what a medium-duty can do, with someone that knows what to do and how to do it.

"I knew I was well within the [limits] of this medium-duty," said Joey Cardiello.

Jim “Buck” Sorrenti, a longtime editor of American Towman, has been our field editor for the past few years. He is a freelance writer and photographer with more than 40 years of experience covering motorcycle, hot rod, truck and towing culture. He writes weekly for TowIndustryWeek.com.

Snatch blocks in the two lines from the HPL-60 so Joey had four lines to the load.

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 91

Drones: Recovery Work from New Heights

by Charles Duke

I

n recent years, the world became familiar with drones, especially related to gathering intelligence in foreign affairs. However, the evercreative towman is now employing the use of drones in recovery work.

In a recent edition of American Towman TV’s “Oz Reports” (found on Tow Industry Week at towindustryweek.com), Will Ellison of Borderline

Towing and Recovery in Hobbs, N.M., illustrated the drone’s use as a valuable tool in working recovery jobs.

Ellison’s D-J-I Phantom 2 Vision Plus, a drone currently priced for sale around $600, is like having another employee that is always at his disposal.

“It’s like having three or four guys sitting there watching everything I’m

doing,” said Ellison, “because there’s only so much you can see at ground level. When you have it up 40-50 feet in the air, you can see that bird’s eye view.”

Ellison said he uses his drone for many situations, including finding lost vehicles and as on-scene spotters for hard-to-reach angles when he’s working solo. It’s very advantageous when working in remote areas, which Ellison often does. As it is GPS- and satellite-controlled, it gives him the ability to position and maintain the drone in a specific area. And, it flies itself.

“You get out to a wreck … and everybody’s gone,” Ellison said.

“There’s no one there to tell you ‘Watch out for this’ on the far side of the truck and you cannot see through a piece of equipment, you can’t see that this hook is sliding. I use drones to fly over on the other side, and I have monitors in my control panel where I can see everything that’s going on on the back side of the vehicle without having the safety factor of walking away from my controls.

“It’s a tool, just like any other tool in my toolbox, whether it would be an impact wrench or my drone. It is a tool that makes my job safer and easier. I’m not climbing around in the brush worrying about getting bit by a rattlesnake when I’ve got a drone that doesn’t care.”

Editor’s Note: Charles Duke is the editor of TowIndustryWeek.com and senior editor for American Towman magazine.

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robertyoungtrucks.com TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 95

‘Casper’ Rolls On

by George L. Nitti

C

ool trucks with interesting imagery turn heads and win over customers.

However, sometimes a company will choose not to use any graphics or colors, leaving the design of the truck as its key marketing ingredient.

Statewide Towing & Recovery in Riverside, Calif., recently acquired a 2016 International Lone Star, a state-of-the-art chassis that turns heads regardless of what’s painted on its exterior. One look at the design and you are hooked.

Although it’s not one of a kind, there aren’t many out there according to owner Chris Kirk.

“Although the numbers are small, I think the design is going to go,” said Kirk. “It looks like a mini freight train. But we’ve never seen an all-white one.”

Kirk also owns a heavy-duty body shop, and was able to give this truck a custom makeover with a 25-ton Holmes Detachable Towing Unit—that started out all-black.

“It took us three months,” Kirk said. “Everything was custom-painted. The grille, bumper,

96 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

stack guards, air cleaners, door seals, fuel tank, fenders, wrecker beds and more. We used a Matlock primer and a white coat.

“A couple of customers even wanted to buy it before we got it on the road. A wrap lasts three to five years, while a custom paint job can be good for about 10 years.”

In addition to their body shop, Kirk also builds and installs wreckers in his hydraulic shop.

“We usually build sleepers,” he said. “But this is a non-sleeper, day cab. It’s nice, clean and white. We call it ‘Casper.’ It moves and looks like a ghost.”

Sometimes the art of design is making the invisible more visible. This one does the trick.

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.

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • 97

Bots on the Way

by Steve Calitri

Y

ou got it, Bots as in Robots. Mini-bots at that. Conjures up images from the cinema where mini-robots are scooting along the street to a parked car following some sinister plot. But these bots are real, brought to you from the geniuses at Stanford University. That bots may play a role in towing in the not-distant future comes at no surprise. After all, Google has already pioneered the driverless car that has already come onto the market. So if you’re pulling your hair out over tow-operator issues, you may not need any of those humans in a few years. Then again, the state may take over all towing operations with the driverless cars and tow-bots. Then where are we?

But can society really substitute the machine for the human in this important function? My son, Henri, wrote a Two Cents column for Tow Industry Week last month stating that when a tower pulls behind a stranded motorist who may be dehydrated or freezing, it’s like the Red Cross showing up. Indeed, isn’t the tower more than just a tow operator?

Isn’t a barber more than a haircutter, a doctor more than a diagnostician?

Do we miss something important if, when we go for a haircut, we simply put our heads under a helmet and press a few buttons for a customized cut; or simply skip the Doc altogether for self diagnosis through Google?

Can the bots ever replace the recovery specialist at the accident scene?

If the answer is yes, we at American Towman better start to figure how to attract these robots to our 98 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

shows. Though I suppose SouthPoint Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas will not be as thrilled to see the bots as the towmen.

Thank God the bots aren’t taking over this year.

AT’s Centennial Celebrations in Las Vegas, Dallas and Baltimore would be pretty stiff without the humanity. At SouthPoint we have pies, ribs, music and Centennial coffee mugs in store for everyone, not to mention the 140 exhibitors and all the products, equipment and expertise they’re bringing to the American Towman ShowPlace, May 12-13.

Do bots bring energy to any venue? Is there anything quite like human energy?

Well OK, a towing-bot doesn’t need to take a lunch or snack break in the middle of the morning or afternoon, or run back home at the behest of a spouse. But can a bot’s energy generate the spirit necessary that makes all the activities of doing business worthwhile? Hey, you can bet army commanders are musing about the same, as soldiering bots have been developed. Will the term, “Commander of men,” be obsolete shortly, and will being a field general become a bloodless charge?

Are we the last towmen?

Sure as I’m writing this I will get a call when this issue hits the streets: “Steve, if these bots are 100-percent punctual and always show, where can I buy one?”

Drones used by recovery specialists was a feature presented

by Emily Oz of American Towman TV last month. You can still view it on the ATTV page at TowIndustryWeek.com. The walk around will never be the same with these babies in play.

Emily Oz interviews Will Ellison.

Tow Industry Week continues to deliver breaking news, now every weekday. TIW broke the drone-recovery feature and the towing-bots feature in the same week. TIW was the first to bring the industry news about AutoReturn’s gains in Las Vegas and Austin.

The American Towman SuperApp is out, free to download from your smartphone today. The SuperApp puts American Towman Magazine, the shows, and TIW right at your fingertips at all times.

Mass. Towman Struck by Car Police arrested Marlborough, Mass., resident Luiz Cordeiro, 43, recently after he hit a tower with his car and fled from Smitty’s Towing, according to a Framingham Police report.

Cordeiro did not have the $150 it cost for Smitty’s to release the car and gave the tow truck driver $130. He then got into his car as the tower told Cordeiro he could not take it. With the tower standing in front of the vehicle, Cordeiro drove forward, hitting him with his vehicle, according to the report.

Cordeiro was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon among other charges.

Source: framingham.wickedlocal.com.

Tower Helped in Fatal Highway Crash Eight different tow companies were called in to help clean up after a fatal pile-up on I-78 in Bethel Township, Pa. D.E. Richards in Fredericksburg was one of the first companies at the scene. The owner, Dale, has been towing cars his whole life and had never dealt with a crash this big.

“Besides the cold and the wind, it was difficult to deal with. You don’t get used to it, you just deal with it when it comes to fatalities and severe injuries,” said Richards.

State police said more than 70 people were injured and taken to 11 local hospitals. Three people were killed in the crash.

Source: fox43.com.

Check out AT’s digital edition at itowman.com NORTH 100 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • NORTH 101

Who Should Pay for Damages?

by Don Archer

A

tower recently emailed me who thought he was being treated unfairly by his boss.

He asked, “If you have a company phone and drop it and the screen cracks—and the company is paying the insurance—should you, the tow truck operator, be required to pay the deductible?”

I get this question all the time: Who should pay?

Some say the tow operator should “man up” and pay for his mistakes.

Others suggest that the towing company has budgeted for certain losses and expects things to happen, so they should pay.

There’s no easy answer. Even company owners are all over the map on this. Some feel that placing too much burden on their drivers will make it difficult to retain quality help. Others say that quality drivers don’t continually cause damage; and that requiring those who do to pay something will weed out the bad drivers.

Most drivers feel horrible when they cause damage and wish there was something, other than paying the deductible, that they could do to make things right. Others think damages are a cost of doing business, and that rates should be adjusted to allow the company to absorb damages more easily.

Neither group believes that damages should affect compensation.

So the question remains … who should pay?

I ask, “What does your company policy say?”

The question continues to come up because most towing companies don’t have a written policy in place that spells out exactly who pays for what when damages occur. Not having a NORTH 102 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Having a damages policy in place sets expectations.

Wired.com image.

written policy in place is a problem for more than a few reasons.

First, when you don’t have a set policy for dealing with damages, you must then rely on your own judgement.

Of course it’s your business and I’m not suggesting there’s anything wrong with your judgement. You probably have a good idea for who is careful and who’s not.

But imposing unwritten rules can be risky. When you rely only on your judgement and choose to impose unwritten rules on the fly it might be considered arbitrary punishment. If a disgruntled driver feels like you’ve

singled him out, this could be considered discrimination and you could be setting yourself up for a lawsuit.

On the other hand, if it’s written and made clear to everyone that this policy applies to all equally, there’s no ambiguity.

Besides the obvious benefit of shielding yourself from being sued, having a damages policy in place does something else: it sets expectations.

When drivers know that you expect them to care for company property and understand that there are real-life consequences for not doing so, they will come up to the task.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • NORTH 103

Lastly, it’s good for business. Disregard for company property can lead to maltreatment of a customer’s property. Nothing can harm your business more than the negative “press” you get when you damage someone’s car. Having a damages policy that includes a progressive discipline policy can help to not only deter damages, but it also helps weed out offenders before the problem is exacerbated.

So who should pay? It’s up to you. You built your business, and only you know what’s acceptable.

But whatever you decide, put it in writing, assure all will be bound by it, know it, and sign-off on it.

Don Archer lives and works in Jefferson City, Mo., where he and his wife, Brenda, own and operate Broadway Wrecker, a 12truck operation that’s been in business since the 1950s. He writes a weekly column for TowIndustryWeek.com. Email him at don@broadwaywrecker.com..

NORTH 104 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Copyright 2016 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

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • SOUTH 99

Audit Finds Overcharges in Miami A review of towing companies in Miami, Fla., revealed that they overcharged customers and failed to pay the city owed fees.

A local TV news reporter reviewed an audit from Miami’s independent auditor general, which looked at several companies contracted by the city. In a one-month period, they found companies overcharged people more than $8,000. The audit also found that the companies failed to pay the city more than $50,000 in fees, which they were charging customers.

In one case, a motorist should have paid $68 to get a Nissan Maxima back after a towing company towed it. Instead, the company charged $130, including a false fee. At the time of the audit, the base rate in the city of Miami was $68. (It has since been raised to the same as the county rate, which is $101.)

MPD did not monitor towing company operations.

The Miami Police Department wrecker detail is responsible for monitoring towing operations in the city.

The audit found that “MPD procedures and controls over the towing companies operating in the city were inadequate. … MPD did not monitor towing company operations.”

The audit found that over the one-month period, the companies failed to pay the city more than $50,000 in fees, which they were charging customers.

Source: local10.com.

Mass. Towman Struck by Car Police arrested Marlborough, Mass., resident Luiz Cordeiro, 43, recently after he hit a tower with his car and fled from SOUTH 100 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • SOUTH 101

Smitty’s Towing, according to a Framingham Police report.

Cordeiro did not have the $150 it cost for Smitty’s to release the car and gave the tow truck driver $130. He then got into his car as the tower told Cordeiro he could not take it. With the tower standing in front of the vehicle, Cordeiro drove forward, hitting him with his vehicle, according to the report.

Cordeiro was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon among other charges.

Source: framingham.wickedlocal.com.

New Bid Process Discussed Clarksville, Ind., is in the process of selecting and entering in to a contract with a new towing company for the police department. A new committee met and discussed what the town needs in entering into a new contract.

Clarksville had worked with Kraft Towing and Recovery for years until the contract expired in December and the company was sold to S & R Towing. The town operates with S & R on a month-to-month contract, and Councilman Tim Hauber said the council saw fit to open the bidding process.

Of the four companies which submitted proposals — S & R Towing, Wheeler’s Towing & Recovery, Red Ball Towing and Sunny Acres Towing — Hauber said the committee saw Red Ball as the most fitting and planned to recommend it to the council.

All were vetted by committee members in person and through checking records and permits. However, there were some dissenting opinions at a council meeting and questions were raised on what can be done within certain town ordinances.

The committee planned to revisit the issue.

Source: newsandtribune.com.

Rolling Display Encourages Sober Driving The consequences of an impaired driving crash were on display SOUTH 102 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

recently in Twin Falls, Idaho, when Highway 30 Towing transported a crashed car around town to help raise awareness about making safe choices when activities involve drinking.

Highway 30 Towing’s flatbed carried the crashed vehicle with signs on each side of the bed encouraging and reminding motorists to always drive sober.

Towmen in Boise and Coeur d’Alene participated in similar volunteer efforts during March, according to Mary Burke with the Idaho Transportation Department’s Office of Highway Safety.

“This campaign will help people to visualize the dangers of impaired drinking or any unsafe driving behavior,” she said.

ITD’s Office of Highway Safety works to reduce deaths and serious injuries from traffic crashes by discouraging dangerous driving behaviors through education activities and supporting law enforcement campaigns.

Source: newsradio1310.com.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • SOUTH 103

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Mich. Companies Defend Fees Amidst complaints that some western Michigan towing companies are being accused of adding excessive fees to their bills, towers in that region recently answered in a newscast with a local television station.

“You know, we’re not gouging people,” said Keith Baker, who owns Jerry’s, Dave’s, and Newaygo Towing. He says he increased his rates and started adding fees a few years ago after attending a class in Massachusetts.

“We were struggling to get paid on accidents,” Baker said. “And some of these jobs are very expensive.”

Baker says he learned how to itemize his services. He claims it’s necessary when billing insurance companies.

At Eagle Towing, Andrew Heycoop uses a similar style. The newscast asked him about the “administrative

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

fee” and “inclement weather fee.”

“That would be us processing the scene, taking pictures, documentation, writing narrative, breaking down the invoice for the insurance company,” Heycoop said. “Inclement Weather is due to hazardous conditions, working slower, safer, equipment breaks down.”

Baker was also asked about the reclamation fee.

“Reclamation fee is 3 percent.

That’s to pay for, if you look over my shoulder, we have 150 vehicles that have not been paid for and will not get paid for. They go to auction in May. Scrap is down to nothing, we’ll get very little out of these cars. The reclamation helps us recoup some of that.”

So, if the situation is so bad, why aren’t all tow companies doing the same thing? WZZM took the issue to the Michigan Towing Association.

“Yes, I can relate to both sides of the issue,” says Joel Ballor, MTA president. Ballor remarked how tough in

can be to make money, especially in a rural area where the call volume isn’t as high.

Ballor didn’t want to criticize anyone else’s pricing structure, but when asked about those fees, he admitted that he didn’t use them: “My company does not do that, but I can’t speak to whether that’s the market average.”

Source: wzzm13.com.

New Bid Process Discussed Clarksville, Ind., is in the process of selecting and entering in to a contract with a new towing company for the police department. A new committee met and discussed what the town needs in entering into a new contract.

Clarksville had worked with Kraft Towing and Recovery for years until the contract expired in December and the company was sold to S & R Towing. The town operates with S & R on a month-to-month contract, and Councilman Tim Hauber said the council

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • MIDWEST 99

saw fit to open the bidding process.

Of the four companies which submitted proposals — S & R Towing, Wheeler’s Towing & Recovery, Red Ball Towing and Sunny Acres Towing — Hauber said the committee saw Red Ball as the most fitting and planned to recommend it to the council.

All were vetted by committee members in person and through checking records and permits. However, there were some dissenting opinions at a council meeting and questions were raised on what can be done within certain town ordinances.

The committee planned to revisit the issue.

Source: newsandtribune.com.

Zoning Request for Tow Business Rejected The Effingham, Ill., Plan Commission unanimously turned down a request for rezoning to relocate Heartland Towing & Recovery.

Steve Kaufman, who operates Heartland Towing, wanted to buy a parcel of land situated near a bank, a church and also residential areas. The request was to rezone from general commercial to light industrial.

At least five people addressed the matter, with one speaker saying it would intrude on what is now a family area.

Bruce Devall, a building department official, said the rezoning request would not conform with the city’s comprehensive plan.

He said after the meeting that Kaufman wanted to relocate to avoid pulling wrecked vehicles through town. Devall added that most other towing businesses are in the light industrial district, rather than general commercial.

One resident stated the homeowners there are concerned about the proposed change to light industrial for several reasons, primarily “quality of life issues” that it might affect and the zoning change could set a precedence for future lots.

It was scheduled for a vote at press time.

Source: effinghamdailynews.com.

MIDWEST 100 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Mass. Towman Struck by Car Police arrested Marlborough, Mass., resident Luiz Cordeiro, 43, recently after he hit a tower with his car and fled from Smitty’s Towing, according to a Framingham Police report.

Cordeiro did not have the $150 it cost for Smitty’s to release the car and gave the tow truck driver $130.

He then got into his car as the tower told Cordeiro he could not take it.

With the tower standing in front of the vehicle, Cordeiro drove forward, hitting him with his vehicle, according to the report.

Cordeiro was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon among other charges.

Source: framingham.wickedlocal.com.

Visit us in the Miller booth at the Florida show

Tower Helped in Fatal Highway Crash Eight different tow companies were called in to help clean up after a fatal pile-up on I-78 in Bethel Township, Pa. D.E. Richards in Fredericksburg was one of the first companies at the scene. The owner, Dale, has been towing cars his whole life and had never dealt with a crash this big.

“Besides the cold and the wind, it was difficult to deal with. You don’t get used to it, you just deal with it when it comes to fatalities and severe injuries,” said Richards.

State police said more than 70 people were injured and taken to 11 local hospitals. Three people were killed in the crash.

Source: fox43.com.

Audit Finds Overcharges in Miami A review of towing companies in Miami, Fla., revealed that they overcharged customers and failed to pay the city owed fees.

continue to page M 104 Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • MIDWEST 101

Who Should Pay for Damages?

by Don Archer

A

tower recently emailed me who thought he was being treated unfairly by his boss. He asked, “If you have a company phone and drop it and the screen cracks—and the company is paying the insurance—should you, the tow truck operator, be required to pay the deductible?”

I get this question all the time: Who should pay?

Some say the tow operator should “man up” and pay for his mistakes. Others suggest that the towing company has budgeted for certain losses and expects things to happen, so they should pay.

There’s no easy answer. Even company owners are all over the map on this. Some feel that placing too much burden on their drivers will make it difficult to retain quality help. Others say that quality drivers don’t continually cause damage; and that requiring those who do to pay something will weed out the bad drivers.

Most drivers feel horrible when they cause damage and wish there was something, other than paying the deductible, that they could do to make things right. Others think damages are a cost of doing business, and that rates should be adjusted to allow the company to absorb damages more easily.

Neither group believes that damages should affect compensation.

So the question remains … who should pay?

I ask, “What does your company policy say?”

The question continues to come up because most towing companies don’t have a written policy in place that spells out exactly who pays for what when damages occur.

Not having a written policy in place is a problem for more than a few reasons.

First, when you don’t have a set policy for dealing with damages, you must then rely on your own judgement.

Of course it’s your business and I’m not suggesting there’s anything wrong with your judgement. You probably have a good idea for who is careful and who’s not.

But imposing unwritten rules can be risky. When you rely only on your judgement and choose to impose unwritten rules on the fly it might be considered arbitrary punishment. If a disgruntled driver feels like you’ve singled him out, this could be considered discrimination and you could be setting yourself up for a lawsuit.

On the other hand, if it’s written and made clear to everyone that this policy applies to all equally, there’s no ambiguity.

Besides the obvious benefit of shielding yourself from being sued, having a damages policy in place does someMIDWEST 102 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Having a damages policy in place sets expectations.

Wired.com image.

thing else: it sets expectations. When drivers know that you expect them to care for company property and understand that there are real-life consequences for not doing so, they will come up to the task.

Lastly, it’s good for business. Disregard for company property can lead to maltreatment of a customer’s property.

Nothing can harm your business more than the negative “press” you get when you damage someone’s car. Having a damages policy that includes a progressive discipline policy can help to not only deter damages, but it also helps weed out offenders before the problem is exacerbated.

So who should pay? It’s up to you. You built your business, and only you know Don Archer lives and works in Jefferson City, Mo., where he and what’s acceptable. But his wife, Brenda, own and operwhatever you decide, ate Broadway Wrecker, a 12put it in writing, truck operation that’s been in business since the 1950s. He assure all will be writes a weekly column for bound by it, know it, TowIndustryWeek.com. Email him at don@broadwaywrecker.com.. and sign-off on it.

continued from page M 101 A local TV news reporter reviewed an audit from Miami’s independent auditor general, which looked at several companies contracted by the city.

In a one-month period, they found companies overcharged people more than $8,000. The audit also found that the companies failed to pay the city more than $50,000 in fees, which they were charging customers.

In one case, a motorist should have paid $68 to get a Nissan Maxima back after a towing company towed it.

Instead, the company charged $130, including a false fee. At the time of the audit, the base rate in the city of Miami was $68. (It has since been raised to the same as the county rate, which is $101.)

The Miami Police Department wrecker detail is responsible for monitoring towing operations in the city.

The audit found that “MPD procedures and controls over the towing companies operating in the city were inadequate. … MPD did not monitor towing company operations.”

Source: local10.com.

Rolling Display Encourages Sober Driving The consequences of an impaired driving crash were on display recently in Twin Falls, Idaho, when Highway 30 Towing transported a crashed car around town to help raise awareness about making safe choices when activities involve drinking.

Highway 30 Towing’s flatbed carried the crashed vehicle with signs on each side of the bed encouraging and reminding motorists to always drive sober.

Towmen in Boise and Coeur d’Alene participated in similar volunteer efforts during March, according to Mary Burke with the Idaho Transportation Department’s Office of Highway Safety.

“This campaign will help people to visualize the dangers of impaired drinking or any unsafe driving behavior,” she said.

ITD’s Office of Highway Safety

works to reduce deaths and serious injuries from traffic crashes by discouraging dangerous driving behaviors through education activities and supporting law enforcement campaigns.

Source: newsradio1310.com.

Woman Wants Tow Company Gone A North Bend, Ore., resident recently brought an appeal before the town’s city council in an attempt to get rid of what she calls a noisy disturbance in her neighborhood.

Susanna Noordhoff said for years the city has allowed the owners of North Bend Towing to use their residential property for commercial use, parking tow trucks on the street.

The North Bend City Administrator says the issue has been brought before the city several times in recent years.

He says the Council and Planning Commission have never found violations of the Home Occupation Permit.

"It is my understanding North Bend Towing has had a Home Occupations Permit and had been doing the same business there since I think 1978," said city administrator Terence O’Connor.

"I'm sorry but I don't care,” said Noordhoff. “I want the protection that the zoning ordinance gives my residential zone, and that is that the only businesses that are there you can't tell what it is looking at the property."

Source: kcby.com kcby.com.

Shots at Tower Mistaken for Repo Agent Police in Longmont, Colo., arrested a woman on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder recently after they say she shot at a tower she incorrectly thought was coming to repossess her car.

Lourdes Kouzougian also faces possible charges of felony menacing, discharging a firearm inside the city limits and reckless endangerment, police said.

MIDWEST 104 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Police said the tower was waiting for calls for service when Kouzougian, armed with a shotgun, confronted him. The tower climbed into his truck and left, but heard a gunshot and called police shortly after 2:30 p.m.

Neighbors, who had heard Kouzougian make a similar threat about a tow truck driver earlier in the week, were able to direct police to Kouzougian's house.

He said Kouzougian refused to come out. Police unsuccessfully tried to find a number to call her, and instead used a loudspeaker to contact her. Police called out the SWAT team, but Kouzougian surrendered before it arrived and was taken into custody.

No one was injured during the incident.

Source: timescall.com.

Illegal Truck Towing, Fight A Corneilus, Ore., man is behind bars after deputies say he fought with them when they attempted to arrest him for illegally towing a truck.

The Washington County Sheriff's office received a call about a noninjury crash involving two cars.

Deputies say 51-year-old Warren Fleming was upset about a 2005 Toyota Tundra being parked in front of his house. He decided to hook the Toyota up to his 2002 Dodge Dakota using a large chain, and tow it away from where it was parked.

The Toyota came loose while being towed and crashed into a neighbor's front lawn, deputies say. A palm tree prevented it from going further and crashing into a house.

Several neighbors who witnessed the incident say Fleming quickly drove his Dodge back into his driveway and ran inside before deputies arrived.

When deputies did arrive, they say Fleming fought with them.

Fleming was arrested for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, criminal mischief and resisting arrest.

Source: katu.com.

Work the non-traffic Side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • WEST 99

Rolling Display Encourages Sober Driving The consequences of an impaired driving crash were on display recently in Twin Falls, Idaho, when Highway 30 Towing transported a crashed car around town to help raise awareness about making safe choices when activities involve drinking.

Highway 30 Towing’s flatbed carried the crashed vehicle with signs on each side of the bed encouraging and reminding motorists to always drive sober.

Towmen in Boise and Coeur d’Alene participated in similar volunteer efforts during March, according to Mary Burke with the Idaho Transportation Department’s Office of Highway Safety.

“This campaign will help people to visualize the dangers of impaired drinking or any unsafe driving behavior,” she said.

ITD’s Office of Highway Safety works to reduce deaths and serious injuries from traffic crashes by discouraging dangerous driving behaviors through education activities and supporting law enforcement campaigns.

Source: newsradio1310.com.

Mass. Towman Struck by Car Police arrested Marlborough, Mass., resident Luiz Cordeiro, 43, recently after he hit a tower with his car and fled from Smitty’s Towing, according to a Framingham Police report.

Cordeiro did not have the $150 it cost for Smitty’s to release the car and gave the tow truck driver $130. He then got into his car as the tower told Cordeiro he could not take it. With the tower standing in front of the vehicle, Cordeiro drove forward, hitting him with his vehicle, according to the report.

Cordeiro was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon among other charges.

Source: framingham.wickedlocal.com.

WEST 100 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Work the Passenger side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • WEST 101

Tower Helped in Fatal Highway Crash Eight different tow companies were called in to help clean up after a fatal pile-up on I-78 in Bethel Township, Pa. D.E. Richards in Fredericksburg was one of the first companies at the scene. The owner, Dale, has been towing cars his whole life and had never dealt with a crash this big.

“Besides the cold and the wind, it was difficult to deal with. You don’t get used to it, you just deal with it when it comes to fatalities and severe injuries,” said Richards.

State police said more than 70 people were injured and taken to 11 local hospitals. Three people were killed in the crash.

Source: fox43.com.

Audit Finds Overcharges in Miami A review of towing companies in Miami, Fla., revealed that they overcharged customers and failed to pay the city owed fees.

A local TV news reporter reviewed an audit from Miami’s independent auditor general, which looked at several companies contracted by the city. In a one-month period, they found companies overcharged people more than $8,000.

The audit also found that the companies failed to pay the city more than $50,000 in fees, which they were charging customers.

In one case, a motorist should have paid $68 to get a Nissan Maxima back after a towing company towed it. Instead, the company charged $130, including a false fee. At the time of the audit, the base rate in the city of Miami was $68. (It has since been raised to the same as the county rate, which is $101.)

The Miami Police Department wrecker detail is responsible for monitoring towing operations in the city.

The audit found that “MPD procedures and controls over the towing companies operating in the city were WEST 102 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

inadequate. … MPD did not monitor towing company operations.”

The audit found that over the onemonth period, the companies failed to pay the city more than $50,000 in fees, which they were charging customers.

Source: local10.com.

Mich. Companies Defend Fees Amidst complaints that some western Michigan towing companies are being accused of adding excessive fees to their bills, towers in that region recently answered in a newscast with a local television station.

“You know, we’re not gouging people,” said Keith Baker, who owns Jerry’s, Dave’s, and Newaygo Towing. He says he increased his rates and started adding fees a few years ago after attending a class in Massachusetts.

“We were struggling to get paid on accidents,” Baker said. “And some of these jobs are very expensive.”

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

Baker says he learned how to itemize his services. He claims it’s necessary when billing insurance companies.

“We were struggling to get paid on accidents” At Eagle Towing, Andrew Heycoop uses a similar style. The newscast asked him about the “administrative fee” and “inclement weather fee.”

“That would be us processing the scene, taking pictures, documentation, writing narrative, breaking down the invoice for the insurance company,” Heycoop said. “Inclement Weather is due to hazardous conditions, working slower, safer, equipment breaks down.”

Baker was also asked about the reclamation fee.

“Reclamation fee is 3 percent.

That’s to pay for, if you look over my shoulder, we have 150 vehicles that have not been paid for and will not get paid for. They go to auction in May. Scrap is down to nothing, we’ll get very little out of these cars. The reclamation helps us recoup some of that.”

So, if the situation is so bad, why aren’t all tow companies doing the same thing? WZZM took the issue to the Michigan Towing Association.

“Yes, I can relate to both sides of the issue,” says Joel Ballor, MTA president. Ballor remarked how tough in can be to make money, especially in a rural area where the call volume isn’t as high.

Ballor didn’t want to criticize anyone else’s pricing structure, but when asked about those fees, he admitted that he didn’t use them: “My company does not do that, but I can’t speak to whether that’s the market average.”

Source: wzzm13.com.

TOWMAN.COM - April 2016 • WEST 103

Who Should Pay for Damages?

by Don Archer

A

tower recently emailed me who thought he was being treated unfairly by his boss. He asked, “If you have a company phone and drop it and the screen cracks—and the company is paying the insurance—should you, the tow truck operator, be required to pay the deductible?”

I get this question all the time: Who should pay?

Some say the tow operator should “man up” and pay for his mistakes. Others suggest that the towing company has budgeted for certain losses and expects things to happen, so they should pay.

There’s no easy answer. Even company owners are all over the map on this. Some feel that placing too much burden on their drivers will make it difficult to retain quality help. Others say that quality drivers don’t continually cause damage; and that requiring those who do to pay something will weed out the bad drivers.

Most drivers feel horrible when they cause damage and wish there was something, other than paying the deductible, that they could do to make things right. Others think damages are a cost of doing business, and that rates should be adjusted to allow the company to absorb damages more easily.

Neither group believes that damages should affect compensation.

So the question remains … who should pay?

I ask, “What does your company policy say?”

The question continues to come up because most towing companies don’t have a written policy in place that spells out exactly who pays for what when damages occur.

Not having a written policy in place is a problem for more than a few reasons.

First, when you don’t have a set policy for dealing with damages, you must then rely on your own judgement.

Of course it’s your business and I’m not suggesting there’s anything wrong with your judgement. You probably have a good idea for who is careful and who’s not.

But imposing unwritten rules can be risky. When you rely only on your judgement and choose to impose unwritten rules on the fly it might be considered arbitrary punishment. If a disgruntled driver feels like you’ve singled him out, this could be considered discrimination and you could be setting yourself up for a lawsuit.

On the other hand, if it’s written and made clear to everyone that this policy applies to all equally, there’s no ambiguity.

Besides the obvious benefit of shielding yourself from being sued, having a damages policy in place does someWEST 104 • April 2016 - TOWMAN.COM

Having a damages policy in place sets expectations.

Wired.com image.

thing else: it sets expectations. When drivers know that you expect them to care for company property and understand that there are real-life consequences for not doing so, they will come up to the task.

Lastly, it’s good for business. Disregard for company property can lead to maltreatment of a customer’s property.

Nothing can harm your business more than the negative “press” you get when you damage someone’s car. Having a damages policy that includes a progressive discipline policy can help to not only deter damages, but it also helps weed out offenders before the problem is exacerbated.

So who should pay? It’s up to you. You built your business, and only you know Don Archer lives and works in Jefferson City, Mo., where he and what’s acceptable. But his wife, Brenda, own and operwhatever you decide, ate Broadway Wrecker, a 12put it in writing, truck operation that’s been in business since the 1950s. He assure all will be writes a weekly column for bound by it, know it, TowIndustryWeek.com. Email him at don@broadwaywrecker.com.. and sign-off on it.