American Towman Magazine - July 2017

Spirit Ride routes through the Heartland & Southwest to Tow Expo-Dallas

AmericanTowman.com

Departments The Walkaround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 News Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Road Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Beacon’s On! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Work Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 AD Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Spirit Ride processions passed through towns, county roads, highways and freeways. Highway patrol and police provided escorts as well as vehicles for the Spirit Ride processions. Fire trucks, emergency medical vans and ambulances joined the tow trucks, up to 50 vehicles on some of the Rides in June and over 200 trucks in Troy, MI.

Tow Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Tow Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Tow Boss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Repo Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Towman’s Market . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

FEATURE CONTENTS

26

Winning the Airwaves The Spirit Ride is working and getting the national media to alert the public on The Move Over Laws.

by Steve Calitri

My Baby. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Low Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Adventures of A.T. . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

30

The Spirit Ride Comes to Town Zeroing in on The Spirit Ride in Upstate New York.

by Helen Gutfreund

42

Live Wire

A sheared power pole and live wires required out-of-the-box recovery.

by Latta Null

55

One for the Ages Cover:

Tina Lyon of Meyer's Towing, lower left hand corner, being interviewed

by SYR Channel 9 in Syracuse. .

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

The 2017 American Towman Expo in Baltimore, Md., is on the horizon. Prepare for it here.

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • 3

Spirit in the News Enough cannot be said about The Spirit Ride, promoting the Move Over laws, which has begun to harness much media attention. As of press time, several east coast news stations have aired footage of The Spirit Ride processions and ceremonies along with multiple newspapers reporting as well. The coverage not only highlights the law, but focuses on the ever present risks that towers face on the road every day.

Towers, firefighters, EMT, police officers, local city and town officials, families and legislators all have taken part in the various ceremonies. This is what’s its all about: Working in tandem to honor those who have paid the ultimate price.

Through this initiative, together, we

by Dennie Ortiz

honor our fallen brothers and sisters striving to safeguard all first responders.

The Spirit Ride journey officially began in Haverhill, Mass., on June 1, following its inaugural ride in May at AT ShowPlace-Las Vegas. Keep track of The Ride’s progress with atspiritride.com or follow The Spirit Ride on our American Towman Magazine Facebook page. You will find the the current Spirit Ride route planned for the remainder of this year on page 28.

In this issue you get a glimpse of all that’s to come during the American Towman Exposition’s 29th year in Baltimore, from Nov. 17-19. In fact, the first part of The Spirit Ride’s two-year journey will culminate in Baltimore in a procession passing by the front of the Baltimore Convention Center.

First On The Scene!

Dennie Ortiz Steve Calitri Brendan Dooley Charles Duke

Publisher Editor-In-Chief Editor Senior Editor

Randall Resch

Operations Editor

Terry Abejuela

Field Editor, West

Jim “Buck” Sorrenti Don Archer David Kolman Bill Simmons Emily Oz Mark Lacek

Field Editor, Northeast Field Editor, Midwest Chassis Editor Safety Editor On Screen Editor Repo Run Editor

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

Dallas, Texas Saint Paul, Minn.

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

Warren, N.J. Creve Coeur, Ill.

American Towman Staff

The Spirit Ride’s Start

by Brendan Dooley

Following the record-setting attendence of the American Towman ShowPlace-Las Vegas this year, I felt blessed to be part of the Spirit Ride’s ceremonial launch Big Valley Towing’s retired firetruck is now a outside the South Point Hotel moving Public Service Announcement for the Move Over law. & Casino (which, by the way, made a sizable contribution to the Spirit Ride effort).

I rode in Big Valley Towing’s mobile-PSA/firetruck at the head of the procession, guiding the Spirit casket on its first public run on a carrier bed—the first of thousands of miles it will travel bringing attention to the Move Over laws in each state.

It was as humbling to be in that firetruck leading the procession as it was two nights before to pull Spirit into place for the memorial ceremony and concert. To be included as part of such a momentous cause makes me proud in a way I haven’t felt since I packed away my Navy seabag for the last time many, many years ago.

I feel the fight again as I’m helping towers’ battle against the unseen, but all too real, enemy of motorist distraction.

6 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

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: americantowman.com AT’S Weekly: towindustryweek.com ATTV: americantowmantv.com Copyright ©2017 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.

Rates to Rise after 10 Years Towing rates for illegal parking in Plattsburgh, N.Y., are being increased for the first time in more than 10 years.

The upkeep of equipment and insurance were cited for the reason rates are being increased from $80 to $125. The city also has had trouble getting cars towed, particularly in the winter.

“They checked with other municipalities of our size to see what they were doing and these are the numbers the city came up with,” said Jimmy Dubrey, who owns Dubrey’s Service Station. “They should help us in the towing industry, not only with our equipment and our insurances but our help to get out there and get the job done.”

For cars more than 8,600 lbs., the towing fee jumps from $90 to $150.

Source: mychamplainvalley.com.

Fired Towman Honored as Hero The Clark County (Nev.) Fire Department recently honored a tower with a citizen hero award for an act of heroism that also got him fired.

Anthony Garcia used his truck to block a car he feared would barrel into traffic on the Las Vegas Strip.

The driver suffered a medical episode and was slamming against the sidewall. Garcia sideswiped his truck against the car, stopping it.

Garcia said he was ousted from his job for the maneuver, but now is back on the road at PCCU Towing.

Firefighter Travis Haldeman said Garcia may have saved lots of people from danger.

Source: ktnv.com.

8 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

Texas Towmen Honor Fallen Firefighter Deem’s family.

Towmen hit Each was given a the streets in San set of three Antonio, Texas, plaques, includwith flags waving one of Deem ing from their and one with the trucks as they fireman’s prayer. honored fallen “I could have firefighter Scott Deem in May, Towmen in San Antonio, Texas, moved never imagined in a processional to honor a fallen we’d probably traveling from I- firefighter. ksat.com image. have 100 or so 10 to the site of wreckers coming to the parking lot the four-alarm fire that killed Deem all in a convoy and the outpouring and injured two other firefighters. of support. These guys support us “We work with fire, police every day out on the highway on department guys all the time. We these traffic incidents that we know what it feels like to lose a make,” said Capt. Jarrett Vocke, brother or sister,” said tower Jarrett with San Antonio Fire Station 35.

Granado. “We just wanted to show “We try to work as a team together. our support to not only the San But (I) would have never imagined Antonio Fire Department, but the kind of support we would get Scott’s family as well.” from these guys out here.”

The towmen showed their Source: ksat.com. respect to the firemen with a special memento for Ladder 35 and for

Utah Troopers,

DOT Address Move Over The Utah Highway Patrol and state Department of Transportation joined forces with federal administrators in May to urge drivers to slow down and move over when emergency crews are working on the side of the road.

Towman Kevin Chidester, who drives for Randalls Body Shop in Salt Lake City, said he always has to look over his shoulder.

Gina Espinosa-Salcedo, regional administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said the problems extend nationwide, even though Move Over laws exist in all 50 states.

“For the fourth year in a row, traffic fatalities are up,” Espinosa-Salcedo said. “We’re seeing a 13-percent

Utah troopers, towers and the DOT worked to increase awareness of Move Over laws in May. ksl.com image.

increase in the number of first responders who are being killed all across this country, and it’s something that we can absolutely do to prevent it simply by moving over or slowing down whenever we see first responders on the side of the road.”

Source: ksl.com.

. . . We try to work as a team together . . .

Civilian Saves Pinned Tower A good Samaritan in Yonkers, N.Y., is being commended after jumping into action to help a tower who was trapped when his tow truck rolled backward onto the lower part of his leg.

People heard towman Leonardo Mello screaming for help. Numerous residents rushed out and called 911.

Luis Perez says no one knew how to drive stick shift to try and move the truck, but he jumped in and gave it a shot.

“I got in the cab of the truck, I fooled with it for a second, but I was able to get it in gear, and was able to roll it off of his foot,” said Perez.

"And after I rolled it off of his foot, thank God [paramedics] had such a quick response time, and they were able to take care of him quickly,” he added.

Mello was thankful for all the help, and was on crutches a few weeks.

Source:hudsonvalley.news12.com .

Towman Alerts CHP to Distress An unidentified San FranciscoOakland Bay Bridge towman alerted the California Highway Patrol to a distraught man who climbed to the top of the bridge in late May, according to the CHP. The towman had stopped on the Bay Bridge to check out a stalled red pickup truck. He then saw a man get out of the truck and climb on top of the center anchorage.

CHP reported receiving the call at around 10:30 a.m. Thankfully, the man came down at around 1 p.m.

Source: kron4.com.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AT ShowPlace Sets Attendance Records For the fifth consecutive year, the American Towman ShowPlace-Las Vegas broke its own records in both attendance and industry suppliers displaying their products and services. The show continues to attract tow bosses nationally from the towing and recovery industry.

“On behalf of the entire staff of American Towman Magazine and Expositions, I wish to thank you for your continued The number of exhibitors at the participation in and support of this very American Towman ShowPlace-Las successful event,” said Henri “Doc” Cal- Vegas increased 16 percent to 170. itri, president of A.T. Expo Corp.

The number of exhibitors increased 16 percent to 170, making attendance the second largest in towing trade events by suppliers behind only the American Towman Exposition in Baltimore, Md. Total attendance for the show increased 5 percent from 2016 and now ranks the show second nationally in the number of tow business owners who registered to attend.

The 2017 Tow Industry Week welcomed the addition of the California Tow Truck Association’s annual convention to its informative conferences, hands-on training classes and networking events.

The show was highlighted by the Spirit Ride’s ceremonial launch down the famed Las Vegas Strip.

“We look forward to working with you again for next year’s show that will take place at the South Point Hotel & Casino Resort May 9-11,” Calitri said.

Recovery Trainer, Former AT Field Editor Lambert Passes The towing industry was saddened by the passing of North American Towing Academy president David Lambert. A longtime veteran of towing, Lambert died of a heart attack May 16.

He was 68.

Lambert was a regular seminar presenter at the American Towman Exposition and served as field editor for American Towman Magazine for four years.

He was a Vietnam veteran, serving his country for 6-1/2 years as an Air Traffic Controller in Trainer Dave Lambert. the United States Air Force and another 6 years as a controller with the Federal Aviation Administration.

Lambert began towing in 1981. In 1986, he began a career as a road service technician in Florida and moved on to AAA national’s road service department.

Lambert assisted in writing and/or editing several other tow operator training and certification programs including the University of Georgia’s IITR LightDuty and the Professional Wrecker Operators of Florida’s Light/Medium-duty.

He was the lead-instructor for PWOF’s L/M program for 11 years.

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • 9

Check Out What’s NEW and HOT!

Streamline Impounds with eimpound

Ramsey Hercules 50K Planetary Winch Ramsey Winch said its new Hercules 50K heavy-duty planetary unit features a 50,000lbs. rated line pull, dual adjustable drag brakes, improved cable management, reduced weight and stronger design. Other features include: • Line speed up to 20’ per minute under full load.

• Compact design.

• Negative draft clutch design.

• Internal air-shift free spool.

• Low temperature shifting down to -40 degrees F. • Improved bird nesting control.

• Two-speed motor.

• Left and right side cable anchors.

• Bi-directional winch.

• Optional high angle roller tensioner.

hercules-winch.com

Kenworth T880 in All-Wheel-Drive Kenworth’s T880 is now available in an all-wheeldrive configuration. The front drive axle is installed at the Kenworth factory. The Marmon Herrington MT-22 front drive axle is available in a 6x6 or 8x8 Class 8 configuration with a capacity rating up to 22,000 lbs. The all-wheel-drive configuration requires a Fabco transfer case, and can be specified with Fabco’s one-speed TC-142 or two-speed TC-143 transfer case, depending on customer requirements.

kenworth.com

Access Tools’ Ultimate Tool Kit Access Tools released its most complete Long Reach Set with the Ultimate Long Reach Kit that includes every tool and accessory needed to open virtually any vehicle on the road today using the long-reach method.

The 21-piece kit features four of the

most popular long-reach tools, Button Master and Mega Master snare tools, two Air Wedges, two pry bar-style wedge tools, protective lockout tape, slim jim, windshield-mounted flashlight, long heavy-duty padded carrying case with internal pockets and more.

caropeningtools.com 10 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

T

he eimpound app and web-based service automatically provides lien-holder contact information to the user in an e-receipt. When there is a match in the eimpound database, it automatically emails the lien holder, saving towers time and energy for free.

Users also receive information on the registered owner and lien holder through the eimpound team manually looking for them and sending the results to the user the next day, if it is not immediately available in the eimpound database.

“Our goal is to simplify the process of identifying and contacting lien holders and identifying registered owners by making it electronic and free to use,” said Jack Bernstein, president of eimpound. “By digitizing lien-holder information and eliminating the lengthy and costly process of contacting the state’s department of motor vehicles, towers can quickly identify and notify lien holders and registered owners of their car’s status and move on to the next task.”

How it works: • Enter the VIN or tag at eimpound.com, or scan the VIN using the free eimpound app.

• Receive information for the lien holder and registered owner.

• Electronically notify the lien holder when there

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

is a match in the eimpound lien record database.

Users can enter VINs or tags one at a time, manually with a batch file, or set up an automatic batch feed to use on a timely basis (daily, weekly, monthly).

Eimpound’s free service is based on its parent company’s database. Locator Technologies has a database of 30 million active liens from lenders and insurers that is updated weekly. Locator Technologies specializes in helping automotive lenders and dealers control costs with access to automotive lien and law enforcement information; lenders pay a fee to Locator to monitor VINs. Currently, the mainstream method for contacting lien holders and owners after their vehicle has been towed is by sending a letter via snail mail based on contact information received from the department of motor vehicles. This process has the potential to produce old or incorrect lien holder and/or owner data because information at the DMV is updated on a monthly, or even yearly, basis.

Eimpound simplifies this process by making it electronic, efficient and free.

Finally, the company said there is nothing for users to lose. If there is a match and notification, it’s free. If there is no match, the tower isn’t out anything either. Eimpound is a free service.

eimpound.com

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • 11

Opium Pandemic Dangers to Towers

T

he opioid pandemic that is sweeping across the nation has branched out beyond codeinebased pills or even heroin to include synthesized hyper versions of the drug like fentanyl (40 to 50 times stronger than street heroin) and now carfentanil, an elephant tranquilizer.

The truly scary thing about these synthetic opiates is that simple skin contact can be harming or even lead to deadly overdoses to an unsuspecting subject, as recently happened to a This is a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl; carfentanyl is 100-times stronger. DEA.gov police officer in Ohio. image.

According to the stories covered by wfmj.com and wdtn.com, Patrol- he’s an ex-MMA fighter, 220-someman Chris Green in East Liverpool thing pounds of solid muscle and it overdosed on the job after coming overtook him just like that.”

Green was given Narcan, a lifeinto contact with a few grains of fensaving overdose reversal drug, and tanyl in a suspect’s vehicle.

During a traffic stop, the driver of was expected to be OK. A 24-year-old passenger in the car the car allegedly tried to use his foot to rub a white powder into the carpet. was reportedly found to have warrants A report said that several piles of out for his arrest for the alleged poswhite powder were discovered session of carfentanil, a powerful opithroughout the vehicle and on the dri- oid 100-times stronger than fentanyl.

Now tow companies are wonderver ’s shoes. Small baggies also ing how vulnerable they are. appeared to have been torn open.

“The first thought into my mind is Green entered the car to stop the driver from destroying potential evidence. after EMS has left and police officers The suspects initially told them the white and you have had an OWI crash powder was cocaine, but when it tested because of someone using,” said negative for that drug, the pair revealed Cindy Davidson, owner of Davidson’s Garage in Dayton. “That tow truck it was actually fentanyl.

Soon after, Green fell ill and it was driver may be at risk to an exposure to determined some of the fentanyl had fentanyl.”

After realizing just how easy it is gotten onto his skin and he was experiencing the effects of an opioid overdose. to overdose, she called other compa“It was just a freak accident that he nies. She thinks that any service that just accidentally bumped up against deals with cars should have Narcan something while he was searching this on hand in case a worker comes into vehicle and for him to drop out like contact with fentanyl.

“I’ve been calling out to other that is shocking,” said Captain Patrick Wright. “Chris is a big, strong guy, garages, making them aware of my

12 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

by AT staff

concerns. They are all going, ‘Oh, I never thought of that.’ ”

Warnings There have been email alerts from the likes of Empire State Towing & Recovery Association, the Statewide Towing Association (Mass.), and other towing associations, as well as news bulletins on TowIndustryWeek.com keying towers into this new and growing, potential deadly, threat.

A warning from the Drug Enforcement Agency in Washington, D.C., in September 2016, posted on its website at DEA.gov, includes important facts and figures to know about the threats fentanyl and carfentanil pose, as well as precautions you can take.

“The DEA, local law enforcement and first responders have recently seen the presence of carfentanil, which has been linked to a significant number of overdose deaths in various parts of the country. Improper handling of carfentanil, as well as fentanyl and other fentanyl-related compounds, has deadly consequences,” the DEA warned.

Two Atlantic County, N.J., detectives were recently exposed to a very small amount of fentanyl, and appeared on a DEA video. Said one detective: “I thought that was it. I thought I was dying. It felt like my body was shutting down.”

“Carfentanil is surfacing in more and more communities,” said DEA Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg. “We see it on the streets, often disguised as heroin. It is crazy dangerous. Synthetics such as fentanyl and carfentanil can kill you. I hope our first responders—and the public—will

read and heed our health and safety warning.”

Fentanyl is a Schedule II narcotic responsible for an epidemic of overdose deaths within the United States.

During the last two years, the distribution of clandestinely manufactured fentanyl has been linked to an unprecedented outbreak of thousands of overdoses and deaths. Carfentanil also is a Schedule II substance under the Controlled Substances Act and is used as a tranquilizing agent for elephants and other large mammals. The lethal dose range for carfentanil in humans is unknown. However, carfentanil is approximately 100 times more potent than fentanyl, which can be lethal at the 2-milligram range, depending on route of administration and other factors.

Carfentanil and other fentanylrelated compounds are a serious danger to public safety, first responder, medical, treatment, and laboratory personnel. These substances can come in several forms, including powder, blot-

14 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

ter paper, tablets, and spray—they can be absorbed through the skin or accidental inhalation of airborne powder.

The DEA warned that when encountered (or suspected), responding personnel should: Exercise extreme caution. Only properly trained and outfitted law enforcement professionals should handle any substance suspected to contain fentanyl or a fentanyl-related compound. If encountered, contact the appropriate officials within your agency.

• Be aware of any sign of exposure.

Symptoms include: respiratory depression or arrest, drowsiness, disorientation, sedation, pinpoint pupils, and clammy skin.

The onset of these symptoms usually occurs within minutes of exposure.

• Seek immediate medical attention. Carfentanil and other fentanyl-related substances can work very quickly, so in cases of suspected exposure, it is impor-

tant to call EMS immediately. If inhaled, move the victim to fresh air. If ingested and the victim is conscious, wash out the victim’s eyes and mouth with cool water.

• Be ready to administer naloxone in the event of exposure. Naloxone is an antidote for opioid overdose. Immediately administering naloxone can reverse an overdose of carfentanil, fentanyl or other opioids, although multiple doses of naloxone may be required. Continue to administer a dose of naloxone every 2-3 minutes until the individual is breathing on his/her own for at least 15 minutes or until EMS arrives.

• Remember that carfentanil can resemble powdered cocaine or heroin. If you suspect the presence of carfentanil or any synthetic opioid, do not take samples or otherwise disturb the substance, as this could lead to accidental exposure.

Spirit Ride Ceremony Saturday 5 pm, then the Procession. Join The

Over 130 Exhibitors

Miller Reveals $25M Carrier Plant

by Charles Duke

M

iller Industries recently unveiled its newly renovated car carrier plant in Hermitage, Pa. The 217,000-sq.-ft. plant cost $25 million to renovate and build (including new equipment) and is built for “extreme efficiency.”

“Since the end of the construction project to right now, we’ve increased production 50 percent out of this facility.

So we’ve already started to satisfy our customers’ needs a little faster (and) drive that lead-time down for the end user. … The shorter the window we can make that lead time from order to delivery, the better it is for him and (his) cash flow,” said Jamison Linden, VP of operations, during a press tour.

The tour, organized by Marketing VP Kipp Felice, included plant GM Dale Pittman and Dan Sebastian, president of Champion Carrier Corp.

The Hermitage plant produces trucks for each of Miller’s carrier lines; about 70 percent of the company’s carriers are built at the Hermitage plant, with the others built at its Greenville, Tenn., plant.

Automation has increased efficiency throughout the plant with improved procedures and updated machinery.

Welding robots, for instance, have reduced man-hours on steel carrier decks from 16 to 20 down to one.

“I believe in what I call ‘mass-customization’. … We have to be able to give them what they want when they want it,” Linden said.

The operation is set up to work in a “U” or in one direction to maintain efficiency. It’s designed so that workers do their best to never cross paths and for the manufacturing process to never go backwards.

Miller’s renovated Hermitage, Pa., carrier plant produces trucks for each of Miller’s carrier lines.

20 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

One of the spectacular new machines is the plant’s hi-definition plasma cutter: Linden said where once it took about 1.5 hours for one person to cut the deck plates by hand, the cutter now takes anywhere from five to eight minutes making a truer, cleaner cut.

Safety and ergonomics has been built into each component of the operation of the Hermitage plant. As plant workers do a lot of lifting of heavy metal and other materials, Miller installed innovative low-resistance measures throughout the operation. By using low-resistance hand cranks and rigging, personnel can easily access and move the materials they need. The plant has more than two acres of shelving space.

One of the most impressive areas of the plant houses the robots. Miller spent $3.5 million on this part of the operation. The robots add efficiency and speed working precisely in placing and welding steel rods for the steel carrier decks. Some of the Miller’s welding is currently outsourced; the robots will allow the company to bring all of its welding back in-house.

“It used to take anywhere from 16 to 20 man-hours to build one of these decks,” Linden said. “We now get one off the line every hour.

“This is the first of its kind in heavy equipment manufacturing as we know it. We don’t know anybody else that has taken automated technology and has put it in a heavy equipment application.”

Of course, the plant doesn’t run without dedicated employees, and Linden expressed how Miller factory workers proved themselves to be “very nimble” during the renovation of the 90,000-sq.ft. side of the plant’s operation.

“We had another 40,000-sq.-ft. attached to the building,” Linden said.

“In order for us to renovate this area like this and to build the new building, we had to go from 130,000-sq.-ft. to 80,000-sq.-ft. So what they did was rip that building down, rented a building down the road; we moved our install department down there. Then, we blocked off 10,000 sq.-ft. of this building at a time with drapes.

“They cleaned the ceilings,” he said,

22 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

“they wiped everything down. They pressure-washed it. They painted everything, they polished the floors, they color-coded all the lines—they completely refurbished that 10,000-sq.ft. area. Once that 10,000-sq.-ft. area was down, we picked 10,000-sq-ft. up, and moved it into that 10,000-sq.-ft., then we’d refurbish that.

“Our people are so nimble that we did that nine times … and we built a record number of car carriers that year.

That’s a testament to just how flexible, dedicated, and how good [the people are].”

The “new” 127,000-sq.-ft. portion of the plant includes six paint booths and two heat ovens.

Linden said that the entire plant will have Wi-Fi, which will enable every machine to report real-time data as to its function. He said that it will be very helpful when it comes to tracking inventory throughout the entire plant.

The updates are really about changing the culture in order to set Miller Industries up for the next 25 to 50

years, according to Linden. He said there is a Japanese business maxim he likes to quote: “For every year that a culture is ingrained into an organization, it takes two to change it.”

“We’ve been building car carriers for 25 years,” Linden said. “We’ve been (working) at changing the culture for six months; we’ve got a long way to go, but the guys have embraced it.

That’s going to cut those years down to months. We’re going to make leaps and bounds a lot quicker.

“My first day up here was January 7, 2015,” Linden said. “We didn’t even have a concept of what we wanted to do. So from concept to what you see today is two years and three months.

Everyone is very, very excited. It’s an amazing organization. People are phenomenal. When something has to get done, we get it done.”

About the author Charles Duke is senior editor of American Towman Magazine and managing editor of TowIndustryWeek.com.

Olson Named VP at Worldwide AT contributor and industry veteran Randy Olson is the new VP of Western Sales Operations at Worldwide Equipment Sales (newtowtrucks.com), according to Pat Winer, president of sales and marketing.

“We are excited to have Randy, with his vast knowledge of the industry, join the team,” said Joe Pritchard, president of Worldwide’s parent company.

He said Olson will work closely with Winer, Joel Amsley and Dave Gellinger on sales and strategy for Worldwide, which has locations in Illinois, Michigan, Nevada and California and is a full-line distributor of Jerr-Dan, Landoll and Zacklift products.

24 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

URT Seeks Case Dismissal Citing a successful sale process that garnered $40 million in consideration, bankrupt roadside assistance company United Road Towing Inc. (unitedroadtowing.com) asked a Delaware judge to dismiss its Chapter 11 case and allow the debtor to wind down and dissolve, as of press time.

In a motion seeking dismissal of the case, the company, which changed its name to Old Towing Co. after the sale, said it had satisfied its secured debt and that its buyers would assume some of its unsecured claims. The only thing left to do was wind down the estate, destroy unneeded corporate records and dissolve the company, according to the motion.

With the closing of the sale, Old Towing Co. has no material assets other than the $250,000 contributed by its buyer, Medley Capital Corp., to fund wind-down costs of the debtor’s estate.

The company is no longer conducting business and has nothing left to provide any recovery to any class of creditors, according to the motion.

Old Towing Co. was asking for permission to destroy the corporate books and records still in its possession after transferring most of the documents to the buyer, and for an order permitting the dissolution of the debtor’s estate, along with the dismissal of the case.

Virgo Fleet Moves, Adds Inventory Virgo Fleet Supplies (virgofleet. com) moved to a 12,000-sq.-ft. building in Brooklyn, N.Y. The move allows the 35-plus-years parts supplier to the trucking and towing industries to maintain a larger inventory and offer improved service.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • 25

Winning Airwaves the

Tom Brennan, President of Empire State Towing and Recovery Association, speaking at the Spirit Ride Ceremony at the Colonie Mall in Albany, NY, was covered by several TV news channels.

I

n Haverhill, Mass, Jon Spanks, owner of H&R Towing felt pretty good on the day the Spirit Ride launched on June 1. A score of area tow trucks showed up for the Spirit Ceremony and the procession that followed into Boston. A local CBS TV affiliate interviewed him. Through the streets of the town he saw the message below the casket was being noticed.

Spanks then relayed the casket to Moe Timcoe, whose passion for the Spirit Ride compelled him to borrow a carrier from Blackwater Towing. The procession Moe organized took the Spirit Casket into Todisco’s Towing in the heart of Boston. Todisco led a procession of tow trucks across the state on the Mass Pike into Holyoke where it relayed the casket to Hampshire Towing.

An NBC affiliate covered the Ceremony led by Mike Corbin and his wife, Ilce, with Mike singing “I’ll Return,” “Booms in the Sky” and “Bless the Spirit Riders.”

Corbin laid back that evening and saw himself talking to the reporter on the nightly news as he spoke of the dangers towers faced and how they were being killed. He could feel the Spirit Ride being born, coming into the world.

In Milford, Conn., where the casket was relayed to Brownies Towing, Corbin was struck by the essence of the Ride’s heart and soul. After he performed the ceremony in the drizzling rain, he followed a procession of 25 trucks with the Spirit Ride RV on county roads through several towns and noticed the police escorts. Upon leaving one town and entering another for a good hour, each town’s

26 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

Michael Devito, Sal Service Center, Cross River, NY speaks to News 12 which aired several programs on the Spirit Rides that passed through New York’s Hudson Valley.

police were there to continue the escort until the Ride passed into New York.

It was raining pretty good. Mike played the recording of “Bless the Spirit Riders” inside the RV for the zillionth time, but his heart swelled upon the words his voice was singing: “Through the veins the pistons pound, through the rain, through the towns.”

Up ahead on an overpass was a fire truck that had raised the American Flag to salute the Ride.

Corbin and his wife felt special at this moment as did all the Spirit Riders in their tow trucks, fire trucks, police cruisers and ambulances in the line.

In Cross River at Sal’s Service Center, more than 50 trucks and 100 first responders showed in the pouring rain. Corbin would not be able to use his sound system or play for the crowd, many who had come in part to hear him sing. But the Ceremony would go on with a beginning he would never forget: the standing audience repeating each line of the Spirit Blessing as the skies let loose.

Mike raised his voice so he could be heard as the rain pelted his cap. All repeated the words in unison over the noise of the downpour.

There were many scenes over the Ride’s first two weeks that captured the essence of what it means to towmen and women and the other first responders.

At the procession that started off in Albany, one tower in company uniform stood erect, hand to his forehead in salute as each truck passed by—30 of them.

SYR Channel 9 aired Mike Corbin singing I'll Return at the Spirit Ride Ceremony hosted by Meyer's Towing at the Syracuse, NY State Fair Grounds.

As the Spirit Ride travels from city to city, the Spirit Casket is accompanied by a procession of tow trucks and other emergency vehicles. photo by Ilce Corbin.

WIVB-TV News 4 Buffalo, NY.

The 50-truck procession from Cross River to Congers, N.Y., was greeted by a fire truck with the flag raised high and firefighters standing at attention, saluting as the casket and all the trucks passed.

In the procession from Johnstown to Utica, N.Y., that ran along town and country roads, oncoming traffic pulled over to the side and watched: the flashing lights, the red, white and blue casket, the message and the amazing sight of so many wreckers.

In the Spirit ceremonies, a rain stick with the words, “Respect the Peril, Make it Home Tonight,” was passed around like a baton in the audience. The cascading of the beads inside the stick could be heard as the baton was turned and handed along.

At the ceremonies there is no noise among the crowd as Mike Corbin sings the ride’s anthem, “Booms in the Sky.” A dozen television stations in six media markets had covered the Spirit Ride across New York State. There was also radio and newspaper coverage.What had aired was generous and detailed. It has been gratifying how each reporter and anchor has gotten the message of the Ride Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

The Spirit Ride Support Team brings up the rear in a procession in Westchester County, N.Y. fios1news.com image.

loud and clear, down to the very symbolism of the casket’s color bars: red, symbolizing the blood sacrificed; white, the spirit of the fallen; blue, the loss to family.

On the other end of the casket are red, white and blue stripes, and faded stars in an American Flag motif. The broadcasters had described the casket as being symbolic of patriotism and tragedy, the same words coming out of the ceremonial address read at each relay station.

The Spirit Ride is working; it is getting the nation to notice the casket and the message it carries. On the airwaves, on the screens, in print, on the streets—millions of people have already taken notice.

As this AT goes to print, the Ride continues across New York State, then down to Pittsburgh, Pa., and to Cleveland, Ohio, and on across the country.

Joe Cofta talks to the Spectrum News channel about his son, Kevin, who was killed working on the side of the road. Interview took place in Batavia, NY. where Parise’s Towing led The Spirit Ride.

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • 27

AMERICAN TOWMAN

Spirit Ride Schedule through Sept. 22, 2017 Date

07/11/2017 07/11/2017 07/12/2017 07/12/2017 07/13/2017 07/14/2017 07/15/2017 07/15/2017 07/18/2017 07/18/2017 07/18/2017 07/19/2017 07/19/2017 07/20/2017 07/20/2017 07/21/2017 07/22/2017 07/26/2017 07/26/2017 08/23/2017 08/24/2017 08/24/2017 08/25/2017 08/25/2017 08/26/2017 08/26/2017 08/29/2017

Time

10am 2pm 10am 2pm 10am 10am 10am 2pm 10am 12noon 2pm 10am 1pm 10am 2pm 10am 11am 10am 2pm 10am 10am 2pm 10am 2pm 10am 2pm 10am

City

Peoria Springfield Litchfield St. Jacob St. Louis Springfield Sapulpa Oklahoma City Pampa Amarilo Tucumcari Moriarty Albuquerque Las Cruces Santa Theresa Carlsbad Abilene Fort Worth Dallas North Little Rock Bartlett Covington Dyersburg Martin Scott City Jackson Carbondale

State

IL IL IL IL MI MO OK OK TX TX NM NM NM NM NM NM TX TX TX AR TN TN TN TN MO MO IL

Name

Becky Raney Shane McDermith Brian Volentine Randall Capelle George Smith JR Booth James Haubert Sean Davis Rene Garrison David Serril Linda Unruh Michael Tavenner Linda Unruh Eric Luchini Rene Saucedo Justin Wilson Michael Stansbury James Bennett Jr. TBD Tim Moody Dave Steward Jimmy Blakely David Lowery Lynn Harper Ron Pratt Casey Nabors Donna Throgmorton

Relay Station

Joe’s Towing and Recovery Shaner’s Towing Brian’s Auto Service & 23 hour Towing Randy’s Towing & Hauling Asset Towing Affordable Towing AW Towing Arrow Wrecker Bob Outhit Autos Wrecker T Miller Wrecker Service All Rite Towing Tavenner’s Towing & Recovery All Rite Towing Luchini’s Towing & Recovery Interstate Towing & Recovery B & B HD Towing M & R Wrecker Recovery Beards Towing TBD Jhook Towing & Recovery Uncle Dave’s Auto Repair Jim’s Towing Service Lowery’s Wrecker Service Harpers Wrecker Service Midwest Truck N & S Towing Larrys Towing

Taking The Ride to the Air Waves and the People The American Towman Spirit Ride hit the television airwaves its first week with great coverage on Channel 22, an NBC affiliate in Western Massachusetts. After the procession through Holyoke, Mass., Mike Corbin lay back in the Spirit Ride RV, turned on TV and saw himself being interviewed,

28 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

speaking out on behalf of the towers who put their lives at risk every day working the roadways. He sensed the Ride being born. The ceremonies and processions took Connecticut and New York State by storm through a score of channels on television and radio.

The Ride continued being

Contibute to the Spirit Ride at www.ATSpiritRide.com

Join the Spirit Ride processions. For the exact site of the ceremony and procession start-point contact the Relay Station.

08/30/2017 08/30/2017 08/31/2017 08/31/2017 09/01/2017 09/06/2017 09/06/2017 09/07/2017 09/07/2017 09/08/2017 09/08/2017 09/09/2017 09/12/2017 09/12/2017 09/13/2017 09/14/2017 09/14/2017 09/15/2017 09/15/2017 09/15/2017 09/16/2017 09/20/2017 09/20/2017 09/21/2017 09/21/2017 09/212017 09/22/2017 09/22/2017

10am 2pm 10am 2pm 10am 10am 2pm 10am 2pm 10am 2pm 11am 10am 2pm 10am 10am 2pm 10am 2pm 3pm 10am 10am 2 pm 1 pm 10 am 2 pm 10am 3pm

Vincennes Terre Haute Tilton Indianapolis New Point Independence West Chester London Columbus Lancaster Belpre Racine Crawley Lexington Glade Hill Staunton Waynesboro Stephens City Hagerstown Hagerstown Thurmont Harrisburg Lancaster Robesonia East Petersburg Reading Allentown Throop

IN IN IL IN IN KY OH OH OH OH OH OH WV VA VA VA VA VA MD MD MD PA PA PA PA PA PA PA

Dustin Perry Andrew Haynes Brian Carnaghi Matthew Bartlett Ryan Kegley Dianna Kloeker Mike Sprandel Josh Skaggs Brandon Harris Keith Smith Jerry Radcliff Michael Hill Amanda Anderson James Southers Tim Wall Douglas Snyder Robert Drumheller Carl Story Sarah Weeks Charles Georg John Reese Kyle Knarr Sherry Morgan William Arndt Wayne McDade Pablo Matos John Yocum Bob Bolus

Knox County Towing & Recovery Express Towing and Recovery Carnaghi Towing and Repair Interstate Delaware & South TDS Heavy Towing & Recovery Judes Towing Quality Towing & Equipment Moving J and J Towing Capital Towing & Recovery Midwest Towing Jerry’s Auto Center Racine Service Center Anthony’s Truck Repair Auto Towing & Repair TNT Auto Body Nations Choice Towing Kyle’s Towing Service Drumheller’s Towing & Recovery Commonwealth Auto Transport & Recovery D & D Truck Repair & Towing Road Runner Towing Mike’s Autobody Towing H & S Towing Service Morgan Towing Arndt’s Recovery Solutions Wayne's Towing & Recovery Matos Used Auto Yocum Towing & Recovery Bolus Truck Parts and Towing

The Spirit Ride continues through New York City, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland in the Fall; through the South and to the West Coast in 2018.

GPS Tracking Provided by noticed through Pennsylvania and Ohio in towns large and small. In South Amherst, Ohio, residents were waiting for the Ride, sitting on lawn chairs and on curbs. They waved their arms and American flags as the procession of tow trucks and emergency service vehicles passed, led by D&A Towing carrying the Spirit casket.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

Founding Sponsors

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • 29

The Spirit Ride Is in Town

by Helen Gutfreund

I

t takes a special kind of person to risk his own life in order to save someone who almost just killed him. Mark “Sonny” Delia is just that kind of person.

Sonny nearly was killed on the New York State Thruway when a driver lost control of their vehicle in the rain and slush and barreled towards him as he talked with a customer he was helping. The oncoming vehicle hit Sonny’s rear tires then driver’s side door before it jumped the guardrail and went down the embankment.

Sonny acted quickly to make sure he and his customer were safe, and then got out the vehicle’s passenger door, since using the other side was now impossible, and ran down the embankment to help the two youths that were in the wreck. Some physical injuries remain a challenge for Sonny.

“Body shock, and more aches and pains, and three compressed discs came out of it, but I survived,” he said. “I’m here to talk about it.”

A bagpiper honors the fallen at LMR Towing in Chester, N.Y. Photo by Helen Gutfreund.

Talking about it is just what he’s doing, including during the AT Spirit Ride as it passed through Utica, N.Y. on June 13. He talks about it to pretty much anyone who will listen, which in this case included an audience of towers and first responders from State Police, Sheriff, local Police, ambulance/EMT, fire, DOT, and represen-

tatives from the local congressional and assembly members’ offices.

Most importantly, Sonny’s message of “Slow Down, Move Over” was shared with various local media outlets including radio, TV, and multiple Internet news sites. He agrees that the radio spots that were donated by a local station as PSAs were important, as people listen to the radio mostly while in their cars—where the message needs to be remembered.

Last year, James Homkey from Roosevelt and Sons Towing in Canajoharie, N.Y., was killed by a passing tractor-trailer while working the white line. Some of his comrades attended the Utica leg of the Spirit Ride to pay tribute to him.

Greg Roosevelt, a 40-year veteran of the towing industry had been friends with Homkey since they went to high school together. He hopes that the Spirit Ride will “bring attention to the move over laws.”

“It wakes you up,” Roosevelt said of Homkey’s death.

Mark "Sonny" Delia shares the message of Slow Down, Move Over as "Spirit" is loaded onto his flatbed in Utica, NY. Photo by Helen Gutfreund.

30 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

Ed Retuer, director of the Empire State Towing & Recovery Association and certified TIM trainer, said that merely making laws that tell people to move over isn’t enough; stiffer penalties like higher fines and more points on drivers’ licenses are needed.

Bills in the New York State Senate and New York State Assembly aim to do even more for the recognition of safety of towers on the shoulder by allowing towers to use rear-facing blue lights when they are involved in a tow job.

“We’ve spent a couple of years

A tower salutes the Spirit Ride as it passes by. Photo by Ilce Corbin.

The procession then met up with the powerhouse who is Tina Lyon of Meyer ’s Towing in Warners, N.Y.

"Spirit" was relayed to Moe Timcoe (National Tow List and Blackwater Towing) from Jon Spanks (H&R Towing, Haverhill, Mass.), right.

trying,” said Reuter, “but I think we have good support this time because of the death of the Roosevelt tower and the New York State Thruway worker last year in the area.”

From Utica, the Spirit Ride continued to The New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, making a stopover at a rest stop to meet with Marty McGraw of the New York State Thruway Authority. Even though he isn’t a tower himself, he knows a lot of them and supports the mission of the Spirit Ride. McGraw was a colleague and friend of Ronald Deming, the Thruway worker who was killed by a motorist last October while doing his job.

“Twenty-eight years of service. It’s sad,” McGraw said of his colleague.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

Lyon, being pulled in a million directions while she’s managing the imminent Spirit ceremony, is also working fiercely to get the rear-facing blue lights bills passed.

“The Move Over law is my passion,” said Lyon.

She invited more than 60 tow companies to participate in the procession from Syracuse to its next relay point in Waterloo, and even invited Gov. Andrew Cuomo (who did not attend the ceremony).

Lyon, with a sense of urgency, spoke directly into the TV cameras and called on the governor to sign an executive order that would make rearfacing blue lights for towers a law immediately—she fears the bills won’t become legislation.

“Twenty-one towers have already been killed on the roadside this year,” she said. “We can’t afford to wait another year.” (Cuomo’s office didn’t reply to American Towman Magazine’s requests for comment as of press time.)

As the Spirit casket was transferred from Delia’s rollback to Lyon’s, they symbolically shook hands to acknowledge their connection to each other and their connection to all the towers who have been tragically lost to careless motorists. Their continued efforts to educate the public about Move Over and push to get the blue lights laws passed is a labor of love.

Lyon’s two daughters, mother, and fianceé attended the Syracuse ceremony. She says she’s a mom first and a tower second. She brought her family to the ceremony for moral support, but also to show the world that there is a face behind towing.

“I wanted them here today to show people that these are my kids and to put a face with a name, so that when I say I want to go home at the end of the day, you can see who I’m referring to,” Lyons said. “They are my life.

They are always in the back of my mind when I’m out on the highway doing this job, and why I always have my head on a swivel.”

Members of the Highway Patrol have played a big roll in The Spirit Ride cermonies and processions.

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • 31

The Ride’s Support System

T

he Spirit Ride’s strategy for creating public awareness of the Move Over law is working.

Media outlets in every area the Ride is passing through are covering the events. American Towman salutes the Spirit Riders at each relay station for working hard to make their events successful.

Each tower who hosted a relay station was instrumental in choosing the ceremony venue and the proces-

sion’s route. To varying degrees each one reached out to the emergency services, other towers, and the local media. Behind them was the Spirit Ride Command Team reaching out to the same people and more.

There are six paid members of the Spirit Ride Command Team contracted by American Towman Spirit Inc., the non-profit corporation set up to run the project. Beside those who are paid, members of the American

Kevin Bradt of Bobars Interstate Towing, left with other members of the Bobars team, Colonie, NY.

Towman Magazine and Exposition staff have contributed hours to the Command’s efforts.

One of the Command Team’s principal actions involves media outreach, writing and sending press releases, creating promo-video releases, and communicating by phone; reaching out to every TV, Radio, and Print outlet in a relay station’s market area.

The Command team is daily performing media outreach. Likewise the Command team phones all towers in the area of the relay station.

The Command Team includes Mike Corbin and his wife, Ilce, who man the support vehicle that accompanies each Ride: an RV motor coach wrapped with Spirit Ride Move Over graphics. It carries the sound system and podium used for each ceremony that precedes most processions. Mike and Ilce play important roles conducting each ceremony, including Mike’s singing the three songs that speak to the meaning of the Ride: I’ll Return, Booms in the Sky, and Bless the Spirit Riders. The RV is critical when one 32 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

considers that the Corbins are usually staging and performing ceremonies and Rides twice a day, five days a week, and have already performed triple-headers twice since the Ride began in Massachusetts. The RV was purchased by an anonymous sponsor for the purpose of being the Spirit Ride support vehicle and being a rolling billboard promoting Slow Down–Move Over.

The on-going cost of the Spirit Ride’s support system is significant.

“The Ride needs all the financial help we can muster,” said Steve Calitri, who is the Route Commander and the High Command, if you will, of the Command Team. “This isn’t just a good cause,” said Calitri, “it’s a necessary cause. The Ride strikes at root cause for towers and other first responders being killed on the roadside. It also strikes at the main reason for the high driver-turnover that is a drag on the entire industry.”

One can become a contributing sponsor at www.atspiritride.com.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • 33

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34 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

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Online Training Helps Fill Gaps

by Don Archer

I

t was like the setup to the perfect storm and the result was a lesson I’ll never forget. It all started on a hot day in July when Doug, one of my three heavy drivers, was pulling into the parking lot early. It was 7 a.m. and I was glad he was there because I had two calls waiting.

Before I had a chance to give him one, he was already knocking at my door.

He’d arrived early to tell me that he hurt himself on the job the night before. He’d twisted his knee while performing a recovery in a sloppy pig lot. This would mean a workers’ compensation claim, knee surgery, and him being out of commission for a while.

Next up, two days later, Todd’s wife up and moved two hours away.

Why did that affect my business?

Todd, my No. 2 heavy driver, recently was divorced and had shared custody of their 9-year-old daughter—who was now two hours away. This meant that Todd would need to leave early three times per week to pick her up, as early as 3 p.m.

Do you see where this is headed?

I had two heavies and was down to two drivers; but if I got two calls after 3 p.m. on certain days, I’d be screwed.

I immediately began scrambling for help, and I was desperate for someone yesterday. Plus, they needed to be able to do all the things Doug and Todd could.

Desperation is like a disease—people can smell it on you. Even if their senses are dulled, you’ll do yourself in. Interview questions, designed to get to the truth of a person, are tossed for questions of availability (When can you start?). Out of despair, you’ll hire too young, too fast, and you’ll get

38 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

Over the last five years or so, many companies providing ongoing tow operator training have popped up.

what I got … damage claims.

As my blood pressure rose and I stressed over not being able to keep my heavies rolling, I made some bad choices. I quickly hired two young men, both with CDLs but no experience in a tow truck. Though they were trained as thoroughly as was feasible at the time, once they were set loose to do the work, the results were disastrous. One used the wrong strap on a recovery; the other failed to properly secure a driveshaft.

My haste cost me thousands; in hindsight, I was lucky no one got hurt.

What I learned from that experience is that running a tight ship can cost you more in the long run. To be truly prepared, you need to have a group of trained operators waiting in the wings, ready and willing to step up to the challenge.

We all know that trained operators cause fewer damages and work more

efficiently—they get the job done quicker and safer. Having a core group of trained and experienced operators makes it easier to attract more of the same to that group, allowing you to grow your business and take on more work. The problem is that it costs money.

Properly trained operators are assets, but you can’t train for every contingency. As many hands-on tow company owners will attest, you can do this job for 40 years or more and still see things you’ve never seen before. There’s no way to know it all, but if you understand the fundamentals and have the ability to build on what you know, you’ll be heading the right direction.

One inexpensive way of learning the fundamentals and preparing your people for “storms to come” is to use available online training resources.

Over the last five years or so, many companies providing ongoing tow

operator training have popped up.

There’s the International Institute of Towing & Recovery, Tow Truck University, Towing Recovery Institute of America, my own The Tow Academy, and others. Many of these companies provide articles, video instruction, classes, tests and certifications.

These are just the tip-of-the-iceberg of online courses that are out there, with many more to follow I’m sure. While these online outlets are not a replacement for hands-on training, they do deliver information that gives operators a feel for what to expect and how to conduct themselves in the field. If you’re not taking advantage of this tsunami of information you may be doing yourself a disservice. Some of the benefits: • Online courses are easily consumed.

• Learn at your own pace.

• Personalized logins to track time spent.

• Reviews and quizzes to monitor engagement.

40 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

• Safety training documentation that can possibly lower insurance premiums.

• Continuous access for later review.

• Topics cover difficult recoveries, loading in tight spaces, securing a driveshaft, load limits and more.

Although online training for tow operators pales in comparison to onthe-job training, or hands-on training, it still has its place. As advancements in technology and virtual reality become commonplace, you can be sure that online training for tow operators will advance along those lines as well.

Don G. Archer is a multi-published author, educator and speaker helping others to build and start successful towing businesses around the country at TheTowAcademy.com. Don and his wife, Brenda, formerly owned and operated Broadway Wrecker in Jefferson City, Mo. He is the Tow Business Editor for Tow Industry Week; email him direct at don@thetowacademy.com.

Live Wires 2016 Donnie Cruse Recovery Award

*The Donnie Cruse Recovery Award is presented by American Towman Magazine and WreckMaster.

co-sponsored by B/A Products and AW Direct.

by Latta Null Null’s Towing; Cochranville, Pa.

The driver had been trapped in the truck for some time as a result of the live electric lines being down on the scene.

O

n July 26, 2016, Pennsylvania State Police called Null’s Towing for a tractor-trailer that struck a utility pole and sheared it off, causing the wires to drop down on the truck and across the roadway.

The recovery team was not immediately available, so a supervisor was dispatched to the scene to begin formulating a recovery plan. He surveyed a Volvo tractor pulling a 53’ van body trailer that left the roadway and struck a massive utility pole that carries the electric wires for a nearby

42 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

WreckMaster’s Justin Cruse (left) presents Latta Null with a 2016 Donnie Cruse Recovery Award.

One of the main winch lines from the second NRC sliding rotator was connected to the rigging on the front of the trailer.

warehouse and distribution center.

The pole was sheared off with wires lying in the roadway and on top of the tractor-trailer. After striking the pole, the tractor-trailer continued down over an embankment and jackknifed. The tractor portion then struck a wall made out of large boulders tearing the front axle from under the truck. The truck’s radiator, fuel tank and oil pan were all compromised and had leaked all of their contents.

The truck finally came to rest on top of the wall with the cab pushed back against the front of the trailer.

The pole was sheared off with wires laying in the roadway and on top of the jack-knifed semitrailer.

The tractor had major damage. The trailer had damage to the front wall, roof and right sidewall.

The driver was trapped in the truck for some time as a result of the live electric wires being down on the scene. The recovery supervisor was advised that a new pole and crews were en route, but it would take some time to install the new service pole.

The lead recovery operator and supervisor discussed the recovery plan and determined that the tractortrailer would have to be recovered prior to the remainder of the wires

being connected to the new pole. This would add great difficulty to the recovery process as it would limit the working space; however, the recovery had to be done this way. Otherwise, the wires in place on the new pole would be too low for the trailer to clear coming back up the embankment and onto the roadway.

Due to the extended travel time through gridlocked traffic, additional equipment was dispatched to the scene: another heavy-duty recovery unit, a road tractor, rollback and site restoration unit.

A review of the recovery plan was performed, along with the onsite hazards including the still-energized electric lines that were down across the roadway.

One of the heavy-duty sliding rotators moved into position via an access road. The rotator had to back in from the roadway in order to access the front end of the severely damaged tractor in order to lift it off the wall without causing further damage to the wall or the truck.

The rigging was connected to the front of the tractor and front of the

trailer so that once given the go ahead it was ready to be lifted along with the truck off of the wall. Rigging was then connected to the rear of the trailer for later on in the recovery process.

The second heavy-duty sliding rotator was moved into position on the roadway. One of the main boom winch lines was connected to the rigging on the front of the trailer.

The two heavy-duty sliding rotators worked together to lift the entire tractor and front of the trailer straight up so that the tractor was no longer touching the wall. Once lifted, the two rotators worked together to bring the unit back towards the roadway and clear of the wall. Once clear of the wall, the unit was set back down on the ground.

At this point, the fifth-wheel pin was pulled to separate the truck and trailer. The rotator on the front was repositioned back onto the roadway to assist with the recovery of the trailer.

The second rotator and bobtail tractor were positioned on the roadway to complete the recovery of the trailer.

The two rotators now worked together to bring the trailer back up

the embankment, clear of the new utility lines, and back onto the roadway. Once on the roadway, the king pin on the trailer was connected to the fifth wheel on the tractor so that the trailer could be moved to allow the recovery of the tractor to take place.

The lead recovery unit’s boom was then rotated and extended out over top of the damaged tractor. One of the main boom winch lines was connected to the rigging on the front and both of the auxiliary winch lines were connected to the rear of the tractor so that the truck could be lifted straight up and rotated back onto the roadway.

The final step was to prepare the unit for transport, clear all remaining debris and remediate the scene.

WreckMaster said this recovery was selected because of its unique circumstances and out-of-the-box thinking.

Editor’s note Starting with the 2016 Donnie Cruse Recovery awards, WreckMaster President Justin Cruse announced that there would no longer be a light-, medium- and heavy-duty award winner, but rather three awards would be given out regardless of weight class.

Choose The Most Challlenging Recovery Your Company Perfformed With Exxcelllence

44 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • 45

Removing Driveshafts Safely

by Terry Abejuela

R

emoving a driveshaft to safely tow a vehicle is dangerous; it should be avoided whenever possible. On occasion there may be no viable alternatives and the tow operator will be required to remove the driveshaft.

In order to perform this task safely, the tow operator must be familiar with and follow all of the proper removal procedures and safety guidelines. Seek training and assistance from a qualified source before attempting to remove a driveshaft.

There are other options before removing the driveshaft. Placing one end of the vehicle on tow dollies or using a car carrier is preferred over removing the driveshaft. Some driveshafts require special tools and some vehicles require replacement of the hardware when the driveshaft is removed. Finding a place to store the removed driveshaft or securing it under the vehicle for towing can be difficult and dangerous.

The slip-yoke end of a driveshaft on a 1998 Dodge Durango with an automatic transmission.

The most important reason to avoid driveshaft removal is safety.

Driveshafts that are under tension can and have released during the removal process and injured or killed tow operators. Avoid getting under vehicles while on the side of the highway;

The Driveline Buddy in use. Driveline Buddy image.

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whenever possible move the vehicle to a safer location before getting under the vehicle.

The vehicle should be hooked up to the tow truck before attempting to remove the driveshaft. Chock the wheels of the tow truck and disabled vehicle and never get under a raised vehicle without jack stands or wheel stands in place. Failure of the primary towing device can and has resulted in injuries or death of the tow truck operator.

Safety glasses, gloves and a hard hat should be utilized in removing the driveshaft. Make sure you have all the appropriate tools handy before getting under the vehicle. You will need the appropriate wrench, socket, ratchet or impact gun, as well as a grease pencil, plastic-tipped hammer, sealable plastic bag, catch basin for transmission fluid, spray lubricant and any materials you may need to secure the shaft if you are not removing it completely. (If you are not removing completely, make sure you have a good plan to ensure the driveshaft cannot fall out during the tow.)

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AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • 47

Releasing Tension Before attempting to remove a driveshaft, the tow operator must ensure there is no tension on it. Attempting to move the driveshaft by hand usually works. If it doesn’t move by hand, there is tension on the driveshaft. If you attempt to remove the driveshaft in this condition, it will violently release pressure as soon as the attachment bolts are loose enough … often resulting in injury to the tow operator.

To release tension on the driveshaft place the transmission in neutral and release the emergency brake and recheck. If there is still tension, try lifting the drive wheels off of the ground. If there is still tension on the driveshaft at this point, do not attempt to remove it.

Before removing the driveshaft, use a grease pencil to mark its orientation so it can be reinstalled in the same position. Mark the position at the slip yoke as well as at the rear end yolk. If the driveshaft is not installed in the same position later, it will likely become out of balance.

Plan a way to keep the driveshaft from falling once the hardware is loose. Driveshafts can be fairly heavy and cause injury if dropped. A ratchet-type rope or strap will usually work. Another option for securing the driveshaft under the vehicle is the Driveline Buddy. Manufactured in Stockton, Calif., by Dave Barton, owner and operator of Dave’s Towing Service, the Driveline Buddy is designed to safely cradle the driveline under the vehicle. Barton’s invention won the Tow Tank competition held at the 2016 Tow Expo-Dallas.

Driveshafts and their hardware often require lubrica-

tion or a tap with a plastic-tipped hammer to loosen up. A cheater bar for leverage is not a good idea in this position.

Complete Removal If you remove the driveshaft completely, make sure to store it in a safe location where it will not cause damage or fall out. You can use large heavy-duty trash bags to wrap up dirty or greasy driveshafts for storage.

On automatic transmissions, when you pull the driveshaft out, be prepared to catch any transmission fluid.

When removing the driveshaft hardware, keep all of the nuts and bolts together in sealable plastic bags. Make sure to use electrical or duct tape to keep the caps on the driveshaft so they don’t fall off.

The rear-end yoke on a 1998 Dodge Durango.

Have the proper tools—ratchets, sockets, etc.—with you before you climb under the vehicle to remove the driveshaft.

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Make sure to mark the vehicle to indicate that the driveshaft is removed. Leaving a note on the driver’s window and the steering wheel works well; you should also alert a service writer (and get their name to document your two notes and who was notified). When you park the vehicle at the repair facility, make sure you set the parking brake and chock a wheel if possible.

Many tow companies have a policy of not reinstalling the driveshaft after the tow because of the liability. Make sure you inform your customer prior to removing the driveshaft if you will not be able to reinstall it after the tow.

Some tow companies will tell customers they can’t reinstall the driveshaft because they aren’t qualified mechanics (but that can muddy the waters with customers who now wonder about your qualifications to remove it.)

Field Editor Terry Abejuela has You should obtain 30-plus years of light-duty towing-and-recovery experitraining from a qualified ence. He is also a light-duty source before removing Level 1 instructor for the Calidriveshafts. fornia Tow Truck Association.

Do You See the Light? (Part 1: Flares)

by Randall C. Resch

I

n light of several tow operators killed on dark, rural highways, many individuals protest that more should be done to provide additional lighting, but adding street lights to millions of miles of darkened stretches of highway will never happen due to the costs of installation alone (not to mention successive utility expenses).

As a young tower working third shift, I’d think of how vulnerable I was when the sun tucked in behind the Pacific Ocean. I realized that working nighttime hours required a different safety mentality than working day shift. I learned that my best survival percentage would come from improving techniques along shoulder incidents and tows. I considered what I should do to help illuminate my presence working the highways, especially when the cops weren’t there.

On June 4, 2016, Arizona tow operator Danny Haro, 58, was loading a vehicle on a dark rural stretch of I-10 when he was stuck by a box truck and killed. On Sept. 3, 2016, Louisville, Ky., tow operator Steven Simpson, 42, was killed loading a disabled vehicle on the Dixie Highway. Louisville PD stated that the driver of a van sideswiped Haro while he was loading a vehicle in extreme darkness. Investigations from both fatalities suggested there were no flares, cones, or triangles deployed to notify approaching traffic.

For towers working in their local communities, if it’s a known danger area, why aren’t additional measures of safety employed? Not long after these operator fatalities occurred, a member on Tow411 summed it up, “Prepare your shoulder-scene with roadside safety flares to identify the

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scene. … It takes a few minutes to set flares in place.”

Flares, because of their incredibly bright, piercing light, is an international sign of distress that says something’s going on. If you want motorists to move over, nothing defines danger better than road flares near the white line.

The plaintiff’s expert stated the tower failed to provide emergency lighting to the rear.

Owners are responsible for providing all the necessary safety equipment and training to protect the wellbeing of employees. Safety-specific directions should be mandated from the top. Owners owe their operators the capability to go home safely to their families every single night.

This advice and practice could save a life. Sure, it takes a few seconds to set flares, but it can be done in the same manner Traffic Incident Management teaches responders to place cones or flares with the same amount of safety and precision.

Some have suggested having a blocker truck on scene. While I like the idea, the history of having a blocker truck or police vehicles on scene shows distracted motorists still somehow making impact within the scene. Also, small companies don’t have additional trucks or assets avail-

able like blocker trucks. However, an easier, more manageable possibility is for tow trucks to be equipped with a minimum of 180 minutes of burning flares (which is the minimum requirement of California Highway Patrol).

In one California civil case, a tow company responded to a flat-tire call just after dark as a known rearflat/no-spare scenario. The tower parked his carrier in front of the disabled vehicle and set about loading it.

The tower instructed the motorist and passenger to remain belted in the vehicle as he lowered the carrier’s deck and set about loading the disabled vehicle. The disabled vehicle didn’t have flashing or running lights on and the carrier’s deck all but eliminated any rearward lighting.

In that window of time, a distracted motorist plowed into the unlit disabled vehicle, killing both people.

While the defense stated the tower did everything according to typical tow operator procedure, the plaintiff’s expert stated the tower failed to provide emergency lighting to the rear.

Ultimately, the court found the tower failed to provide necessary rearward emergency lighting to alert approaching traffic.

Flares are an easy possible explanation showing efforts were made to illuminate the scene. Forget the cost of how much flares cost; the investment in a case of flares is chump change vs. losing a driver or a lawsuit. When it comes down to a court setting, and the plaintiff’s attorney asks, “What did you do to illuminate the scene other than simply turning on your overhead emergency lights?” If you say “nothing,” there’s a chance a jury will find you at fault. Lessons on the

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AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • 51

road and in court point to a smarter way of working and defending our actions.

Walking 10’ to 200’ to place three road flares offers advanced emergency notice that should be recognizable by all motorists minus that of an intoxicated driver. At the very minimum, illuminate your presence in some way and—at the same time—don’t assume that the motoring public will see you or move over for you.

Flares, cones, ANSI III vests, blocker trucks and police on-scene are a false sense of security.

If towers set three flares at increments of 10’, 100’ and 200’ prior to approaching vehicles, you provide advanced emergency lighting. Sure there’s walk-out risk when setting flares, but, doing so is a proactive approach vs. doing nothing at all.

Flares by the case (36 pieces) are the least expensive and will cost somewhere near $80-$110, which breaks down to just over $2-$3 per flare. For cost and recovery, you should be able to add an amount to the customer’s invoice. For law enforcement calls, you’ll need to ask your area tow bosses if it’s allowable by contract.

I’ve spent hundreds of hours analyzing tow operator fatalities looking for common themes. Training isn’t always the key issue; often it’s a blind approach to safety and survival on a scene. So when you think of the reality of using flares, it should be overwhelmingly

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clear that flares are important tools for survival. Providing advanced emergency lighting to approaching traffic is the reason flares should be deployed.

Illuminating your tow scene when on the shoulders of high-speed highways and in the dark is key. We towers must find ways to increase our level of safety. It means changing routine, but change is desperately needed against repeated tower fatalities.

Author’s Note This article is intended as a basis of training only. The author recommends that towers and tow company owners evaluate and recognize the potential value of using flares to provide advanced emergency warning to hazardous approaching motorists as learned in Traffic Incident Management training.

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.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • 53

AT Expo Corporate Sponsors

The Wipers on the Bus

by Mark Lacek

I

’m writing this on the eve of my deadline. Hey, it’s not that I put things off, quite the contrary; I’m just a busy guy and just one of the hundreds of professional repossessors across the country. After many years of repossessing automobiles, I transitioned into commercial repossessions of trucks, heavy equipment, manufacturing equipment and the occasional tour bus.

I’m sitting on a plane in Orlando, Fla., waiting to take to the air. My destination is Charlotte, N.C., where I’ll be passing through for a connecting flight to New Bern. I know of no souls to help me with my repo in New Bern, so I must venture there on my own.

Normally I would drive my F-250 and drag Bob with me, but it’s Memorial Day weekend coming up and I can shave a ton of hours off of the trip by flying the 690 miles rather than drive. It’s Thursday and if everything goes smoothly, I’ll be home tomorrow night. The task ahead here is a 2016 MCI tour bus.

The last time I repossessed a bus was in Key West, Fla., about a year ago. It was a smooth repo. This was a much smaller bus than tonight’s bounty; the Key West bus was a 26-passenger GMC 5500 with a wheelchair door. We repo’d it from a nursing home that allegedly bilked the government for thousands of dollars in phony Medicaid trips.

I’ll never forget the look on the owner’s face in the rearview mirror as I drove the bus away. A $15 flea market wheelchair I brought with me was left next to him as he stood at the entrance of the hospital. He thought he was making a pickup for a guy in a wheelchair … until I stood up from the wheelchair and jumped into the driver’s seat.

He was shocked for a moment, which offered me the time I needed to drive away.

Actually, another bus repo comes to mind (thanks, Debbie). On the west coast of Florida is a small town named New Port Richey. We were not there looking for a bus on that particular day; Bob and I were coming back from Tampa and thought we might just do a drive-by on a couple of provided addresses to try our luck. We were told the debtor was a snowbird wintering in Florida from Chicago.

(A bus is an interesting asset to drive. I have logged millions of miles on tractor-trailers over the past 40-plus years, but buses are different. A bus refuses to bend in the middle, which makes it a bit more difficult to navigate a turn. Another interesting fact about a bus is the 6’ length of the windshield wipers because of the huge windshield.)

I was headed north on Highway 19 going through New Port Richey and there was a bus matching the one we were hired to repo stopped at the light in front of us. A quick

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I yelled to the guy that I would open the door and let him in so we could talk.

look at the file showed the license plate matched the one we wanted. We followed the bus for a couple miles and into a very busy shopping center parking lot. The driver stepped out of the bus and headed towards a grocery store.

When he entered the store, it was my time to jump into action. As I walked up to the bus, I was happy to hear it was left running. I pushed the air switch next to the door, went in and up a couple steps and a quick glance down the center aisle showed the bus was empty. I sat down, checked my mirrors and was “off to the races.”

After a couple of turns in the busy parking lot, the entrance back onto Highway 19 was in my crosshairs. I was studying the dash switches to determine how much fuel was in the tank and how to close the door, turn off the radio and turn up the air conditioning. Suddenly there was pounding on the side of the bus and cars stopped in front of me.

I stopped for the traffic backup as I located the door switch, and it closed just as the debtor got to it and started banging. I yelled the normal reply, “Repo!”

His face fell as he screamed for me to open the door. I thought about pulling the bus out of the lane of traffic so I could talk to him; before I could do anything, this guy walked in front of the bus and jumped on the front bumper, grabbing onto the 6’ windshield wipers with both arms.

At this point the most important part of my day is making sure this guy is safe. I know from my training that this repo is over and it is time to communicate. However, this guy was hanging onto the wipers and I couldn’t proceed forward without possibly running over him.

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AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • 73

I yelled to the guy that I would open the door and let him in so we could talk. This calmed him down a bit. Then, as I looked down at the dash, I pushed what I thought was the open-door switch, but—you guessed it—instead I hit the wiper switch. (It was actually kind of amazing how

long he was able to hold on as the wipers carried him back and forth across the windshield. In my efforts to turn the wipers off, they only moved faster as he moved back and forth many times.)

Eventually I was able to turn the wipers off and open the door. The

debtor only wanted his suitcase and some other personal items. He was actually a very nice guy. After sitting for a while, he said he was a bit dizzy; we dropped him off at a nearby hotel with his things.

I’ll never forget the look on his face as he rode those wipers back and forth.

Back to the business at hand: the 2016 MCI bus in North Carolina. It’s now safe here at my facility in Florida.

It was at a repair shop in New Bern following a complete engine overhaul but the debtor could not (would not?) pay the $14,000 repair bill.

After getting approval from the client, the invoice was paid and I was able to drive the 690 miles home without incident. Before I left the repair shop, I can assure you I studied the instrument panel for a long time.

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.

74 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

RISC Acquires RCS Recovery Industry Services Co. signed a definitive agreement to acquire Recovery Compliance Solutions in order to enhance its vendor vetting services as part of RISC’s overall compliance-related offering.

The RCS team has built a very strong

Subprime Borrowers Struggle with Early Payments Fewer subprime borrowers are paying off their auto loans early, a possible sign that consumers with weaker credit scores are struggling more, according to a report by Wells Fargo & Co. Borrowers are making fewer extra payments on loans that were bundled

into bonds in 2015 and 2016, compared with loans in 2013 and 2014 bonds, according to Wells Fargo analysts.

Borrowers are already defaulting on a growing amount of auto debt.

Government enforcement officials have expressed concern that lenders may be making loans that borrowers can’t repay, and packaging them into bonds.

Source: bloomberg.com.

practice in repossession agent auditing.

“The RCS team has built a very strong practice in repossession agent auditing,” said Stamatis Ferarolis, RISC president. “By combining our teams, we will be able to better serve our customers by delivering best-inclass compliance validation.”

“RISC … shares our vision for ensuring that the most capable, wellrounded, and compliant individuals and agencies are operating on behalf of the automotive lending community,” RCS officials said in a statement.

Source: blog.cucollector.com.

Find more Repo news each week on

Repotimes.com.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • 75

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AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • 77

Winning Wreckers in Vegas Best of Show 2016 Kenworth/Century 1140 Rotator Bracco’s Towing & Transport Gilroy, Calif.

H

ere are the winners of the American Towman Cup pageant from the fifth American Towman ShowPlace-Las Vegas Expo.

The world-class wreckers on display in the area at the South Point Hotel & Casino were predominantly from West Coast shops.

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1st Place: Heavy-Duty Tandem 2017 Freightliner SD-120/Century 5130 Hendrickson’s Towing Idaho Falls, Idaho

1st Place: Light-Duty, 2016-2017 2017 Dodge 5500/Chevron 408 Autogrip Rocky Mountain Towing Boise, Idaho

1st Place: Car Carrier 2017 Ford F-550/2017 Jerr-Dan 19 ft.

Stealth Towing Eugene, Ore.

1st Place: Medium-Duty 2015 Kenworth/Century 3212 Cupertino Towing Antioch, Calif.

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AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • 79

1st Place: Service & Support Vehicle 2016 Ford Transit Service Vehicle Big Valley Towing Las Vegas, Nev.

1st Place: Vintage 1947 Chevy/Holmes 515E T&M Towing Hazmat Eugene, Ore.

1st Place: Rotator 2016 Peterbilt/NRC 40/50 Composite Sliding Rotator Prime Towing Tulare, Calif.

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Who Are Debt Collectors?

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, in his first opinion for the high court, followed the letter of the law in a ruling that dealt with whether collectors of debts are in all cases “debt collectors.”

In an 11-page unanimous ruling, Gorsuch said the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act of 1977 doesn’t apply to people trying to collect debts owed to themselves. In Henson v. Santander Consumer USA, the company bought defaulted auto loans and then sought to collect on them. It matters not, Gorsuch wrote for the court, that the company also sought to collect on third-party debts.

The debtors in the case argued that since their debts previously were owed to a third party, they should be protected under the 1977 law.

Source: USA Today.

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AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • 81

A Great Spirit Rising

by Steve Calitri

State Troopers and Police saluting the Spirit Casket, which pays tribute to all first responders who have been struck and killed on the roadside. Tonawanda, NY Spirit Ride ceremony, Bellreng's Towing. photo by Ilce Corbin.

T

he Spirit Ride is getting on the airwaves as it crosses the nation; however, something else is happening as the Spirit Casket is relayed from town to town.

First responders are coming together with towmen and tow women as fellow first responders in a way rarely seen.

Police and highway patrols escort the processions, and there are fire trucks and emergency medical vehicles among the tow trucks. Along the roads, fire trucks raise the American flag and firefighters stand at attention saluting the casket and all the passing trucks.

At most ceremony sites, these first responders in uniform usher the casket onto the carrier bed. They go to the podium to speak of the common peril all first responders face each day and to remember those who have

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been struck down. They regard tow operators as brothers.

Towers attending these ceremonies and driving in the processions tear up at the sight of the police, firefighters and EMTs on the Ride. No longer are they just the ones called in to mop up.

No, they are fellow first responders who also face the dangers of the roadside—maybe the most vulnerable of first responders, as towers’ death toll on the roadside is the highest among them.

The towing industry has made great strides over the past three decades stepping up in the ranks of those who handle our highway incidents. The respect from police and firefighters for what towmen do has been hard won by our most professional towing companies, but not felt across the board. Whether that’s because the towing industry’s profes-

sionalism isn’t noticeable everywhere or whether it faces a stubborn culture among the other first responders, I won’t surmise. Suffice to say that towers hunger for the respect of other first responders, believing rightfully that they deserve it.

Police and firefighters have always observed that the work towmen do is critical to handling highway incidents; now the fact strikes home that they too are brave souls. Towers too have a Wall of the Fallen.

Towers, in the creation of the Spirit Ride, thought to include emergency responders and their fallen brothers in whom the Spirit casket also pays tribute.

The Spirit Ride marks a milestone in the relationships among the first responders and gives towmen a place among them that’s at long last recognized.

Towmen Plead Guilty to Bribing Police An Alden, N.Y., man and his son both pleaded guilty to conspiring to pay bribes to Buffalo police officers.

James Mazzariello Jr., 62, and Adam Mazzariello, 37, face a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. James also pleaded guilty to making and subscribing a false tax return.

According to assistant U.S. Attorneys Russell T. Ippolito Jr., and Maura K. O’Donnell, who are handling the prosecution, James owned and operated Jim Mazz Auto Inc. and National Towing Inc., companies involved in all aspects of the automobile towing and repair business. Adam supervised the towing aspect of his father’s business.

Between 2009 and 2012, Jim Mazz Auto tow operators, working at the direction of the defendants, made bribe payments to certain Buffalo police officers for their help in enabling the drivers to tow motor vehicles damaged in accidents. The operators made the bribes using their own personal funds and were reimbursed by the defendants.

The investigation looked into 19 different bribe payments made by Jim Mazz Auto towers to police officers— approximately $500 in payments—while the gross revenue Jim Mazz made by making bribe payments was $43,022.74.

The gross revenue included payments made to Jim Mazz Auto for towing and mechanical and collision repair work.

The investigation was made by the FBI, IRS, various New York State departments and the Buffalo Police Department.

Source: wivb.com.

Law Targets Predatory Towing A proposed predatory towing ordinance introduced by the Easton (Pa.) City Council recently will require towing contractors to reach out to police to determine if a car has been stolen or abandoned before it’s towed from a private lot.

Police must try to track down the owner before anyone can tow the car.

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AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • NORTH 83

NORTH 84 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

Continued: Predatory Towing The law needs a second approval vote and then can take effect in 30 days.

The proposal mandates that fees be “reasonable,” not more than 25 percent of the “usual and customary fee charged for non-consensual towing.”

The proposal also prohibits towing companies from paying tipsters to phone in when they see cars parked illegally.

If the owner of the car shows up before the car is towed away, the towing company may not tow the car away.

Towing contractors must show the owner of a vehicle being towed proof that they are authorized by the lot owner to tow cars.

The contractors must post signs at least 2’ by 18” with red letters in parking lots of their clients. The signs must warn drivers that they are not permitted to park in the private lots. The signs must list the cost the driver faces if his or her vehicle is towed.

Contractors who violate the law could be fined up to $1,000 and imprisoned up to 90 days.

Source: lehighvalleylive.com.

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AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • NORTH 85

NORTH 88 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

Copyright©2017 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!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • SOUTH 83

Towmen Plead Guilty to Bribing Police An Alden, N.Y., man and his son both pleaded guilty to conspiring to pay bribes to Buffalo police officers.

James Mazzariello Jr., 62, and Adam Mazzariello, 37, face a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. James also pleaded guilty to making and subscribing a false tax return.

According to assistant U.S. Attorneys Russell T. Ippolito Jr., and Maura K. O’Donnell, who are handling the prosecution, James owned and operated Jim Mazz Auto Inc. and National Towing Inc., companies involved in all aspects of the automobile towing and repair business. Adam supervised the towing aspect of his father’s business.

Between 2009 and 2012, Jim Mazz Auto tow operators, working at the direction of the defendants, made bribe payments to certain Buffalo police officers for their help in enabling the drivers to tow motor vehicles damaged in accidents. The operators made the bribes using their own personal funds and were reimbursed by the defendants.

The investigation looked into 19 different bribe payments made by Jim Mazz Auto towers to police officers— approximately $500 in payments— while the gross revenue Jim Mazz made by making bribe payments was $43,022.74. The gross revenue included payments made to Jim Mazz Auto for towing and mechanical and collision repair work.

The investigation was made by the FBI, IRS, various New York State departments and the Buffalo Police Department.

Source: wivb.com.

Law Targets Predatory Towing A proposed predatory towing ordinance introduced by the Easton (Pa.) City Council recently will require towing contractors to reach out to police to determine if a car has been stolen or abandoned before it’s towed from a private lot.

SOUTH 84 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

Police must try to track down the owner before anyone can tow the car.

The law needs a second approval vote and then can take effect in 30 days.

The proposal mandates that fees be “reasonable,” not more than 25 percent of the “usual and customary fee charged for non-consensual towing.”

The proposal also prohibits towing companies from paying tipsters to phone in when they see cars parked illegally.

If the owner of the car shows up before the car is towed away, the towing company may not tow the car away.

Towing contractors must show the owner of a vehicle being towed proof that they are authorized by the lot owner to tow cars.

The contractors must post signs at least 2’ by 18” with red letters in parking lots of their clients. The signs must warn drivers that they are not permitted to park in the private lots. The signs must list the cost the driver faces if his or her vehicle is towed.

Contractors who violate the law could be fined up to $1,000 and imprisoned up to 90 days.

Source: lehighvalleylive.com.

TxDOT May Add Towers to ‘Move Over’ The Texas Department of Transportation will consider including tow trucks in future campaigns about the Move Over law.

The decision came after a Goode Towing driver, 39-year-old Scott Bowles of Killeen, was struck by a minivan while recovering a vehicle; he died from his injuries on the way to the hospital.

Matt Jarma, a tower for Temple Towing, said, “I’m glad they’re going to consider it, but considering it is a long way from doing it.”

“Because the ‘Move Over/Slow Down’ law requires motorists to move over or slow down when they also approach tow trucks with flashing lights, we will consider including them in future educational materials,” the TxDOT media relations office said.

That decision could affect the many news releases TxDOT sends throughout the year to promote and

encourage safe and law-abiding driving.

Dealing with Bowles’ death has hit many area drivers and dispatchers hard, Jarma said.

“We are the same as law enforcement or firefighters. When one of us is hurt or killed, we all grieve,” he said.

Source: tdtnews.com.

Repo Agent Helps Nab Suspects A suspected teenage car robbing crew is off the streets in Conyers, Ga., thanks in part to a repo man who was at the right place at the right time.

“I’m just driving through, scanning plates looking for cars out for repo,” said Daniel Kitchens, who works for Bulldog Recovery in Covington.

Kitchens was scanning the Walmart parking lot with a license plate reader when he spotted a stolen Ford Escape.

Four young people bolted out of the car; one teen ran his way.

“I just grabbed him by his clothes and just kind of put him down,” said Kitchens. “He ended up spinning around as I pushed him down.”

Sgt. Kim Lucas with the Conyers Police Department said he made a difference.

“He is actually able to get hands on and help with the apprehension so we’re thankful for his assistance in that,” said Lucas.

She said Kitchens took down a 16year-old boy whose picture and identity was not released because he is being treated as a juvenile in this case.

Police did identify 17-year-old Willendrick Rucker, the driver, 18-yearold Tavon Standifer and 19-year-old Mariah Thomas, who were also arrested at the Walmart parking lot.

Police said the four are suspected in the robbery of a pizza deliveryman recently.

She said the LPR spotted another stolen car from Gwinnett County, leading to the arrest of some other teens.

Source: fox5atlanta.com.

Mich. Towman Indicted in Federal Probe Gasper Fiore, a long-time Detroit, Mich., towing contractor, is facing bribery charges for trying to get a towing contract in Clinton Township.

Federal prosecutors say Fiore bribed former Clinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds on two occasions: first with a $4,000 cash bribe in March of 2016, and then with another $3,000 cash bribe a few months later.

According to the recent indictment, Fiore paid those bribes through Charles B. Rizzo, the former CEO of Rizzo Environmental Services. Rizzo is now facing several federal charges as well.

The feds say Fiore is also charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud as part of this wide-ranging Macomb County FBI probe.

Source: wxyz.com.

Suspect Nabbed by Employee A thief chose the wrong Cleveland, Ohio, business to target.

Mechanic Chris McChristian was pulling up to K&M Towing Garage on his motorcycle when he noticed a strange man driving away with one of the tow trucks.

“I said who are you? And he sped off,” said McChristian. “He took off down the road. I flipped my bike around, chased him about a quarter mile, and forced him to pull over.”

The suspect then quickly made up a story, saying he was sent to pick up the vehicle. McChristian, not buying it, convinced the crook to return the truck.

“I made him drive it back,” said McChristian.

K&M owner Dwayne Webb happens to be a police officer. He placed the suspect under arrest.

Source: news5cleveland.com.

TowShow.com Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • SOUTH 85

Recovery on Mowbray Mountain

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

Doug Yates Towing in Chattanooga, Tenn., recovered a firetruck that was mired in a culvert in February.

D

oug Yates Towing & Recovery is located in Chattanooga, Tenn. Doug and his son Shannon run the third-generation family-owned business. They have been providing the southeast with a diverse array of services since 1946.

At 6 p.m. on Feb. 26, they received the call to recover a Mowbray Mountain Volunteer Fire Department truck.

Rotator operator Brad Grow and heavy-duty operator Julio Castro were dispatched. They responded in a 2016 Kenworth T-880/Century 1150 50-ton rotator.

“This occurred on Hotwater Road in Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., on Mowbray Mountain,” Grow said. “Hotwater Road is a narrow two-lane rural road and the driver got a little too far off of the side. The ditch sucked him in and he ran into the culvert.”

After doing his walkaround, Grow positioned the 1150 rotator in the road

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just in front of the fire truck. The boom was rigged to the frame of the fire truck between the bumper and the grill to lift it out of the culvert.

Protection was used so that the truck was not damaged by their chains.

They ran the 1150’s drag winch to a snatch block at a tree behind the fire truck and across the road, then back to the rear pull ring of the truck.

“This allowed the truck to be pulled back while we had the front end lifted out of the culvert,” Grow said. “The drag winch also helped to hold the truck more level.”

Even though they had the front lifted out of the culvert, the rear axle was still in the ditch and leaning pretty hard. The truck was winched back and the boom was rotated around until the rear axle was all the way back to the road.

“At this point we could go no further with the drag winch, because the

cable was going to get into the rear compartment doors,” Grow said. “The rear pull ring is located inside the rear compartment. We finished by rotating the boom to bring the front end the rest of the way up on the road. No additional damage was done to the vehicle by our recovery.”

Grow then towed the vehicle to the Mowbray Mountain firehouse where it was to be inspected and repaired as needed.

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

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.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • SOUTH 87

Towmen Plead Guilty to Bribing Police An Alden, N.Y., man and his son both pleaded guilty to conspiring to pay bribes to Buffalo police officers.

James Mazzariello Jr., 62, and Adam Mazzariello, 37, face a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. James also pleaded guilty to making and subscribing a false tax return.

According to assistant U.S. Attorneys Russell T. Ippolito Jr., and Maura K. O’Donnell, who are handling the prosecution, James owned and operated Jim Mazz Auto Inc. and National Towing Inc., companies involved in all aspects of the automobile towing and repair business. Adam supervised the towing aspect of his father’s business.

Between 2009 and 2012, Jim Mazz Auto tow operators, working at the direction of the defendants, made bribe payments to certain Buffalo police officers for their help in enabling the drivers

SOUTH 88 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

to tow motor vehicles damaged in accidents. The operators made the bribes using their own personal funds and were reimbursed by the defendants.

The investigation looked into 19 different bribe payments made by Jim Mazz Auto towers to police officers— approximately $500 in payments— while the gross revenue Jim Mazz made by making bribe payments was $43,022.74. The gross revenue included payments made to Jim Mazz Auto for towing and mechanical and collision repair work.

Source: wivb.com.

Law Targets Predatory Towing A proposed predatory towing ordinance introduced by the Easton (Pa.) City Council recently will require towing contractors to reach out to police to see if a car has been stolen or abandoned before it’s towed from a private lot.

Police must try to track down the owner before anyone can tow the car.

The law needs a second approval vote and then can take effect in 30 days.

The proposal mandates that fees be “reasonable,” not more than 25 percent of the “usual and customary fee charged for non-consensual towing.”

The proposal also prohibits towing companies from paying tipsters to phone in when they see cars parked illegally.

If the owner of the car shows up before the car is towed away, the towing company may not tow the car away. Towing contractors must show the owner of a vehicle being towed proof that they are authorized by the lot owner to tow cars.

The contractors must post signs at least 2’ by 18” with red letters in parking lots of their clients. The signs must warn drivers that they are not permitted to park in the private lots. The signs must list the cost the driver faces if his or her vehicle is towed.

Contractors who violate the law could be fined up to $1,000 and imprisoned up to 90 days.

Source: lehighvalleylive.com.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • MIDWEST 83

Bold ‘Dezign’ for Young and Old

by George L. Nitti

O

ne major benefit of a welldecorated unit has to do with making a customer feel more secure, said Sheila Still, co-owner/secretary of Still Towing in rural Macon, Mo. “When people are in a jam, they like to see someone show up with a nice truck. It puts them at ease,” Still said.

The family business of three employees—Still, her husband, Dean, and son Lukas—is proud of the spruced-up graphics. Perhaps no truck in their fleet illustrates their power more than their 1995 Peterbilt/Century 5030.

With an all-blue custom background, the colors of this wrap blend with thick yellow stripes, a blackand-white checkered flag and a white and yellow logo that makes a strong impact.

“Wraps give us versatility and quick results,” Still said. “We average

MIDWEST 84 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

300,000 miles a year, so advertising on-the-go only makes sense. We vary from 1/4 to 3/4 wraps, depending on the type of equipment to optimize our investment.”

On this wrap there are numerous contrasting points worth illuminating.

First, there is the yellow striping that runs along the top of the unit. Not only does it blend in gradient colors adding nuance to the striping, but it also has a stamped-texture look.

Just below that graphic sits the checkered flag.

“It was one of the older design elements that we had used on our earlier trucks,” Still said. “We give a lot of credit to Pro Dezigns in Elvin, Mo., for putting together what we think is a great design. We get the most out of the wraps by keeping our equipment clean and protected. Our oldest current wrap is five years old and the newest is two years.”

The logo on the side of the unit

caps this dramatic display, adding further contrast with divergent colors of white and yellow and two different fonts juxtaposing “Still” with “Towing.”

“When we met with Pro Dezigns, I told them that I wanted something old people could read and young people would want to look at,” Still said.

“Our community of customers appreciate recognizing the brand, no matter which piece of equipment is needed for their job.”

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

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.

Bagged Peanuts in Ohio

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

E

rik Stearns is the owner and president of Stearns Cos. in Findlay, Ohio, that include Dick’s Auto Salvage, Dick’s Towing Services, Keebler’s Towing Services and Ed’s 24-Hour Service.

On March 6, 2016, they were called by the Ohio State Highway Patrol to recover a tractor-trailer that had rolled over.

“This was the second major truck accident of that day,” Stearns said. “This one was loaded with 32,000 pounds of peanuts.”

Stearns took his son Carson with him and responded in his 2012 Peterbilt with a Century 1075 75-ton rotator.

Ed’s also dispatched operators Adam Still, Andy Saum, Adam Settlemire, Nick Frena, Mike Pendergast and Chris Sawinski. They responded with a 1990 Peterbilt/Century 1050 50-ton, 2015 Ford F-650 rollback hauling a S750 Bobcat with a sweeper and a 2015 Chevy 3500 service truck pulling their airbag trailer.

“The truck and trailer were both owned by an owneroperator and he was on-scene when we arrived,” Stearns

Stearns Cos. in Findlay, Ohio, was called for a rolled-over semitrailer in a muddy ditch that spilled its load of bagged peanuts.

MIDWEST 86 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

said. “He was adamant about paying the bill and driving it away to make his delivery on time.”

After assessing the scene, the decision was made to recover the units from a parallel access road because the accident had occurred in a very narrow two-lane construction zone. Ed’s team chose to use airbags along with the wreckers to ensure a no-damage recovery since both the truck and trailer were old and very worn.

“In the downtime to get the bags on-scene,” Stearns said, “we prepped the truck for towing and rigged the 1075 rotator for the lift, using round slings in the WreckMaster method of across the ends and around the corners.”

The team started the lift with Matjack starter bags. Once the starter bags were all under the trailer and fully inflated, they replaced the starter bags with lifting bags. The units were lifted with the Matjack bags and rotator as far as possible; but given the fact the left side of the units had landed on the ditch, they could not fully upright the units.

The ditch was very muddy and the units were mired. A line from the Century 1075 rotator was rigged to the right-hand dolly leg to get some lift as the Century 1050 winched the units to the access road. The 1050 then towed the truck and trailer as a combination to Ed’s shop.

“Surprisingly, the driver could not cover the recovery bill that night, but about a week later the insurance company did; and with some shady repairs performed by the driver he drove it away,” Stearns laughed.

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

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.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • MIDWEST 87

Suspect Nabbed

by Employee

Glen’s Towing Adds Assembly Work

A thief chose the wrong Cleveland, Ohio, business to target.

Mechanic Chris McChristian was pulling up to K&M Towing Garage on his motorcycle when he noticed a strange man driving away with one of the tow trucks.

“I said who are you? And he sped off,” said McChristian. “He took off down the road. I flipped my bike around, chased him about a quarter mile, and forced him to pull over.”

The suspect then quickly made up a story, saying he was sent to pick up the vehicle. McChristian, not buying it, convinced the crook to return the truck.

“I made him drive it back,” said McChristian.

K&M owner Dwayne Webb happens to be a police officer. He placed the suspect under arrest.

Source: news5cleveland.com.

Glen’s Towing of Beckley, W. Va., inked a deal with Alkane Truck Co., an assembler of alternative fuel vehicles, to begin assembly of vehicles immediately.

As part of the agreement, Glen’s Towing will be entitled to use the Alkane brand name, Alkane’s EPA, CARB, and DOT certificates as well as the company’s supply chain to assemble and deliver its Class 7 and 8 trucks and the Humvee-style Dominator.

They will maintain an inventory of parts while Alkane provides ongoing support and replacement parts.

“An established and respected company, Glen’s Towing has the facilities, staffing, equipment and financing to be a valuable and successful partner to Alkane,” said Bob Smith, CEO of Alkane Truck Company.

“They’ll own 100 percent of their assembly facility; they’ll be solely enti-

tled to any state and local incentives offered to new business startups in their region and share with Alkane in the net revenue profits of each vehicle sold,” said Bob Smith, CEO of Alkane.

Source: prweb.com.

Mich. Towman Indicted in Federal Probe Gasper Fiore, a long-time Detroit, Mich., towing contractor, is facing bribery charges for trying to get a towing contract in Clinton Township.

Federal prosecutors say Fiore bribed former Clinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds on two occasions: first with a $4,000 cash bribe in March of 2016, and then with another $3,000 cash bribe a few months later.

According to the recent indictment, Fiore paid those bribes through Charles B. Rizzo, the former CEO of Rizzo Environmental Services. Rizzo is now facing several federal charges as well.

The feds say Fiore is also charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud as part of this wide-ranging Macomb County FBI probe.

Source: wxyz.com.

Death Angers Missouri Towmen Missouri towmen are angry after a 35-year-old Blue Springs, Mo., woman waiting to be towed was killed when a car veered off the road and struck her on I-70.

Adrienne Afrisio was killed when a 2007 Honda veered off the road and struck her. The towman who was standing close to her was also injured.

“We’re angry in the community of towing and emergency vehicles right now because there’s so little respect given to us,” towman Montana Diamond said. “You see someone on the side of the road, just give them room; you could potentially save someone’s life.”

Afrisio was a recently widowed mother of two small children, family members said.

Source: kmbz.com.

MIDWEST 88 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

Towman Helps Secure Dangling SUV

Towman Conor Larson helped rescue an SUV hanging off the edge of the interstate with the driver inside in Seattle, Wash. komonews.com image.

Conor Larson was running late in his tow truck when he came upon a frightening scene in downtown Seattle, Wash.

A trooper waved him down, saying an SUV was hanging off the edge of the interstate with the driver inside. Larson, a driver for 24 Hour Towing and Recovery, quickly made his way to the scene.

He hooked onto the SUV and secured it as a trooper pulled the driver out of a rear window.

“I really feel like God put me there,” Larson said. “I’m just happy everyone got out alive and I was there to help out.”

State Patrol said the SUV could have fallen from the interstate had Larson not acted so quickly. They also credit the trooper who waved him down.

That SUV driver went home with no injuries.

Larson finished up his work and made the long drive home to Grandview, where he is based, just happy he was running late at the moment he was needed most.

“But I’m no hero,” he said. “I’m just a guy doing my job.”

Source: komonews.com.

Arizona Gov. Signs APTRA Bill The Arizona Professional Towing & Recovery Association announced that Gov. Doug Ducey has signed HB 2159 into law.

APTRA introduced the bill, which clearly defines proof of ownership, a release of liability at incident scenes WEST 84 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

Continued: Arizona Bill and cleaned up the language for transfer of ownership. The association reported that there was additional language regarding abandoned vehicles that was added to the bill.

“It is a great win for towers,” APTRA said in a statement. “Thank you to the legislative committee for their dedication to this process and to the lobbyist who worked diligently on this bill to get it passed.”

Source: APTRA.

Repo Agent Helps Nab Suspects A suspected teenage car robbing crew is off the streets in Conyers, Ga., thanks in part to a repo man who was at the right place at the right time.

“I’m just driving through, scanning plates looking for cars out for repo,” said Daniel Kitchens, who works for Bulldog Recovery in Covington.

Work the Passenger side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • WEST 85

Continued: Repo Agent Kitchens was scanning the Walmart parking lot with a license plate reader when he spotted a stolen Ford Escape.

Four young people bolted out of the car; one teen ran his way.

“I just grabbed him by his clothes and just kind of put him down,” said Kitchens. “He ended up spinning around as I pushed him down.”

Sgt. Kim Lucas with the Conyers Police Department said he made a difference.

“He is actually able to get hands on and help with the apprehension so we’re thankful for his assistance in that,” said Lucas.

She said Kitchens took down a 16year-old boy whose picture and identity was not released because he is being treated as a juvenile in this case.

Police did identify 17-year-old Willendrick Rucker, the driver, 18-yearold Tavon Standifer and 19-year-old Mariah Thomas, who were also arrested at the Walmart parking lot.

Police said the four are suspected in the robbery of a pizza deliveryman recently.

She said the LPR spotted another stolen car from Gwinnett County, leading to the arrest of some other teens.

Source: fox5atlanta.com.

Death Angers Mo. Towmen Missouri towmen are angry after a 35-year-old Blue Springs, Mo., woman waiting to be towed was killed when a car veered off the road and struck her on I-70.

Adrienne Afrisio was killed when a 2007 Honda veered off the road and struck her. The towman who was standing close to her was also injured.

“We’re angry in the community of towing and emergency vehicles right now because there’s so little respect given to us,” towman Montana Diamond said. “You see someone on the side of the road, just give them room; you could potentially save someone’s life.”

Afrisio was a recently widowed mother of two small children, family members said.

Source: kmbz.com.

WEST 86 • July 2017 - TOWMAN.COM

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - July 2017 • WEST 87

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