Tow Professional - Volume: 12, Issue: 2

2023 seems to be running at full tilt! We use this issue of Tow Professional to highlight “Towing Software, Rotators & Heavy Equipment.” The first quarter of 2023 is a great time to take inventory of your tools of the trade. Towing Software is a key to: efficiency, tracking, maintenance information, safety, and even protection of your assets from litigation! Leaders in the industry will be offering in-depth information on the features and benefits of their software. Take this knowledge and decide what works best for your business!

In this Issue we also look at Rotators and Heavy Equipment. These are key pieces of equipment that can take your business to the next level! Jerr-Dan, Custom Built, & Tru-Hitch showcase products that fit an array of price ranges and applications that can be a key piece to growth for your business in 2023!

In this issue we hear from James Lewis, our “Expert Witness,” and learn the importance of growing up! Dan Messina with his “Insightful Talk,” has insight for our owners in the industry. DJ Harrington reminds us in this installment of “Fuel for Thought” that it’s all about money, money, money. DJ’s intent with this nugget of knowledge is to help us all work smarter not harder!

The key to 2023 is relationships! Businesses will strive or fall by the wayside based off their efforts in this category. Make sure for 2023 you put your best foot forward with everyone of your customers. This will simply plant a seed for your success to be cultivated and to grow for many years to come!

Thanks, be safe, and God Bless our Industry!

Darian Weaver President & Publisher, Tow Professional

PUBLISHER

Darian Weaver

President & Publisher

darian@towprofessional.com

PRODUCTION

Shirley Ogburn Editor

Clint Cabiness

Creative Director

clint@dialedinmediagroup.com

Bogey Cat as Office Manager

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Matt Boileau –ParkingPass.com

Nick Dangelo – Custom Built

D. J. Harrington CSP

James E . Lewis

Dan Messina

Darian Weaver

Pat Nesby – Traxero

Jim Shelhaas – Ranger SST

Kendall Smith – TowBook

Tim Smith – Azuga

Matt Wesley – Towbook

Executive and Advertising Offices

1005 Mountain Trace

Birmingham, AL 35242

Toll free: 888-802-8544

Fax: 205-978-1550

www.towprofessional.com

Tow Professional is published nine times a year by Over The Mountain Media, Inc., 1005 Mountain Trace, Birmingham, Alabama, 35242, USA. Tow Professional is distributed free to qualified subscribers. Non-qualified subscription rates are $57.00 per year in the U.S. and Canada and $84.00 per year for foreign subscribers (surface mail). U.S. Postage paid at Birmingham, Alabama and additional mailing offices.

Tow Professional is distributed to qualified Towing & Recovery’s Top Decision Makers. Publisher is not liable for all content (including editorial and illustrations provided by advertisers) of advertisements published and does not accept responsibility for any claims made against the publisher. It is the advertiser’s or agency’s responsibility to obtain appropriate releases on any item or individuals pictured in an advertisement. Reproduction of this magazine in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written permission from the publisher.

For a new free subscription, address changes or corrections, please visit www.towprofessional.com and click on the “subscribe” tab.

Jerr-Dan Receives Patent for Automatic Wheel Grid

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Jerr-Dan, an Oshkosh Corporation company (NYSE: OSK), reports that the Jerr-Dan XLP Autogrid automatic wheel grid option introduced in 2022 received a patent for both design and operation on January 31, 2023. The XLP Carrier Autogrid, a wheel grid used on carriers and other tow vehicles, allows an operator to hook to a car quickly and easily without manually installing L-Arms.

“We knew that the Autogrid would be a game-changer when we applied for the patent last year,” said Todd Werner,

Chief Engineer. “The bar anyone must meet to obtain a U.S. Patent is that the product is ‘new and useful.’ Our Autogrid has been on the market for more than half a year, and users agree that it is both.”

For more information on the Autogrid, visit https://bit. ly/3DVAW79.

An animated demonstration of the Autogrid is available to view at https://bit.ly/3N2bsI0.

Capacity of Truck and Rigging with Jerr-Dan’s Tow Link™ App

Know

Jerr-Dan has also announced the introduction of the Tow Link ™ app and its availability on both the Apple and Google app stores. Tow Link allows operators to enter incident- and equipmentspecific values into its Rigging Utilization and Tow Performance calculators so that operators may use their equipment more effectively. The current iteration of Tow Link provides users with two key calculators.

The Rigging Utilization calculator informs the operator of the percentage of the rigging working load limit used while accounting for the reduced working load limit of the wire rope. The wire rope load and block loads are also tabulated and displayed for the selected scenario.

The Tow Performance calculator determines the heaviest load that can be lifted while maintaining the chosen steer axle remaining weight percentage and overhang. This data is critical to efficient and safe operations. All calculations can be saved to aid in reviewing events or setting up new recoveries and picks.

Where the value of an angle is required for a calculation, the operator may simply use their phone’s camera to

photograph the rigging’s current sling angle, for example. Tow Link will use that photo to give the operator the value of that angle, removing the angle value guesswork from the equation.

Tow Link recreates the tow and recovery scenario virtually to provide operators with informative data and advises them on how to best use their equipment in a specific situation. In fact, it can be used pre-dispatch to confirm that equipment sent to a particular casualty vehicle is appropriate to the task at hand.

“There is a reason we did not call the app ‘The Jerr-Dan Tow Calculator’,” said Jerr-Dan’s Richard Guttman. “Knowing and understanding your tow truck capacity and rigging data is critical to safe and effective tow truck operation. We feel strongly that the capabilities of Tow Link can make a significant positive difference throughout our industry, so we designed the app to be used with other makes of tow trucks and rotators besides those carrying the Jerr-Dan brand.”

For more details, including informative videos, visit Tow Link | Jerr-Dan (jerrdan.com).

Worldwide Equipment Sales

We Solve Your Problems and bring solutions.

Worldwide Equipment is an authorized Cottrell, Durabody, Hackney, Jerr-Dan Kalyn Siebert and Landoll dealership headquartered in Rockdale, IL. Worldwide has facilities in Michigan and Pennsylvania. We are proud to carry a vast selection of new and pre-owned inventory. When you are ready to invest in a new truck or trailer, our friendly and knowledgeable sales, financing, service, and parts departments are prepared to make sure your experience is outstanding, from assisting while you’re making your choice to ongoing maintenance and customization. We value the opportunity to create a longterm relationship with our customers, and we do that by giving you the best customer service available. Our 20-year history assures you that you can depend on

Worldwide Equipment Sales to be here to provide the products and service you need for as long as you own your trucks. Our strong financial position, large coverage area, and experienced personnel allow us to provide very competitive pricing and premium services not readily available from other dealerships. Stop by one of our locations today to see how Worldwide Equipment is changing the trucking industry and how your company can benefit from our experience.

Make sure you stop by our booth # 528 at the Florida Tow show for an exciting unveiling!

The World’s Best-Selling Wireless Tow Light Just Got an Upgrade!

TowMate introduces the newest addition to their line of innovative wireless tow lights, the TM22XR. This top-of-the-line tow light boasts a number of features that make it the premier choice for any towing operation.

With a battery life of over 50 hours on a single charge and a battery level indicator, the TM22XR is designed to keep you working without interruption. The new and improved 100LB pull rubber-coated magnets provide a superior hold compared to 90LB pull magnets that use a rubber boot to protect from scratching a vehicle. The super lightweight design of the TM22XR makes it easy to handle and maneuver while working, without sacrificing any of the durability or quality that TowMate is known for.

TowMate takes pride in manufacturing all of their products in the USA, and the TM22XR is no exception. With a lifetime

warranty on electronics and LED’s, you can trust in the quality and reliability of this product.

“TowMate is dedicated to providing the towing industry with the best and most innovative products on the market,” said the company’s VP. “The TM22XR is a testament to our commitment to providing reliable and long-lasting products that our customers can depend on.”

Don’t settle for less when it comes to your towing equipment. Upgrade to the TM22XR and experience the difference for yourself.

For more information on the TM22XR and other TowMate products, or to find a TowMate dealer near you contact us at the below:

TowMate Phone: (800) 680-4455

Email: info@towmate.com

Website: www.towmate.com/dealers

Over 8000 Machines In Use, Serving 53 Countries, With Over 5-Million Vehicle Rescues Worldwide!

The Tracked Machines Vehicle Mover System is the only vehicle movement system internationally approved by Law Enforcement, Insurance Industry and Government Agencies around the world!

Their machines are the most technology advanced equipment on the market that possesses the strength and capability to lift an EV or heavy vehicle weighing over 9000 lbs by all four wheels without having to enter or touch the vehicle. The operator can move the vehicle without causing any damages. Their equipment can pick-up the vehicle from tight, confined spaces inside parking garages or outside in wooded, rocky area’s that tow trucks cannot get to. The tow provider deliver and place the disabled vehicle inside a garage facility that a technician man want.

• For the Tow Provider, we offer the TowTrack Machine.

• For the Automotive Facility we offer the Electric CarMover Machine

Tracked Machines has been so successful in the five years of operations, that there are over 8000 machines serving in 53 different Countries and have logged over 5,000,000 vehicle rescues. Their system is mandated to be used in 14 European countries that passed legislation that requires the TowTrack Machines to be used with all Law Enforcement and Electric Vehicle Towing.

These same mandates are heading to the USA due to the same legal issues that are currently plaquing the Automobile and Towing Industry. The current towing equipment cannot handle the weight of the EV’s and have no attachment points to pull onto a truck-bed. EV’s fail to possess a neutral/free rolling gear therefore the Control Arms on these vehicles are not rated to pull the excessive weight north of 6000 lbs. This is causing the Insurance Industry headeache that U.S. Insurance Carriers are only approving 1 out of 6 Towing related Insurance Damage Claims.

Ford Roadside Assistance recently had an incident where they sent out a tow provider to pick up a 2022 Ford Mach-E, which was disabled on the side of the road. The roadside assistance dispatched a tow provider who arrived at the

scene with a truck that failed to meet federally mandated weight limits. Then the operator improperly hooked the winch-cable to the battery-frame-rail and pulled the vehicle with the cable attached to the wrong connection point, resulting in damages to the EV battery-rail totaling $28,000. The owner of the EV has spoken to the roadside assistance company, insurance companines of the tow provider and his insurance carrier only to find out there is no insurance coverages for this incident do to the incident being classified as an illegal activity with the TowTruck exceeding weight requirements.

Leaving the Tow Provider and Vehicle owner to solve the problem between themselves. Wheel-lift and dollies are legally prohibited to carry more than 3000 lbs. per FMCSA law.

Law Enforcement is aware of the legal issues involving EV’s and has ramped up weight enforcement against Tow Providers across the United States. This is new found revenue for these agencies. Insurance Carriers have also placed new prohibitions with the use of light duty trucks(19,000 lbs) from towing EV’s. Therefore, the Towing Industry in the United States will be having major changes with dealing with EV’s towing operations in the United States.

Learn More: info@trackedmachines.us

LIW-LDTL

23” Light Duty Wireless Tow Light Bar with 4-round transmitter & magnetic mount.

LIW-36STR-7R

36” Wireless Tow Light Bar with 7-round transmitter and amber / white strobes.

• Choose the color of strobes added

LIW-48RFS-7R

48” Wireless Tow Light Bar with 7-round transmitter with 4” amber flashers.

LIW-60RFS-7R

60” Wireless Tow Light Bar with 7-round transmitter with 4” amber flashers.

JAMES E. LEWIS

WENEEDTOGROWUP

Rant mode: On.

People do that on social media to announce that they’re going to rant about something. I don’t do that very often. I sincerely thank Darian Weaver at Tow Professional for giving me this platform –I use it to inform people and don’t want to squander my efforts or your reading entertainment.

I do my best to remain professional in my column.

There are many times where I’d like to insert a curse word or two for emphasis, as I feel strongly about a subject –like hearing, “I haven’t lost one yet!” or “Must be nice!” After reviewing information for my next column, I want to throw something (proverbially) in your face – we are our own worst enemies when we refuse to grow up and stop acting like children – we, collectively, need to realize we’re all adults here running businesses that for some entail

BY JAMES E. LEWIS ///

millions of dollars – yet, we run off on vengeant diatribes and other acts of revenge or otherwise getting even – and we forget how much damage our own actions can do to our businesses.

After taking a break from a towing group on Facebook, mainly because of the mentality of some who can’t converse or react with input on an adult level, requiring the admins to do three times their normal work to keep the place cool and clean for the rest of us...I vowed not to completely leave the group. I’ve made some invaluable friends there and fortified friendships with people I already knew…but I’m leaving the active towing industry, at least for the time being. The last couple of employment experiences were absolutely horrible; lies combined with nepotism…just a bad deal all around.

It’s good that I’m outside the industry and off the social media group pursuit, since in my capacity as an expert witness, it’s really better that I don’t interact with people in the industry on a daily basis – I may be involved in litigation either on defense or plaintiff’s side – directly

involving a towing company. That’s also the reason I haven’t joined any boards or groups as a member or officer – I can’t have that conflict of interest.

I have to say, it took long discussions with my wife to realize that after being in the towing industry since 1987, I’ve only had three employers who didn’t lie to me, treat me like crap, or falsify the money I’d be making. One was my first employer in Abilene, Texas, the second was Bruce Anderson in Aloha, Oregon, and the third was Ray Parris in Cleveland, Texas.

We have to do better as an industry. Check your ego, as I think that is the root cause for over-promising and under-delivering. When you conduct an interview, you really need to roll back the BS factor and realize that the promises and statements you’re making are being listened to and taken to heart by your prospective employee. People take your promises and statements to heart and base their lifestyle and budgets on them. If you tell someone they’re going to have certain days off, but it never works out, what do you expect that person to

Our mission is to:

• Evoke the public conscious to understand they are the most powerful source to define life and death on our Nation’s highways.

• To educate and make them aware they need to make a life change so first responders can live theirs!

• To unite all common industry first responders to train, educate and motivate the public we serve to just

OVER ONE – LOSE NONE!

BY JAMES E. LEWIS ///

think? They’re resentful, pissed off, and no time with their family. I’ve heard employers say “well, I never get a day off”….it’s YOUR frikkin business! That’s your choice - a choice you made. It also usually revolves around the idea that you conduct crappy interviews and hire people who can’t or won’t do the job, forcing you to work instead when you need to be doing payroll or marketing for your company.

Another suggestion I’ll make is to grow up. I’m amazed at how many 40–50-year-old people still do trivial and silly crap like when they were in junior high. Perhaps they didn’t mature past age 12, I don’t know, but you can easily look at yourself, based on the reactions of others, and judge if you’re acting like an adult or not.

Do you whine and complain about doing calls? Do you always want to try to micromanage the boss, wondering why he didn’t send Joe on a call instead of you? Always wondering where the other drivers are so you can dispatch for the dispatcher? In case you didn’t know, that’s juvenile and immature behavior. Grow up.

Lastly, I want to address the multitude of threads that involve certifications vs no certifications. Survey yourself…if you said, “I have WM 6/7, look at those untrained monkeys”, or you said, “I don’t need no damned training, I’ve been doing this for 20 years”…YOU are the problem. Having just classroom education makes you worthless because you have no practical application ability – no

real-world experience. Having no real training, other than “here’s the keys, this lever does this, this one does that, figure it out” isn’t good because you may not understand WHY something works, or when to expect a failure or accident.

I can’t believe how much angst and anger we have as a group, as members of the same industry. We’re all on the same team, although in different parts of the world. I don’t expect a group hug here, but I’d like to see less dumb arguing and people running around with their feelings on their sleeves….

Rant mode: Off.

YoutheOwner AReview

Iwant to begin by congratulating all business owners out there for taking a giant step and starting your own company. Whether you have been in business for 20 years or just starting out it takes guts to do what you do. In the last article I wrote about all the issues you faced such as things like:

1. Gas prices

2. Buying Trucks

3. Buying parts

4. Finding drivers

5. Keeping your customers happy

6. Electric cars

7. Laws and regulations

8. Pricing

We are two months into 2023 and I’m not sure we are any better than we were last year. We are getting into the tow show season, and I don’t think any pandemic will interfere with the shows. As I talk to the groups that put on the shows, they did tell me that their vendors are changing their strategies on how they look at shows. Big manufactures are buying less floor space and other

major vendors are not even coming to shows because of budget cuts.

Many things are going to come up that will influence the way you do business. I hear of a lot of changes taking place in the industry, but I never hear about tow companies getting an increase in their price. Where and how you get your tows will have an impact on your bottom line. A good example is the city of Dallas selling its pound to a tow company who now controls how and who will be towing for the city. There are other cities that are watching this to see how it works out.

Then there are the outside companies that are coming into cities and running the city pounds. I have a strong feeling that you will see other companies begin bidding on city pounds as well. Then there are the software companies that send jobs directly to the tow company through digital dispatch. My company, TowTrax, is one of the companies that is changing the face of the industry. I take tows from my customers and send them directly to the closest driver. I started out with one major customer, now I am up to seven. The

DAN MESSINA ///

big players see the value of what I do with e.t.a.’s under 30 minutes. In just a short period of time, I have grown from eight states and 17 markets to 31 states and 151 markets. As I bring on new customers, they want me to open up even more markets.

The bottom line is: As an owner, you may have to make changes to survive in the future. In my system I send a tow directly to the driver closest to the incident. A lot of companies would rather I send the tow to their dispatcher and let the dispatcher dispatch the tow. Here are a few things to consider:

1. You $15 dollar an hour now controls your business.

2. They may send the tow to a driver across town, where I will send the tow to the closest driver saving you gas, money and time.

3. You will lose revenue to your competitor because they were closer than your driver.

4. When I had my company, I had a dispatcher receiving gifts from drivers for sending them

more tows. This creates a moral problem.

5. I had owners tell me they don’t trust their drivers to make decisions on tows. My response is you trust them with a $180,000 truck but not the decision to accept a tow.

6. Owners must learn that their employees are their biggest asset, especially their drivers. That’s who make them their money. I had an owner in Nebraska tell me that he hates his drivers and they hate him. My suggestion to him was to go open a pizza shop.

7. I have owners tell me that they will not take calls from me because it does not interface with their software. One smart owner will figure out how to make it work and not let outside sources dictate their business.

I recently had an owner who registered with TowTrax who said give me all the tows you can. I will make it work within my operation. She also told me if she had tows in a near-by city, she would send a truck to that city and cover that area for me. Because of her

BY DAN MESSINA

approach, I am opening up two new markets for my customers.

My customers now realize that for twenty years the way they did business was good, but now they realize they must change. I think it’s time for the tow company owner to take a look at the way they are doing business and change as necessary. When you are successful change is hard, but you must keep your eye on the industry changes to make sure you continue to be successful.

Over a ten-year period, I pointed out that you, as an owner, must wear many hats. You are:

1. The accounting department

2. The sales department

3. The human resources department

4. The mechanic

5. The legal department

6. The marketing department

7. The technical department

I could keep on going but you get the point. I can only advise you not to do it alone. There are a lot of outside resources for you to call on to help you decide what is the best thing for your company.

Over the past 10 years I wrote articles for Professional Towman magazine. These articles covered many areas of running a business. My articles covered things like:

1. How to hire and fire employees

2. How to purchase equipment

3. What software you will need

4. How the government can affect your business

5. The importance of industry tow shows

6. The pitfalls of management

There are no less than 100 other things to look at when you run a business. I have put all these articles together in a book that I will be offering to you soon.

Over the past 10 years I have taken three companies and turned them into million-dollar companies. I am ready to pass this information on to you.

Many

OUTSIDE EXHIBITS: THURSDAY, FRIDAY AND SATURDAY INSIDE EXHIBITS: FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, 9 A.M. – 6 P.M.

2023 FLORIDA TOW SHOW® SCHEDULE

As of February 9, 2023

THURSDAY, APRIL 13

12 pm – 5 pm Registration Open Convention Lobby

5:30 pm – 7 pm State Association Presidents Reception

7 pm Jerr-Dan Event Big Lot

FRIDAY, APRIL 14

8:30 am – 5 pm Registration Open

Convention Lobby

8:45 am – 12 pm

WreckMaster Light/Medium-Duty Recovery Class

Sabal A, B, C Learn how to stay safe on scene, prevent property damage claims, calculate resistance, calculate anchor ability, use snatch blocks, perform basic winching techniques, applying your new knowledge of resistance to rigging and equipment and earn customer confidence.

9 am – 9:45 am Advance PPI to a Comprehensive Parking Management Service

Sago 4 Offer: both Permitting AND Enforcement residents and managers

Jim Shellhaas, Ranger SST

10 am – 10:45 am What Google Wants from You

Sago 4 Learn what the current demands are to rank well in search, advertise efficiently, earn reviews and increase your cash call leads throughout your service area.

Dennis Wencel, Lift Marketing Group

11 am – 11:45 am Don’t Just Manage Your Business, Optimize It

Sago 4 Running a profitable towing and roadside business is not easy. Optimizing your businesses, how to spot and fix problems.

Presented by Traxero

1 pm – 3 pm Florida Lien and Title Workshop

Seville DHSMV Carole Jean Jordan

1 pm – 1:45 pm Finding Qualified Drivers & Mechanics in 2023

Sago 4 Hiring drivers and mechanics is increasingly difficult. Find new employees faster within weeks, not months!

Presented by David Ostrov, Whiterail Recruits

2 pm – 3 pm Tricks of the Trade

Sago 1 Learn how to neutralize locks of all kinds, vehicles, padlocks. You will be amazed, ladies don’t be afraid to attend, everyone will be entertained.

Steve Young, Sponsored by AutoLock Solutions

7 pm Miller Event Big Lot

SATURDAY, APRIL 15

8:30 pm – 2 pm Registration Open

Convention Lobby

9 am – 12 pm EV Driver Training

Sabal A, B, C The rEVolution is upon us with electric vehicles – what a tower needs to know.

Presented by Matt Bowman, Energy Security Agency

9 am – 2 pm Lil’ Towers Event

Veranda Event Room Sponsored by Allstate Roadside

9 am – 9:45 am PPI: Permitting AND Enforcement – Residential and Day Lots

Sago 4 New solutions expand opportunities for PPI providers to include commercial properties

Jim Shellhaas, Ranger SST

10 am – 12 pm Florida Lien and Title Workshop

Seville DHSMV Carole Jean Jordan

10 am – 10:45 am What Google Wants from You

Sago 4 Learn what the current demands are to rank well in search, advertise efficiently, earn reviews and increase your cash call leads throughout your service area.

Dennis Wencel, Lift Marketing Group

11:45 am – 1 pm Women of the Towing Industry Luncheon

Sabal D, E, F, G Presented by PWOF – Women’s Division

Sponsored by GEICO

1 pm – 1:45 pm Towing Technology 101

Sago 4 Technology is everywhere and changing constantly. Staying on top of the latest and greatest, the evolution of technology space and how it has changed the game.

Presented by Traxero

1 pm – 1:45 pm Finding Qualified Drivers & Mechanics in 2023

Sago 4 Hiring drivers & mechanics is increasingly difficult. Find new employees faster within weeks, not months!

David Ostrov, Whiterail Recruits

1 pm – 3 pm Lockout Class

Sago 1 Steve Young, Sponsored by AutoLock Solutions

2 pm – 3 pm Learn tips to prevent your hard-earned money or company items Seville from walking out the door with your employees.

2 pm – 2:45 pm

Presented by Bill Giorgis

Captives, How to Turn Your Insurance Program into a Profit Center

Sago 4 A discussion on a captive and understanding the income streams within a captive insurance program

3 pm – 3:45 pm

Don Blood, Brown & Brown Insurance

Mental Fitness in a 24/7 World Physical fitness gets the hype, mental fitness is just as important for a healthy life. Learn some tips and tricks to gain mental clarity.

Presented by Michelle Sukow

Money,Money, Money!

Now that I have your attention, I’ll tell you why I said it that way. My intent in this article is to help YOU MAKE MONEY. Not printing money but rather working hard and smarter for money that you earn.

My father once told me if I wanted to own a cemetery, I had to first work in a cemetery. He pressed further saying not just one either but that I needed to know every aspect of the cemetery business as well as the ins and outs of each process, rules, ethics, and regulations. At the time of our conversation, I was working for a large family-owned cemetery in the preneed department. While I attended college, I worked at a cemetery that was owned by the family of Former Governor of Alabama, George Wallace. As my dad continued, he reiterated what I already knew – the heartaches of family members that come through the gates of the cemetery property. At one time, I was employed to do the paperwork for a very wealthy family in Florida to create a very large cemetery there. As time

progressed, I not only worked in those two cemeteries, but I also worked in multiple cemeteries across states of Michigan, Georgia, and the Carolinas learning as much as I could about the cemetery business. If I was going to own a cemetery one day, then I needed to experience day-to-day operations of multiple locations.

I’m not asking you to go in a different direction or change what you’re doing. I believe that no matter what business you’re in, it’s the same process. So, towers should know everything they can about towing and the automotive recycling business, such things like: Where can I go to get rid of a vehicle in my yard? Lots of you take them to your local salvage yard. Do you first save the catalytic converter and then resell them separately? Did you know that the steering column of a Crown Vic is worth hundreds of dollars? What if I told you that there are people right now that could help clean up your yard, make you lots of money and change your only 10% to get rid of it all? How does that sound? Can you hear and feel more money in your pocket now? Let me bring eBay to you.

As a VP for Bethlehem Steele and a marine estimator for the destroyed ship, the Andrea Doria it was obvious to me that my dad was a very smart man. He had the uncanny expertise to estimate repair cost of that ship within $1000 of the actual repair cost. Dad was not only innovative but intuitive. He also taught me if I go into a new profit center that I should learn about it first.

Same thing with owning a McDonald’s store. If you want to buy a McDonald Franchise, they require that you first have experience flipping hamburgers and working at one first. I know this to be true for the automotive industry. I used to teach two Fridays a month in Detroit for the Chevrolet Dealers Academy with people who were investing in a Chevrolet dealership. Some were more prepared for owning the dealership than others because they had done the work before as an employee or management.

Did you know that there is a weekend school for automotive recycling that will familiarize you with the money available in the automotive recycling industry?

Mark your calendar for two weeks after the Florida Tow Show. There is such a training conference, the URG Annual Training Conference being

Proper way of writing invoices

Are you still writing your RECOVERY invoice on a TOW slip? That’s a thing of the past.

Accident scene clean up

Are you leaving car debris and oil behind at the accident scene? You can be liable for this even YEARS later. We show you how

BY D.J. HARRINGTON CSP ///

held at the Hyatt Regency, Grand Cypress in Orlando on April 27th – 29th. URG stands for United Recyclers Group. Golf is scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday; you can attend their training classes during the day and then do some great networking events at night. This is put on by eBay, Co-Part, IAA; lots of parts and yards from across the country.

With new technology, you can learn why towers such as Stepps in Florida and O’Hara in Chicago have their own recycling centers. There’s lots of towers doing this now, so I ask, WHY NOT YOU? Recycling isn’t for everyone, but if you feel you’re interested in looking into this new profit center, call me at 770-301-4122. I would be happy to give you more details of how you can make more MONEY, MONEY, MONEY. Some might wonder if they can attend for just one day. YES, you can go on Saturday, April 29th. This conference is all about towing Electric Vehicles and safely storing them in your yard. Therefore, go online to www.u-r-g.com and learn more or call me.

I will see you next time and especially on the Tow Professional podcast..

Financing for the Tow Industry

Bene ting for the families of our fallen

If each company in the industry gave just $5 when a tragedy occurs, we could generously support the families of our fallen in so many new ways.

Can you give $5 when a tower dies?

Help us support those left behind by the dangers of our profession.

The Survivor Fund

The “Survivor Fund” was created in 2006 to complement the International Towing and Recovery Museum’s Wall of the Fallen. This fund was established to help those families who have lost a loved one in the line of service.

A Survivor Fund committee was formed of people from all over the United States from the towing industry. The committee is given the information regarding the fallen and the application is processed within 24 hours of receipt. Once the decision is made, a check is sent right away to the family to assist with immediate nancial issues during this tragic time in their lives.

Company owners, family members, or friends can submit the application for bene ts on behalf of the family of the deceased. The application can be found on the website at www.thesurvivorfund.com and can be submitted by mail, fax, or e-mail.

Fourteen years of service to the towing and recovery industry worldwide

Managed by industry professionals

Pledges replenish funds and allow payout growth

$7,500 bene t, $9,500 for museum members

Immediate funds to help at the time of tragedy

Funded by donations only

Hundreds of families supported

Tiered system allows payout increases based on reserves

Hundreds of thousands of dollars paid out to date

Survivor Fund Continuing Support

To ensure the longevity of these bene ts as we work to build a perpetual fund, we are asking each person, company and organization in the industry to participate in supporting the Survivor Fund and these families when a tragedy occurs. Your pledge to become a Survivor Fund Continuing Support Partner represents a commitment to our industry.

As a Continuing Support Partner, you will receive an e-mail from the Survivor Fund when a tragedy occurs and meets the governing guidelines of the Survivor Fund for disbursement. As always, the ITRHFM Survivor Fund will handle direct payment to the families. We will simply solicit your contribution in the pledged amount to replenish and build our fund after each approved payout. The e-mail you receive will provide information on the current tragedy as well as information on how to remit the payment to honor your pledge.

www.thesurvivorfund.com/pledge

support our industry.

NEW ROTATOR TRAINING PROGRAM

Highlights

Hands-On,

Real-World Instruction

Jerr-Dan designs and manufactures top-of-the-line rotators, but the standard company philosophy has always been that proper operator training is just as important as world-class equipment. Jerr-Dan’s lead instructor, Richard Guttmann, is quick to point out that safety and productivity are both improved by in-depth training. The company opened its renovated training facility and updated its heavy duty rotator training program in late 2022. The training center features an outdoor hands-on training yard next door to a spacious, modern classroom facility.

One of the attendees, who has attended the Jerr-Dan rotator classes multiple times, said that he was really impressed with the new classroom part of the training facility. “It’s bright and sparkling white, and perfectly

laid out as the kind of roomy classroom environment we need,” he said. “You guys did a phenomenal job of setting this up as a first-tier training center.”

Typically, six trainers, including two from Jerr-Dan’s engineering department, lead the classes. Classroom instruction includes an emphasis on “the math,” to quote attendees’ comments in post-training interviews.

“I’ve taught hundreds of operators in my career,” said one participant. “But I like how this class brought us all back to ‘the math,’ which is fundamental to proper rigging.”

All students are expected to be familiar with the equipment’s Operation and Safety Manual before attending the course. The classroom training itself is built around intensive sessions, accompanied by practice worksheets, that cover “the math”—how to calculate

JERR-DAN

sling stress, tension factors, angle factors, and much more. Training is also provided in the use of JerrDan’s new Tow Link™ app, which streamlines the process with a rigging calculator and a tow performance calculator.

No key subjects are skipped. The training includes units for Rigging, Wire Rope and Hooks, Use of a Load Chart, Platforms/Outriggers, Cribbing, Winches, Boom Loading, and Service and Maintenance.

The full curriculum sports the slogan “Training by operators, for operators.” Not only are several of the instructors veteran towers, but the overall training program was created by Richard Guttman, who served over 30 years as a wellrespected operator before joining the Jerr-Dan team.

Jerr-Dan also regularly polls its most experienced customers for advice and suggestions. The program evolves as each class builds on the previous one. One business owner, attending the course for the second time, commented on this continual improvement of the training program. “The changes I’ve seen since the previous class make it clear that the instructors obviously listened to our feedback and made changes to give us the info we need.”

A recent attendee commented on the helpful combination of making the calculations in the classroom and then going outside to the training yard to see those calculations applied in a real-world setting. That hands-on training seemed to be appreciated by all the students.

The training yard itself is presently composed of seven stations. The Platform station features a Jerr-Dan rotator parked on uneven ground, and an instructor demonstrates how to extend the outriggers properly to make a level and stable platform from which to

work. Students are then allowed to try their hand at the operation.

One student explained the experience this way: “We covered how to set up the rotator on a platform, how to stabilize it, and how to overcome difficult terrain features. What I’ve learned is that this outrigger platform makes it easy to overcome some significant terrain differences. Plus, this platform gives us indicators for when it’s safe to operate. This particular platform

makes it easy to compensate for some pretty significant differences.”

One of his colleagues commented that “the biggest thing I notice is the stability. The platform is rock solid.”

The same basic process is repeated for all stations—a demo from a subject matter expert and then the student gets to practice what they just learned. The second station features a 360-degree pick of around 22,000 pounds. The third demonstrates two rotators working

together to move a container safely between them. The next station shows the controlled roll of a cement mixer. Other hands-on stations include another pick and swing exercise, and a side winch demo complete with an explanation of the required rigging.

One attendee spoke for the majority when he said, “I like the hands-on experience because a lot of people, including myself, learn better and faster that way. You can tell me how to do something, but I’m not really going to remember it unless you put the remote in my hands and let me do it.”

Another student, responding to a question about the overall outdoors training yard, said, “I like the way the stations are set up now, they’re able to get everyone through all the stations, we’re given adequate time to ask questions and understand

each particular exercise. Their platforms are very easy to manage. The remote control is great. I know that I will be able to use our truck better when I get back to work!”

Regular classes will be held

beginning in May 2023. Contact marketing@jerrdan.com to learn more about attending the next rotator training class.

For more information, visit www.jerrdan.com.

POWER YOU CAN DEPEND ON.

For information on Jump-N-Carry jump starters, visit www.jumpstarter.com.

Towing operations that employ Jump-N-Carry jump starters know that no starting task is too daunting. They know from experience that every aspect of a Jump-N-Carry is designed to deliver extreme jump starting power, from the battery to the heavy-duty cables. Jump-N-Carry is all about power delivery.

New JNC770R Extra-long 68” cable reach makes easy work of the most difficult starting tasks.

BEHIND THE SCENES:

From Design to Paint

We sit down with Nick Dangelo of Custom Built Mfg

Tow Professional: Tell us about the range of products that you offer through Custom Built Mfg.

Nick Dangelo: We offer a 20-ton, 25-ton, 30 ton and a 50-ton unit on the integrated line. Additional options we offer, is a 12k sidepuller, 20k sidepuller, extending rear spades, and on our 50 tons we offer a 20k belly winch under the boom. For the rotators, we offer 30-ton, 40-ton, 50 ton and a 60 ton.

Tow Professional: What are some advantages of a Custom Built Product?

Nick Dangelo: The biggest thing that sets us apart from our competitors is price and customer service. When you buy a unit from us, you are considered part of the Custom Built family.

Tow Professional: Tell us about the materials, and products that go into a build.

Nick Dangelo: Our materials are all sourced from

vendors in our area. We will accept nothing less than USA-made steel for all our units. We recently started to manufacture 75% of all our hydraulic cylinders here in-house. Out of all other manufacturers, I would say we build more of our parts in-house than all the rest. We build all the steel components, toolboxes, and all paint is done inhouse.

Tow Professional:Tell me about the design, vision, and layout of the new facility, when it comes to workflow and production.

Nick Dangelo: Our new facility has been a huge jump forward for us. We have been able to increase production by 25% in just the first two years, with plenty of room to grow. At our old facility we had to shuffle parts back and forth between buildings across town. By moving to the new facility, we are all at one location. Making it a cleaner, safer, and all-around better place to work.

Tow Professional: Nick, can you tell me about the warranty behind the product.

Nick Dangelo: Our warranty is the best in the business with an industry leading 10-year structural warranty on all steel components made in-house. With our customers, we have a 97% customer retention rate. Some of our customers own seven to nine of our units.

Nick Dangelo: I like to have my customers speak for our work, so I have included feedback from Andy Knepp of Reichert & Knepp, and Drew Miller of S&M Repair, as a sampling of what you can expect to hear from the family of Custom Built owners.

Andy Knepp Co-Owner of Reichert & Knepp Wrecker Service out of Plymouth, Warsaw, South Bend, and Fort Wayne, Indiana.

“In 2021, I approached Nick Dangelo with an idea of building a 25-ton unit on an old military Oshkosh. With this project there were many obstacles to overcome, from the suspension to

the short wheelbase we were trying to stay with. And let me tell you they hit it out of the park! The design and the fit and finish were spot on! After

we put the first one to work, we sent a second one out to be built. We now own seven Custom Built units: three CB 30’s, two CB 25’s, a CB 50, and a

Alliance Funding Group (AFG), was founded in 1998 and has grown to become one of the largest privately held equipment finance companies in the U.S. Having funded over $2 billion in equipment, we can offer complete credit and asset flexibility.

CBR 60. I would recommend anyone that is looking for a quality and well-built unit to give them a call!”

Drew Miller Owner of S&M Repair of Goodland KS, Colby KS, and Burlington, CO. “Custom Built was there for us from the beginning. When we needed wrecker beds that were affordable, and reliable, the workmanship and pride they put into their products are by far the best I have ever

seen. Our company would not be where we are without these guys. They are truly a blessing to the tow industry.”

Tow Professional: Thanks so much for your time, and for the in-depth look behind the scenes of Custom Built Manufacturing.

Readers for more information visit: custombuiltmfg.com

ATru-Hitch™ working in conjunction with your existing heavy duty rotator can give you the best overall capability and cost savings.

A Tru-Hitch™ on a 16K tractor can lift up to 32,000 lbs. and can tow up to a gross combined weight rating of 140,000 lbs. In addition it:

• Does not overload drive axles

• Needs no special tractors or modifications

• Does not create a lightened or unsafe steering axle

• Does not cause uneven braking

• Does not cause pinch points in sharp turns

• Is safer and more efficient on long distance tows

• Has a lower operating cost

The Tru-Hitch™ is the perfect complement to your towing operation fleet and will give you full capability for heavy duty transporting and recovery. Visit truhitch.com for more information or call 1-800-450-8659 or 860-379-7772 to order your Tru-Hitch™ today.

While a heavy duty rotator handles accident recovery, the Tru-Hitch™ excels in its transporting ability of heavy trucks.

Increase Productivity and Deliver an Engaging Experience with Towbook

By Kendall Smith and Matt Wesley

As the use of technology continues to rise in the towing and roadside industry, so do consumer expectations. With the ability to use advanced technology at your fingertips, your customer expects to be informed and cared for every step of the way. Using Towbook creates this experience by doing the work for you!

Towbook not only promotes continuous communication with your customers, but also with your motor clubs, body shops, dealerships, police departments, and private property managers too!

 Got a call from the motor club? Accept it with the click of a button!

 Does your body shop or dealership want to send you a job? Our Web Request Portal can help them do exactly that with just a few clicks!

 Impress your police departments with “Vehicle Lookup” technology that allows them to quickly see if a certain vehicle is on your lot!

 Give private property managers a login to their account, so they can view all vehicles that were towed and sign for them as well!

All of the above actions and more, allow you and your staff to reduce time on the phone and maximize your performance and efficiency.

So, what does Towbook do? And why do you need it?

Improved Communication. Managers and dispatchers can communicate with drivers easily. Drivers can accept calls with all the details needed in order to do their job efficiently and update the status of the job from start to finish. You will also be able to chat with your drivers

via their mobile applications or send them a text message to make them aware of last-minute changes (chat logs are always saved to the call for future reference).

Roadside.io Towbook’s Roadside.io solution, paired with our Customer Survey feature, delivers the latest customer experience capabilities to your fingertips, allowing you to provide an “Uber-like” experience for your customers. With Roadside.io, you have the option of sharing information with customers while the service is in progress; helping customers understand what’s happening with their service without having to call you for an update. You also have the option of sending the customer a satisfaction survey once the job is complete. You can choose to push these surveys to your website and you can also direct them to your social media outlets where they can complete a review about the service they received.

Minimize Risk of Damage Claims. Drivers can upload photos of the vehicle to a call in real-time; we timestamp and geocode these photos for you along with categorizing them according to what job status the driver was in at the time. An additional precaution can be taken by creating a “Vehicle Damage Form” if there is extensive damage to the vehicle prior to servicing it. The driver can create a report on scene, take photos of the vehicle, indicate anywhere there is damage, and have the customer sign off on the damage form. This report will be saved for future reference and can even be emailed or sent via text to the customer with their receipt.

Built-in Navigation and GPS Tracking. You’ll be able to get turn-by-turn directions to your destination right in the application with just a tap!

If you aren’t currently using a GPS solution, Towbook is equipped with built-in GPS tracking which will automatically update the drivers’ location according to their app settings. Towbook is also integrated with leading GPS companies like AT&T Fleet Complete, Azuga, DriverLocate, Samsara, US Fleet Tracking, Verizon Connect, and Webfleet Solutions;

allowing you to send calls directly to the GPS unit in your truck.

Drivers can use the GPS unit to navigate to the service location, and when they update the status of the call on the GPS unit it will automatically update their status in Towbook. Your Towbook app can also use the GPS location from your trucks and display that on the map in Towbook. There are many other fantastic features of GPS units that help you manage and maintain your fleet.

Pre-Trip Inspection Management and User Check-In. If you want your team to inspect their trucks and other equipment before (or after) every shift, they can do that easily using the Towbook mobile apps and our Equipment Inspection tool. Each inspection report is time stamped, and managers will receive an email alert any time there is an Equipment Inspection failure.

Completed inspections are also available to open/view on mobile apps, so if drivers need to present a completed pre-trip inspection to a law enforcement officer they can do so right from their phone!

Our “User Check-In” feature allows drivers to check-in and out for work directly from their mobile application. This allows managers and dispatchers to know who is currently on-shift to accept jobs. You are also able to run a report to review check in/check out times for drivers.

Plate-to-VIN Technology. No VIN – no problem! Towbook’s plate-to-VIN feature saves time and eliminates mistakes. Simply enter the plate number and the state in which the

vehicle is licensed, and Towbook will return the full VIN with the make, model, and year of the vehicle. You’ll also have the option of using our VIN scanner, which will populate the VIN in the call just by scanning the vehicle’s barcode.

Private Property Features. Alongside tagging accounts, two of our most notable private property features for the mobile applications include “On Scene Call Creation” and “Stickering”:

 On Scene Call Creation: This allows your drivers to do their job as quickly as possible by allowing them the option to create a call by simply snapping a picture of the vehicle; the call will automatically populate the address they’re located at and will allow them to update any additional details later.

 Stickering: One of Towbook’s fastest-growing features is our Stickering app. With Stickering, you can create a virtual sticker in Towbook and “tag” those vehicles that you might be able to tow after a few hours or a few days. When the sticker expires, you receive a notification that the vehicle can be towed.

Impound/Storage Lot Management and Vehicle Lookup. You’ll be able to track and release your current impounded/ stored vehicles on your lot right from the mobile application. You’ll even be able to send the impound invoice via text or e-mail.

In using our “Vehicle Lookup” technology, your customers, police departments, and private property accounts will thank you! It makes it simple for them to look

and see if you have a certain vehicle on your lot without calling.

Digital Dispatching. Whether you are a dispatcher or manager sending out calls or an owner/operator working in the field, you’ll be able to accept motor club calls while out of the office or on the road using Towbook’s mobile apps. Towbook is integrated with all the major motor clubs for your convenience! A couple of taps to accept the call and you’ll be on your way!

Paperless Invoicing. Save time by texting or emailing your customer an invoice right on-scene! If paper invoices are a must, we integrate with Zebra mobile printers to print your customers’ receipt on the spot.

Additional Information. On top of the many features we’ve already mentioned, your drivers will be able to add additional information to the call via their app according to the preferences setup by management, this includes:

 Additional line items/charges.

 Record payments received in the field.

 Collect customer signatures for archiving and appearing on receipts.

 Any additional notes regarding the service or customer.

 Record vehicle odometer.

 Add any company expenses, such as fuel along with a picture of the receipt for manager review.

Technology is causing a world-wide evolution and it’s important to find resources that can be of benefit to us. First it was computers, now it’s a little device in our pocket that we all rely on daily - whether for business or our personal lives. Using software to manage your business increases efficiency and profitability but it’s also a great tool to woo potential clients; demonstrating that you are a forwardthinking towing/road service company and are interested in adapting to the ever-changing technological environment.

About Towbook

Towbook has become the unquestioned leader in cloudbased towing software, headquartered in Michigan, and has

Towing Insurance Program

provided service for over 16 years. Integrating the industry’s most advanced and flexible software, Towbook supports all sizes and types of towing, recovery and roadside service operations.

We provide tools made possible by the latest technology, and we help companies to raise their level of service while lowering their operating costs.

Plus, our commitment to you will be never-ending! We take great pride in having the industry’s best customer support. Support is free and available 24/7/365—even on holidays.

Tow Professional Offer

Free Trial, Free Setup, Free Support. Towbook offers a 90-day free trial for all Tow Professional subscribers, simply scan the QR code or visit: www.towbook.com/signup/ towprofessional to use this offer!

Website: www.towbook.com

Inquiries: sales@towbook.com

24/7/365 Support Line: (810) 320-5063

Eligibility

Single and multi-state operation

• 1 to 100 trucks

Interline Risk Services’ towing package is a policy that is designed for professional towing operations that are involved in auto repair, body shop, salvage yards, auto transporting, gas sales and more. Our program is backed by an A+ rated insurance company. We offer very broad driver guidelines, along with the most flexible coverages available in the market today.

Coverage

• Auto Liability - $100,000 to $1,000,000 CSL with no deductible or radius restriction Physical Damage comprehensive and collision deductible – $500-$2,500

• Auto Medical Payments – $1,000 to $5,000

• Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (non-stacked) – Basic limits or as required by law

• Personal Injury Protection – Basic limits or as required by law

• General Liability – $100,000 to $4,000,000 CSL (General liability covers premises and operations - even operations away from the premises such as road side)

• Hired and Non Owned Liability – Limits equal to General Liability

• Garage Keeper’s Legal Liability – Maximum limit per location $500,000 CSL

• On Hook/Cargo – Maximum limit per auto $300,000 with excess policies available

a. Loading and unloading is included in our cargo form, and will cover the cargo while it is in the process of recovery until it is delivered or stored.

b. Our cargo form is the broadest in the industry with coverage for equipment hauled as well as autos. Contents of vehicles are covered as well.

c. NO DRIVE TRAIN EXCLUSION - we do not exclude drive train damage on our cargo form.

d. Debris removal is included in our cargo form with a sub-limit of $2,500.

Other Available Coverage

• Accidental Death and Dismemberment of $10,000 per life on the policy is included on all accounts offered

For more information: 877-578-1516 | info@interlinerisk.com

Why ?

When writing this article and thinking of a topic, it occurred to me that we will just keep it simple. If I was in a towing business, what would be important for me to get out of my telematics and camera system?

Towbook’s preferred telematics provider. Azuga and Towbook are working to build out an integration that will allow your dispatchers and managers to get everything they want on one screen. Towbook. The finished product will allow you to see accurate and dependable location tracking the truck, not a driver nor a cell phone. You will be able to see inside Towbook the speed of every vehicle in real time, ignition on/off, idling time, and PTO engagements on the map in breadcrumb trails. Notifications are sent every time your PTO is engaged and that vehicle isn’t on a call. You will also be able to

access event camera footage including an automatic front bumper picture to be sent directly to that call inside Towbook. There are more features coming too, but when considering “Why Azuga” it’s because it will make your Towbook even better allowing your team to work from one pane of glass.

Our camera systems are fully live and there are rear/ side cameras available to cover the rest of your truck. The quality of pictures from these cameras is incredible, and the installation is the easiest you can buy. These rear cameras can allow you to see the business end of your truck and keeps recording for up to an hour even when the vehicle is stopped with ignition off. This will allow you to see most recovery events in their entirety if you want, or go back and see what happened if something comes up. It’s amazing how much more drivers adhere

to safety procedures and training when they know that you can watch every time they are loading a vehicle. The interior cameras have AI (artificial intelligence) that will take a snapshot if the driver is distracted and send it to you. You can customize what is important to you but it can: Detect if the driver’s eyes aren’t on the road for more than 5 seconds; if they are on their cell phone; if they are eating, drinking, smoking; if they try to unplug or block the camera; if the seatbelt is across their shoulder; and the front camera can actually let you know if they are tailgating. These cameras are awesome, but the purpose of them is to protect your business from claims and to help change driver behavior.

When looking at cameras here are some very important things to consider:

- How easily can I get them installed and use them (doesn’t help you if they are sitting in a box in the office.)

- Can you tell if they are unplugged or have been tampered (again don’t help you if they aren’t working)

- Do they have aux cameras to cover the rear of the truck at least and if so are they built by the same company who built the cameras (some vendors will try to say they have universal aux cameras but horror stories about connectivity issues...again, doesn’t help you if it doesn’t work when you need it)

- Price, how expensive is it if it breaks to replace, what happens when a newer better camera comes out in a year or two.

Maintenance costs are a concern for every tow company and with the reduced inventory of new trucks available, the rising cost of gas and wages, it is more important than ever that you control what you can when it comes to maintaining your equipment. Inside Azuga, besides for being “control central” for a world class telematics and camera system and allowing you instant access to any report you could need, it also allows you to not only know every time a maintenance task is due but also allows your mechanic to update when that task has been completed, allows them to upload parts lists, receipts, warranties or anything else related directly to that job. It allows you to upload the entire expense of each maintenance activity, so you know exactly how much it’s costing you to operate every vehicle that you have.

Overall, honestly there are several choices when it

comes to your telematics systems, but Azuga specializes in the Towing industry and has customized the product to best fit what towers need. Our pricing and contracts are easy to afford and easy to understand. The installation and set up of our service couldn’t be easier and each customer has a dedicated Customer Success manager (based in the US) who can help you set up and customize your system to do exactly what you need it to do. They will answer any questions that you may have and help train you and/or your dispatch team on how to use the product. They will also be your first call if something comes up along the way. We have learned working in this industry that towers are busy and work long hours many times and being able to reach someone when you need them is one of the most important things and that is what we will do.

At the end of the day, this is technology in a tow truck; things are going to happen. So, we can’t promise you that issues won’t come up as they definitely will, but we do promise that we will answer the phone and work promptly to get it fixed... this is Why Azuga!

How Traxero’s Towing Management Software Keeps You Moving

Traxero brings the towing industry’s most essential solutions together to empower towing and roadside assistance professionals to drive higher profitability and be more efficient

Our solutions include advanced digital dispatching, leading impound yard softwareincluding an online impound auctions platform, fully embedded credit card processing, GPS fleet tracking, and much more, to ensure your success.

Traxero’s goal is to provide its customers with a comprehensive suite of solutions focused on Towing Revenue Optimization (TRO), which delivers everything towers need, when they need it, to effectively run their business and grow profits, setting them up for success today, tomorrow, and for the road ahead.

Why We’re Different

Traxero understands how hectic running a towing business can be with all its moving parts. That’s where Traxero is different. We know there is no one-size-fits-all for Towing Management Software (TMS). That is why we built dedicated products with all the features you need, no matter where you are in your business lifecycle or the types of towing and roadside assistance you do.

As the towing industry continues to rapidly evolve, it’s important that our customers know they can trust our solutions will evolve right along with them.

We are aware of the uniqueness that comprises each towing company. That’s why our solutions help dispatchers,

managers, operators, accounting and more create highly customized reports and integrate with any number of motor clubs and other products, such as QuickBooks.

Towers today need to focus on Towing Revenue Optimization (TRO), not just managing jobs. That is not good enough anymore; TRO is about understanding which jobs are the most profitable and how to maximize the value of those jobs.

And what’s the best way to do that? By choosing a company that offers the best towing software on the market.

Towing Management Solutions Fit For Your Business

Leave the heavy lifting for your tow trucks! Traxero’s software makes running your business efficient and profitable. Our software helps towers and roadside assistance professionals be more streamlined so they can generate more revenue and bring more efficiency to their business.

Our solutions deliver best-in-class features and functionality including:

Traxero’s team is dedicated to solving problems and driving revenue for all professionals across the towing and roadside services industry with its comprehensive suite of solutions.

Better Dispatching - As your business continues to grow and your needs become more complex, our dispatching software will keep you on the right track so you can be confident in knowing you are dispatching the right job to the right operator.

Maximize Operations - We help larger towing companies and municipalities configure their businesses when it comes to more complex customized reporting, so they can know what’s going on at all times.

Easy Payment Processing - Built specifically for the towing industry, TowPay is our simple, embedded payment processing functionality that enables towers to easily process payments safely and securely and seamlessly sync that data with their TMS software, whether they’re in the office or out on the roadways.

Private Property and Impound - As the market-leading private property and impound (PPI) solutions provider, we combine dispatching capabilities along with PPI-specific functions including parking, impound management, and accountbased property management.

Fleet Tracking - Our GPS and camera systems allow you to get a real-time view of your fleet, as well as provide speed violation alerts, traffic patterns, and driver behavior reports. Free Mobile App - Towers just getting started in the industry shouldn’t have to pay for software, so we’ve created a free lightweight app to help you get going. With TraxeroGO you can receive motor club jobs from your network, manage cash calls, process payments, and more right in the palm of your hand while on the go.

But our software doesn’t stop there.

Impound Yard Software

In addition to all of that, if you have an impound lot, Traxero has the best impound yard software out there. We empower you to monetize your impound yard by giving you full visibility and control over the auction, lien, and mail side of your business.

Running impound lots can be time consuming, especially while working with multiple systems and trying to connect the dots to follow all the processes. We give you the right software to get the most revenue out of your impound yard.

Lien and Mail

Our hassle-free, automatic vehicle owner and lienholder search and notification system enables you to search records and send reminders electronically. We will also help you shorten the time it takes to obtain paperwork and titles for abandoned vehicles with our digital impound processing software.

Impound Auction Software

Our easy-to-use auction software is designed to help towers increase profits and save time with a fully digital auction management platform. From inspection to checkout, our software makes running an auction easier than ever to keep accurate records and increase your reach of bidders.

With our advanced capabilities, towers are able to take control and run the type of auction that works best for your business. We offer a range of different auction styles, making it convenient for any and all bidders to participate including:

1. Online Only Auction

2. Live Auction with Simulcast

3. Traditional Live Auction

In Closing

At the end of the day, our solutions are designed to be products that are made for the heroes of the road. The towing business is a 24/7 commitment to helping drivers in need and clearing our roads to keep everyone safe.

So that is why we brought all the best tools together to drive growth, maximize profits, and streamline operations.

Our customer service support and set up is unmatched, as our software team is available every step of the way and always on standby should any issues arise.

For more information about our software, please visit our website www.traxero.com or call us at 1-800-428-4715 if you’d like to talk to our team or receive a product tour.

If you are going to the Florida Tow Show, April 13-15th be sure to stop by the Traxero booths to learn more.

Ranger’s New PatrolWorks with LPR Private Property Impounding – Reimagined

Planning for Success: From Impounding to Parking Management

Ranger’s innovative solution – PatrolWorks with LPR (PW*LPRTM) – “raises the bar” for Private Property Enforcement and Impounding (PPI). PW*LPR sets new expectations for what defines a complete private property parking management offering and provides a practical solution for you (as the PMC – Parking Management Company) to better serve customers AND significantly increase profitability.

A Growth Plan For Parking Management

You can do it and we will help!

A solid business plan should clearly define the Goals, Mission, Target Markets, Winning Formula, Leadership and Organizational Requirements, and Key Operational Capabilities.

Goal: Build a million-dollar business with significant passive recurring revenue within 2 to 3 years

Mission: Become recognized for the delivery of superior value, excellence in customer service, and as a place where talented team members thrive

Target Markets: In the two target markets, the economics are compelling and each has tremendous upside:

• Residential Living - apartments, HOA’s, and small universities: If you are impounding 200 vehicles per month, the population of vehicles in the lots will be around 20,000. If properties implement paid permits at $10 per month, the annual gross revenue would be $2.4 million. This would more than cover parking management fees. It would generate a reserve that you could manage (for a fee) on behalf of the property for maintenance expenses such as

What makes PW*LPR unique?

• Seamlessly integrates both permitting AND enforcement – single source delivery and improved management information with all-in-one software for integrated parking management.

• Uses vehicle license plates as the permit - building on advanced technology for mobile LPR (license plate recognition) – to accelerate patrolling, streamline processes and reduce fraud.

• Fosters high transparency within the community – both property managers and residents can enter and review all relevant permitting and enforcement information from either their mobile phone or computer.

• Enables/enhances paid permitting with easy, self-service registration by residents that generates incremental funds – processing fees to you as the PMC, and a reserve that properties can apply to maintenance expenses.

resurfacing, striping, lighting, and/or snow removal. This reinforces your “parking management” role and avoids any funds flowing directly to a property manager which could be misconstrued.

• Pay to Park Lots: Managing downtown “in and out” and special event lots could generate gross revenue of over $1,000/space per month (10 hrs. per day x $4/ hr.). A portfolio of 20 lots, each with 20 spaces could generate over $6 million of gross revenue. With enforcement, the lot owner would realize higher returns even with an above average management fee.

And in both target markets – you can serve more lots and complete more impounds!

Winning Formula: The potential for success in the market builds on the competitively unique strengths of the PW*LPR solution. LPR redefines patrolling operations. LPR added to the integration with portals (web apps) for Property Managers and Residents delivers distinctive benefits and value to your customers – as their partner for “Curb-to-Curb” Parking Management.

LPR patrolling with PW*LPR is a “game changer” and provides the foundation for “winning” in both target markets:

* Using license plates as the permit opens the door to deploy advanced technology - License Plate Recognition (LPR). LPR dramatically increases the speed and efficiency of patrolling, to viably increase the frequency of patrolling. Higher frequency delivers:

* Stronger security for Residential Living where owners are facing increasing risks from the possibility of Negligent Security lawsuits

* Tighter control and relocation of violators in Pay to Park lots

* LPR patrolling expands effective enforcement capacity to serve more lots and complete more impounds! No more frustration looking for a vehicle that is not on somebody’s list. Identified violations “Ready” for impound go directly to the tow truck drivers mobile app. And, it’s NOT like repo. One spotter vehicle, (typically with two cameras) supports the impounding work of multiple trucks. Serving more lots results in more impounds even if impounds/month per lot remain the same (no added “pressure”).

* AND, it’s safer. Rather than walking lots and creating suspicion among residents, those patrolling with LPR are in small, nondescript spotter vehicles. PW*LPR lowers liabilities and enables easy scaling for increased volume – more lots with the same crew!

PW±LPR delivers significant value to customers in both target markets. There are advantages to making the Pay to Park segment the initial emphasis in the business plan.

PW*LPR delivers significant value to customers in both target markets. There are advantages to making the Pay to Park segment the initial emphasis in the business plan.

± Pay to Park has the potential to more rapidly generate cash flow.

The sales cycle is typically shorter, and the registration of the LP occurs when the permit is purchased, and goes to the LPR system. The value proposition is straightforward: on-site permitting (using QR codes) with effective LPR enforcement increases lot revenues.

* LPs instead of stickers and hang tags reduces fraud and impounding errors.

* The mobile app adds to patrolling effectiveness. ANY policy violation on ANY vehicle (with or without a permit) can be entered and impounded when appropriate.

Lot owners understand that many people using the parking spaces don’t pay, and that “hoping” is not much of a strategy. The LPR enforcement is a huge benefit and differentiator.

* Pay to Park has the potential to more rapidly generate cash flow. The sales cycle is typically shorter, and the registration of the LP occurs when the permit is purchased, and goes to the LPR system. The value proposition is straightforward: on-site permitting (using QR codes) with effective LPR enforcement increases lot revenues.

With PW±LPR, a single spotter can patrol many downtown lots frequently, and the information (LP) on illegally parked vehicles is immediately available to waiting tow trucks to relocate the vehicles, freeing space in the lot for the next paying customer. PW±LPR provides added value by notifying vehicle owners

target markets. There are advantages to the business plan.

generate cash flow.

TOWING SOFTWARE

registration of the LP the LPR system. permitting (using increases lot revenues.

Lot owners understand that many people using the parking spaces don’t pay, and that “hoping” is not much of a strategy. The LPR enforcement is a huge benefit and differentiator.

the parking spaces strategy. The LPR

With PW*LPR, a single spotter can patrol many downtown lots frequently, and the information (LP) on illegally parked vehicles is immediately available to waiting tow trucks to relocate the vehicles, freeing space in the lot for the next paying customer. PW*LPR provides added value by notifying vehicle owners when their permit is about to expire so that they can conveniently purchase an extension. The permit pricing can also be adjusted for special events to capture the full value of the lot.

downtown lots parked vehicles is relocate the vehicles, freeing space in the lot added value by notifying vehicle owners can conveniently purchase an extension. events to capture the full value of the lot.

* For Residential Living, PW*LPR provides mobile-friendly portals for both Property Managers and Residents that digitize manual processes – saving time for Property Managers and providing added conveniences for Residents. One of the most important capabilities is the sharing of information across the community – everyone has the same information on permitting status (including guest permits and violations - with the pictures that were taken when the policy infraction was recorded – e.g., an expired permit, inoperable vehicle (e.g., flat tire), or expired vehicle registration.

The robustness of the capabilities in PW*LPR make the Value Proposition for Residential Living more multi-dimensional:

* Information transparency… REDUCES DISPUTES

* Resident self-service… SAVES TIME, PROVIDES ADDED CONVENIENCE

* License Plate as the permit … MINIMIZES FRAUD, LESS HASSLE, LOW COST

* Frequent LPR patrolling … PRESERVES CAPACITY, REDUCES RISKS

* Process automation and insights from reports... STREAMLINES WORKFLOWS

* Enhanced services and security for residents … IMPROVES RETENTION

* Single source for permitting and enforcement ... STRENGTHENS EXECUTION

* Incremental Fees … INCREASES ASSET VALUE and OFFSETS EXPENSES

Leadership and Organizational Requirements: Building a small, but strong team for a Parking Management initiative is essential.

While obvious, the importance of Leadership cannot be assumed nor overstated. Parking Management with PW*LPR is not simply a “bolt-on” to PPI. Implementing the construction of a new business venture with incremental assignments to the current team, is unlikely to succeed. Adding management capacity is essential – just as adding drivers is needed for making a ROI with a fleet expansion. The business leader may be found within, but his/her current “day job” must be reassigned to an expanded staff.

information on permitting status (including guest

From experience to-date, a new business entity is likely to be required. In many markets, regulatory agencies have erected barriers that prevent towing companies from also patrolling to identify parking violators. One option is to partner with a security company for patrolling. More frequently, companies have opted to formally register a new legal entity. This new “Parking Management Company (PMC)” works as a partner to the lot owners and property managers, and would have legal auhority to authorize an impound on their behalf. The relationship with the current PPI/towing company is collaborative (tow company of choice), but at “arms length”. The PMC might also work with other PPI companies where a property owner prefers an alternative.

Key Operational Capabilities: As the business grows, gradually building a small PMC business team will be needed to handle the ongoing needs for running the business.

Customer-centric priorities, include:

• Growing the customer base – converting attractive prospects and building on-going relationships

• Onboarding new customers – configuration of PW*LPR to the lot-specific requirements of property managers for violation management (e.g., approvals, wait times) and consequences (e.g., ticketing, impounding)

• Training and support – for resident registration, use of

the portals for guest permits and transferring parking permits to a different vehicle, reporting, registration of employees and visitors, electronic signature capture

Operational responsibilities of the PMC include:

• Selecting impounding partners, setting expectations, and measuring performance

• Setting frequencies and routes for patrolling to meet customer SLA’s and preventative Negligent Security initiatives

• Providing oversight for the financial management of permitting receipts and disbursements for lot maintenance

Could exclusive deployment of the innovative PatrolWorks with LPR solution be an opportunity for you to win and grow in your market with your customers? PW*LPR is the future of private property parking management. You have the opportunity to be at the vanguard – productively and profitably serving more customers and more lots, generating more impounds and new revenue sources for most properties.

Call for more information (440) 498-1495 Or Visit … https://info.rangersst.com/

ParkingPass Parking Management Made EasyTM

For the longest time, apartments, condominiums, and homeowner’s associations have been leaning on towing providers to clean up their properties and remove unwanted vehicles and unauthorized occupants with archaic systems that require vehicles to have physical parking decals that are hard to manage, and expensive for towing operators. Are you tired of having to give vehicles back because a decal sticker fell off or your enforcement team couldn’t see it properly during overnight hours? Do you want your sales team to focus on growing the business and stop wasting their time being a decal delivery service to the clients?

All of the headaches and costs that come with managing parking for private properties ends with ParkingPass.com. ParkingPass is the nation’s leading provider in paperless parking management, which eliminates the necessity for physical parking decals, offers better management for resident and guest passes, and puts the responsibility back on the residents of the community. Drivers and spotters shouldn’t have to worry or be confused when towing vehicles, which is why ParkingPass takes any of the guess work on permit statuses out of their hands and provides a clear process that these monitors can follow to effectively violate these vehicles, while having peace of mind that the system has their backs. ParkingPass utilizes state of the art mobile license plate reader (LPR) technology by leveraging integrations with mobile applications that do not require the use of physical LPR equipment…which can run several thousands of dollars to equip on one vehicle/truck. Your enforcement team can simply drive through the property scanning every license plate parked at the property, decreasing patrol times while increasing towing. With our real-time database sync, an alert

will appear for any vehicles that have a parking status issue or not registered at the property. This makes it easy and quick to find PPI tows, without the need to search for decal stickers. Less givebacks, less risk, and more revenue.

When you work with ParkingPass to grow your PPI business, understand that you’re not working with just a software company, but a team that wants to forge a partnership with you and your organization. Since we are a national company, we can leverage and open doors with property management companies, that otherwise, a tow vendor may never have the opportunity to book. We work very closely with our towing vendors to ensure that all parties have a successful and positive experience with our program, and constantly soliciting feedback. Let us do all of the

leg work of bringing the clients online. You and your team can focus on what you know best…towing.

Below are several key features about our ParkingPass system:

Paperless Parking Registration

Each community is provided with a unique keyword to organize all resident applications on our online website (www.parkingpass.com). Residents are only allowed to request approval for maximum number of resident vehicles permitted at the property.

Resident Approval Portal

A verification system that ensures that only authorized residents are issued parking permits. The management and association can now organize all renters with their proper lease expirations and ensure that all vehicle paperwork is up to date. Our system can be customized to require the attachment and upload of vehicle insurance, registration and a copy of the driver’s license.

Online Guest Vehicle System

Effortless guest vehicle registration managed directly by residents online (no paper to manage). In fact, properties can customize guest parking to be hourly, daily, free, paid or any combination that they see fit. This allows them the opportunity to keep out unauthorized occupants, while creating the ability to generate and boost property income through paid guest passes. Restrict the number of active guest passes per unit, and maximum number of guest pass days per license plate number or unit.

Give our parking software a test drive and schedule a demo with us today or contact us at (800) 322-5535 to learn more.

Doing more than ever with

In September 1999, Auto Data Direct (ADD) was born with the intent to use technology to improve processes and efficiently complete government and business transactions. While many things have changed in the past 20+ years, the thread of technological innovation, excellent customer service, and problem-solving through changes in government

rules and processes remains the same.

Whether you’ve been a customer from the beginning or just opened an account, we hope you enjoy learning more about the level of expertise and innovation offered by your ADD team.

DMV123

At the core of everything ADD does for our customers is DMV123, which offers a single electronic platform for retrieving real-time motor vehicle records necessary for sending proper towing notifications. DMV123 provides access to the vehicle owner and lienholder information. The idea was to be able to electronically access records and merge the data into forms to reduce errors caused by title clerks handwriting VINs and other title details into paper forms. As important was the fact that this information was provided in real-time - no batch or bulk data for ADD!

DirectPost-Office

In 2003, DirectPost-Office (DPO) was launched for the Florida towing industry and has since expanded into a core offering for towers nationwide. It offers the ability to send important notifications of lien or sale from our customers’ desktops. That’s right! No trip to the post office, and sending certified mail takes just a couple of minutes to produce and send into the mail

stream. The ability to send out notifications as certified mail without going to the post office was a major leap forward in efficiency and simplicity for our customers. Our customers who use DPO can’t imagine running their businesses without it.

Custom Letter Tool

ADD’s customers have come to appreciate access to the Custom Letter tool available to any account user that needs to send certified mail. The convenience of our DirectPost-Office (DPO) tool is catching on with our Towing companies in states where we still need to offer state forms. In addition, letters sent with our custom letter tool can be tracked in their account, so they will know when a letter is sent and track the mailing status. Does it get any easier than that?

Towbook Integration

Auto Data Direct has officially fully integrated with Towbook! This integration was done to streamline and simplify the lienholder process for companies.

This integration has many benefits for both Towbook and ADD. It allows users to:

• Connect their Towbook and ADD123 accounts directly

• Access vehicle records in real-time with DMV123

• Send certified letters using ADD123’s DirectPostOffice services

• Pull NMVTIS reports for the last state of title

• Run DMV records without having to leave Towbook

• Automatically add vehicle record data to a user’s Towbook files

• Save time and reduce the chance of mistakes

ADD’s integration with towing management software companies like Towbook helps to provide key services to customers that might not otherwise be offered. For example, when towing management

software integrates with ADD, tools like NMVTIS, DMV123, and DirectPost-Office can be used in one interface.

The Future is Bright

Every day, your ADD team looks at ways to improve our customers’ experience - whether it’s expanding real-time record access or adding state-specific services like DirectPost-Office letters and forms. The future is bright, and we look forward to continuing our legacy of technological innovation, delivered with the industry’s most knowledgeable and friendly customer service.

If you are interested in learning more about what ADD can do for you, please contact us at Info@add123. com, or call us at (850)877-8804. .

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• Comes out 4 times a year

• Mobile and accessible for readers to use and for towers on the go.

• Editorial and Ads are interactive with the use of Links and Videos to show more information and direct readers to your website.

• Emailed to our 11,000 registered owners

• Promoted on Social Media: Facebook, Linked-In, as well as in our print publication.

• Easily Promoted on your Social Media platforms through sharing...

• Cost effective Full Page and Half Page sizes.

NEXT DIGITAL QUARTERLY

Tow Professional is proud to

Tow Professional Quarterly Digital Edition

Comes out 4 times a year

Mobile and accessible for readers to use and for towers on the go.

• Editorial and Ads are interactive with the use of Links and Videos to show more information and direct readers to your website.

• Emailed to our 11,000 registered owners

• Promoted on Social Media: Facebook, Linked-In, as well as in our print publication.

• Easily Promoted on your Social Media platforms through sharing...

• Cost effective Full Page and Half Page sizes.

THE TRUCK IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

When you start up your new Hino truck, our journey with you is just beginning. That’s because every 2023MY Hino comes standard with an industry exclusive Allison 5-Year Transmission Warranty, 24/7 HinoWatch, and Hino Edge Connected Vehicle Solution. Why? Because taking care of you and your truck is what we call the ULTIMATE OWNERSHIP EXPERIENCE.