TOW PROFESSIONAL
CONTENTS I N D U S T RY NEWS
Volume 5 • Issue 7 2016
www.towprofessional.com
Feature: Towing Software 30| Weil Tracker and Tracker
OW WI IN NG G& &R REEC CO OV VEER RY Y TTO
Jerr-Dan
6|One Big Happy Family
Waters Truck 12| A Beautiful Day in MS
Products: Towing Software
Fuel 4 thought
16 | Make Every First Impression A Good One
36| towbook
Insightful talk
38 |
Beacon
18 | Politics and Business (How do they mix?)
Feature: Processing Fees
42 | TOPS / Budget GPS
22| Clarus Merchant Services
46 |Omadi 50 |
VTS Systems
52 | TOW123
Feature: Locked Out
54 | Safety Vision
24| AW Direct
56 | TomTom
IN EVERY ISSUE 4 | Publisher’s Letter 59 |Dealers Place 2
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63 | Market Place 64 | Ad Index
PUBLISHER’S
LETTER
TM
Professional Your Resource for Towing & Recovery
Volume 5 • Issue 7 2016 www.towprofessional.com
Great Time in Tennessee We just got back from The Tennessee Tow Show and celebrating the industry’s 100th birthday at the Tow Museum. As usual, the good people at Tow Times did a good job with the show and the surrounding events. The show seemed well attended, and it was a terrific show for us! We got to go to the Wall of the Fallen ceremony to celebrate the lives of the brave first responders who were lost this past year. It is always an emotional time, but it is always nice to see the great people from our industry reach out to the families of the ones we lost and the classy way that the Tow Museum honors them. At the Tennessee Tow Show, we were able to exhibit and talk to people about the Southern Tow Expo and Beach Bash. The feedback was very exciting as most of the attendees were already aware of it and, not only that, they were already booking their rooms. The exhibitors were picking out their spots and sponsorships, and we were blown away with the positive feedback we got from everyone. If you haven’t already reserved your room, I would suggest getting it done as soon as possible. Go to southerntowexpo.com and follow the links to the hotel of choice. In this issue, we talk about GPS, Towing Software options, and other technology available to help you protect your investment and improve your overall production. We talk about our eye-opening trip to Jerr-dan and our visit to one of their newest dealers: Waters Truck in Columbus, Mississippi. As always, DJ and Dan are full of insight and wisdom to help you improve your business. PS. Don’t forget to go to southerntowexpo.com and sign up for our Deep Sea Fishing Tournament in Orange Beach, AL next May. Spots are filling up fast!
Keep reading and stay safe,
Timothy A. Smith Vice President Tow Professional Magazine
PUBLISHER Darian Weaver President & Publisher darian@towprofessional.com Tim Smith V.P. Sales tim@towprofessional.com __________________________
PRODUCTION Dana Maxfield Creative Director dana@towprofessional.com Gene Eudy Proof Editor gene@towprofessional.com __________________________
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Paul Ederer - AW Direct Matt Gunzenhaeuser - TomTom Mike Haney - Beacon Software DJ Harrington Rod McGregor - Beacon Software Dan Messina Jeff Pesnell - TOPS / Budget GPS Nigel Pestell - VTS Systems Eric Pottebaum - Clarus Merchant Services Tim Smith - Tow Professional Ann Weil - Weil Wrecker Beth Williams - Tow123 __________________________
Executive and Advertising Offices
2007 Old Montgomery Hwy, Suite B Birmingham, AL 35244 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., P.O. Box 26308, Birmingham, Alabama, 35260, 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.
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I N D U S T RY NEWS OW WI IN NG G& &R REEC CO OV VEER RY Y TTO
One Big Happy Family
ecently we were invited to go up to Pennsylvania and visit the good people at JerrDan and see their new technologies and capabilities. Since I have come into this market, I have heard several people claim that Jerr-Dan is the “red-headed step child of Oshkosh,” but after going up there and seeing what is going on, let me assure you that there is nothing further from the truth. Actually, Jerr-Dan is a key component to the Oshkosh family and a focus for their growth going forward. We started the trip when we saw Gene’s smiling face appear in the lobby of the hotel ready to start the day. When we loaded up the van and got ready to roll, it occurred to me that while I had been to 6
Philadelphia several times, I had never been to this part of the country. As we drove along, I was surprised by the terrain, and the deer hunter in me got very engaged with looking at patches of trees on the edges of huge corn fields. No question that there must have been a monster buck lurking nearby! Also, I was in awe of the beautiful mountains and
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sleepy little small towns that we drove through. The surprising thing was all of these old small towns were still very much active and occupied unlike some other areas of the country. After we toured the plants, I realized why. As the van pulled up and we were given our ID cards, hard hats, and safety glasses, I started looking around and
noticing the size of the plant where I was standing. In my years of the business, I have been on a bunch of site tours but this one was different. The only one I had ever been on that was on this scale was when I went to tour the Sikorsky plant up in Connecticut, which was just over one million square feet of manufacturing space. This Jerr-Dan facility was massive and run like a well-oiled machine. On the wall in huge letters, was the quote, “Oshkosh - One System, One team.” As we walked through, we saw the constant flicker of welds being made and sparking in every station it seemed. I told Darian that there must be five hundred welders on the floor alone. When you walk through, you start to notice the charts on the wall that reflect a very impressive record, and you begin to understand the capability and potential that Jerr-Dan possesses. For example, there are workers steadily producing in their areas, everything in the plant has its place, and you can see an amazing attention to detail everywhere you look. Then I am hit with “This is just one of the seven different plants inside Pennsylvania!” which helps me understand how all of those small towns we drove through were still flourishing. Right beside Jerr-Dan bodies being welded, you see another station were JLG lifts are being made. Jeff Irr was quick to point out to me that JLG is the largest boom manufacturer in North America. Hmm, I wonder how that might come in handy for Jerr-Dan. After the tour, we went outside to see some demonstrations
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of the products in action and let Shane do what he does best. We started by looking at the MPL or Multi -Purpose Lift that is primarily used for repo and single-car tows. Their design allows for a true 90 degree hook up and comes with a wide variety of storage solutions. Next up was the twenty-one foot XLP (Extra Low Profile carrier). It was outfitted with the SRS or Side Recovery System, the standard number of tie downs, and a dual-winch release which allows you to free spool the winch from either side of the vehicle. Then we saw the new thirty-five ton
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beauty. This thing has a durable, noncorrosive body and roll up doors to keep you out of the road. You can use pre-set or customize the storage set up-it has even improved stabilization and versatility. Throughout all of their products, you could tell that Jerr-dan was an engineer-driven company focused on their customers. After Shane finished showing off what all he could do, we went back inside to their training center which also included a large enclosed area where they could do instructional product training, and I could find a seat in the air conditioning.
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Meanwhile, I got to eat a little lunch while talking with Richard Del Campo and Jeff Irr about their vision. Both of them are sharp as they can be, and they are just genuinely good guys. They were both excited about the future of Jerr-Dan and both came from very successful jobs because of the direction that Oshkosh and Jerr-dan are headed. Their focus is to continue to improve and keep making products that are “engineered to exceed customer expectations.” Clearly, this is one big happy family! www.jerrdan.com
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A Beautiful Day in Mississippi by Tim Smith Last month we were invited by Jeff Irr and Mike Waters to attend Waters Truck & Tractor’s open-house at their facility in Columbus, Mississippi. Jeff had told us how excited he was about adding these guys to their dealer network while we were inhaling some delicious ribs at Dreamland Barbecue in downtown Birmingham. So we decided to take a road trip to meet the folks there and see what they were all about. The location for the event was right off the exit and easy to get to. Even with my & Darian’s legendary navigation skills, we drove right to it! Driving up you notice two things pretty quickly: the people at Waters Truck & Tractor know what they are doing, and they don’t do anything half way. They have a terrific facility that was large and laid out well to best service their clients, and it had been decorated to the hilt for the day. Waters is an old family business that is now into the 4th generation, and they are growing fast! It was founded in 1938 12
by Ray M. Waters with one goal, “To be the best at whatever we do.” Mike, ML, and David (the 3rd generation) joined the business in 1977, and since then they have expanded the company to multiple locations across Mississippi. Their focus is to “provide the highest level of customer satisfaction through supplying the proper products while building relation-
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ships with integrity.” Being around them and some of their current customers, you can tell how successful they have been at that. The first thing I picked up on was that I had a hard time picking out who was a customer and who was a part of the family. I guess when you have been serving your clients for 78 years you get to know them, and they get to know you.
I N D U S T RY NEWS OW WI IN NG G& &R REEC CO OV VEER RY Y TTO
Mike Waters was the first to introduce himself when we got there, and we got to speak with him for a few minutes before the event started. He told us a little about the four generations and introduced me to ML, David, Michael, and his GM, John Sumrall. You could tell they take pride in what their family has accomplished and how proud Mike was of his family-they have a lot to be proud of! After we got to meet everyone, we went to the open house area where they had several vendors outside meeting with customers and enjoying a pretty day. The service area where the event was being held was very impressive while the event itself was well done and well attended. We caught up with Bennis Moss and Bo Bowlin from the Mississippi Towing Association, and they just confirmed what you could already see-Waters is first class, and they and JerrDan are going to make a great team! www.waterstruck.com
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Fuel 4 thought
By D .J. Har ri ngt on, CS P
Lots of speakers have the privilege of speaking to Towers every year. It’s mainly due to scheduled meetings, annual conventions and Expos. However, when it comes to having experience speaking at their associations, I have the most experience. My experience expands many years working in various industries, such as Towers particularly at the state and national levels as well as TRAA, the towing association, automotive associations, country clubs, hospitals, equipment industries, banking, body shop associations as well as 14 other group associations that I won’t list. My purpose in communicating my association experience isn’t to glorify myself. At each meeting, convention or Expo, I see much more than a convention in the works. I see an opportunity for attendees. If you don’t get anything else from this message, you need to understand why belonging to an association IS CRUCIAL to your success. At an association meeting, you’ll see some members that are little rough around the edges at first. After attending several meetings, they transform into professionals. Those business owners that join and who are active in their associa16
tions do it for a reason. When they attend consistently, they perform better in business because they’ve shortened their learning curves. They’re implementing something they learned at one of their meetings. Belonging to an association allows them to improve their bottom line because they are learning from and alongside others already in the industry. They don’t become a member to gather accolades, wall plaques or window stickers. NO! These intuitive, smart business people become a member of their associations to achieve faster growth and faster success. They’re not looking for a handout. They’re looking for a leg up, and they can find that help in an association. Additionally, if they’re really serious about joining the association to gain knowledge that will help them, they continue to gather, read and reread everything that their industry publishes. They don’t stop learning after they’ve left their state or local meetings either. They continue learning when they attend their national level meetings. Continuing education has become an important part of some associations. Those associations don’t mind taking time to get educated
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because the learning might provide a quantum leap. Not only do they become professionals, but they’re also educated through forums that look after the interests of every member within the association. Others have their backs. I know for a fact that belonging to an industry specific association is the best money spent in any business. Most associations allow a member to pass learned knowledge down to a member’s heirs. Your family members inherit a chance to make a successful living because you made a past decision to be involved in an association. However, don’t stop there. You should always encourage others to belong to your association. The more members you have in your association, the more clout you have in your state. The primary goal of any association is the success of its members. I’ve done lots of speaking for GIADA. GIADA is the Georgia Independent Automobile Dealers Association. When they march to the state capitol and say that they have 2,683 members, everyone stands up and takes notice. They have one of the finest lobbyists in the country that is fighting for their rights as inde-
pendent automotive business owners. (The Towing Association of Georgia now has the same lobbyist.) When I was interviewed by the Tow Professional magazine, I was able to communicate that I had done well as a speaker. However, it wasn’t until I became a member of the National Speakers Association and received one of their highest speaking certifications that I knew I had done well. Through my association with groups of speakers from various industries and topics, I learned what it took to achieve a “certified speaking professional” designation. Achieving this designation wasn’t an easy task. In fact, it doesn’t happen over night. The process takes years. It’s tedious, requires lots of paperwork, interviews plus a multitude of speaking engagements and referrals. Less than 3% of all professional speakers make that grade. If I had not joined that association
years ago, I would not have earned my C.S.P designation. In short, I learned from others that had done the work ahead of me. Do you know Zig Ziglar? I learned from meeting and hearing him and other professional speakers like him what I needed to do in order to achieve my speaking designation. What we need in the towing association is simple. We need new blood! We need young blood! We need it now! We need our young people to ascend the ranks in our association at the national, local and state levels. We will have them IF we invite them, work with them and encourage them like someone helped us. Yes, I truly believe if you want to make more money in towing, then joining your state association and TRAA are vital to your success. Join now! See first hand how your voice will be heard. You’ll be surprised at what you’ll learn.
The Tow Doctor
Until next time.
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Insightful talk
We have an election coming up, and I don’t think anyone knows what is in store for the future. As a business owner, you have to look at how your expenses will be affected: the price of gas, healthcare, taxes, and any type of insurance, and how those changes in expenses will affect your business. There are two ways you can address your operating expenses. 1. Cut expenses – Sell trucks, cancel insurance, reduce staff or reduce your expenses in areas such as marketing or customer service. No matter how you address it, your company performance will suffer. 2. Increase your revenue – Before we start cutting expenses, let’s look at ways to increase our revenue. Growing your business is a necessity for your business’ survival. What can you do to grow your business? Here are a few things you can do to get started: 18
By D an Mes si na
1. Penetrate your existing market. The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of growing your business is getting new customers, but it’s easier getting additional business from your existing customer base. 2. Ask for referrals. If you provide a good service, it will be easy to ask your existing customers for referrals. Doing a great job and just assuming that your customers are passing the word about your business isn’t going to do much to increase your customer base; you have to actively seek referrals. During or after every job or sale, ask your satisfied customer if he or she knows anyone else who would be interested in your services. 3. Innovate your service. Discovering and promoting new serv-
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ices is a great way to get existing customers to use you more and attract new customers. Look at your trucks and storage lot and identify what new services you can offer by utilizing your trucks and lot in different ways. To do that, drive around your neighborhood and see what other people might have a need for that you can offer. Also, look at your competition and see what they are doing that you are not. Attend a trade show and talk to other towers to see what they are doing in different parts of the country. Think duct tape! How few of these would have actually been sold if they only had one use! 4. Extend your market reach. There are several ways of growing your business by making your services available to a new pool of customers. The most obvious is to open offices in new
locations on a different side of town. This could increase your rotations with the city and save on gas by having trucks on that side of town. Opening an office in another city could also be an option if you can cover the expense to get started. (Here is where motor clubs can be of help). New locations can also be set up through the internet such as a website with online services. Learn how to take advantage of the internet. Another approach is to extend your reach through advertising. Once you’ve identified a new market, you might advertise in a select media that targets that market. 5. Participate in trade shows. Trade shows can be a great way of growing your business because they draw people who are already interested in the type of services you offer. The trick is to
select the trade shows you participate in carefully seeking the right match for your service. “Trade Show Tips” will help you get the best return on your investment. The more your name can be seen by potential customers the better off you are. 6. Conquer a niche market. Remember the analogy of the big fish in the small pond? That’s essentially how this strategy for growing your business works. The niche market is the pond-a narrowly defined group of customers. Think of them as a subset whose needs are not being met and concentrate on meeting those unmet needs. Most towers go after companies that have fleets. Think of places that have groups of people: churches, schools, chain stores, apartments, and small companies that have 50 to 60 employees. Then go in and offer
them a towing service for their people. 7. Contain your costs. Surprised? Bear in mind that when
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Insightful talk we’re talking about growing your business, we’re actually talking about growing your business’ bottom line. There are several approaches to cutting costs: stop providing services that cost the most money (heavy duty towing) and improve your services by utilizing your trucks in
the best way. Here comes the motor club approach again or one of those new customers you added. 8. Diversify your services. The key to successfully growing your business through diversification is similar-
ity. Look at your existing customers and see if there are other businesses that might have similar needs. You may tow landscaping equipment when it breaks down, but where does he store his equipment in the winter time which is another use for your storage lot. 9. Franchise your business. The stories of entrepreneurs who have become both well known and well heeled due to franchising their small businesses are legends – and not just stories. If you have a successful business and can develop a system that ensures that others can duplicate your success. Franchising may be the fast track for growing your business. 10. Export internationally. Expanding into international markets can also be a powerful boost to your business’ bottom line. Like franchising, this is a way of growing your business that requires quite a commitment of time and resources, but can be extremely rewarding. Now that you have some good ideas, who will help you implement the changes necessary to increase your revenue? Most small companies do not have a sales staff to find customers or a person that can market the company. With a new service I am providing called TowTrax, this will provide you with tows you never had before. TowTrax is a digital dispatch platform that finds a customer that needs a towing service and then sends that customer to you. We are working with customers you already have through venues such as motor clubs, law enforcement, IAA, and CoPart just to mention a few. TowTrax will also market to new customers that need a towing service. There are other customers out there that need a towing service, and I will find them for you. There is no charge for our platform or the services we provide; we just ask that you make yourself available to receive our tows. www.towtrax.com
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Eliminate Credit Card Processing Fees the Right Way By Eric Pottebaum
The rules have changed: businesses are allowed to charge a fee to eliminate the costs of processing credit cards--as long as they follow the credit card brands’ rules and regulations. Clarus Merchant Services is a credit card payment processing provider that specializes in helping companies maximize their credit card profits. The company has
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) integration is possible too. “This is a way for the merchant to recoup 100 percent of the fees for processing credit cards,” said Theresa LaRocca, Director of Corporate Initiatives at Clarus. CardX technology ensures regulatory compliance by determining whether a given card is a credit card or a debit card
To leverage CardX, Clarus registers the merchant with Visa, MasterCard, and Discover and ensures the merchant is in compliance with the card brand rules and regulations: The merchant must inform their customers of the credit card fee with appropriate signage and displays on the POS. The amount of the credit card fee must not exceed the merchant’s cost of
partnered with CardX to provide a surcharging solution that nullifies credit card processing costs for merchants while keeping transactions fully compliant with card association rules and state laws. Fines can range from $1,000 to $25,000 per incident if a business is caught applying fees to credit card paying customers incorrectly. CardX works for all credit card types so merchants can enjoy the benefits of zero-cost processing whether processing payments via terminals, point of sale (POS), web, and mobile or mail order/telephone order (MOTO).
before the transaction is processed. Merchants are not permitted to add a fee for the use of debit cards. CardX automatically applies a fee whenever a credit card is swiped or entered so that merchants receive 100 percent of the amount of the sale. “Credit card processing is expensive for merchants,” LaRocca said. “The larger the merchant, the bigger the expense is. The cost associated with credit cards can vary anywhere from .05-3.5 percent. This money comes out of their pockets every month. This is a way for merchants to recoup their processing fees.”
acceptance or 4 percent whichever is less. The credit card fee and the price of the product or service must be processed together as one transaction. The receipt must show the amount of the credit card fee as a separate line item. Clarus has a great working relationship with many associations and cooperatives, and regularly provides educational webinars for association members. Eric Pottebaum, Vice President of Sales at Clarus, said. “We’re happy to consult with towing & recovery companies. We’re really here to help them and show them opportunities for savings and how to be
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in compliance with regulations.” Founded in 1999, Clarus is a leading global merchant service provider that has grown with a grass roots approach by partnering with family-owned businesses. Its fast, secure payment processing cuts transaction time while its security services help prevent fraud, chargebacks, and downgrades. “We are dedicated to providing our merchants a level of professionalism and service no other payment processor can equal,” Pottebaum said. “Scale, flexibility, and security means Clarus merchants benefit from single-platform execution, a full suite of integrated future-proof products, value-added servicing, and in-depth management reporting. Clarus is committed to absolute integrity and proactive customer service excellence. Clarus consults with towing & recovery businesses to reduce expenses through pricing as well as achieving greater efficiency within their payment processing solution.” www.clarusdc.com
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By Paul Ederer, Technical Product Support – AW Direct
Unlocking vehicles can be easy, save time and prevent damage to customers’ vehicles when using the correct lockout tools. There are many lockout door tool kits available that include a variety of door tools and storage bags or you can buy door tools individually and build a kit to fit your needs. Here are the key items to have in your lockout door tool kit: Lockout manual Eyewear Gloves Light Damage Guard tape Starter Wedge Air Wedge Long reach door tool Application Specific Door Tools to fit the lockouts you perform Lock picks 24
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For starters, a lockout manual is a must and is available in a print manual, DVD or digital online. These manuals will explain the ideal ways to unlock specific vehicles without damaging them. Most are updated yearly, so make sure you keep an up-to-date manual to be the most proficient. Another must-have tool is protective eyewear. Weather conditions can change quickly along with the condition of the vehicle from job to job. Wearing safety glasses will protect from rain, snow and broken glass. You only have one pair of eyes, so you need to protect them. Gloves will protect your hands from any sharp edges you may encounter when trying to unlock a vehicle including sharp metal edges or glass. Some gloves also come with sticky grips, allowing you a better grip to the long, skinny door tools.
A flash light or door tool light are great for lockouts at night or in dark conditions like parking garages and shaded parking lots. There are multiple types of flashlights including head mounted lights so you have both hands free to do the lockout. Door tool lights typically come with suction cup mounts allowing you to stick the light where you need it also allowing both hands to be free. These lights can illuminate a large amount of the vehicle interior. A layer of damage guard tape, bruise tape or painters tape applied to the painted surfaces on the vehicle will protect against scratches from starter wedges and door tools.
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Starter wedges make a good starter tool before inserting an air wedge or door tool. The tapered end of the jack creates a gap in door frame for easy insertion of door tools or air wedges. The pry bar effect eliminates contact of the weather stripping. For heavy-duty doors a Super One Hand Jack tool is available. Air wedges come in a variety of material, sizes and styles. The most common materials for air wedges are vinyl or ballistic nylon. Vinyl wedges stretch while ballistic nylon wedges don’t stretch. Wedges come in mini, standard or large sizes. A mini air wedge is small in size and inflates easily allowing it to fit almost anywhere, even places larger air wedges can't. Standard size air wedges are the most commonly used. Large size air wedges are primarily used for heavy-duty trucks. Air wedges are available as a single or a
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dual. While a single is more common, dual air wedges are ideal for larger, stiff, bulky door frames because the dual wedges adds more clearance and will eliminate a single point stress. Frameless window vehicles need special care and tools to separate the window from the body frame. Frameless window
wedges are specialty wedges made of two LEXAN sheets with a rubber shaped wedge in between. The wedge creates a narrow opening between the window and body frame spreading the pressure evenly over a wider area reducing the chance for the window to explode. Long reach door tools are used when there are no vertical lock buttons, to reach locks, handles or other points for release. Long reach door tools come in an assortment of lengths from 24” to 59” and configurations from one-piece, two-piece and four-piece. There are many options available in long reach tools such as lighted tips, swivel handles, extension extender, big easy loops and stainless steel construction. There are a number of specialty door tools for specific vehicles. Here are a few
that would help make your lockout kit more versatile. Snare loop tools have a loop on one end and a pull handle or knob on the other end and can easily lift vertical lock buttons which are common on fleet trucks. Snare loop tools come in standard and heavy-duty with the heavy-duty including a thicker internal wire making it more kink-resistant. Basic, flexible door tools with gritty material in the center which grips vertical door buttons are also available. Many application specific door tools are custom made with critical bends and angels for certain vehicles. Lock picks are still available for some makes of vehicles to unlock steering columns, trunks and door locks. Other pick sets will work on doors, ignitions and gas caps. Whether you are just starting out or been in the lockout business for years, there are many door tools and kits available
to help you be prepared for any lockout. For further questions, contact AW Direct’s Technical Service Specialists at 1-800-243-3194, Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM – 4:30 PM CST. AW Direct Helping You Help Them For more information: 800-243-3194 http://tech.awdirect.com
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By Ann Weil Steve and Sharon Weil began working in the towing industry in 1972 as partners with J.D. O’Conner in O’Conner-Weil. O’Conner-Weil started off with three trucks and a “full service” gas station. In 1977 the O’Conner-Weil partnership ended, and Steve and Sharon started Weil Wrecker Service. They bought property on Second Avenue South in Birmingham, Alabama, which was full of rows of shotgun houses at the time. The shotgun houses were eventually torn down, and a shop and office building were built. Weil Wrecker Service operated from that location until January, 2001 when, after 23 years in one location, Weil Wrecker moved eight blocks down the 30
road to its present location. In 1989 ProTow in Hoover, Alabama became part of the Weil family business. We have made it our mission to provide the best towing service possible. It is our purpose to fulfill our mission in a timely, professional, and courteous manner; whatever we do or say must be based upon a foundation of honesty, integrity, and morality. As we have grown over time, we have had to work more efficiently to fulfill our mission statement, and technology has been a huge part of our growth process. TrackerMobile has been a big advantage in streamlining the invoice process for us. It allows our drivers in the field to check VINs and to input invoice data
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directly into Tracker while they are still on the call. This gives our call center and dispatch offices better real-time data, and updates to invoices aren’t waiting for our drivers to return to the office to turn in paperwork and payments. The greatest advantages of TrackerMobile for us are improved accuracy, especially on VINs, and a faster process for the call center when drivers turn in paper invoices with their log sheets and payments. Our call center operators are now verifying the information provided by the drivers rather than inputting all of the information to clear the call. Using Tracker and TrackerMobile has radically changed our dispatch process
TOWING SOFTWARE
along with GPS tracking. Our dispatchers are able to see both call and truck locations on the map screen so they are better able to send the closest appropriate truck to each call. While we occasionally fall into old habits, we have cut down significantly on “star dispatching” and lowered our average ETA. We have also been able to split daytime dispatching from the call center because our dispatchers can view all of the call information put in by the call center. Having dispatch in a different room has allowed them to focus on that single task without the distractions of dealing with driver paperwork and customers at the release window. (Our call center has been able to focus more on
customer service as well so performance in both areas has improved.) Additionally, having our drivers update their status through TrackerMobile has cut down on radio and cell phone traffic in dispatch and gives our dispatchers a much better big picture of who is where and exactly what they are doing. We have reached a call volume level that makes all of that information impossible to track well on paper and definitely not at all in your head. Tracker makes it possible for our dispatchers to work efficiently and for all of our managers to instantly see what’s going on at any point in the day. We still have a lot of paper floating around, but we are always working
towards a more, if not completely, paperless system. We have completely eliminated the old dispatch and storage log books. Searching through computer file records is instant or at least extremely fast especially compared to scanning through pages of log books to locate vehicle information. We train all new call takers to record calls directly into Tracker instead of trying to write information down and then transpose it into the computer. We now e-mail most of the invoices to customers who need purchase orders or copies. Several of our accounting reports that have to be turned in to the accountant are now emailed which is saving us the time and
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paper cost of printing multiple copies each month. Most of our auction process is now paperless – the few parts of the Tracker auction processing system that we don’t use integrate electronically with the system that we do use which helps to cut back on paper and duplicate data entry. We’re always looking for things that will make the process simpler
for all of our employees. Integrating technology into our business has definitely helped to give us a competitive edge. Wrecker services live or die by customer service so anything we can do to make a customer’s experience better helps us build our company. Shortening wait times and allowing customers to pay more quickly by credit card
in the field has helped us improve the customer experience. Keeping customers on the phone for less time by taking calls more quickly and being able to look up storage information faster(and with multiple search parameter options) also improves our customer service experience. Even getting feedback – good and bad – from our website and social media pages helps us to improve our customer relationships. Adopting computer technology has vastly improved the efficiency of our dispatch and accounting departments and allows our local law enforcement agencies to interface with our system. Digitizing our employee files and truck maintenance files has made two paper behemoths much easier to deal
with and organize. GPS tracking has allowed us to track our trucks and dispatch more efficiently, but it has also provided other cost saving benefits: our insurance company provides a discount for GPS tracking our trucks, and we can keep an eye on unnecessary idle time and speeding. Moreover, we have prevented several lawsuits and innumerable damage complaints from proceeding by being able to prove where the truck was and what it was doing. While every aspect of our business has been automated in some part, dispatch is the one area that is now almost 32
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TOWING SOFTWARE completely automated. When we first started using computer dispatch, we were still writing the same information into paper log books for a while. Once we realized that the computer system was easy for everyone to learn and quicker than the paper system, we transitioned away from the paper log books by first dropping the dispatch log and then finally the storage log. An initial concern for our accountant was that we could lose some inventory accountability measures that paper hard copies provide, but Tracker’s lot manager system and reports enabled us to do a better job of lot inventory. The Tracker system allows our call center to provide customers with real-time information through simple searches that take much less time than digging through paper logs and stacks of invoices so most of our customer interaction (taking calls, providing invoice and storage information…) happens more quickly with
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Tracker. TrackerMobile allows our drivers to update their status through the app rather than calling back into dispatch, which is saving us time and is realistically cutting out the need for in-cab GPS monitors since the app provides mapping and two-way radio communication. We’ll soon be able to cut one communication
system completely from our equipment and service budget and cut the additional cost of GPS devices in each truck. Overall, the single greatest impact that our dispatch system has had on the company is efficiency. Drivers are getting more complete call information through TrackerMobile; dispatch has a more com-
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plete picture of who is where and doing what. Our drivers are now generating most of the invoice data in the field which saves our call-center operators time. Dispatchers and drivers are primarily communicating through the app which cuts out a lot of radio and cell phone traffic as well as interpersonal conflict. The
TOWING SOFTWARE
ticket clearing process allows the call center and dispatchers to catch and correct mistakes before they make their way to accounting. The accounting department spends less time on data entry and more time verifying details and correcting mistakes they otherwise wouldn’t have had time to notice. Lot inventory is much
faster and simpler with the barcode scanner. We have more time available to improve our processes and to provide better customer service. The one thing our company couldn’t live without is the integration that Tracker provides: our departments are more seamlessly integrated from call intake to
billing, and most of our technological systems are integrated. TrackerMobile integrates real-time status information into our dispatch center; the GPS location integration allows us to see calls and trucks on the same screen; and all of that information goes directly to our accounting department for billing when calls are completed. We have also gotten used to being able to see information instantly through the dispatch screen and TrackerMobile; none of our managers will go back to the old way or compromise on that having that ability now. We keep an eye on other software systems, and one reason we haven’t given serious thought to moving away from Tracker is that they are always working to provide a better, more integrated experience. We have a complete process within Tracker including a robust accounting system, and it is fully scalable--always growing with us. www.weilwrecker.com www.trackermanagement.com
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Our World Goes Digital Technology has changed our lives forever. We communicate and share information in ways we never imagined: our family photos are stored in the cloud and shared with people around the world in an instant, land-line phones are going away, and we all carry an HD cameras with us everywhere we go because it’s on our phone. The search for a great restaurant is done on a mobile app, and we get there by navigating using our smartphone. When we call for a ride, Uber tells us how much it will cost and how long until the driver arrives – we can even see the driver approaching on a mobile app! We use technology in hundreds of ways each day to save time and make life easier. These same technology trends are transforming the towing and recovery industry, and a key piece is towing management software. Important industry trends and this advancement of technology combined with the affordability and 36
ease of implementation have driven software to the forefront of tools transforming the market. Towbook Leads the Way In Towbook, important tools made possible by new technology have come to life. Built for the cloud so you can work from just about anywhere, Towbook delivers important features like digital dispatching, mobile apps for iPhone and Android, integrated GPS tracking, direct billing for motor clubs, and QuickBooks integration to support companies of all shapes and sizes. Here’s what a few of Towbook’s customers have to say about the system and how the Towbook team takes care of their customers: Justin Cleveland, Manager, Affordable Towing “This software isn't just for light hit-
Tow Professional | Volume 5 • Issue 7 | www.towprofessional.com
ters. With our 40 trucks and three locations, they have hit the ball out of the park for us. Towbook has the best price and service in the industry – period!” Joe and Sherrie Carbajal, Owners, Auto Medic Roadside of America “We’ve been with Towbook for about 4 years, and they’ve helped us grow our business tremendously. Our company is winning awards for performance with our top customers and that would not be possible without Towbook. They take tremendous care of their customers-the best we’ve ever seen.” Michael LoStocco, Owner, Grand Prix Motors “Towbook has been a great asset to our company. Since we started using the program and it's spot-on mapping software, we have had barely any motorclub charges disputed. With our previous pro-
TOWING SOFTWARE gram, drivers wouldn't input all the vehicle information since it took too long. Towbook fixes that problem easily with how user friendly it is. We love having unlimited users and use this to our advantage every day. Overall Grand Prix Motors is very happy to have switched our tow dispatching program to Towbook. DoriAnn, Lead Dispatcher, Red & White Towing “I‘m Red & White Towing’s only dispatcher. I have 5 drivers and handled almost 1000 calls in the month of August! Towbook had a lot to do with our average ETA time being cut in half. My favorite part of Towbook is the map which shows our active calls and my driver locations. Plus, I have never waited more than 30 minutes for a response to a question or a problem.” Bill Hynes, Owner, Patriot Towing & Recovery “I’m the kind of guy who has lots of ideas, and I’m not afraid to point out what I think a tool like Towbook could or should do. These guys listen. We launched Towbook about a year ago and in that time the system has become a critical tool for our operation. We could not operate nearly as efficiently without Towbook. Also, I’ve never seen a company who interacts and supports their customers better than Towbook.” Towbook can be set up very quicklyoften in just a few hours. Listed below are highlights of the important features available in Towbook Management Software: DIGITAL DISPATCHING Towbook has digital integration with most major motor clubs, and you can even receive digital requests on your iPhone and Android device. MOBILE APPS Mobile apps for iPhone and Android have become so powerful, managers and dispatchers can do a lot of their work right from their phones. You can receive
dispatch requests, create calls, and dispatch calls to drivers from your iPhone or Android phone in seconds. GPS INTEGRATION With integrated GPS, Towbook makes it simple to view the location and status of all your active jobs and your drivers and trucks on a map in Towbook. Towbook is also integrated with leading GPS companies like TomTom 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. AUTOMATIC MILEAGE CALCULATION Estimated mileage can be calculated automatically using Google Maps for each call in Towbook saving you time and preventing mistakes. DIRECT BILLING The ability to submit invoices directly to many motor clubs will save you a tremendous amount of time. Plus, Towbook makes it easy for you to track and manage all your calls with an open balance. QUICKBOOKS INTEGRATION If your company uses QuickBooks to manage your finances, you can sync your towing invoices directly to QuickBooks desktop or QuickBooks online. LETTERS AND FORMS Generate letters and forms with the click of a button. PRE-TRIP INSPECTIONS Your driver can complete a pre-trip inspection inside the Towbook mobile app. Each inspection is available in a report, and you can print each inspection too. ONLINE TOW REQUESTS You can create a web request form for any account or your website and Facebook page with just a few clicks
making it easy for your favorite customers to send you tow requests. PLATE TO VIN No VIN, no problem! Towbook’s plateto-VIN feature is a great way to save time and eliminate mistakes. Simply key in a plate number and the state; and Towbook will return the full VIN plus the make, model, and year of the vehicle. REQUEST CUSTOMER LOCATION Today’s consumers expect that you can find them even if they have no idea where they are. Towbook’s “ping” feature makes it easy to send a text to your customer. If they approve, their phone will send the location back to your dispatch screen. DRIVER COMMISSIONS Are you tired of answering questions about what commission your driver earned on a call? Towbook can show drivers their estimated commission for each call on the mobile app. About Towbook Towbook is the unquestioned leader in cloud-based towing software providing tools made possible by the latest technology and helping companies to raise their level of service while lowering operating costs. Free Trial, Free Setup, Free SupportWith Towbook, you get a 30-Day free trial plus free setup and support, and there are no contracts. Plus, you don’t need a license for each employee, you get unlimited user accounts with your subscription. Towbook Management Software is headquartered in Michigan and has provided cloud-based towing software for nearly 10 years. With the industry’s most advanced and flexible software, Towbook supports all types of towing and recovery operations. At Towbook, we take great pride in having the industry’s best customer support. Support is free and available 24/7/365 – even on holidays! 810-320-5063 www.towbook.com
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America’s Top Towers Tell us Why Beacon Software is the
#
1 TOWING SOFTWARE By Rod McGregor
Todd Althouse, Beacon Software the towing industry, and we were fortunate enough to get others to understand and see it, too.”
Jason Ward, Texas-based Safari Towing, has been a Beacon customer for over 5 years. “Beacon has the capacity to handle all types of towing and has been able to help us become a larger busier company. It has helped us keep track of our calls and billing. The mobile app has helped drivers to receive calls, document damages, and receive real-time dispatching with limited communication between driver and dispatch.” Jason Ward, Owner Safari Towing Jason is just one user out of over 30,000 users that have utilized Beacon’s leading software solutions. Beacon Software’s Dispatch Anywhere™ Towing and Roadside Management Software is 38
currently utilized by more towers worldwide than any other towing software. Todd Althouse, President of Beacon, has seen a lot of changes in the industry since 2001, but creating and maintaining satisfied customers is at the core of their business. “We’ve got towing in our blood, and we relate to the problems that towers face because our owners and many of our employees come from the towing industry,” said Todd. “We created Beacon Software out of a desire to bring the towing industry into this new age of digital technology. If you want to keep your business alive and profitable, you’ve got to be innovative. With Beacon Software, we created an opportunity to further advance
Tow Professional | Volume 5 • Issue 7 | www.towprofessional.com
Dispatch Capabilities Accountability, high volume, speed, and efficiency were the goals for the Beacon Team when they put dispatch into Dispatch Anywhere. The system was designed to dispatch more calls, with less stress, less dispatchers, and increased employee accountability. To do that, Dispatch Anywhere had to be automated and eliminate many of the common mistakes a dispatcher can make, yet still provide enough flexibility to do the job properly. Added were enough checks and balances to require all employees to be accountable for their jobs. From this, a state-of-the-art high-tech dispatch system had evolved. “Beacon software has done three major things for me. I never lose a dollar! I’ve cut down on my expenses in my dispatch department, and it’s made every truck I own more profitable. “ Bud Gruber, Owner
TOWING SOFTWARE “Dispatch Anywhere has improved my business by creating efficiencies that help my dispatcher make better decisions and increased the speed of getting info to my drivers.” Joe DiMarco, Owner Quik Pik Towing, Inc. Accounting Features Accounting is a large part of every business, and it’s a very important piece of Dispatch Anywhere. Because accounting is generally a complex task, Dispatch Anywhere Accounting was designed to simplify that work by remaining specific to the transportation service industry. Tasks like pricing, billing, collecting, and paying drivers are now a logical and fast process. However, where the built-in accounting system shines the most, even after simplifying all these processes, is in its flexibility.
“Dispatch Anywhere has helped us in so many ways. Drivers are getting calls more efficiently. The billing is much easier for me to submit invoices and enter payments! Brian in support is always patient. We have much better communication with our drivers compared to paper tickets and landline. “ Nicole Gore, Manager A&E Towing LLC “Dispatch Anywhere allows you to run your operations the way you always have without adjusting to only what the software can do. We have been able to address every price and pay combination we’ve come across. We can even move employees from one location to another with different pricing and pay systems without any difficulty. Payroll and billing are extremely accurate. Technician accountability is better than ever.” Jim Fetherman, President, CEO CenTex-A-Lock, Inc.
Mapping/GPS Functionality In today’s competitive business environment, it is critical that costs and ETA’s are kept as low as possible removing guesswork entirely. Nothing is more time consuming than having dispatchers pore over maps trying to get a proper location or trying to calculate mileage on a call to quote a customer’s price. In addition, GPS tracking is becoming more critical in terms of maintaining driver accountability and tracking daily routes. Dispatch Anywhere is integrated with over 20 leading GPS companies. “Dispatch Anywhere has improved my business by taking the headache out of payroll. Mapping is phenomenal. It has eased my life a lot. The training videos are helpful for new employees. My favorite part of Dispatch Anywhere is being able to see my trucks and drivers all at once on the map.” Tom MacDonald, President TnT Towing and Recovery
Collins Dollies 541-7 74-9220 collinsdollies.com
Bald Eagle Towing
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TOWING SOFTWARE “I want to take a moment to say how great it has been using the Dispatch Anywhere program. Previously, we used a Microsoft contact management software program. What a difference! Additionally, the system of bookkeeping I inherited when I bought this franchise was from the caveman era. I am using the Accounting Program for not only billing, but also to calculate commissions. Wow! This program has exceeded my expectations and has increased our productivity as well as accountability.” In addition, customer support has been awesome. I am not very computer literate, and they have been very patient with me while helping me get this program setup. I am thankful for this program and would highly recommend it to others.” Debbie Shonk, Owner, VP Operations Sheep Inc. Dispatch Anywhere for Drivers offers integration with TomTom and 20 other GPS companies. “Beacon Software has helped define the requirements for tow management software within the towing industry. Beacon’s integration with TomTom WEBFLEET ensures customers see the highest possible ROI on their software and telematics investment.” Ty Lambert, Account Manager TomTom Webfleet Reporting Versatility Successful business requires organization and reporting. Dispatch Anywhere provides different ways to retrieve a wide variety of information for business owners and managers to make informed decisions keeping their businesses ahead of the competition.
Separate Driver and Dispatcher Phone Apps Beacon has two superior phone apps— -Dispatch Anywhere for Drivers giving drivers the ability to complete each job without having to stop and speak to dispatch and Dispatch Anywhere Mobile, a phone app that gives managers and dispatchers the power of Dispatch Anywhere without having to be chained to a desk.
Mike Haney, National Sales Director Beacon Software About Beacon Software Beacon Software is the leading software provider to the towing industry. Software products include: Dispatch Anywhere™ Towing and Roadside Management Software; TowMagic™ Dispatching Assistant; TowSpec.com, a FREE online vehicle towing instruction resource; and TowLien.com, a digital solution that efficiently processes vehicle liens. For more information on Beacon Software, readers can go to the their websites at www.dispatchanywhere.com and www.beaconsoftco.com or phone them at 866-437-6653 (toll-free USA) and 440-237-6653. www.beaconsoftco.com
Beacon Software is a proud supporter of the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum Survivor Fund. Donations can be made at www.internationaltowingmuseum.org/survivor-fund-2/
“I have searched and searched for a program that does everything I need as far as dispatching, reports, accounting, and so on.... Finally, Beacon has answered my prayers. If you want the best for your tow company, this is it!” Stephanie Stante, VP Operations Beck’s Towing Mike Haney, Beacon Software 40
“Customers are amazed at the tools their drivers have in the field! It’s easy to see how companies can become more profitable and grow from the efficiencies created by our mobile apps. You need to see this for yourself! We’ll be at The Midwest Regional, Western States, and Baltimore Tow shows. You can also schedule a web demo by calling 866437-6653. Let me show you why smart towers choose Beacon Software.”
Tow Professional | Volume 5 • Issue 7 | www.towprofessional.com
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East to West and All Points in Between By Jeff Pesnell
Towing operators enjoy the stability, accountability, efficiency, and transparency the TOPS suite of products has delivered since it’s release to the market in the year 2000. Seventeen years and thirtyfour million tow request later, operators nationwide continue managing successful operations using TOPS (sold by towXchange, a division of TXI Systems, Inc.). TOPS, short for Towing OPerations Software, is designed to manage all aspects of a tow operation from the initial tow request to the vehicle’s final disposition. The TOPS system provides a unified and sophisticated platform for call-taking, dispatching, inventory management, lien processing, and auction administration. Used by the most successful towing operations nationwide, TOPS supports single and multi-company (and multi-location) operations and provides individual company and roll-up accounting and management reports. TOPS will enable your staff to work smarter with advanced tools that include powerful mobile applications for drivers and lot managers, all designed for the iPhone, iPad and Android mobile phones and tablets. With TOPS Driver, users can execute many different tasks: update call status times, navigate to pickup and dropoff locations, upload and store call-related photos, create new calls in the field, and email call receipts to customers directly from the mobile device in the field. TOPS Inventory is used by impound-lot personnel to enter and update vehicle information, take photos, and scan barcodes for ease of managing lot inventory. Within the TOPS application, you will enjoy enhanced data accuracy and improved employee productivity 42
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through drop-down menus, short code or type ahead field entry, pre-population of call information, and integrated swipe devices (where applicable) for quick data entry. You will also improve workflow and ensure employee accountability with features such as automated pricing, tow ticket management, driver and release clerk payment management systems, and
sophisticated security. TOPS protects your interests by offering screen and field level security via user access roles. These access roles keep employees focused on their specific tasks limiting their visibility into systems outside of their area of responsibility. TOPS allows you to gain a better understanding of the big picture of your business with detailed management, customer activity, and driver and truck productivity reports. TOPS imports directly to QuickBooks and integrates with
TOWING SOFTWARE GPS, motor club, insurance, police, and municipality systems. towXchange also offers ancillary products which complement the TOPS experience: TOPS Link - With TOPS Link, your customers can use the internet to request service, check status of calls in progress, inquire about vehicles in inventory, and more. This tool offers a one-to-one relationship between the requesting company or municipality (your customer) and the tow operator. TOPS link users can request services, monitor dispatch status, and view inventory lists for stored vehicles-all from a secure internet portal. TOPS Public Search - TOPS Public Search is used by cities, police & sheriff departments, and tow operators to offer a web-enabled search portal for citizens.
“released to” information. towXchange recently released its digi-
tal platform for Motor Club Call Management with TOPS Motor Club. TOPS Motor club receives digital tow request from ADS, Agero, Allstate, GEICO, NSD, Quest, and Road America. As tow and service requests are received and negotiated, calls are pushed directly into TOPS offering an efficient transfer of information into TOPS for dispatch to the best resource. TOPS offers a fully integrated fleet
This tool enables citizens to accurately find and retrieve their vehicles. Citizens searching for their vehicles are required to enter their license tag or VIN, and upon successful entry will receive results indicating tow status, storage location, and a map to the storage lot. TOPS Business Analyzer – TOPS Business Analyzer, a metrics view reporting tool, highlights a “Live View” of your business for the current day along with a daily and monthly statistics view. NEW - TOPS Driver License Scan – TOPS Driver License Scan reads 2D barcode images on the back of driver licenses for a quick and easy way to capture Volume 5 • Issue 7 | www.towprofessional.com | Tow Professional
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tracking application marketed under the name BudgetGPS.
BudgetGPS is a vehicle and fleet tracking solution geared for any industry but specifically tuned to support fleet management within the towing industry. BudgetGPS integrates with TOPS to offer a true visual dispatching tool where users are able to view current vehicle locations as well as unassigned pickup locations and drop-off information on the same map. Icons are color coded allowing for a visual picture of calls which are in-process and those which are about to clear. Knowing when and where drivers will clear from their current call enables dispatchers to send the best / closest resource to the next job. This saves time and money. Additionally, users are able to monitor ETA’s based on mapping calculations of drive-time between the truck and pickup locations. BudgetGPS delivers a full set of features for a single low price. Features include: Live Map with 20-second vehicle updates to the map with live Google traffic and map or satellite views; Historical breadcrumb view with 6 months of history; Alerts and Monitoring for PTO, GeoFence, Ignition, and Speeding. Reports include Driver Distance, State Mileage, Stops, Speeding, and more. BudgetGPS uses industry- leading hardware which is mounted discreetly inside the cab of the vehicle. We offer several models of hardware including OBD pluggable devices (for vehicles equipped with an OBD II port) as well as asset tracking devices. BudgetGPS recently converted to a new refreshed website offering a new user interface experience which scales seamlessly to any internet connected device from PC to tablet to phone. BudgetGPS offers a month-to-month service with low upfront and monthly 44
cost. Also, BudgetGPS is developed and supported in-house by BudgetGPS! For more information or to schedule a demonstration please call 866-800-8677 Opt. 2 or visit our websites – TOPS www.towxchange.net BudgetGPS – www.budgetgps.com
arrive. In addition, the color coding of trucks and locations and destinations makes identifying the next move extremely easy. David Butcher Road Runner Wrecker Service Sterling, VA
TOPS with BudgetGPS Customer Spotlight
TOPS has been a part of RoadOne San Diego since the inception of the TOPS program. We have many users and managing users with role-based security offers peace of mind and maintains full accountability within our operation. We run a multi-location / multi-impound yard operation and TOPS is able to handle this with ease. Conducting lien and auction in one system is great. For managing our auctions, TOPS automates the sale list and streamlines the process to check-in bidders to reduce workload. There is so much more in TOPS. My favorites are the near unlimited search capabilities and full reporting functions. We use the BudgetGPS integration and everyone within our operation has commented on how fast the trucks are updated on the map, the accuracy of the vehicles’ location on the map, and the reliability of the system. My favorite features of the BudgetGPS system are the vehicle history and the ability to see our trucks and job locations on the map. Visually know-
The transition to TOPS has been a great experience for Road Runner Wrecker Service. Our team manages a large daily call volume, and we appreciate the simple and quick call entry with “New Call Customer Defaults,” a true time saver. The TOPS search tool is one of my favorite features of the system. Users can search on any field which makes for a great ad hoc reporting tool. In addition, strong reporting makes managing the business much easier. On the dispatch side, the integration with their BudgetGPS system makes dispatching the closest wrecker very simple. Many operators know where their trucks are located but not in relation to the calls. Users can click on their trucks and see how far away the trucks are from the breakdown location in both mileage and time. Once assigned, they can get realtime estimates of the driver’s time to
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WHEEL TOWING LIFT | REPO SOFTWARE equipment ing where our available trucks are located and where the truck will clear from the current job is extremely valuable for our dispatchers. Thanks to towXchange for being a business partner and not simply a software vendor! Brad Ramsey RoadOne San Diego San Diego, CA TOPS products have enabled Lincoln Towing to expand its partnerships to meet the City of Seattle’s requirements for managing police towing. We use TOPS products to manage police towing for the city which includes multi-tower dispatch, impound lot management, and image and document capture to give the city complete access to real-time data to provide transparency. TOPS gives city officials full access to tow record details which also includes remote electronic access to our 24 hour letter (notification
of tow) via a custom website. TOPS coupled with BudgetGPS allows complete transparency by documenting when and where our trucks were located in respect to the calls being run. TOPS provides detailed reporting as required by the local municipality. In addition to police towing, we manage a multi-location operation and TOPS manages roll-up reporting for each division. The TOPS multicompany setup allows me to differentiate employee responsibilities while sharing hardware and other employee resources for economies of scale. The TOPS security roles allow us to define and limit who sees what in the TOPS system, but gives my management team the ability to oversee all of the operations from one integrated system. My favorite features for managing my business are:
• Daily metric reporting through TOPS Business Analyzer • Roll-up reporting for our operation • Near-live GPS updates • Product support provided by the TOPS team • Direct access to all levels at towXchange is huge! Mike Bartolotti, President Lincoln Towing Enterprises www.towxchange.net www.budgetgps.com
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As a towing company, it’s important to have every advantage available in this very competitive industry. We’ve seen a lot of advancements in the towing industry over the years—just look at the tow truck, for example. Can you imagine trying to do a heavy-duty tow with the 1916 tow truck invented by Ernest Holmes instead of today’s heavy duty wreckers? While you have upgraded your trucks over the years, have you updated your business? We know that towing software has helped many towing companies, but will it help yours? What problems could it help you solve? What do you want to improve? Here are some questions you should ask: 1. How much time do you spend managing paperwork and collecting payments? 2. Are you overwhelmed managing your fleet, dispatching, employees, and clients? 3. What procedures do you use to 46
be compliant and protect your business? There never seems to be enough time in the tow life—24/7/365 is no exaggeration. Once you’ve asked yourself the questions above and you find you’re spending more time in those areas than you want, towing software might be the solution. But how can you know which one is right for your business? Here are some questions you should be asking in your towing software research: 1. What are you “hiring” the software to do? 2. What is it going to take to implement and adopt the software? 3. As your business grows, can the software “grow” with you? 4. If you run into technical issues, what support options do you have? 5. What is your ROI (return on investment)?
Tow Professional | Volume 5 • Issue 7 | www.towprofessional.com
Towing software companies have been around for over 20 years, but in the last 5 years several new companies have popped up. One that has recently grabbed our attention is Omadi. In our last issue, they had an ad with a toilet bowl spread across two pages with the tagline “The only time going paperless is a bad thing. Give us a call and we’ll help get your Sh*t together.” (See ad below.) That’s quite a bold statement from a relatively new comer to the market. So we decided to put them to the test and see how they hold up to our 5 questions. 1. What are you “hiring” the software to do? When considering which software is right for your operation, you should treat it like hiring an employee. When hiring someone, you have a specific job in mind that the candidate is going to fill. It should be the same with your software. Ask yourself, “What is your business currently struggling with?” and “Could software be
WHEEL TOWING LIFT | REPO SOFTWARE equipment a solution?” After scanning over Omadi.com, it is easy to see who they are capable of servicing: motor clubs, police towing, shop towing, and private property impound to name a few. Their features include: cloudbased software, mobile app, drag & drop dispatching, integrated GPS, fleet management & user tracking, alerts & notifications, digital dashboards, photo management, client portal, custom reports & forms, billing & invoicing, payroll & commissions, e-signature capturing, and powerful integrations. For example, if your company struggles with managing paperwork, you would want a system like Omadi that can offer a Digital Tow Ticket that takes you paperless. 2. What is it going to take to implement and adopt the software? All business management software will require some sort of implementation
process. Essentially you are allowing your software to organize the 3 P’s: Pricing, People (employees & clientele), and Processes. Also ask, does the software help to get employee adoption or buy in?
To answer this question, we went to Capterra (an online service dedicated to helping you find the right software) to see what clients have said about adopting Omadi.
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Josh Wayne, a Dispatcher, said, “After about 3 days into our Omadi launch, I realized how much smoother things were running doing everything once! I used to have to release cars on the physical ticket, then release it out of the computer, then fax down a full release sheet to the main office. Using Omadi does this all in the one step. Things like that are what this software is all about!” 3. As your business grows, can the software “grow” with you? This is SUCH an important question to ask. You’re short on time enough—having to switch to a new software service to keep up with your company is not a road block you want to face. Omadi has three plans to fit any budget: Essential is $99 a month if billed annually or $129 if billed monthly, and Team is $199 if billed annually and $249 if billed monthly. Their Omadi Professional plan is a per-user rate with a minimum of 10 users and offers the most customization. Both the Essential and the Team plans offer unlimited users and calls allowing you to scale your business as you work your way towards the Professional plan (see http://Omadi.com/pricing). 4. If you run into technical issues, what support options do you have? No software is perfect. If a vendor says their software is perfect, run! So it’s not a 48
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matter of if issues come, but when and what support do you have when something goes wrong. When it comes to support, you won’t get a more honest opinion than reviews. Here’s what customers have said in the Apple App Store: An Omadi customer from California said, “Our towing company has been in business for over 37 years and has always struggled with technology. Omadi offers a solution far above what any other towing/dispatch software provides (and we've tried many). We are in CA and have some of the most strict regulations, and Omadi has found a solution to every problem. They understand the industry, and they are there at every step to help build and sharpen your company into a paperless masterpiece.” Another user said, “Omadi's customer service is bar none! They even flew a rep out just to ensure that the experience they are trying to provide is what we are getting … [They] actually listen when there is an issue!” We also wanted to keep Omadi on their toes so we called 801-800-8250 (the number listed on their site) to see how hard it was to get help with a support issue. In less than 20 seconds, we were on the phone with Justin Feaster, Omadi Senior Account Manager. He told us that Omadi is continually adding to their support team to ensure the best pos-
TOWING SOFTWARE “Omadi is by far the greatest thing that has ever happened for us and will most likely be the greatest innovation and milestone that the current generation of towers will ever experience. Omadi is dedicated to providing the best product and services available.... and I can attest to the fact that our team has awarded them gold stars in every department. We are fortunate enough to have 35 of the best towing professionals the industry has to offer on our team... and we are now blessed to have Omadi backing up our every move. Whether you own, operate or manage a towing company, you owe it to yourself and your team to take the time to understand exactly what Omadi can do for you.” Brad Fleming, Manager at Dominion Towing sible experience for each of their customers. They make it a top priority to resolve customer concerns ASAP. 5. What is your ROI (return on investment)? Far more important than the cost of anything is the ROI. If you pay “X” you are expecting to get 2, 3, or 4X+ to make it worthwhile. This question is a little harder to fully know and understand for your business until you are actually using the product. You can do two things: (1.) run a hypothetical cost analysis including potentially cutting down on office staff, and (2.) see how others have saved using the software.
As for Omadi, we went back to Capterra: “30 years of running every type of call around the Capital Beltway... thank you, Omadi! You have made my life so much easier. I find myself being more efficient… I can honestly say... my paycheck has improved ever since we got Omadi. It's really quite simple... Get Omadi = Tow More Cars.” - Darin Bolt, Tow Truck Operator Brad Fleming, the Manager of fast growing towing operation in DC area said, “When entering into a contract with Omadi.... don't worry about what it costs. I’m as serious as a heart attack ... I have
run the math every which way possible... once you are up and running on the system you will increase your revenue well past the amount that you spend.” Conclusion Omadi held up very well against all 5 of our questions. At the end of the day, it’s up to you. We challenge you to ask yourself these questions. Is it time for your business to consider a towing software? Or how is your current software living up to what it was hired to do? Bottom line: ask the tough questions, get some live demos, and put the softwares to the test. www.omaditowing.com
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Creative Destruction, GPS, Technology, & Towing Industry Software By Nigel Pestell
Before we discuss software and more specifically VTS Systems software and the future of GPS Vehicle Tracking, let’s talk about technology. The problem with technology is that it is always changing. Stepping back in time to our great grandfather’s era when Ernest Holmes created the first tow truck, the concept was revolutionary, and this man’s vision created the tow industry as we know it today. Back in 1916, a technology cycle (the time it takes to invent the next generation of technology) was about 45 years. Today a technology cycle might be as little as four or five months. The more we learn about everything, the more we understand, and the shorter the technology cycle becomes. You may ask, “What is creative destruction?” Simply put, it is man’s desire to fill a need, to explore new ideas and new technologies, and develop new tools with the result being efficiency and profit. Unfortunately, there is a destructive element to man’s creativity. Just as the invention of the farm tractor supplanted thousands of agriculture workers, and the automobile replaced the horse and buggy, creative destruction will inevitably change the towing and VSF business. What is new today is old tomorrow! There are many parts of your business in which creative destruction will bring about change, but not more so than the move towards the integration of information between the office and the tow truck. This will include what we erroneously call GPS (Global Positioning Satellites). The GPS and cellular networks allow us to send/receive data from any vehicle equipped with a wireless transceiver. This technology provides the ability to collect and interpret the health and wellbeing of any vehicle in your fleet in addition to its location, speed, etc. VTS Systems was one of the first software companies to 50
integrate vehicle-locating technology into its software back in 2005. As I suggested earlier, the problem with technology is it continues to change. In the past ten years, VTS Systems has completed two major reviews of GPS/vehicle locating technology to keep our customers competitive. Each review resulted in major changes to our software as the technology continued to change! Most in our industry rightfully see the tow truck as the revenue generator, and in the near future, that will not change. This month the USDOT issued its first guidelines for the manufacture and operation of driverless vehicles on public highways. Consequently, the HD trucking industry quickly forecasted that driverless over-the-road transport trucks will be commonplace within five years, although I do not foresee replacing the tow truck driver anytime soon. Some do not acknowledge while others do not fully comprehend the importance of the office/truck/GPS integration and the flow of vehicle and workplace information in tomorrow’s tow company. This integration will directly affect the skill sets needed by your employees to remain competitive and employed. Moreover, it will reflect how efficiently you manage your business, your money, and ultimately your company’s profit margin. Creative destruction is shaping the office/truck/employee of the future. Unless we collectively make a concerted effort to embrace and understand the creative changes that are coming, many will become the dinosaur that we all fear. If every office computer and software application could be fixed with a squirt of oil, a screwdriver, and a wrench, every tow company owner would have two in the garage next to his/her favorite truck. Sadly, computers and software are not mechanical by nature, but electronic, and
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for many this may require a completely new skill set. Acquiring a basic understanding of how computers work is relatively easy; ask your children or better still your grandchildren. If that is not an option, set about upgrading the skills of your employees: call your local community college and inquire about basic computer courses for adults. Community colleges often offer learn-at-your-own-pace courses which are easy to sign up for and are cost effective. You might also inquire if federal or state grants are available for retraining employees. If you are not yet thinking about the creative destruction that will inevitably continue to challenge you and change your business, then you should be. Ultimately the “Office of tomorrow” is in cyberspace where the “Internet of tomorrow” will provide access from anywhere and by anyone from any computing devise. The efficient towing company of tomorrow will demand MOBILITY, FLEXIBILTY, SIMPLICITY, and SECURITY. Depending on the size of your company, you may or may not need full-time office staff. VTS Systems has offered a fully automated, paperless solution for more than 15 years. Its recent entry into web/cloud based technology only adds to the evolution removing more bottlenecks, questions, entry errors, and labor costs. Many of you have already tested the GPS waters: Some are using additional third-party hardware and web-based software. Others have taken integration further by having the third-party GPS integrated or linked to their dispatch towing software. Even others are using a GPS service provided by a cellular provider that works on a smartphone or tablet. Adding to the ever-changing mix and confusion of available options, we are beginning to see new tow trucks with OEM
TOWING SOFTWARE GPS installed. Which is the right decision for you? How do you make sense of advancing your business in this age of expanding creative destruction? The old adage, “Knowledge is Power,” is one of life’s great lessons. Talk to others in the tow industry. Seek advice from someone you trust and who’s opinion you value. Look into the cost of acquisition versus a three or four year lease. Ask your accountant or financial advisor about the tax benefits of a lease versus buying. Given the speed of today’s technology cycle, any electronic commodity you acquire today will reach its half-life in two years if not sooner. A lease is a complete tax write-off similar to buying fuel and, therefore, can be cost budgeted. Some experts predict that tomorrow’s GPS technology will be free of its current hardware limitations and be just a web/cloud-based app. Now it will be a sophisticated app, but still an app you rent or license just like your towing and VSF software. If you add the airtime
charges to the cost of the lease, then third-party GPS transceivers are little more than a data cellphone, and the cellular carriers will want their piece of the pie! To see where you are, add all of the costs together; balance them against savings in labor, fuel, and truck maintenance; and then don’t forget to add in the customer service benefit. What should you look for? Although not all Towing and VSF software and GPS companies are created equal, most will provide you with effective operational software, basic GPS hardware, and web portal (access to the GPS software) that will enhance your business. The “Internet of tomorrow” is a journey, not a destination. Learn as much as you can from anyone who has knowledge of the towing industry and who is technically IT competent. Do your homework: visit industry tradeshows; search the web; talk not only to the GPS company salespeople, but also talk to independent local GPS installation technicians (They often have valuable
product opinions.); and talk to customers who you feel have similar life experiences. You already know your business needs so make a list of GPS features that you deem essential, cover the basics, and ask about specific features. You should ask for comparisons and specifics regarding GPS features and how these will benefit your company’s needs. Talk about how you currently process tow tickets and other data. Also look for synergies and reductions in the time it takes to accomplish a given task. VTS Systems is the only North American software company that offers both server/PC and cloud-based solutions and considers ongoing “best practices” support for its clients with the motto “everyday must provide.” VTS Systems believes in “Relationships built on trust, one client at a time.” Call to inquire how we can help at 281.373.3072, Ext. 2. www.vts-systems.com
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By Beth Williams TOW123 is the innovative management system powered by Auto Data Direct, Inc. (ADD), the nation’s leader in providing simplified, comprehensive, and cost-effective tools for tow and wrecker operators. The system, which launched in 2012, allows industry members to run their entire towing operation from a computer, tablet or smartphone. The affordable web-based management solution provides efficient, powerful tools built for the modern tow professional. “I’ve been an Auto Data Direct customer since the company formed in 1999,” said Marshall Adkison, owner of Adkison Towing in Jacksonville, Florida. “I’ve used its DirectPost-Office electronic certified mail service for lien notifications and its state record inquiries for my business for the last 16 years. I integrated TOW123 last year and have seen a 40% growth in my business because we’ve been able to increase our workload without increasing personnel.” “We were taking 60 calls a day, and that’s up to 100,” said Adkison. “Every call has been reduced by 15-20 minutes because of the digital dispatch feature that allows us to send information directly to our drivers’ mobile phones.” In addition to being able to quickly dispatch drivers, TOW123 is fully integrated with Google maps and offers GPS tracking of trucks in 52
the field. Dispatchers can easily see where trucks are located and which are available for assignments. “Another great aspect of the system is the ability to upload photos of vehicles in the field,” said Adkison. “We’ve probably had nine times this year when people claimed we did damage to their vehicle, but we have the photos to prove the damage was already there.” The system allows drivers to add as many images, videos, documents, and other files directly to the ticket for reference. “That saves us time and money.” Adkison says the system is user friendly, and it has been easy to train drivers to use it if a dispatcher is out. “And their customer service is second to none!” “Instead of an IT guy telling me how to run my business, they listen to us. Every time I’ve called with an idea, they have included it when updates to the system have come out,” he said. “TOW123 has a great price point and is delivered with very personable service. You can always get help if you need it.” John Ransom with Double R Towing in Round Rock, Texas, was already a fan of ADD’s multi-state real-time inquiry system, DMV123, when he made the switch to TOW123 as a management system. “To me one of the nicest features was that it did integrate ADD’s other services into the
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management system. I was using another company’s system but when they did an upgrade, I couldn’t get it without buying a new computer.” TOW123 does not require tow operators to purchase special equipment. The system can be run on any internet-enabled device. Since converting his business to TOW123 in September 2015, Ransom has also begun using the integrated electronic certified mail tool which meets state requirements in Texas. “The process is a lot quicker,” he said. “I don’t have to run to the post office. It’s definitely a time-saving feature.” DirectPost-Office, ADD’s electronic certified mail tool, allows users to migrate information into required state forms and electronically submit it to the mail stream without ever leaving their office. ADD currently offers state specific forms for Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, and Texas. Ransom said his drivers like the digital dispatch system because the information goes directly to their phone, and they don’t have to write anything down. “We also like the automatic motor club dispatch. It fills in the blanks, and all you have to do is send off the ticket to the driver.” Quick ticket presets with account and rate information speed up dispatching with auto-fill data entry and auto-cal-
TOWING SOFTWARE culation to formulate items like mileage and storage. His business is benefitting from the various reports that are instantly generated using real-time data taken directly from the tickets including lot management. TOW123 offers an at-a-glance view of the entire inventory updated in realtime with ticket status updates from dispatch. It offers customizable features that allow users to instantly filter payments or tickets by lot, customer account, auction date, storage days, and more. A universal search bar makes it easy to quickly find a ticket in the inventory using any information on the ticket. “And the great thing is that we can always get assistance when we need it. They have helpful, friendly, and courteous customer service. They can go online with me and see what I’m seeing on my screen,” he said. “Yes, it’s a different way of doing things, and I don’t use all of the features yet, but even though I am a frugal businessman, it is well worth the money!” Ruth Wilson with Cook’s Towing in Indianapolis, Indiana says TOW123’s accounts receivable report makes the invoicing process much easier. “It makes billing my customers a thousand times easier,” she said. “You can easily see which accounts need to be billed. It also creates printable statements and invoices.” Wilson said the dispatching system helps her business as well as the customers. “Because you can send assignments directly to the driver’s phone, it cuts down on wait times for our customers. Drivers have less down time as well.” Cook’s Towing uses DirectPostOffice as well as the multi-state real-time records search to simplify and improve accuracy of notification delivery. Getting started with TOW123 is simple. There are no contracts to sign, no additional fees for features, and no software to update or install. It comes fully loaded with mobile app tools and system integrations-all for one low monthly price. “I recommend TOW123 to other local tow companies,” said Wilson. “If there’s an issue, you just call, and it gets handled
as quickly as possible. Their staff is always so helpful.” Craig Hauger, Sales Manager for TOW123 says the unique management system works for any size operation. “TOW123 has a wide range of customers using its software from smaller operators with one or two trucks who want the latest technology in the industry to those with a much larger fleet of trucks who
want an easy-to-use system that can replace their old one. As operators get bigger, it’s important that they are able to track what each truck and driver are doing. TOW123 gives them an effective and easy-to-use tool to accomplish their business goals.” For more information on TOW123 services call toll free 855-686-9123. www.tow123.net
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SAFETY TECHNOLOGY
variety of cameras for both cabin and external views. Many use infrared (IR) illuminators that allow the capture of clear images in the dark conditions towing and recovery drivers often operate in, and most include microphones to capture audio. All of our equipment is built for the road and designed to withstand hard use. Safety Vision’s solutions provide many other benefits. With a camera located at the rear of the truck and a monitor in the cabin, it’s easy to perform complicated
backing maneuvers safely and efficiently. And with the powerful Observer Management System (OMS) and wireless equipment, you can use the live look-in feature from your desktop or mobile device to see instantly what is going on with a truck. Track an entire fleet, coach driver behavior, and generate reports easily and effectively. A system can be as simple or as advanced as you want it. www.safetyvision.com
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What if I told you that regardless of your business size, fleet tracking can help make your towing fleet more productive and more profitable and for less money? Large towing companies have several key concerns when it comes to running their business: they want to offer their customers a very quick response time and great customer service; they want to increase their job volume and driver productivity; they want to run their business as affordably as possible keeping fuel and maintenance costs low; they want to have some insight into how their business is running day to day; they’d like to gather up and keep historical information on jobs, maintain an accurate record of hooked versus unhooked miles, and all while maintaining a good safety record to keep liability costs and insurance premiums low. Now here’s an interesting twist: smaller mom-and-pop towing operations have exactly the same concerns. It’s also true that towers of all sizes - small to big – have the opportunity to put those concerns to rest with a fleet tracking solution. So how have GPS solutions grown to be more profitable? They have evolved 56
into a comprehensive fleet tracking solution capable of benefiting operators across the entire towing industry. Today’s fleet tracking solutions have come a long way since GPS was first introduced to market a few decades ago. Ten years ago, it was perfectly acceptable (even revolutionary) for your GPS software to refresh every five or ten minutes. Reports were pretty basic and the upfront costs were very high. It often took a towing fleet several months to see any kind of payback on their GPS investment. While GPS remains a core component, fleet tracking solutions have now been expanded to include several other key tasks: vehicle tracking, driver coaching, fuel management, order dispatch, and reporting. Consequently, back-office integrations help towers of all sizes access more data faster, capture critical information that helps dispatchers deal with rising job volumes, and maximize staff and driver productivity.
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For instance, the addition of engine diagnostics to a fleet tracking solution now provides towers with essential information such as being alerted when a vehicle’s engine light goes on before a driver shares that update. Because of this, operators can become far more proactive in their maintenance efforts-a measure that can help reduce operating costs and improve vehicle longevity. Moreover, while fleet tracking solutions are becoming much more robust and feature rich, they are also becoming more affordable. Also, with new cloudbased offerings, these solutions are easier to install and less costly to maintain. With no need for IT involvement, fleets can be up and running in just a day. This means towers can realize improved return on investment (ROI) from their fleet tracking solution with many owner/operators reporting a 6-9 month ROI. Use of innovative solutions can reduce the total costs of a fleet between 15-20% and in exceptional cases even by 30%. Here’s just a few ways towers of all sizes are realizing the benefits from advancements in fleet tracking.
GPS
From “Where’s my truck?” to “How are my assets being driven?” Towing operators’ needs have evolved beyond “Where’s my truck?” The emphasis is now on productivity and efficiency. An advanced fleet tracking solution allows an owner/operator to ‘ride alongside’ the driver offering real time, in-cab feedback and coaching to drivers helping them avoid things like harsh braking, speeding or turns. This translates into a better understanding of real-time driving behaviors, an improved overall safety record for the fleet, and lower fuel costs. From “Does anyone know where
Jerry is?” to “Show me the status of my driver at this exact moment.” Eliminating the need to call around for status information, an advanced fleet tracking solution today provides dispatch with up-to-date, accurate information on a driver’s status showing if he/she is en route, on the scene or loaded. It’ll also give you valuable information such as estimated time of arrival on scene. Also, if Jerry’s on lunch break, you’ll know that too. Ruggedized customizable driver terminals offer turn-by-turn spoken directions providing drivers with efficient routes that enable them to get to their destinations more quickly and more safely while helping them to avoid traffic and other slow downs.
The more quickly and efficiently they can complete a call, the more possible it is for dispatch to keep up with growing call volumes. The business also wins, because moving through calls quickly means that transactions can be processed and invoiced more quickly, and more efficient communication between office and the field means fewer errors and reduced overhead.
From Paperwork Overload to Seamless Dispatch Efficiency and Improved Order Management All of the information above is critical information for a tower’s dispatch team.
From Basic Communication to Full Business Integration There’s a huge difference between being able to send data to a truck via a text message, and two-way communica-
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tors who has not yet explored the power of fleet tracking, isn’t it time for you to discover what today’s solutions can do for you?
tion where information flows seamlessly between vehicles and the systems you use to run your business. Integration plays a key role with every major towing software program and many towing-specific software applications have the ability to work with fleet tracking solutions. Fleet tracking solutions also enrich back office systems with data coming in from the road and integrate with financial management packages such as Quickbooks to simplify the accounting and billing process. From Operational Inefficiency to Maximum Productivity Today towing owner/operators want to see more. The more data they can collect, the better visibility they have. This means as an operator, you can dispatch more efficiently. You can ensure that your fleet of vehicles is more proactively maintained. You can take steps to make your entire operation more productive, and the business decisions you make can be done
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GPS
with good access to information. Fleet tracking solutions are becoming increasingly affordable and feature rich and can clearly benefit towers of every size helping owner/operators run more efficient productive operations while reducing operating costs and boosting profits. Yet, more than 75% of fleets under 25 trucks are still using manual paper-based methods to run their business. If you are one of those owner/opera-
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About the Author Matt Gunzenhaeuser is Sales Director for TomTom Telematics, a market leading Business Unit of TomTom dedicated to fleet management and vehicle telematics. WEBFLEET is a Software-as-a-Service solution used by small-to- large businesses to help improve vehicle performance, save fuel, support drivers, and increase overall fleet efficiency. We provide over 45,000 customers and 650,000 vehicles with vehicle tracking, dispatching twoway communication and navigation solutions. TomTom is the only “complete solution,” offering the updated map data, accurate traffic insight, IQ Routing, hardware, traffic-based navigation, and fleet management technology. www.tomtom.com/telematics
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market place
IF YOU HAD TAKEN THIS SPACE, YOUR AD WOULD NOW BE BEING LOOKED AT BY OVER 33,000 SUBSCRIBERS AND WOULD ALSO BE AVAILABLE TO MILLIONS MORE ONLINE.
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COMPANY
PG
COMPANY
PG
COMPANY
PG
Agero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
IAA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Smyrna Truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Atlanta Wrecker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
INA Towing Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Steck Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Austin Hinds Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Industrial Netting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
SteelTow Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Austin Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Jerr-Dan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Back Cover
Superior Reciept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
AW Direct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Keystone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Swoop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Beacon Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
LDC Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Tom Tom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Budget GPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Lodar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
TOPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Clarus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Manufacturer Express . . . . . . .Inside Back Cover
Towbook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Clore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Marking Pen Depot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
TowMate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Collins Dollies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Mike Keith Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Towing 123 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Custom Built . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Ohio Power Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Towing Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28, 29
CW Mill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Omadi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10, 11
TowTrax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Deep South Wrecker Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
OMG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Tracker Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
DK2 Winches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Progressive Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
United Plastics Fabricating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Dynamic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Recovery Billing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Virgo Fleet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
ECM Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Robert Young . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
VTS Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Flow Stop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
ROM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Waters Truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Hal Kresser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
RP Consulting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Wrecker Rentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Hide-a-Lift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
RV Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Zack Lift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Front Cover
Holly's Message Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Safety Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
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Tow Professional | Volume 5 • Issue 7 | www.towprofessional.com