American Towman Magazine - January 2020

AT SHOWPLACE - LAS VEGAS SHIFTS TO THE WESTGATE BY THE STRIP

THE ROAD CALLS

Justin Cruse

2020 Towman

of The Year JANUARY 2020 / $10

Too Many Lights?

Change Isn’t All Bad Dealing with Damages TowIndustryWeek.com

AmericanTowman.com

Volume: 44 Issue: 1 2020

january

FEATURE CONTENTS

12

Departments

2020 Towman of the Year

The Walkaround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Justin Cruse, WreckMaster president, is recognized for his contributions to increasing tower professionalism and pushing recovery training beyond traditional boundaries.

News Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Road Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Zoom In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Tow Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Beacons On!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Tow Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Ad Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Letters to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . 36 Tow Boss. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Towman’s Market . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 My Baby.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Low Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Adventures of A.T. . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Accurate Towing Service in Toms River, New Jersey, responded to a wrecked Porsche that had launched into the second story of an office building.

by Brian J. Riker

28

Second Story Mess An airborne car landed on the upper floor of an office building, causing mass damage and creating a difficult recovery effort in the building’s tenuous stability.

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

40

What Do the Investigations Recommend? Preparation.

When officials look into fatal incidents after the fact, are towers getting the message on best practices to improve their safety and survival chances on the roadside?

by Randall C. Resch

4 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM 4 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

Training, Safety Remain Vital in a New Decade

By Dennie Ortiz

It is with great pleasure that we recognize Justin Cruse, president of WreckMaster, as American Towman Magazine’s 2020 Towman of the Year. I have known Justin for many years, and he is a remarkable person with an insatiable desire to continually raise the bar of professionalism within this industry.

‘‘

Having no national

emergency lighting standards for tow trucks is a major

problem, let alone for others using

emergency lighting on the roadways.

Stay Safe

THE ROAD CALLS

Justin Cruse

2020 Towman

of The Year

Justin has remained steadfast and AmericanTowman.com focused at the helm of WreckMaster and continues to bring their expertise and training to towers across the world, thus helping to create a better, stronger, safer towing industry through education.

Having worked with his father Donnie for several years, I am certain he would be exceptionally proud of his son’s accomplishments including receiving this recognition.

This recognition by American Towman to Justin, and the entire WreckMaster team, comes as WreckMaster continues to instill confidence and teach skills expected in the qualified towman of today and all those tow operators of tomorrow still to come.

JANUARY 2020 / $10

TowIndustryWeek.com

6 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

Within this first issue of a new year and a new decade—the twenty-twenties!— you will see several articles that focus on safety, as we all know safety must always be paramount in this industry.

The importance of safe steering and braking is covered by Terry Abejuela (page 16) and discusses what you need to know to operate your tow truck safely with a vehicle in tow or loaded on a carrier bed.

Also be sure to read Randy Resch’s narrative (page 40) as he reviews the best practices your company should be employing to ensure each of your operators gets home safely.

Bobby Tuttle, in the Beacons On department (page 20), gives his perspective on how the proliferation in the use of emergency lighting by commercial motor vehicles could be adding to the inattentiveness of drivers not heeding the Move Over law.

He also makes a significant point that having no national emergency lighting standards for tow trucks is a major problem, let alone for others using emergency lighting on the roadways.

Read on, my friends, and best wishes for a happy, healthy and safe New Year!

Dennie Ortiz Steve Calitri Brendan Dooley Charles Duke Randall Resch Terry Abejuela Jim “Buck” Sorrenti David Kolman Bill Simmons Mark Lacek Brian Riker

Publisher Editor-In-Chief Editor Senior Editor Operations Editor Field Editor, West Field Editor, Northeast Chassis Editor Safety Editor Repo Run Editor Contributing Editor

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

Dallas, Texas Saint Paul, Minn.

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

Warren, N.J. Creve Coeur, Ill.

American Towman Media Staff Gina Johnson Dennie Ortiz Ellen Rosengart Norma Calitri Jimmy Santos Toni Vanderhorst Henri Calitri Patrice Gesner William Burwell Peggy Calabrese Ryan Oser Emily Oz Steve Calitri

Page Layout Artist Advertising Sales Mgr. Senior Account Exec.

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

American Towman Media Headquarters 2 Overlook Drive, Suite 5, Warwick, NY 10990 800-732-3869 or 845-986-4546 E-mail: Publisher: dortiz@towman.com Editor-In-Chief: scalitri@towman.com Editor: bdooley@towman.com AT’S Digital Edition: itowman.com AT’S Website: americantowman.com AT’S Weekly: towindustryweek.com ATTV: americantowmantv.com Copyright ©2020 American Towman Magazine is published 12 times a year by American Towman Media, Inc. Subscription: Single Copy: $10 1 yr: $60 – 2 yrs: $110 International: $75 & $135 All material published through American Towman Media (AT), to include American Towman Magazine, iTowman.com and TowIndustryWeek. com, including advertisements, editorials, articles and all other content is published in good faith. However, AT accepts no liability for any errors or omissions, and does not endorse any companies, products or services that appear. AT does not test or review products submitted for inclusion in its publications. AT does not accept responsibility for the accuracy of content, warranties or claims made or implied by its advertisers. The views expressed are the authors’ alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of AT. The act of mailing or delivering a letter, email or article to AT shall constitute permission to publish that letter or article or any portion thereof. AT reserves the right to edit any and all material submitted. No part of the magazine or websites may be reproduced without prior written consent of AT.

Towers Rescue 95-year-old Joyrider

Jerry’s Towing & Recovery in White Cloud, Michigan, was redefining customer service during the holiday season.

After getting lost and stuck in muck on back roads on Thanksgiving, a 95-year-old man had to be carried to dry ground by two towmen.

The man went off-road on his way back home from a family Thanksgiving dinner. He just wanted to have a little fun in the muddy mess of the trails.

About two miles into the expedition, he became stuck and called 911.

Dispatch relayed his cry for help to Jerry’s Towing.

Unable to walk on his own, the operators parked and carried the man in their arms to safety.

On Black Friday, the crew took their own time to go back to the site and get the car out.

They knew the man didn’t have adequate insurance to pay for the tow, so the company ended up doing it for free.

Source: wqad.com.

Hero Towman Honored after Bus Crash

Mike Benson of Powder Mill Towing and Auto Repair in Parsippany, New Jersey, recently received the “Real Heroes of the Road” award from AAA and Ford Motor Co. “I’m humbled and honored to receive this award,” said Benson, 57. “I was in the right place at the right time and I just did what needed to be done.”

On May 17, 2018, Benson was towing a vehicle to Pennsylvania on Route 80 when he witnessed the school bus crash just ahead of him.

Benson pulled over and blocked traffic on the highway to prevent further injuries, then surveyed the scene and worked to free passengers from the bus before emergency responders arrived, even performing CPR on a young student.

Source: patch.com.

8 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

Robots Help Towing Company to Keep Up Tow Atlanta adding hightech robots to its recovery force. ajc.com image.

One Atlanta, Georgia, towing company is meeting high-tech with higher tech to help its customers avoid costly mishaps. Tow Atlanta recently purchased two robots that have been engineered to lift luxury cars from tight spaces without leaving a scratch.

General manager Syre Perkins said the company purchased the robots last year in response to changing car designs. Perkins doesn’t have an engineering background but spent a year designing one of the robots with Drive Products, a Canada-based truck equipment company, and Miller Industries.

The process resulted in a $200,000

21’ flatbed that holds more weight, and is designed to lift a car without damaging its undercarriage.

The company also purchased, TARVA, or Tow Atlanta’s Recovery Vehicle Autobot, a device that can enter tight spaces, like parking decks.

TARVA was custom-designed in France and cost $125,000. The device has been in Europe for eight years and can carry up to 8,500 lbs.

The robot loads cars onto flatbeds by first picking up the front wheels and then going underneath the car to lift the rear wheels. A remote control is used to maneuver the car onto a flatbed truck.

Source: ajc.com.

AAA Targets Move Over

in the New Year

Kicking off a renewed commitment to raising awareness of Move Over laws and the larger issue of service providers being killed in the line of duty, AAA hosted a recent Slow Down Move Over event at its national office. A new, national public awareness campaign is set to be released early this year.

“Be an advocate with your friends and family, educate them about the dangers of working on the roadside, and do the right thing when driving and let your passengers know why,” said Marshall Doney, AAA president/CEO. Doney only spoke briefly, turning the stage over to 2017 Towman of the Year Linda Unruh, who shared

AAA National hosted a Move Over event recently to announce its coming public awareness capaign. AAA image.

the moving story of her son Bobby who lost his life at the roadside and her efforts to have a Move Over law passed in New Mexico.

… you can change someone’s life with just a simple kindness …

Eagle Towing Donates Car

Eagle Towing, based in Muskegon, Michigan, recently donated a car to a Grand Rapids woman living with multiple disabilities whose car was stolen.

Barbara Brown stopped for gas to fill up her tank. She estimates she went inside the gas station for approximately three minutes. When she went back outside, her car was gone.

“They pulled up,” said Brown. “(The thief) got out, and he walked up to my car like it was his and just took off.” Police later discovered the car at the scene of a crash in the city of Wyoming.

Eagle Towing hand-delivered Barbara a vehicle, a 2004 Chevy Malibu, three days later.

“It’s great,” said Andrew Heycoop, with Eagle Towing, “It’s like Christmas Day of opening your presents to see that you can change someone’s life with just a simple kindness.”

Source: fox6now.com.

Minnesota Towmen Rescue Sailboat

Towman Jason Butler has fished pickup trucks out of frozen lakes, pulled snow-covered semitrailers out of ditches and once rescued a capsized double-decker pontoon boat.

So when Butler, the owner of City Line Towing in Willmar, Minnesota, read about Mike Olson’s 26’ fiberglass 1977 Pearson sailboat stuck in the frozen St. Croix River, he knew he could help.

“I’m 110-percent sure that we can get it out of there,” Butler said. “We may need to wait a couple of weeks, until the temperature drops, if we need good ice, or we might not need any ice at all.

“There’s no sense in rushing it and risking anybody’s life just for a boat,” he said.

Source: twincities.com.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

The American Towman Exposition was well-attended in its one-year return to Atlantic City.

Return to AC Sets Record

Last month marked American Towman Exposition’s triumphant return to Atlantic City, New Jersey, for its annual fall tow show, bringing together thousands of towmen and tow business owners with hundreds of industry vendors and suppliers.

“The American Towman Exposition returned to Atlantic City after a 26-year absence and enjoyed a strong and successful show,” said Henri “Doc” Calitri, president of American Towman Expositions. “With a new date pattern of Thursday to Saturday, the audience set a record for a Friday, and Saturday saw more than double the amount of tow bosses that turned out on Friday.

“Overall, it was a great way to end the three-day event with such a bang!”

The event included all the regular features of its usual Baltimore, Maryland, setting, like the AT Acad-

emy, Miller Rocks! Bull & Pig Roast, Donnie Cruse Awards luncheon, ACE Awards and Festival Night March of the Heroes. AC, though, also saw the launch of a new recognition program in the Towman Trust Awards, sponsored by OMG and AutoReturn.

“The first Towman Trust Awards was a resounding success and enjoyed by more than 375 towers and family in attendance at the luncheon,” said Dennie Ortiz, American Towman Magazine’s publisher.

“There were more than 170 companies represented from across the U.S. During the event several towers approached me and shared how grateful they were to be recognized with this honor.”

Look for a complete recap of the Atlantic City happenings in the February issue of American Towman Magazine.

The Academy programs during AT Expo XXXI welcomed operators and bosses alike to learn and train for working the roadside.

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - January 2020 • 9

Check Out What’s NEW and HOT! Landoll Adds Air Disc Brakes Landoll Corp. announced a new air-disc brakes option for its 400 Series traveling-axle and 900 Series traveling-tail trailers. The optional Landoll AIRDISC 17 brake system has been integrated with an all-new custom air-ride suspension to bring high-performance braking to commercial equipment trailers. The new brake system is designed for applications with extremely demanding brake usage, as air disc brakes provide consistent performance during extended braking cycles, such as long descending mountain grades. Reduced brake fade and fast on/off response significantly improves stopping distance vs. drum brake applications.

landoll.com

LX4 Increases Diesel Fuel Lubricity A new fuel additive from Hot Shot’s Secret improves diesel fuel lubricity up to 56 percent. Developed for use in either low lubricity Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel fuel or gasoline, LX4 Lubricity Extreme prevents unnecessary wear and scarring of key components inside the fuel system—particularly injectors, the fuel pump and upper cylinders. For any vehicle utilizing ULSD low lubricity fuel, LX4 restores fuel’s lubricity, exceeding the Engine Manufacturers Association’s recommendation for fuel lubrication; the company said LX4 will not void the manufacturer’s warranty, is safe for particulate filters and is easy to use.

hotshotsecret.com

Brake Releaser for Frozen Trailers Milton Industries’ new and improved Brake Releaser propels de-icing fluid into trailer brake lines, releasing frozen brakes in minutes. The tool can be used during hookups, at truck stops or roadside to reduce downtime. With the Brake Releaser, you can deliver air-line de-icing fluid to the trailer in minutes. The tool connects via standard glad hand couplers and works on dry vans, flatbeds, dump trucks, refrigerated trailers and more. In less than five minutes, a user can de-ice trailer brakes by attaching the Brake Releaser to the red emergency line, filling the reservoir with de-icing fluid, activating the emergency line air flow button in the cab and removing the Brake Releaser and re-attaching the red emergency line.

miltonindustries.com/the-brake-releaser

10 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

Jerr-Dan Debuts New Multi-Car Carrier at AT Expo

J

err-Dan Corp. unveiled its justlaunched multi-car carrier at the American Towman Exposition last month in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The new carrier allows a fourth car to be towed with the optional underlift.

Jerr-Dan’s previous multi-car carrier was built on a 7.5-ton single/ tandem axle subframe. The revamped multi-car carrier uses an 8.5-ton frame that Jerr-Dan said makes it first in the industry to offer a low-profile three-car carrier with a fourth car option on this level of frame capacity.

Additional benefits of the larger subframe include: • Reducing the carrier deck off the top of the frame height by 2”.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

• Lowering the center of gravity of the load for more stability.

• Providing an additional 1-ton structural capacity.

• Reducing the main deck height to allow for transport of taller loads, making navigation under bridges and

through tunnels more efficient.

• Delivering easier access to the lower deck for tasks such as securing tie-downs.

The new multi-car carrier is backed

by Jerr-Dan’s 1/3/5 XLP product warranty, which includes one-year full coverage, three-year hydraulic coverage and five-year structural coverage.

jerrdan.com

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - January 2020 • 11

2020

Towman of

The Year Justin Cruse

increases training breadth and depth

By Brian J. Riker

H

is guiding principle is to change the way the world looks at the towing industry. You could say he thrives on the impossible, finding new and innovative ways to deliver for the betterment of all. Born into the towing industry and tasked with some big shoes to fill at a young age, Justin Cruse stepped up to the challenge and hasn’t flinched, even as others say that what WreckMaster strives to accomplish is impossible.

Just as his father Donnie did back in 1991, Justin recognized a gap within

12 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

the training space serving the towing industry. Beginning in 2009, his team built a computerized learning management system as an internal tool to manage their hands-on training classes. Building on this base, Justin launched the Partner Program in 2018 to allow for wider access to the training and other educational materials the towing industry needs.

As technology continues to grow, online training is becoming commonplace across many industries—towing included. Justin recognized a need for training that is affordable, easy

to access and broken into smaller chunks to allow a wider audience to participate. Online training offers up knowledge to many more towing professionals without the time and expense of traveling to a hands-on program.

“Online training will never replace hands-on training, only supplement it,” Justin said. “With our online training the student completes a course, is tested on what they learned and then is given the opportunity to practice it hands-on with a training facilitator at their employer’s yard.”

WreckMaster President Justin Cruse is taking the company’s training beyond traditional boundaries.

The Partner Program allows for tow bosses as well as career-minded tow operators to partner with WM to better manage their training and certification process. Online access to their training material makes professional development available to the world, not just towers already familiar with the industry.

Now if someone is thinking about a career in towing, they can learn the fundamentals from the comfort of their own home, before ever stepping foot into a tow yard. This could greatly

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

improve the caliber of applicants available to tow bosses during the hiring process as well as free up valuable training time for more hands-on training during the new-hire process.

Justin envisions tow owners using the Partner Program as part of their onboarding process. They can invest a relatively small amount of money into new hires and have them complete the basics at home, on their own time, before they ever head out for their first day of on the job training. Not only will this give the new operator a better

understanding of the importance of safety and training, it will also weed out those that are not suited for this industry.

Using the Partner Program online learning management system as part of your monthly safety meetings will not only ensure your operators are up to date with the latest techniques, it will also allow for documentation of this continuing education.

For his ongoing dedication to improving the towing industry’s image through training—and now

➢

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - January 2020 • 13

American Towman TV’s Emily Oz interviews Justin Cruse during AT Expo XXXI last month.

with increased access to help bring new blood into the business—American Towman is proud to name Justin Cruse its 2020 Towman of the Year.

Training

Recognizing a need for the towing industry to improve itself was a founding principle of WreckMaster. The new Partner Program builds on the fact that towing is a $7 billion industry employing as many as 400,000 people, yet WreckMaster has reached only about 40,000 towing professionals over the past 30 years. This current market penetration simply is not enough to provide for properly educated and independently certified operators to affect safety.

“It really is a privilege to get to do what we do, to share knowledge,” Justin said. He sees the future of training shifting from small groups of instructor-led learning to a multipronged approach combining digital media, online content, instructor-led webinars and even augmented reality technologies.

“Our goal has always been to earn the right through training to certify the tow operator,” said Justin. “The road that you take to get certified has now been opened up.”

A key change, one that has revolutionized how Justin Cruse and his team deliver training and certification, is the separation of the certification process from the training process.

He understands that training and knowledge comes from many different sources, and as such, certification should be a measure of one’s level of competency.

Building upon the separation of WreckMaster training from certification, an important first step in having accredited certification, he chose to have the certification exams proctored by a third party that specializes in ensuring the integrity of examinations across hundreds of disciplines.

14 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

‘‘

Some of the greatest people I have ever

met came from the

towing industry and I feel they have never gotten the respect

they deserve for the

service they provide.

This was not enough to satisfy his quest for tow industry recognition and in 2018 he submitted the entire WreckMaster program for independent accreditation. Receiving positive feedback, Justin and his team are excited to complete the independent accreditation process in the near future.

Accreditation of an education or certification process is the gold standard, meaning an independent agent has reviewed the content, delivery methods and certification exams and finds them suitable for their intended purpose. Colleges, vo-tech schools and other higher learning institutions all have some form of accreditation for

their programs, and soon the towing industry will too.

This is a key piece of the bigger puzzle that is industry recognition as true primary incident responders.

Without professional training the towing industry will never be viewed as equals to the fire, EMS and law enforcement agencies that we work alongside daily.

In addition to providing certification to a wider audience, Justin’s team noticed that by using a proctored certification exam process most chances for error, intention or otherwise, have been eliminated.

The WreckMaster learning management system is a key component for professional towing companies to document their training efforts.

Justin believes that this tool could be used to support the discussion for rate increases or even the deciding factor in which tow company is awarded a contract.

“We deserve to be,” Justin said.

“The real end game here is if we can get the industry to support verified certification, tow companies that invest in their team to utilize verified, certified operators, should be able to invoice for their services at a higher rate.”

Respect

One of Justin’s guiding principles is to make the towing industry better by giving back and, in that spirit, he intends to share the data they are gathering about the current level of competency among towers with towing associations throughout the U.S. and Canada. He is keen to learn about the correlation of an individual tower’s level of competency and method of training and how that plays a part, or not, regarding workplace injuries and deaths.

Utilizing data collected from the shift to online examinations, Justin was able to realize that there was room for improvement in their previous process for certification examination.

This unexpected revelation led him to reevaluate the level of competency they were testing for and adjust their certification exams to more accurately reflect what today’s towing operator should know to be considered a professional.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

“WreckMaster started off out of the need for this industry to be recognized as a skilled trade,” Justin said. “Some of the greatest people I have ever met came from the towing industry and I feel they have never gotten the respect they deserve for the service they provide.

“This industry is made up of great people, those that truly care and what motivates me to keep pushing on with this certification is to get this industry the respect it deserves.”

Cooperation

Seeing the need to work together with other like-minded industry stakeholders, Justin openly calls for towers to support their state associations as well as the TRAA. In addition to being a driving force for industry professionalism, Justin and his team at WreckMaster support many tow industry causes.

They have contributed to the Survivor Fund, the Spirit Ride and have signed

up to support the TRAA’s effort to retain a federal lobbyist. Justin also has challenged his vendors to support this TRAA venture as he sees it is very important for the future of the industry.

Recognizing the pioneering towers leading the industry to improved professionalism, Justin has asked the next generation to open a dialog with those that came before.

“We got here from the support of those who built this industry,” Justin said, “so I challenge the younger generation, the operator of tomorrow, to engage with those that built this industry so that we know where to take it next.”

Brian J. Riker is a third-generation towman, with 25 years of experience in the ditch as a tow operator, and president of Fleet Compliance Solutions. He specializes in helping navigate the complex world of federal and state transportation regulatory compliance. He can be reached at brian.riker@fleetcompliancesolutions.net

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - January 2020 • 15

Knowing your truck’s wheelbase and weight are beginning steps in understanding your steering load.

Importance of Safe Steering

I

By Terry Abejuela

n order to drive your tow truck safely with a vehicle in tow, it is imperative that you maintain safe steering. Steering and braking on your tow truck will be impaired whenever you are towing or transporting a vehicle. There is no way around this, so it is important for you to calculate how much load you can place on your equipment before the tow truck or car carrier chassis is loaded to a point that it becomes unsafe.

The industry standard for many years has been that you must maintain, at minimum, 50 percent of the unloaded front axle weight on the tow truck or car carrier to safely drive the truck down the road. This should really be referred to as maintaining adequate steering. It would be safer if we could maintain 100 percent of the unloaded front axle weight, but this is not possible.

16 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

When towing with a conventional tow sling or wheel lift, the truck becomes a first class lever. The rear axle of the truck is the fulcrum, the truck becomes the effort side of the lever and the wheel lift is the resistance side of the lever.

Driving a tow truck or car carrier down the road with less than 50 percent of the unloaded front axle weight will impair your ability to steer and stop the truck safely. The traction on the front wheels will be reduced because there is not enough weight on the front axle. The majority of your braking power comes from the front wheels of the truck. When there is not enough weight on the front axle, it will take a longer distance for you to bring the truck to a stop.

To determine how much weight you can lift with your conventional tow sling or wheel lift and retain

50 percent of the original front axle weight, you will need to collect some information on your truck. You will need to weigh the front axle of the truck when the truck is unloaded and measure the wheelbase and overhang of the truck in inches.

Take your truck to a commercial scale and have them weigh the truck.

(To determine safe steering you only need the front axle weight, but you might as well weigh the rest of the truck while you are at it. It will normally cost the same.)

You want a weight certificate that indicates how much the front axle weighs, how much the rear axle weighs and how much the whole truck weighs. Make sure that when you weigh the truck it is equipped as it would normally be and with a full tank of fuel. Keep a copy of the weight certificate in the truck’s file.

Once you have gathered the necessary information, you can apply the industry standard formula for steering load: ½ front axle weight x wheelbase / overhang = steering load.

When measuring the wheelbase, use a tape measure and measure the distance, in inches, from the center of the front axle to the center of the rear axle.

• If you have tandem axles you would measure to the center of the whole rear axle.

• If you have two rear axles, the center of the whole rear axle would be the center point between the two rear axles.

• If you have three rear axles, the center of the whole rear axle would be the center of the center rear axle and so on.

‘‘

If traveling

overloaded results

Measuring overhang for a tow sling.

in a collision, you

could be considered negligent.

When measuring the overhang, I recommend that you first fully extend the wheel lift of under reach and measure from the center of the whole rear axle to the lift point on the wheel lift. Keep in mind the lift point on the wheel lift would be where the center of the towed vehicle’s lifted wheels are not on the wheel lift cross bar.

On a conventional tow sling, raise the tow bar until the tow bar is it’s furthest distance from the rear of the tow truck and measure to the tow bar for overhang.

Once the towed vehicle has been lifted, retract the wheel lift as much as possible, leaving only enough extension to allow for turning radius.

This will transfer weight from the rear axle to the front axle of the tow truck so you retain more than half of

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

Measuring overhang on wheel-lift wrecker.

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - January 2020 • 17

the unloaded front axle weight.

Once you have plugged in the appropriate numbers and worked the formula, the final number you get is the amount, in pounds, that you could lift and you would have half of the original unloaded front axle weight on the tow truck.

Example: • Truck unloaded FAW: 5,000 lbs.

• Truck WB: 165”.

• Truck OH: 100”.

• Formula results: 2,500 x 165 / 100 = 4,125 lbs. (½ FAW x WB / OH = SL).

With this specific truck you would be able to lift 4,125 lbs. with the wheel lift fully extended and you would have 2,500 lbs. left on the front axle of the tow truck. If you lift in excess of 4,125 lbs., the front axle of the tow truck would have less than 2,500 lbs. left and you would not have enough weight to adequately steer and stop the truck.

If traveling overloaded results in a

collision, you could be considered negligent.

If you drive a car carrier, it still is important to retain a minimum of half of the unloaded front axle weight when towing or transporting a vehicle.

If you only have one vehicle to move, it should be loaded on the deck and not on the wheel lift.

The vehicle should be loaded on the deck with the heavy end forward and as far forward as possible. Loading the heavy end of the vehicle to the rear of the rear axle of the car carrier will result in weight transferring from the front axle to the rear axle of the car carrier. This normally is not enough to take half of the unloaded front axle weight off of the front axle unless you are transporting a load where the majority of the weight ends up to the rear of the car carrier’s rear axle. This might be the case if a forklift is loaded facing forward with the counterbalance weight situated to the rear of the

Poor load distribution here is transferring needed weight at the steer axle to the rear axle.

18 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

car carrier rear axle. You should avoid loading a vehicle on the wheel lift without a vehicle on the deck.

This formula will only determine how much can be lifted by a specific tow truck and maintain enough weight to retain adequate steering and braking.

Restricting your lift to this amount does not mean the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, the Gross Axle Weight Rating for the rear axle, or the Gross Combination Weight Rating for the truck have not been exceeded. You must conduct further calculations to determine this.

Other things to consider before deciding what is the most amount of weight you can lift and tow safely would include tire ratings and the lifting apparatus.

Field Editor Terry Abejuela has 40-plus years of light-duty towing and recovery experience. He is also a light-duty Level 1 instructor for the California Tow Truck Association.

When to Use Emergency Lighting?

By Bobby Tuttle

F

irst, let me say that I support—100 percent—all the tow operators, owners and industry trainers who have fought, and continue to fight, to raise awareness with the general public about the critical need for all motorists to comply with the Move Over laws around the country. Too many tow operators are being struck on the nation’s roadways.

I have spent many years promoting the Move Over law and trying to raise awareness myself. I am sure everyone reading this will agree that as you drive the nation’s roadways, as I frequently do, most motorists do not observe Move Over for the vehicles that are covered under the law, including tow trucks.

In fact, the Federal Highway Administration conducted a study that found the 71 percent of motorists either were unaware of the law or did not understand what the law required a motorist to do. In other words, most

20 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

motorists did not know that if they were unable to move over they could slow down and maintain their traffic lane.

‘‘

Can using red and/ or blue emergency lighting on tow trucks make a

positive impact on our tow operator

struck-by numbers?

What I continually wonder, though, is why don’t motorists pay attention to emergency lighting and slow down or move over? While speaking with sev-

eral American Towman staff members and industry leaders at the American Towman Expo last month it was clear that we all had some of the same concerns, including: • Is the overuse of emergency lighting by so many commercial motor vehicles causing drivers to become numb to the sight of emergency lighting?

• Why are there so many different requirements from state to state on when tow trucks must use emergency lighting and what color the lights can or must be?

New Normal

I offer the following for industry discussion: How is the proliferation of emergency lighting by so many CMVs affecting the average motorist? Several years ago, I began to understand how normalization was affecting motorists and why that matters to the use of emergency lighting. As use of emer-

gency lighting on commercial vehicles has proliferated, motorists have become desensitized to seeing them.

It seems to me that there are all kinds of CMVs driving around on all types of motorways—from low-speed roads to high-speed freeways—with some type of emergency lights flashing. This includes CMVs of all types: garbage trucks, dump trucks, pickup trucks and many others. (Heck, I even saw a pickup from a pest control company driving down the freeway with a flashing strobe light on its roof!)

What I am trying to understand: Why? How and when did this start? It hasn’t always been this way. These CMVs are moving at the posted speed for that roadway, they are not creating any type of traffic hazard or impeding movement and they are not experiencing any type of emergency.

I am not suggesting that the owners of these CMVs don’t have legal authority to equip their vehicles with emergency lighting. I understand and agree that some CMVs may need to display emergency lighting; these CMVs may include oversize loads, vehicles that must operate below posted speeds, vehicles that make frequent stops in traffic, etc.

However, it has become “normal” for motorists to see emergency lighting everywhere, seemingly every minute of their commute. I feel that makes many

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Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - January 2020 • 21

motorists less concerned when they see vehicles with emergency lighting flashing.

Tow Trucks

All kinds of vehicles are using emergency beacons now.

‘‘

Heck, I even saw a pickup

from a pest control company

driving down the freeway with a flashing strobe light on its roof!

The more beacons are seen on the roads on other vehicles, the more normalized—and less attention—they get in use by towers and other emergency responders.

22 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

What are the emergency lighting requirements for tow trucks? An article by Brian Riker, “Emergency Lighting in the U.S.,” in the May 2019 issue of American Towman Magazine showed just how many different state requirements exist for the use of emergency lighting by tow trucks in the nation. That article highlighted just how large this problem is.

To say there is no national emergency lighting standard for tow trucks is a giant understatement! There are so many different requirements by each state that it is no wonder there is confusion in the towing industry about what is required.

Texas recently updated its law for emergency lighting on tow trucks. Soon after that I received a phone call from a long-time customer asking if I could clarify the new law. Without really digging into the new law, I wasn’t able to help … the new law is confusing and possibly in conflict with other rules. Besides the question on when a tow truck must have its emergency lighting turned on, there is the confusion of what color the emergency lighting can be or must be. Again, no national standard exists that I am aware of. This may be the most confusing part of the emergency lighting discussion.

Many great people in the towing industry believe that the use of red and/or blue emergency lighting by tow trucks will dramatically change the driving behavior of most motorists. Can using red and/or blue emergency lighting on tow trucks make a positive impact on our tow operator struck-by numbers? (I wish I had the answer.)

We all agree that the struck-by numbers in the towing industry are way too high. We all want that number to be 0. But will the color of our emergency lighting get us there? If the color of emergency lighting was the solution to the responder struck-by problem, then why are police vehicles and firetrucks struck on a regular basis while at incident scenes? Law enforcement and the fire service have been using red-and-blues for decades.

Seems to me their struck-by numbers have increased, just like ours.

So, is this struck-by problem increasing because of the color of emergency lighting, or moreso the issue of distracted drivers and other factors? While I completely support the Move Over law, I also believe we need more focus and training on roadway safety tactics. We need to use every tool in the toolbox to help keep us safer on the nations roadways.

Municipal Editor Bobby Tuttle has been involved in the towing and recovery industry since 1977 at all levels including Traffic Incident Management response in San Antonio, Texas. He also serves as the Incident Manager for the SAPD towing contract. He founded Complete Incident Response Training in 2003.

Ahh, the Old ‘Damage Claim’

By Paul Stephens

D

amage accusations come in all shapes and sizes. We as roadside professionals are inherently going to be blamed for anything even potentially damage-related to the service, service area or property. The more call volume you handle, the more susceptible you are to accusations.

Protecting yourself and your company should be one of the most important things you do on any roadside service call, towing or not.

There are always the minor blemishes that are reported such as the occasional scrape to the lower front valance area, a scratch by the driver’s door, stripped lug nut, etc. These are usually handled straight on by the company without insurance notification, and with a usual defiance as to where blame or fault may lie until they have viewed the area in question. The mere accusation is usually enough to set off the calmest person when you go out of your way to handle the customer’s vehicle with the utmost care and professionalism—only to be accused of a damage claim.

There are a lot of reasons someone might assume the damage is related to the service call; however, there are also those who are looking for the extra return on investment in their roadside program.

Occasionally, we do have a legit damage claim that is related to something that our operators unfortunately scratched or have broken. Those are the ones that seem to be the easiest to resolve, as most will confront them head on. There are a lot of analogies that one can use to justify why something was damaged or why he/she should or shouldn’t pay for repair or replacement, but it always seems to be the smallest things that end up being a little expensive once you tack on the labor.

24 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

Not much can rile up the boss like a damage claim—warranted or not.

We as business owners want to defend ourselves from any and all accusations that might tap into the profit pool (and they seem to come in waves, all at once and then nothing for a while).

It is truly amazing how many people look for a responsible party when they realize they have to pay for something that was unexpected. Not to say that everyone accuses the operator when they have to pay a little more, but it seems when someone has an unexpected repair invoice the damage complaints seem to soar.

The Accused

The damage process usually starts with the service being completed. The vehicle ends up at a repair shop and then there is a question of how the tie-rod got bent, the fascia scraped or something else. This is usually identi-

fied by the mechanic or service advisor and the customer is notified and questioned as to IF they knew the damage was there … which always is followed by the same answer, “No!” Once identified, the shop usually advises the customer they will reach out to the roadside professional or the customer will need to make contact. Either way, that’s usually where it starts to multiply. There are some accusations that never get past this point when the customer is honest and fair and will advise that they did it in a driveway or tried to tow it themselves, etc. However, those customers are getting fewer and further between.

So we have our accusation, and moving to the next step can go either way. We will want to set up a visual inspection (which, when presented, I highly recommend). The repair shop might welcome you with open arms

for an inspection or they might tell you it must be done with the customer present.

Liable?

Once this hurdle has been overcome it now raises the issue of deciding liability or not. Liability is always a gray area in trying to determine, however one rule of thumb that has always worked for me is viewing it from the perspective of, “Is it plausible that my operator actually did do the damage, or could it have been from another source?”

I usually handle damage claims the same way every time so there is some stability to my procedure and if the event escalates, I have used the same method for many resolutions. If my team actually did the damages, I will either work with the shop as best as possible or seek other estimates just to confirm the rates are in line.

There is always the mindset that “someone else is paying” (you!), so let’s get the best of everything we can.

That’s fine, but I want to fix it to its pre-damage condition or slightly better (the extent of a simple liability).

No Winning

There are the customers that insist we damaged the vehicle no matter what we say or what we can prove. “It’s there now, so you are going to pay to fix it.” These are

➢

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - January 2020 • 25

the ones you are not going to win.

They seem to want some sort of justice per se to make up for something when they feel they might have been slighted during the service. These are the people who will not stop, no matter how small or large a claim, it is simply that they must win (even $20!)

‘‘

The mere

accusation is

usually enough to set off the

calmest person.

I usually refer them to my attorney so they can bother him; I pay him anyway, so I might as well get some letters from him.

The diluted roadside industry is full of dispatch parties that usually have a damage team in place to (theoretically) help manage this minefield. Some do a great job as a liaison between the customer, repair shop, client and roadside professional. As with any industry, there are those who really don’t care and you must prove your innocence rather than the burden of proof be on the accuser. This can be difficult as you are hoping the damage team party has either all the facts, has a basic understanding of mechanics or towing, and knowledge of the damage mitigation process such as claims adjustment.

Protecting your business is paramount, but you need to have procedures in place to protect and defend against damage accusations from any party … and have the mentality of taking care of the issue if you are the responsible party.

Paul Stephens is a towing industry trainer with more than 34 years of towing experience. He has served as a consultant for many automobile manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, and companies for service provider education, towability and road service procedures.

26 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

Accurate Towing Service of Toms River, New Jersey, was on the scene to pull a Porsche from the second floor of an office building last November. Damage to the building created a tricky and precarious scene.

SecondStoryMess A wrecked Porsche is recovered after it launched into the upper floors of an office building

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

28 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

O

n the morning of Nov. 10, 2019, at approximately 1:30 a.m., a 2010 red Porsche Boxster convertible was traveling at a very high rate of speed when the driver lost control, hit a center median and then an embankment that launched it into the second-story offices of a real estate agency.

The crash was discovered at approximately 6:30 a.m. It was reported that no one was inside at the time of the crash. The driver and his passenger, both in their early 20s, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Emergency crews, including Accu-

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

rate Towing Service were dispatched to the scene.

Responding from Accurate was owner Thomas Makuch Jr., his daughter Kate, ground safety supervisor, her husband Alex Mace, wrecker/crane operator, and operators Robert Nelson, Mathew Kelly and Robert Walsh for rigging and recovery. The equipment they brought out included their 2017 Kenworth T880/Jerr-Dan HDL1000 50-ton, a 2016 Peterbilt 337/Century hydraulic wrecker, a 2019 Freightliner M2/Century Series 16 LCG, two 2017 Hino 258/Jerr-Dan 21.5’ flatbeds for debris and parts recov-

ery, and a Dodge RAM 4x4 support unit. All crewmembers are WreckMaster or TRAA certified.

“Upon arriving on scene, we observed a red sports car upside down in the second story of the building,” Tom said. “It was clear that the building and structure were not safe whatsoever. … The concern was with the sustained structural impact that there was little to no support for the remaining walls and there was the potential for the roof of the building to collapse at any moment with the weight of the vehicle resting in the second floor.”

Tom worked closely with the

➢

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - January 2020 • 29

fire and rescue departments. The emergency crews rebuilt some makeshift support walls in the basement, main floor and the top floor. Inside the crash scene at one point, the front corner of the roof started to collapse. Rescue workers added additional support beams from floor to ceiling to keep the ceiling and roof from collapsing.

The bodies of the deceased victims were laying in close proximity to the wrecked car and Accurate crew members had to work carefully around them until the coroner’s office came to retrieve the bodies.

“The recovery scene was very unsafe because the victims were hanging upside down in the car for a few hours causing both victims to virtually bleed out, therefore there was excess blood spread thickly throughout the floor making it a slippery bio-hazard situation for all involved,” Tom said.

“We tried to lay ceiling tiles over the blood-soaked area in addition to absorbent so we would minimize

30 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

‘‘

the danger and exposure to our crew members.

There was very

little room for error; the head of the

boom was virtually

touching the ceiling of the room.

“The Porsche was heavily damaged and mangled in the crash, which made it difficult to try to identify safe points to chain and rig, and support the vehicle. We choked up on chains tightly because of the limited room we had to work with. One chain was around the rear suspension where it mounts to the engine cradle; the other

chain we fed threw the front cradle near the body mounts using Grade 100 1/2” chain. We located spots in the aluminum undercarriage and frame to safely support and rig the vehicle.”

The Silverton Fire Department and other rescue teams worked simultaneously on removing some of the brick facade on the front of the building to increase the entrance crash hole so there would be less impediment to the movement of the car when the extrication of the vehicle from the second story commenced.

Once rigged the crew faced another challenge. When the Porsche had violently crashed through the building, the front end of the vehicle went through the wall of the next room and the aluminum bumper support was hung up on several wall studs in the bathroom. At this point fire and rescue teams stated that there was nothing else that could be done with the structure.

“We all knew what we were deal-

ing with; it was a very dangerous situation,” Tom emphasized. “Fire and rescue supervisors announced and yelled out to rescue teams, ‘EVERYONE THAT DOES NOT WORK FOR ACCURATE TOWING SERVICE, EVACUATE THE BUILDING NOW!’ “Standing on the top floor of a structurally compromised building with a huge hole in the front with an overturned Porsche Boxster while standing in a pool of blood and the possibility of the building’s roof collapsing while being watched and judged by approximately 150 people on the ground in front of video cameras, live news station feeds from all the surrounding states, multiple police, fire and rescue agencies and personnel—it was a defining moment in my 25-plus year career as a TRAA Level 3 Recovery and Incident Management Recovery Supervisor,” Tom said. “There was tremendous pressure!”

Tom maintained constant com-

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

munication with his highly trained operators and crewmembers using handheld portable radios. They extended the boom of the Jerr-Dan 50-ton up and out into the building over the Porsche. There was very little room for error; the head of the boom was virtually touching the ceiling of the room.

“I moved both cables slowly and cautiously as the weight from the vehicle was being raised,” Tom said.

“I could feel the floor start to move beneath my feet as the 3000-pound car was lifted; because of the flexing of the building, parts of the ceiling started to fall from the roof structure.

“At that point we stopped again and while utilizing the heavy-duty wrecker hydraulics, we decided to boom in and bring the rear of the car towards the front of the building simultaneously by using the cable from the left side winching in and bring the front of the car winching out. In order to bring the back of the

➢

Accurate’s Jerr-Dan HDL1000 did the bulk of the lift once the Porsche was removed.

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - January 2020 • 31

Accurate Towing Service owner Thomas Makuch Jr. with his daughter Kaitlin Makuch Mace and son-in-law Alex Mace.

vehicle down, we used that technique several times to exit the car out the front of the building.

“We then used the hydraulic under reach as the car came forward out of the building to apply pressure to the car. Using the winches, we manipulated the car around, letting the back hang down further [and] lifting the front up higher, causing the car to almost stand up straight in a vertical position, while repeatedly booming in several more times to bring the car out of the building completely … while using pry bars to pry the front bumper out of the studs of the adjoining room wall.”

Tom then directed the wrecker operator and the crew members to pull the truck forward approximately 10 feet and at that point crew members and the heavy recovery operator were instructed by Tom to level off the car using the winches. Once the vehicle was level, it was slowly lowered to the ground.

Once on the ground, Crime Scene Investigators wanted the vehicle to be placed on its roof in order to take more pictures of the underside of the vehicle. When CSI were finished, Tom and his crew were instructed to overturn and upright the vehicle. Accurate crew members rigged the car using chains around the undercarriage to perform a reverse roll.

32 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

“Crew members began to work on the ground floor picking up building debris and other various debris by moving them all into piles,” Tom said.

“We carefully swept the parking lot free from debris, wood, nails, sharp objects to prevent any flat tires on any of our rescue team trucks and rigs, and for the safety of all emergency crew members. Crew members also retrieved and recovered dislodged various parts of the vehicle such as tires, convertible top, bumpers, mirrors all various etc, throughout the perimeter of the crash scene.”

Once CSI finished, the car started to leak gasoline and oil from the engine and the front bay where the fuel tank sits. Acting quickly, Accurate crew members and recovery operators spread absorbent onto the areas to contain a potential hazmat situation.

Once contained, they lifted the Porsche wreckage onto one flatbed for transport, and used the others to collect and transport various parts and debris back to the Accurate Towing Service facility. Total time for this job was nine hours.

Jim “Buck” Sorrenti, a longtime editor of American Towman, has been our field editor for the past 10 years. He is a freelance writer and photographer with more than 40 years of experience covering motorcycle, hot rod, truck and towing culture. He writes weekly for TowIndustryWeek.com.

About Accurate Towing Service Thomas James Makuch Jr. owns and operates Accurate Towing Service based in Toms River, New Jersey, along with his wife, Cynthia who does accounts payable. Tom has been serving New Jersey since he started the company in 1987, providing professional towing for the New Jersey State Police and dozens of municipal police departments. Daughter Kaitlin Makuch Mace is the administrative assistant/ marketing and also responds to recoveries.

Tom has been a TRAA Level 3 Certified Heavy Recovery Specialist since 1999 and all of his operators are nationally trained and certified for towing, hauling and recovery.

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Sometimes Change Is Good As we begin a new year, I can’t help but reflect on the industry I chose so many years ago. As a child I would watch my dad run the business he bought in 1963. He eventually decided to buy a tow truck; after going on several tows with him, I was convinced I knew what I wanted to do with my career. The excitement of rescuing people stranded on the roadways and the short-term relationship of the experience was addicting.

Starting out on my own in 1971, I found that since then there have been great advancements in what was an ancillary service that body shops and repair garages would get into as to servicing their customers. Today, we call towing an industry and while Ernest Holmes invented the tow truck in 1916, towing—according to many— didn’t become an actual stand-alone industry until the consolidation efforts in the late 1990s. So if we agree on that

36 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

point, then towing is just coming out of its infancy.

I believe that we should start focusing on advancements evolving this very important industry, or at least hope that we are ready to accept advancements. Having been around for a while, I have seen resistance from people who don’t like change.

‘‘

Well let’s just say

that anything new,

finds resistance until proven and survives the test of time.

When the flatbed first came out, towers said, “I don’t need that; I can tow everything with my sling truck.”

The methodology of towing or transporting vehicles is determined by the task at hand. Carriers or flatbeds or rollbacks simplified towing vehicles with all wheels off the ground. Maybe not as important early on, but with the prevalence of all-wheel-drive and 4x4 transmissions carriers really are at the forefront now.

Then we watched the wheel-lift be resisted, and look at it today.

Then two-way radios evolved to 900 MGH; many resisted that.

Well let’s just say that anything new, finds resistance until proven and survives the test of time.

While I have always prided myself on looking forward to innovations meant to improve efficiency and/or safety, I would dig in to try to understand if something was going to be successful and become the new norm.

While I thought that RoadOne was an interesting concept and could see it being successful, I was wrong (another story for another time).

When you look at all of the improvements to this industry, there

has been seemingly little advancement to the area of actual delays: dispatch.

Some change started in 2003 when AutoReturn was formed; after nearly 17 years, dispatch has changed. Of course there was and still is resistance to change. Digital dispatch for police departments is so natural due to the amount of things that police departments have to handle.

Yet, after 2,000,000-plus dispatches to more than 400 tow companies, the rumor mill remains persistent. It just amazes me how wrong these rumors are, yet people keep spreading them rather than calling a tow company that works for AR—many of our providers received the American Towman Trust Award in Atlantic City, New Jersey, last month during AT Expo XXXI. What really hurts about the rumors sometimes are those towers who know me personally and they don’t simply call me about their concerns. We’re extremely transparent and would like to answer any questions that they have.

Recently, I experienced that hurtful feeling with a good friend of 25-plus years from Michigan, Bill Byers. After the rumor mill hit full swing there, I went to a Michigan Towing Association meeting and answered all of the questions and Bill apologized for his misunderstandings and the chaos caused. Anybody that can publicly admit they were wrong is very much a person of integrity. Bill has since posted on his Facebook page, “If you didn’t hear it with your own ears or see it with your own eyes, don’t invent it with your small mind and share it with your big mouth!”

Evolution is normal; we as an industry need to look at anything new and properly evaluate it based on fact … to find changes that cuts costs, raise profitability and/or increase safety.

— John Borowski, VP of AutoReturn, is a former Towman of the Year, a frequent contributor to American Towman Magazine and regular presenter during the AT Expo seminars.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - January 2020 • 37

What Do the Investigations Recommend? Preparation.

By Randall C. Resch

I

n welcoming you all to 2020, I’d like to start with the right mindset toward tow operator safety. This past year was a tough one where my own confirmed research shows more than 60 tow operators were killed as a result of on-scene violence, industrial accidents and crashes and pedestrian strikes working the highways. The industry has seen it’s fair share of tow operator deaths, so beginning the New Year with a solid safety reminder seems appropriate.

As the result of tow operator-involved fatals, a formal investigation is typically conducted to identify the root causes and associated factors in a tow operator’s death. While it’s a known fact that drunk, drugged and distracted driving are the greatest reasons tow operators are killed, tow operator’s themselves continue to place themselves in harm’s way by working near traffic as it zips past them at 80 feet per second.

Nearly all states have some formal reporting agency that investigates tow operator fatalities other

than highway patrol, sheriff’s department or city policy. The Centers for Disease Control, Office of Traffic Safety, ResponderSafety.com and other first responder sites provide statistics and determinations on the epidemic of first-responder fatalities.

‘‘

Safety is something that has to learned,

it has to be instilled and it has to be practiced.

The towing and recovery industry is inherently dangerous; every tow operator who serves the motoring public is susceptible to being struck as soon as their boots hit the ground.

There is a need for solid in-house training programs that go hand-inhand with what the industry has been “formally” teaching for better than 25 years.

Getting the Message

Post-incident investigations seek to discover and evaluate the reasons that a crash occurred. Investigations take into consideration all actions of those parties involved and the conditions prior to impact. An investigation will typically reveal obvious explanations, but also may find those not-so-obvious elements not typically considered.

For example, a Massachusetts double fatality occurred on Feb. 20, 2004, when two male tow operators, ages 23 and 24, were struck and killed by a passing car as they reportedly stood in the breakdown lane of a major interstate. Victim 1, the 23-year-old, was returning to the company’s facility after towing a car with a conventional wrecker to a drop-off location a few towns away. He noticed the tow truck’s alternator light was on and

The Spirit Ride and Spirit Casket crossed the country for two years, raising awareness of Move Over laws and spotlighting tower safety.

40 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

➢

Investigations after the fact show that too often towers aren’t taking care for their own safety and visibility when working on the roadside.

pulled onto the highway’s shoulder. He called his office for help and waited.

Victim 2 responded in a flatbed carrier to his co-worker’s location.

Both operators were said to have been standing on the traffic side of their trucks when a passing motorist entered the shoulder, striking both victims and both trucks.

The Massachusetts Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation program determined numerous, and obvious, circumstances may have created deadly associated factors that weren’t instituted by tow operators on-scene.

Findings were publicized to prevent similar occurrences in the future. From the FACE assessment investigation, the report advised that employers should: • Ensure that employees use tow equipment control levers located on the side of the tow truck farthest from approaching traffic.

• E nsure that employees use portable emergency warning devices to help alert approaching motorists of the stopped emergency vehicles ahead.

• Supply, mandate and ensure that employees wear appropriate personal protective equipment, including high-visibility vests, when working highway and inner-city events.

42 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

‘‘

Every tow operator who serves the

motoring public

is susceptible to being struck as

soon as their boots hit the ground.

• Develop, implement and enforce standard operating procedures for responding to highway and street incidents that include minimizing time spent on the side of the vehicle that is closest to approaching traffic.

• Develop, implement and enforce a comprehensive safety program that includes training on hazard recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions.

In Layman’s Terms

We should all agree that proactive and repeated training is a main component of tow operator safety.

The factors determined by the FACE

assessment are not new, nor is the concept of working smart when being on the shoulders of high-speed highways.

The fatality history known by the towing and recovery industry proves that pedestrian workers are 10-times more vulnerable to fatal injuries then that of driving a motor vehicle.

Every individual who is hired as a tow operator or service technician must receive advanced “on-highway” training that has a solid focus on responder safety. In-house training programs must be specific to the cause and effect of the dangers associated with working on high-speed highways. The highway is no place for new and inexperienced towers.

As determined by FACE in their investigation, here are five topic-specific bits of narrative I’ve prepared for similar court cases to further define the message of safety. Consider the following: Work the Non-Traffic Side. Tow operators face deadly exposure when working, standing and walking on the traffic side or a highway’s shoulder or center divider. Today’s modern tow trucks are typically equipped with two sets of controls; the driver ’s side controls and the passenger-side controls. Tow operators are trained to operate the passenger, non-traffic side controls

➢

Whenever possible, working on the non-traffic side is a key tactic towers can employ.

whenever possible, keeping the tow truck or carrier ’s mass between moving traffic and their location.

Owners are encouraged to purchase new or as option, wireless controls where operators can remain away from moving traffic.

44 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

Provide Advanced Emergency Warning. All tow trucks and carriers shall be equipped with triangles, flares and cones. In accordance to Traffic Incident Management training, operators should apply some form of advance emergency warning to motor-

ists at the immediate onset of their arrival; similar to requirements found in federal CFR 49, “Use of Reflective Triangles.” Using flares, cones, triangles and signage sends a message to the motoring public that there is an active work zone ahead.

See and Be Seen. As a requirement of Incident Management, wearing Hi-Vis reflective vests and clothing creates an obvious illumination of the wearer’s body, to be specifically worn during hours of darkness. A tow company’s SOP shall require operators and service technicians to wear reflective clothing when serving as pedestrian workers.

SOPs for Preparation and Deployment. Tow company management is responsible to ensure that all employees are trained and competent in the rules, regulations and policies of the agencies they serve. Only experienced and trained personnel shall respond to highway related calls for service, patrol or work. I typically refer to your

company’s best personnel as, “Varsity Players,” not simply sending the new and untrained into extremely dangerous environments and situations.

Training and Safety Programs.

Employees shall not respond to these types of calls until fully trained and a level of competency and understanding is demonstrated. This category demands the need for attaining an industry standard of training that recognizes a standard of care typical to the towing and recovery industry, those serving in auto club response, or towers responding to calls for service by law enforcement. I recommended that, at minimum and beyond in-house training, tow and service responders receive training from a formal (training) entity that’s recognized by law enforcement and the towing and recovery industry. I further recommended that each employee’s file include copies of courses, seminars and specialized training completed by the employee. Highway respond-

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ers shall complete Traffic Incident Management training. (All training is good training; however, a certificate of completion is not an indication of competence.)

Defending Needless Fatality

Every call or response has the potential of inflicting great bodily injury or death to someone of the motoring public or to responding employees. There’s no such thing as a routine call. If you’ve been in the industry any amount of time, you’ll have already found that these messages have been repeated time and time again. So, why aren’t towers getting the message?

I’ve personally documented and confirmed as many as 980 tow operator fatalities since 1934 that have occurred on the highways, city streets, industrial incidents and as tow-related violence. I firmly believe that safety and responsibility belongs to every

tow operator and every tow owner.

Safety is something that has to be learned, it has to be instilled and it has to be practiced. When an investigation clearly identifies what led to an operator’s untimely demise, towers have to be smart to glean the message of survival, and then apply it in a manner that supports what we’ve been talking about.

Practicing and employing best practices is a learned performance.

Although I firmly believe that safety training is the best it’s ever been, the message still hasn’t reached all towers. Until it does, the industry should expect its continued path of counting tow operator fatalities.

Operations Editor Randall C. Resch is a retired California police officer and veteran tow business owner, manager, consultant and trainer. He writes for TowIndustryWeek.com and American Towman, is a member of the International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame and recipient of the Dave Jones Leadership Award. Email Randy at rreschran@gmail.com.

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - January 2020 • 45

Jerr-Dan University Launched During AT Expo

Last month during the American Towman Expo XXXI in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Jerr-Dan Corp. introduced JerrDan University, proclaimed as an industry-first product training program.

Participants can view live demos of various course offerings, register for online training and create a training dashboard to get started at jdu.jerrdan. com. Following passing grades, users will receive a badge and printable certificate.

“This online tool allows users to fully understand the uniqueness of Jerr-Dan products from both an operational as well as a service and maintenance perspective,” said Hal Wyatt, director of aftermarket support.

Current courses include educational training for the JFB 50/60 rotator and other heavy-duty wreckers. Modules in development include standard-duty carriers to debut in February. *** Also during the AT Expo in Atlantic City, Jerr-Dan announced it now is partnering with Ascentium Capital on an exclusive retail lending program designed to give a simple and seamless funding experience for towing and recovery equipment.

The dedicated Jerr-Dan Financial Solutions (jerrdan.com/financing) team offers a simple online application process, and qualified buyers may be eligible for up to 100 percent financing, flexible lending options and competitive interest rates with terms from 24 to 82 months.

Through the JDFS program, Jerr-Dan customers can also receive assistance with disposal of used assets as well as free consultation with industry experts to plan vehicle financing needs. Distributors and end-users can work directly with JDFS before going to the dealers to get pre-approved.

Warn Industries Wins SEMA Award

Warn Industries won Best Off-Road New Product from the SEMA Truck and Off-Road Alliance Council. Warn won for its Spydura Nightline Synthetic Winch Rope.

The winners of their third annual TORA Awards were announced during 48 • January 2020 - TOWMAN.COM

the 2019 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The awards are given to members who positively influence the market and to the best new products in the truck industry.

Made from molecular-weight polyethylene with UV-stable coating, Warn’s Spydura Nightline Synthetic Winch Rope features a red-and-black weave that integrates a 3M light-activated reflective strand into the rope. It is designed to improve visibility during recoveries and provide a unique look when spooled onto a winch.

Source: sema.org.

Peterbilt Parade Benefits United Way

Peterbilt Motors Co. (peterbilt.com) announced it raised more than $20,000 in donations at its fourth annual Pride and Class Parade in the downtown Denton, Texas, square as part of the annual United Way Denton County campaign.

“The first Pride and Class Parade in 2016 was such a success with the community and Peterbilt employees that it became an annual event,” said Jason Skoog, PACCAR VP/ Peterbilt GM. “This year, we saw a nearly 10-fold increase in donations raised to support United Way Denton County compared to the 2016 event. We are honored by this opportunity to give back to Denton and the local community.”

The annual Pride and Class Parade invites owners of 50 custom Peterbilt trucks from around the United States and Canada to showcase them.

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To Advertise In Towman’s Market CALL

800-732-3869 Ellen Rosengart x 203 erosengart@towman.com

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AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - January 2020 • 51

Lady Loretta

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

S

cott Flowers Sr. is New Jersey born and raised, with a can-do “Jersey attitude.” He got hooked on the automotive industry when he started working in a body shop in the summer of 1977. He was a young kid and a fast learner. With hard work and determination, Scott built his business from the ground up.

Scott has a strong reputation in the towing industry as a hard-working consummate professional. He has always been actively involved in his community and is continuously working to improve his capabilities and raise the professional standards of the towing industry.

Scott started Scott’s Towing & Recovery, based in Woodbridge, in 1983 with just a single tow truck. The business grew quickly and over the years Scott has racked up numerous

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certifications and awards and has built his business to become an award-winning towing and recovery service. His company handles everything from road service, to light-, medium-, and heavy-duty towing and recovery and is the authorized towing provider for multiple police departments, auto groups and repair facilities, as well as locals that need a helping hand.

Scott’s team includes his son Scottie Jr. and daughter Tiffany, who have Jersey attitude and passion in spades.

Scott comes from a big family and learned his family values from his parents and has passed it on to his kids.

“My son Scottie is in the trenches with me and my daughter Tiffany keeps the office in order and Scottie and me in line,” Scott said.

Scottie grew up in the business and has been working alongside his

dad for years. He is the company’s co-owner/manager. Always looking to improve and expand their fleet, they recently purchased the beauty featured here.

This rig was about a month old and in service for just about a week or so as of this writing. This truck is dedicated to the memory of Scott’s mother, Loretta, who passed away on July 26, 2017, at the age of 84. She was the charismatic matriarch of the family, a shrewd businesswoman, active in her community and an animal lover who donated to the Humane Society.

The Lady Loretta is a Century 12 Series LCG 21’ steel flatbed mounted on a 2020 International MV Series medium-duty chassis, and is powered by a Cummins engine mated to an Allison Automatic transmission. Loretta was purchased from Patriot Sales and

Service in Plainsville, Massachusetts.

Wrap Specialties in Woodbridge, New Jersey, did the lettering on Loretta. Marcos P. and Nick C., the Wrap Boys, founded the company in 2013. Both have had a passion for cars since they were teens. They offer professional vehicle wraps, paint protection, paint correction, ceramic coating, commercial wraps, restyle, window tint, decals, and signs with attention to detail that is second to none.

“The most important attribute this unit will bring to our business is fuel efficiency and tow operator safety,” Scott said. “Customers always have admired our upkeep with our older trucks, this truck will surely impress them.”

Jim “Buck” Sorrenti, a longtime editor of American Towman, has been our field editor for the past 10 years. He is a freelance writer and photographer with more than 40 years of experience covering motorcycle, hot rod, truck and towing culture. He writes weekly for TowIndustryWeek.com.

Tech Highlights Nickname: Loretta Chassis: 2020 International MV Wrecker: Century 12 Series LCG 21’ steel flatbed

Engine: Cummins Trans: Allison Automatic Builder: Miller Industries Graphics: Wrap Specialties

Loretta Flowers.

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AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - January 2020 • 53

Chaos Masters

By Steve Calitri

Year after year, tow business owners express to me a m azem en t at how smoothly the American Towman Exposition runs considering all the special events surrounding the world’s largest tow show. Attendees and exhibitors alike in Atlantic City, New Jersey, last month again were impressed with AT Expo XXXI. Upon further reflection, many of these same tow bosses understand that we at American Towman take the time for advance planning. With the proper planning, things should run smoothly, and if we are on the ball, any surprises will be dealt with effectively or a ready contingency plan is pulled off the shelf. Towers on the other hand deal in chaos, learning to expect the unexpected. They cannot schedule all their calls at chosen locations like we can schedule events, time and place.

What tow bosses can do is practice response and execution. They can train themselves and their tow operators to deal effectively with whatever is thrown their way. A towing company that has the best trained operators is going to solve problems, execute satisfactorily and impress those relying on their work: the motorist, commercial accounts, police, firefighters, etc.

Having well-trained operators is the biggest key to being successful, all things considered. A company with illtrained operators will not thrive and ultimately will fail.

The training landscape looks brighter than ever in the coming year.

WreckMaster has made training and certification more accessible with its online programs. Tow bosses might do well to require that job applicants go

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There are many good reasons to put your operators through a training course.

through their online program and get certified. Meanwhile, American Towman is producing The Towman Games in Cleveland, Ohio, at the world-class Huntington Convention Center in June with intense training courses, including the industry’s first Quick Clearance course and certification.

The surest way of securing commercial work and police towing contracts is to show that you have a team of professional operators. Being able to say your operators have been trained—by WreckMaster or CTTA or Southwest Tow Operators or any other training organization—puts you ahead of the pack. The people you tow for want competency.

In Las Vegas, Nevada, in May during Tow Industry Week, American Towman is offering rotator training at the Westgate Hotel and Conference Center with WreckMaster instructors.

Rotator training will also be offered in Cleveland in June.

There are many good reasons to put your operators through a training course. Risk management is certainly one. Boosting operator morale is another. By investing in training your operators you are not only investing in enhanced performance but in retaining your people. Training creates pride and achieving it is like receiving a badge of honor. I think every tower on the road deserves that much.

MA Towman Struck by Car

A towman was injured in Hanson, Massachusetts, recently when another driver struck him after he pulled over to check on the vehicles he was towing, police said.

Police responded to a report of a crash about 12:45 p.m. Officers learned the victim was a driver for Bridgewater-based Chuckran Auto Parts.

“While getting equipment out of a compartment on the side of the truck, a vehicle heading south clipped the driver,” said police. The victim was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and released.

The crash was under investigation at press time.

Source: enterprisenews.com.

Philly Towmen Collect Toys

More than 20 towmen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, gathered to give back to kids in the community during

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the holidays.

For 12 years, Charles Norton, owner of Norton’s Tow Squad, has rallied all his towman friends and encouraged them to buy gifts that they deliver to Youth Service Inc. He said towmen get a bad rap, but events like Tows For Tots help their reputation.

“This is one time of the year we all come together,” Norton said. “And there’s no fighting, no argument.

There’s no competing about business.

The only thing they compete about is, ‘I can bring more gifts than you can!’ “ Youth Service Inc. helps provide shelter for children who don’t have permanent homes.

Source: kywnewsradio.radio.com.

South Bend Extends Tow Company

The South Bend (Indiana) Board of Public Works granted a three-month extension to ASAP Towing & Recovery to perform towing for the police department, Dec. 10. The short renewal will

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allow the city to open the work for bids for the first time in three years.

The move comes after the city extended the contract without seeking bids the previous two years in a row.

The city disbanded an on-call rotation of five companies and awarded the exclusive contract to ASAP, the only firm to submit a bid, in 2016.

While city officials have noted they met their legal obligation in 2016 by placing two newspaper advertisements seeking bids, two members serving on the Board of Public Works at the time have acknowledged the city did not take steps to maximize competition.

Under the contract, ASAP tows upward of 3,000 crashed and impounded vehicles for the police department each year.

The amendment approved by the board will extend ASAP’s contract to April 2. That, according to the amendment, will give the city time to put together a request for proposals seeking bids.

Source: southbendtribune.com.

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Tennessee Highway Patrol Called ‘Unfair’

Towing companies in Marion County, Tennessee, have filed a lawsuit, claiming unfair treatment from the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

Rodney Kilgore, the owner of Monteagle Wrecker Service, says his family and fellow wreckers have been taken off the THP call list over minor infractions. Now, when THP responds to an accident, Kilgore says he doesn’t get a call. He says others in his family haven’t either, causing business to slow down or close altogether.

“My daughter was in the wrecker business, and they put her out of business ‘cause she was my daughter. Put my dad out of the wrecker business because he’s my dad,” said Kilgore.

He claims a THP lieutenant is holding a grudge over a lawsuit from years ago in which Kilgore claimed a THP employee sexually harassed an office employee.

Source: newschannel9.com.

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Texas Towman Killed

by Drunk Driver

Irving (Texas) Police said a tow operator was struck and killed on West State Highway 183, Dec. 10. Towman Joshua Henao was on the right shoulder loading a vehicle onto his tow truck when the deadly collision happened.

“It happens very often,” Dallas Tow Boys owner Brent Lemmond said. “Especially on the weekends or whatnot, there’s a lot of accidents. I would say several a week—three, four a week.”

Lemmond said all the tow trucks in his shop waiting to be repaired are evidence of this.

Officers arrested Edgar Arturo Zavala-Asturias at the scene, who is charged with intoxication manslaughter/accident involving death.

Source: dfw.cbslocal.com.

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Tow Company Donates to Homeless

During the holiday season, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, couple was collecting junk cars to put omething good into the hands of those who are less fortunate.

Linzi Gatzow and her husband, Dawayne, own Down & Out Towing & Recovery. For every junk car they received in December, they gave a care package to a homeless man or woman.

“Every bit counts, you know?” said Dawayne. “Just to show them that there’s some hope. There’s somebody out there thinking about them.”

Source: fox6now.com.

South Bend Extends Tow Company

The South Bend (Indiana) Board of Public Works granted a three-month extension to ASAP Towing & Recovery to perform towing for the police department, Dec. 10. The short renewal will allow the city to open the work for

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bids for the first time in three years.

The move comes after the city extended the contract without seeking bids the previous two years in a row.

The city disbanded an on-call rotation of five companies and awarded the exclusive contract to ASAP, the only firm to submit a bid, in 2016.

While city officials have noted they met their legal obligation in 2016 by placing two newspaper advertisements seeking bids, two members serving on the Board of Public Works at the time have acknowledged the city did not take steps to maximize competition.

Under the contract, ASAP tows upward of 3,000 crashed and impounded vehicles for the police department each year.

The amendment approved by the board will extend ASAP’s contract to April 2. That, according to the amendment, will give the city time to put together a request for proposals seeking bids.

Source: southbendtribune.com.

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CTTA Adds Training Partners

The California Tow Truck Association and the Emergency Road Service Coalition of America have partnered with Jerr-Dan Corp. on beginner training.

The partnership will provide codes to company owners that they can exchange for seats in “Intro to Towing,” an online course for new towing hires/beginners; the codes become available after the owners buy new tow trucks from Jerr-Dan. The ‘Towing’ course covers: Safety, Professionalism, Service Calls, Tow Truck Anatomy, and Basic Towing Procedure.

“Jerr-Dan stepping forward to help provide this training to towing company employees is essential to both CTTA’s and ERSCA’s mission of furthering professionalism and service to the motoring public,” said Quinn Piening, CTTA president.

Source: go.ctta.com.

Casper PD Contract for Four

A proposed Casper, Wyoming, professional services agreement would contract four towing companies to provide services for the Casper Police Department and other agencies that work through the city’s Public Safety Communications Center.

The city’s previous agreement expired in June. The four companies that would be contracted include All Around Towing; E & F Towing, Transport and Recovery; M.A.D. Transportation & Towing; and On the Hook Recovery and Transport.

The companies would be obligated to release personal property to owners when authorized to do so by the Casper area agency requesting the tow.

Source: oilcity.news.

Denver Towman Shot, Killed

Friends and family members in Denver, Colorado, are mourning the loss of towman Paul Dakan who

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was killed while doing his job last month.

According to the Office of the Medical Examiner, Dakan, 36, died at the hospital after being shot at Elite Towing. Victor Arenas-Foote, 25, has been arrested in connection with the shooting and was being held for investigation of first-degree murder, felony murder and aggravated robbery.

According to the statement of probable cause, a witness said the shooter’s car had been impounded. Video from the scene showed a heavyset male walking with a 60-year-old woman in the tow yard. Police say Arenas-Foote shot the victim, and left with the woman in the impounded car without paying the $300 tow fee.

Police questioned the woman with Arenas-Foote. According to an official statement, she said that she told Foote several times to let her out of the car but he refused, saying he was scared and didn’t know what to do. She has not been charged.

Source: denver.cbslocal.com.

South Bend Extends Tow Company

The South Bend (Indiana) Board of Public Works granted a threemonth extension to ASAP Towing & Recovery to perform towing for the police department, Dec. 10. The short renewal will allow the city to open the work for bids for the first time in three years.

The move comes after the city extended the contract without seeking bids the previous two years in a row.

The city disbanded an on-call rotation of five companies and awarded the exclusive contract to ASAP, the only firm to submit a bid, in 2016.

While city officials have noted they met their legal obligation in 2016 by placing two newspaper advertisements seeking bids, two members serving on the Board of Public Works at the time have acknowledged the city did not take steps to maximize competition.

Under the contract, ASAP tows upward of 3,000 crashed and

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impounded vehicles for the police department each year.

The amendment approved by the board will extend ASAP’s contract to April 2. That, according to the amendment, will give the city time to put together a request for proposals seeking bids.

Source: southbendtribune.com.

Tennessee Highway Patrol Called ‘Unfair’

Towing companies in Marion County, Tennessee, have filed a lawsuit, claiming unfair treatment from the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

Rodney Kilgore, the owner of Monteagle Wrecker Service, says his family and fellow wreckers have been taken off the THP call list over minor infractions. Now, when THP responds to an accident, Kilgore says he doesn’t get a call. He says others in his family haven’t either, causing business to slow down or close altogether.

“My daughter was in the wrecker

business, and they put her out of business ‘cause she was my daughter. Put my dad out of the wrecker business because he’s my dad,” said Kilgore.

He claims a THP lieutenant is holding a grudge over a lawsuit from years ago in which Kilgore claimed a THP employee sexually harassed an office employee.

Source: newschannel9.com.

Tow Company Donates to Homeless

During the holiday season, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, couple was collecting junk cars to put omething good into the hands of those who are less fortunate.

Linzi Gatzow and her husband, Dawayne, own Down & Out Towing & Recovery. For every junk car they received in December, they gave a care package to a homeless man or woman.

“Every bit counts, you know?” said Dawayne. “Just to show them that there’s some hope. There’s somebody out there thinking about them.”

Source: fox6now.com.

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CopyrightŠ2020 American Towman Magazine. Characters and stories are fictitious; no resemblance to real life characters is intended.

Send your thoughts/suggestions on the Adventures to scalitri@towman.com or American Towman, 2 Overlook Dr #5, Warwick NY 10990