American Towman Magazine - October 2019

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OCTOBER 2019 / $10

THE ROAD CALLS

American Towman

Exposition XXXI December 4-7 Atlantic City

Playground of the Eastern Seaboard

Enjoy your coffee at TowIndustryWeek.com AmericanTowman.com

PTSD, Towing & You State Licensing Rules Service Animal Transport

october Volume: 43 Issue: 10 2019

AT EXPO’s Official Program Pages 59-90

FEATURE CONTENTS

26

Tow Business Compliance Get familiar with the state-by-state licensing requirements beyond FMCSA rules.

by Brian J. Riker

Departments

36

The Walkaround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Suicide by Tow Truck

News Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Tow Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Dealing with the aftermath of a suicidal pedestrian or motorist can be a mind-numbing experience for tow operators.

Tow Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

by Randall C. Resch

Ad Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

40

On Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Tow Boss. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Seminar Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Beacons On! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Repo Run. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Repo Times. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Towman’s Market . . . . . . . . . . . 118 My Baby.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Low Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Adventures of A.T.. . . N133, M,S,W129

This page: New Jersey’s Hawk’s Towing and Risoldi’s Automotive teamed up recently on a dangling box truck.

6 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

Coping with PTSD So few people want to talk about mental health, but you should make it just as important as your physical health.

by Dr. Chad Wetterneck

48

Angling in Jersey A three-vehicle crash left a box truck hanging over the side of I-195 outside Trenton, New Jersey.

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

104

Protecting Against Lawsuits The cost to defend yourself, even against a frivolous lawsuit, can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

by Larry Oxenham

Getting to Atlantic City

By Dennie Ortiz

I wish the entire towing community could join us this year in Atlantic City.

However, if my wish were to come true, that would bring the world to a standstill. Yes, towers are that crucial!

Donna and Ed Ramsay, some old friends from Canada, are perennial American Towman attendees … every show we produce, they are there with warm smiles and good cheer. Donna emailed me recently to ask which way is best to get to Atlantic City. Actually, there are many different ways, best way is fly into Philly and drive or Uber into AC. This year’s American Towman Exposition XXXI will be a momentous event as towers take over historic Atlantic City. This show will be memorable, as it will host the premiere of the Towman Trust Award. This is a major recognition program that has been created to honor and recognize top towing companies that have built and established confidence and a strong reputation with the motoring public, city and highway authorities

and within the towing industry.

The Expo still offers the industry’s foremost educational program, The American Towman Academy, major networking events including Miller Rocks!, Festival Night and more … and an exhibit floor bursting with suppliers including the major wrecker and chassis manufacturers.

Of course, the show floor would not be the same without pie. “Pie?” you ask. Yes, pie—which has become a Towman tradition—that is served on the last day of the show to everyone in the exhibit hall!

After all this sweet talk, some of you may be hungering for more. To feed your appetite for information, this issue features a must-read article for every towing business in the country. Our contributing editor, Brian Riker, has compiled a thorough analysis and crucial state-by-state breakdown of licensing requirements for tow businesses.

Please enjoy this information-packed issue of American Towman and we hope to see you soon in Atlantic City!

Pain and Loss on the White Line

by Brendan Dooley

It’s no secret that towers are dealing with people on their worst day a majority of the time. In too many instances, they then seek to inflict their bad days on the responding towman.

In some cases though, motorists who have broken down mentally seek to end their own pain by inflicting their choice to die on an unsuspecting towman. Operations Editor Randall Resch discusses the grim topic of “Suicide by Tow Truck” (p. 36), outlining what towers can do to try to prevent the incidents … and deal with the

8 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

aftermath when it does happen.

Following on that, guest contributor Dr. Chad Wetterneck, a leading authority on diagnosing and treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, gives tips and advice for dealing with PTSD. Whether working through events like in Resch’s article, or the everyday dealings with working the white line’s accidents and trauma to other motorists and towers themselves, Wetterneck shows what to look for in employees, co-workers and ourselves—and strategies to carry on (p.

40).

You don’t have to be alone in coping with pain and loss.

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 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 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 ©2019 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 Rally for Former Towman

For 40 years, Massachusetts towman Martin “Woody” Woods has been there to help stranded motorists and other drivers. But now, the towing community has rallied to support Woods, 78, after he recently suffered a ruptured intestine.

More than 30 tow trucks and pickup trucks gathered in Raynham for a tow truck run to raise money for Woods, who retired in 2019. Led by Woods’ old tow truck along with a state police trooper, the group followed a roughly 10-mile route.

“I’ve always been proud to be in this industry,” Woods said. “This makes me even more proud. ... This is the only industry that comes together for its people because they all understand what we’re up against.”

“They love and respect him a lot,” said his wife, Pam Woods. “These tow guys are amazing. This is going to uplift him so much ... It’s just a wonderful, beautiful thing these guys did for him.”

Source: enterprisenews.com.

125 Citations in ‘Move Over’ Focus

The Corpus Christi (Texas) Police Department recently set up an “accident scene” involving a tow truck along the freeway on I-37 to see if people would obey the state’s Move Over law.

At the end of the day, police wrote 125 tickets and could have written more with more manpower. In about 2.5 hours, 14 police officers at both sites were able to make a total of 91 traffic stops and handed out the tickets. Those included violations for things like not having a driver’s license or no insurance.

“The operators are out here performing their services for the motoring community. Their lights are on. They’ve done everything they can do to give you an advanced warning. Unfortunately, traffic is not slowing down or moving over, and ultimately not paying attention,” said Michael Staff, VP of Apollo Towing.

Source: kiiitv.com.

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Gray’s Towing Helps VFW Move Tank Gray’s Towing in Flint, Michigan, helped VFW 4087 move a tank and a howitzer cannon to its new building. davisonindex. mihomepaper.com image.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4087 of Davison, Michigan, made the final move to its new building recently with a little help from some towing friends to move an old military tank, howitzer cannon and flagpole from the original post site.

Gray’s Towing of Flint provided a tow truck, while Bristol Steel sent a flatbed and members of the Local 125 Ironworkers offered manpower to move the

non-functioning pieces of military equipment from the post’s old home.

For Gray’s towman Dave Scott, there were family connections as his grandfather, a member of Local Ironworkers 125, used his bulldozer to assist with the unloading of the tank sometime in the 1960s.

The move took about two hours to complete.

Source: davisonindex.mihomepaper.com.

Flames Engulf

Disabled Car During Tow A towman got more than he bargained for recently after loading a disabled sedan onto the back of his truck in Seal Beach, California.

Flames erupted after he had loaded the car on his truck, eventually engulfing the car in a fiery blaze.

At about 7:15 p.m., the tow truck stopped in the middle lane atop an overpass above the 405 Freeway. Flames could be seen inside the passenger compartment of the car.

About five minutes later, the tow truck pulled into the parking lot of the Seal Beach Post Office on Westminster Boulevard as flames engulfed the car.

He was soon joined by at least three Seal Beach police cars, racing up with lights and sirens, and eventually an Orange County Fire

A sedan’s interior started on fire in tow and eventually engulfed the whole vehicle aboard a flatbed. ocregister. com image.

Authority pumper truck.

The street filled with white smoke after firefighters began dousing the flames.

Source: ocregister.com.

… He escaped death, but not injury …

Motorcade Honors Killed Towman

Several towing companies came together in Millbrook, Alabama, to remember the life of Jacobs Towing employee Richard Wilson who died weeks after he was struck by a vehicle while on the job.

The tow truck motorcade sought to encourage people to move over and slow down when they see tow trucks on the side of the road.

Wilson was struck by a vehicle on I-85 while he was trying to load a vehicle onto his wrecker July 29.

Jacobs Towing owner Lee Jacobs said getting a call like that, one where one of your drivers has been hit or even worse, killed, is a call you never want to get. He said he just wanted people to realize everyone has similar goals.

“We have families and they expect us to come home at the end of the day just like everybody else,” said Jacobs.

Source: wsfa.com.

Towman Petruccio Honored for Heroism

Alex Petruccio, a towman for Treat’s Garage in Windsor, New Jersey, was recently honored by Robbinsville Township Mayor David Fried and the Robbinsville Township Council for going “beyond what could be asked of anyone and saved a man’s life,” when a routine tow (detailed on page 8 in the September issue of American Towman Magazine) turned into a life-threatening situation.

Petruccio said he knew exactly what to do in that situation because before he took on the role of a tow truck driver he served as an EMT. Eventually, when he had made sure that the victims were safe, he even began to direct traffic so that the helicopter could land.

According to a resolution presented to Petruccio, the newly crowned hero provided “a swift response in the face of imminent danger to the driver,” which “ultimately resulted in the best possible outcome.”

Source: tapinto.net.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

A trucker lost control on wet roads and smashed into a Ray’s Towing truck on the side of the road. wisn.com image.

Milwaukee Towman Survived Horrific Crash Towman Josef “Joe” Altenhofen is recovering after a frightening crash on I-41/94 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The crash happened Aug. 27 and snarled traffic for more than four hours.

Altenhofen was in the process of loading a car onto his flatbed when a tractor-trailer slammed into him; the frightening footage from various DOT traffic cameras and dash cams of the incident went viral online.

“He told me he saw in his mirror the trailer of the semi already jackknifed and coming at him,” Ray’s Towing manager Mark Salentine said. “Anybody who has seen the dashcam video probably gasped out loud by just what appears to be a horrific impact and it was. In the video, you see the door open a little bit,

and then close.”

The driver of the tractor-trailer lost control on wet roads at the scene of a crash. He flipped his vehicle onto its side across all three lanes of traffic.

Altenhofen told him the next thing he remembers is waking up on the floor of his cab with deputies calling his name.

“He escaped death, but not injury,” the company said in a Facebook post. “We shouldn’t forget how such an event can affect more than the body of the injured person, not to mention their family and other loved ones.”

Deputies cited the driver for going too fast for conditions and failure to keep his vehicle under control.

Source: wisn.com.

Towman Josef Altenhofen’s flatbed truck after being hit by a semi. wisn.com image.

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 11

Transporting Customers with Pets

T

By Paul Stephens

here are many types of pets people have these days: dogs, cats, iguanas, snakes, parrots, ferrets … just name it and someone probably has one as a pet. A lot of time we think of transporting a customer as part of the job.

Then there is the added problem of customers who bring along a furry friend.

We have all been there, dealing with customers who had pets along when they unexpectedly broke down.

Especially those pets that are treated like children will be likely to be riding in the vehicles when an unexpected problem arises.

One of the most important things is that you understand that, to many owners, their pets are more important than the vehicle or situation they are currently in. We often focus on the human aspect of calls, but what about other species?

This part of the job and call info is rarely transferred to the towing company and more rarely yet to the operator.

When should the average pet be relocated by a trusted companion or other method rather than in the tow truck?

What’s Policy?

While that breakdown becomes a bigger problem for the vehicle owner’s concern for their pet, it also becomes a bigger consideration for the driver on the scene. Do you have a company policy or uniform understanding on handling animals? If so, has it been communicated to the staff effectively?

Vehicle owners are confronted with the issue of how to keep the animal safe and relatively calm while still allowing the tower access to the vehicle to load and transport … all this while likely under added stress of the disablement.

Upon arrival, conversations with the customer can go a long way with setting the expectation as to where the animal will ride during the transport.

12 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

For many owners, their pets are more important than the vehicle or situation they are in.

Weather can play a deciding role in exactly how to proceed with your company policy as well, since an animal riding in a hot car can be devastating to the animal in a short period of time. Sometimes it requires common sense—contacting a ride-share company, taxi or other means—to transport the customer and animal.

So, you want to attempt to do the right thing and allow the animal to ride in the climate-controlled cab?

There are things to consider that do lead some companies to refuse any animals into the cab of the tow truck.

For example: • Space. The animal could potentially need to be controlled.

Depending on the size of the animal, how many customers are riding and the cab itself, this can make it difficult to have a place to put the pet’s paws/claws/ whatever.

• A llergies. Some are pet-related and there is no way to completely control the revolving door of customers; a later allergic reaction by a different customer, no matter how well the cab is cleaned, is always possible. That’s not even accounting for your own employees’ potential allergies.

• Bio. An animal’s need for breaks,

or susceptibility to car sickness, will impact the transport, especially on a longer trip. Remember that a truck doesn’t ride like a car and the animal may already be unnerved or agitated.

Again, explaining to the customer prior to loading the vehicle can help them understand clearly the company policies and why they are in place. If your company has a strict No Animals Ride policy, there are things to consider when refusing the transport of animals in the cab of the truck.

The most important thing for the operator is to remedy the situation as best as possible while having the customer understand the animal must be kept in control the entire time you are present. If the animal were to get loose while waiting, or while you are putting the vehicle in neutral, then you have a loose animal on a roadway who is already scared.

Service Animals

Are you and your company prepared to handle service animals?

Recently, my company had a situation where the operator felt the animal was a lap dog, the kind some people would keep in a purse. The customer stated it was a service animal and it was being transported for an autistic child.

Continued on p. 25

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Eureka! Six Simple Machines in Towing

By Terry Abejuela

T

he six simple machines are mechanical devices that change the magnitude or direction of a force. Scientists first identified them in the 14th to 17th centuries. We learned, or should have, the basics of these six simple machines when we were in elementary school and they are the basis for many of the everyday machines that help us work in towing and recovery.

The six simple machines include the lever, incline plane, screw, wheel and axle, wedge and pulley. If you start looking for them you will see them in use in all of the tools and machines we use in the towing and recovery industry.

We should begin with understanding some of the terminology used in the physics of these six simple machines.

• Energy: In physics, energy is the capacity for doing work. Energy exists in different forms includ-

ing potential, kinetic, electrical, chemical, nuclear and thermal.

Energy can be transformed from one form to another. For example the chemical energy contained in gasoline is transformed into kinetic energy to propel a vehicle.

• Machine: Comes from the Greek word meaning “to help make things easier.” A machine can help make work easier.

• Ideal Machine: A hypothetical mechanical system where no energy is lost due to friction, deformation, wear or other inefficiencies.

• Work: In physics, work is force times distance. To perform work, you have to apply a force over a distance. If you lift a 10-lbs. weight 10’ off of the ground, you have performed 100-ft./lbs. of work. You applied a force of 10 lbs. to overcome the force of

‘‘

The six simple

machines include the lever, incline

plane, screw, wheel and axle, wedge and pulley.

gravity on the object and you applied this force for a distance of 10’.

• M echanical Advantage: This term refers to the ratio between the input force supplied to a machine and the output force of the machine. If you supply 10 lbs. of input force into a machine and the machine produces an output force of 20 lbs., the machine has a 2:1 mechanical advantage.

Levers

Archimedes—the ancient Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor and astronomer—is believed to have said, “Give me a firm place to stand and I will move the world,” in reference to a lever’s ability to perform work. (He’s also credited with shouting “Eureka!” while running naked from his bath after reasoning through displacement of water in measuring density.)

A lever consists of a rigid bar and a pivot point called a fulcrum. The location of the effort, resistance (load) and fulcrum determines if the lever is a first-, second- or third-class lever.

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If the boom remains stationary and the load is moved using the winch and rope, then it would be a first-class lever.

14 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

tance would be the load at the end of the rope.

Incline Plane

A car carrier deck is an example of an incline plane.

• A first-class lever is when the fulcrum is located between the effort and the resistance.

• A second-class lever has the load between the effort and the fulcrum.

• A third-class lever has the effort between the resistance and the fulcrum.

An easily identifiable first-class lever is a seesaw. If the fulcrum is located in the middle of the rigid beam or bar, it will have a 1:1 mechanical advantage. If you apply 10 lbs. of effort on one end of the rigid bar, you will be able to lift 10 lbs. on the other end of the rigid bar.

If you move the effort side of the rigid bar 1’, the resistance side of the rigid bar will move 1’. You have not gained mechanical advantage, but have changed the direction of the force. You can gain mechanical advantage by placing the fulcrum closer to the resistance.

If the length of the resistance side of the rigid bar is 1’ and the effort side of the rigid bar is 2’, you will only have to apply 5 lbs. of effort to move 10 lbs. of resistance. However, to move the resistance 1’, you will have to move the effort side of the rigid bar 2’. You have traded effort for distance.

Many hand tools utilize a lever to help perform work, like a pliers, pry bar, claw hammer and bolt cutters.

A wheelbarrow is an example of a second-class lever. In a second-class lever, the force is applied in the same direction that the resistance will move.

16 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

The closer the resistance is to the load, the more mechanical advantage will be gained. Again, you will trade off effort for distance.

The sweeping action of a broom is an easy example of a third-class lever.

An independent or conventional recovery boom is an example as well—when the hydraulic rams are used to raise the load. The fulcrum is the pivot point attached at the mast, the hydraulic rams are the effort and the resistance is the load at the end of the boom.

If the boom remains stationary and the load is moved using the winch and rope, then it would be a first-class lever. The effort would be the winch, the sheave at the end of the boom would be the fulcrum and the resis-

An incline plane is a ramp. To determine the mechanical advantage of an incline plane, you would divide the travel length by the height. For example, an incline plane that is 20’ long and rises 5’ above the ground has a 4:1 mechanical advantage. If the resistance is 3,000 lbs., you would only need to exert 750 lbs. of effort to move the load up the incline plane. A car carrier deck is an example of an incline plane.

Screw

A screw is just an incline plane wrapped in a spiral. Screws are commonly used to fasten objects together.

There are of course many examples of this on your towing and recovery equipment. A worm-gear-driven winch uses a screw.

Wedge

A wedge utilizes two incline planes back to back that can be used to separate two objects, lift an object or hold an object in place. The mechanical advantage of the wedge is determined by the length of the wedge divided by the height (just like an incline plane).

Some examples of wedges used in the

Any equipment that utilizes gears is also a variation of the wheel and axle.

towing and recovery industry would be an axe, knife and wheel chock.

Wheel and Axle

The wheel and axle is considered to be one of the most significant inventions in the history of the world. There are obvious examples of the wheel and axle on a tow truck: the truck itself, tow dollies, motorcycle dollies and floor jacks. Any equipment that utilizes gears is also a variation of the wheel and axle.

A gear is just a wheel with teeth.

Pulley

A pulley is a wheel and axle where the diameter of the wheel has a groove in it to support a rope, cable or belt.

As with the other simple machines, it is used to change the direction of or magnify a force. The snatch block is a variation of the pulley that by design is able to snatch the rope instead of the rope having to be reeved through the pulley. The sheave at the end of the recovery boom is another example of a pulley on a tow truck.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

The sheave at the end of the recovery boom is another example of a pulley on a tow truck.

Simple machines are used in many different applications in the towing and recovery industry. Some of the machines used in our industry utilize more than one simple machine and are called complex machines. Some applications utilize a simple machine acting on another simple machine and are called compound machines.

It you take a closer look, you will

be amazed at how many applications of simple machines are involved helping a tow operator perform work on a daily basis.

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.

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 17

Irr Named CEO of Worldwide Pritchard Cos.,

parent company o f Wo r l d w i d e Equipment Sales ( n e w t o w t ru c k s . com), recently named Jeffrey Irr as Worldwide’s new chief executive officer. A release from the company stated that Irr complements the goals and core values of Worldwide Equipment Sales.

Irr has been in the transportation industry for 31 years, including five years most recently as manager of sales and marketing and daily operations at Jerr-Dan Corp.

The release said Irr grew JerrDan’s sales and developed the current JDFS Financial Solutions Program.

The release also cited Irr’s “leadership and knowledge of the Class

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18 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 19

6-8 truck and towing markets” that benefitted Jerr-Dan will also help “ensure the successful future” for Worldwide.

“We are fortunate to have someone of Jeff Irr’s caliber and experience leading us into the next era of growth,” said Worldwide’s founder, Pat Winer.

20 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

Hino Hosts Grand Opening

Hino (hino.com) recently ushered in a new era of manufacturing capability during a grand opening ceremony attended by government officials, dealers, customers, suppliers and media.

The attendees took part in a tour of Hino’s nearly 1,000,000-sq./ ft. facility in Mineral Wells, West Virginia, a tree-planting tradition and a Kagami-Wari ceremony to consummate Hino’s growth commitment to the U.S. “Hino is committed to building its trucks and products in the market it operates in. We have committed $100 million in capital investment into our new stateof-the-art manufacturing facility, generating 250 new jobs,” said Yoshio Shimo, Hino Motors Ltd. president/CEO. “Today, I am excited to announce an additional commitment of $40 million in

investment to meet increased demand and product configurations, creating an additional 250 new jobs, totaling 800 team members.”

Hino’s first truck rolled off the assembly line at the new plant in June where it will continue to assemble all class 6, 7 and 8 conventional trucks, including its newly released class 7 and 8 XL Series.

TomTom Telematics Rebranded

Following the acquisition of TomTom Telematics (telematics.tomtom. com) by Bridgestone Europe in April, Bridgestone has announced that TomTom Telematics’ company name will become Webfleet Solutions as of Oct. 1, 2019.

According to a release, the newly named Webfleet Solutions reflects Bridgestone’s ambition to provide a wider range of digital mobility and fleet solutions to its customers. The business now serves more than 1.2

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Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 21

million vehicles with mobility subscriptions and fleet solutions.

Teams from Bridgestone and Webfleet Solutions will continue to explore new opportunities and innovate together.

Stertil-Koni Will Sponsor National Lift Week

Heavy duty vehicle lift manufacturer Stertil-Koni (stertil-koni.com) announced that it will sponsor National Lift Week, Oct. 7-12, in venues across North America. The six-day event, now in its sixth year, is a celebration that showcases best practices in vehicle lift safety, service, and performance.

Stertil-Koni’s network of distributors across North America will host live vehicle lift product demos, hands-on briefings and educational updates associated with the latest advancements in vehicle lifting safety, features and environmental stewardship.

Each of the six days will have specific themes: Mobile Column Monday; Two-Post Tuesday; Wireless Wednesday; Earthy Thursday; Wheels-Free Friday; and Safety Saturday.

“At Stertil-Koni, we strongly believe that every day is an extension of National Lift Week and we are pleased to join with our colleagues in the entire vehicle lifting sector to shine an even brighter light on the importance

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22 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

of vehicle lift safety and best practices,” said Dr. Jean DellAmore, Stertil-Koni president.

SuperSprings Adds Execs

SuperSprings International (supersprings.com) recently announced two shifts in its executive leadership organization. Adam Weisner moves into the role of chief marketing officer and Michael Stickney joins as chief sales officer.

Weisner will lead all marketing efforts and growth for the company, and will continue to report to the CEO. He joined SuperSprings in 2018 as chief operating officer, and previously was managing director, head of client services and digital channels at a global financial institution.

Stickney leads sales and businesses development for the company, reporting to the CEO. He previously held the role of national sales manager at Westin Automotive and joins the company with more than 28 years of experience in the field.

24 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

Continued from p. 12 We have a clear and precise policy on animals, and this fell into the area of acceptable transport. However, the issue was that the dog didn’t have a vest or ID marks on its collar noting its role as a service dog. The operator felt the customer was not being truthful.

After some document examination, it was clearly a service animal and everything worked out fine eventually.

The Americans with Disabilities Act defines service animals as any animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. It routinely handles complaints related to businesses or individuals who refuse service to customers with service animals. These animals are protected by their custodian’s ADA rights; they usually cannot be denied service if identified as a service animal.

This brings into question the company policy of no animals in the cab of a tow truck or service vehicle. Take caution if you are presented with a situation involving a service animal, as you are

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

not expected to police the policy, only comply.

If the customer identifies the animal as a service animal and not a pet, you have the right to request documentation or to see the service animal vest and/ or collar.

We all know too many customers will try to get away with whatever they can not to be inconvenienced, however it can get dicey when it comes to service animals. Understanding the laws can keep you out of trouble in an area that we don’t deal with as often as other businesses do.

If your company doesn’t have a policy, then you should really consider one as it will help drivers on the road with unruly animals, but also protect service animals.

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.

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 25

Tow Business Compliance Getting into the nitty-gritty of individual state licensing requirements

M

uch attention is given to the requirements imposed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, often without thought about the requirements individual states may impose upon motor carriers. (Just for perspective, my guidebook to statelevel motor carrier regulations is more than 800 pages thick!)

Even then, many local municipalities and law enforcement agencies may impose further requirements as a condition of contract; you should check with an expert in your state before acting upon any of this information.

To set some basic guidelines, these are generally applicable to all towing operations regardless of state where they are based. Usually this includes repossessors, auto transport and property management companies that use tow trucks in their operation.

There is a common concept that the

26 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

‘‘

I expect the towing

industry to see more attempts to enact updated or new

regulations aimed

at rate regulation as well as restricting who can obtain authority to operate a towing service.

towing of disabled or wrecked motor vehicles is exempt from operating authority on the first move (primary tow). Although true in most cases, we

By Brian J. Riker

must remember that this only applies to motor vehicles, nothing else. Frequently I hear from towers that have been fined because they were moving construction equipment, buildings or other commodities without operating authority.

Further, do not confuse operating authority with motor-carrier registration. Although the commodity may be exempt from operating authority, the motor carrier most likely still requires a U.S. DOT and/or state agency registration number.

Keep in mind that, outside of the very narrow scope of primary (first) move of disabled or wrecked vehicles, we are the same as any other trucking company regarding regulatory compliance, including intrastate and interstate motor carrier registration and operating authority.

It is also important to understand that federally regulated interstate

➢

LICENSING, STATE BY STATE Alabama: Public Service Commission requires intrastate carriers to obtain a U.S. DOT number. PSC Rule 2.3 [37-3-4 (b)] exempts wrecker services from intrastate regulation by the APSC. 37-3-2 Code of Alabama does not use weight to define motor carrier vehicles, can be applied to all vehicles. There is little clear information available on Alabama.

Hawaii: HRS 271 provides for regulation of intrastate motor

Alaska: Requires U.S. DOT number, no motor carrier authority if only towing.

authority is required. Idaho Statutes Title 49 Chapter 18 regulates non-consent towing.

Arizona: Title 13 gives AZ DPS authority to require, and they

Illinois: Regulates non-consent towing on a county-by-county

do, tow trucks register for operating authority with them and be inspected before being used. Where it gets complicated, is when not a towing company trucks under 26,000 lbs. GVWR are exempt from DOT/MC regulation. This will cause some equipment to comply to the higher tow truck standard even when not used as a tow truck; carriers/flatbed perfect example as they can also haul cargo that is not “towing”. Requires U.S. DOT number.

Arkansas: Title 23-13-206 (C) exempts wrecker services from operating authority and other public utility regulations except for safety regulations. Other intrastate motor carrier operations require state operating authority.

California: Requires a motor carrier permit (CA which is oper-

ating authority) along with California Highway Patrol inspections of tow trucks used for police towing under their control. The MCP is applicable to any size vehicle that transports property for hire and all vehicles over 10,000 GVWR used in commerce of any type.

Intrastate motor carriers are also required to obtain a U.S. DOT number.

Colorado: Dept. of Regulatory Agencies is authorized by

Colorado Title 40 Section 10 to require a Certificate of Public Convenience (operating authority) for towing services. Towing rules are found at 4 C.C.R. 723-6500. Colorado intrastate definition of commercial motor vehicle is 16,001 GVWR. U.S. DOT number is required for intrastate motor carrier operations.

Connecticut: Regulates intrastate motor carriers although they

do not require authority. Intrastate carriers are required to obtain a U.S. DOT number. CGS 14-163c covers the Motor Carrier Act. CGS 14-66 (a) (1) requires wrecker services to be licensed as repairer or dealer and display special wrecker license plates.

Delaware: Adopts the FMCSR by reference, no intrastate authority is required. Non-consent towing is regulated for price and wrecker specifications. A U.S. DOT number must be obtained.

Florida: Statute 316.302 provides some exceptions to the FMCSR for intrastate only operators of vehicles less than 26,001 lbs. GVWR. Florida requires a U.S. DOT number on trucks greater than 26,000 GVWR operating in intrastate commerce. Wrecker services are regulated for non-consent towing, licensing varies by municipality.

Georgia: Regulates non-consent towing through OCGA 44-1-13.

Georgia Code 40-1-8 requires intrastate motor carriers to comply with Federal regulations as adopted by reference, meaning they need a U.S. DOT. GIMC Number (state authority registration) is required for intrastate-only carriers.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

carriers by the Public Utilities Commission, requiring authority to engage as a property carrier. 271-5 (6) provides exemption from this authority for wreckers, only when engaged in towing of wrecked or disabled motor vehicles.

Idaho: Appears to only require U.S. DOT number, no intrastate

basis, as well as major cities having the option to have their own rules. In absence of local regulations, the Illinois Commerce Commission regulates relocation (non-consent) towing. All for-hire intrastate motor carriers are required to obtain a Public Carrier Certificate per 625 ILCS 5/18c-1101 as well as a U.S. DOT number.

Indiana: Code Title 8 Article 2.1 Chapter 24-18 requires intrastate carriers to obtain a U.S. DOT number.

Iowa: Requires a motor carrier certificate for travel authority be

issued to all intrastate carriers of property. A U.S. DOT number is required. Iowa Code Section 321.

Kansas: Statutes Article 13 Chapter 16-1330 require a certificate of public service for wrecker companies. Additionally, the Kansas Department of Revenue and Kansas Corporation Commission regulate intrastate motor carriers of property, requiring registration annually as well as U.S. DOT number. It also has education requirements for motor carriers, not towing specific.

Kentucky: Requires registration for intrastate authority (KRS 281.631) with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet as well as U.S. DOT number.

Louisiana: Public Service Commission regulates towing services under RS 45:180.1 which requires common carrier registration with the LPSC. Louisiana also requires a U.S. DOT number.

Maine: 29-250-168 requires the display of a U.S. DOT number on all intrastate motor carrier of property vehicles with a GVWR of 26,001 or greater. Special note: Although the display of a DOT number is only required on 26,001-plus, all vehicles used in any commerce weighing more than 8,000 lbs. must enter open scales, and all vehicles 10,001 or more GVWR must comply with FMCSR, even intrastate.

Maryland: Requires a U.S. DOT number. The Public Service Commission had been charged with regulation of intrastate motor carriers of property, however they currently only regulate passenger carriers. Wreckers, including non-consent towing are regulated with special licensing requirements.

Massachusetts: Special registration requirements for tow trucks vary depending on the task at hand. There are also requirements to display repair, transporter, dealer or other special plates on vehicles in tow with wheels on the ground. A U.S. DOT is required for intrastate operations of commercial vehicles per 540 CMR 2.22.

CONT. PAGE 31 AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 27

commerce does not always mean the truck or driver will leave the state. Simply transporting a vehicle or freight that has an intended destination out of state or is known to have come from out of state is interstate commerce. For this reason, I advise all towing companies to obtain a U.S. DOT number and motor carrier authority as an interstate for-hire carrier of property from the FMCSA. All interstate operations and even intrastate only in a few states, must file Unified Carrier Registration each year. This fee is based on the number of vehicles reported to the FMCSA on your bi-annual update of the MCS-150 form. Carriers based in a non-participating state that engage in interstate operations must file their UCR in a neighboring state.

The FMCSA regulations apply to any vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,000 lbs. used in interstate commerce. Most states adopt this same definition of a commercial vehicle and require even intrastate only motor carriers to obtain a U.S. DOT number.

This means, unless specifically exempted by state law, FMCSA regulations such as hours of service and medical qualifications of drivers apply to most towing operations. Keep in mind that state law exemptions only apply while engaging in intrastate commerce, so not all tow operators will be exempt at all times.

Another common theme is regulating towing companies as public utilities, which may also include rate regulation for non-consent towing. Although this practice has declined over the years, thanks to the Interstate Commerce Commission Sunset Act of 1993, it may return due to language included in the 2015 Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act at the request of the trucking and insurance industries.

The 2015 FAST Act language returns the right to regulate towing services for aspects other than safety to the individual states. Previously only states that had these regulations in place prior to 1993 could continue to enforce them. All other states

30 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

were prohibited from enacting new regulations on rates or service areas.

Many states found their way around this by including rate regulation for non-consent towing in contracts with law enforcement or other consumer protection acts not aimed specifically at motor carriers.

States are now free to enact laws affecting towing operators regarding price, service areas and authority that are more stringent than other motor carrier regulations. I expect the towing industry to see more attempts to enact updated or new regulations aimed at rate regulation as well as restricting

‘‘

Unless specifically exempted by

state law, FMCSA regulations such

as hours of service and medical

qualifications of

drivers apply to most towing operations. who can obtain authority to operate a towing service.

A few states require a special application in addition to, or in place of, motor carrier authority to operate tow trucks. Periodic inspections of tow trucks for safety, including compliance with minimum equipment standards, are required in several states.

Some even require tow operators to be trained or certified by a recognized provider such as the TRAA National Driver Certification Program or other recognized training. This may be in addition to local municipal or law enforcement contract requirements for specially trained or certified operators, such as the requirements imposed by Prince William County, Virginia, or the California Highway Patrol or Trans-

portation Agency’s Traffic Incident Management training.

Truck Markings

Vehicle marking (lettering) requirements also vary from state to state.

Most states require at least the name and telephone number of the towing company to be displayed on each side of the tow vehicle. Generally, if a U.S. DOT number or state licensing number is required to operate a towing company and the vehicle qualifies as a commercial vehicle, that number will also be required to be displayed on your trucks.

Given that towers are always looking for new revenue streams and in doing so routinely transport commodities other than disabled motor vehicles it is important to qualify your company as a motor carrier of property, not just as a towing or wrecker service provider. Fully regulated commodities that towers might haul would include: • Vehicles to/from auctions, including salvage auctions.

• Farm equipment.

• Construction equipment.

• Toolboxes.

• Machinery.

• Sheds or other small buildings.

In addition to intrastate operating authority requirements, each state has specific insurance requirements that can vary based upon the type of hauling you perform and the cargo transported. Be sure to keep your insurance agent in the loop regarding the type of commodities you transport and even the areas that you work. There may be significant restrictions on coverage if you routinely exceed your declared operating radius or transport freight instead of vehicles.

Away from Home

Another important, often-overlooked compliance issue with state operating authority, and insurance requirements, involves temporarily setting up operations in a different state. This usually happens after a natural disaster of some kind, typically at the request of insurance salvage auctions. Although federal regulations

➢

Michigan: Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division enforces the Motor Carrier Act of 1933 (Act 254) requiring registration for intrastate motor carriers, including tow trucks. A U.S. DOT number is required.

Minnesota: Statute 168B.035 regulates non-consent towing,

however they specifically prohibit regulation of consent towing operations except as required by the Motor Carrier Act. 221.025(4) exempts tow trucks from intrastate authority while towing wrecked or disabled vehicles or while acting on behalf of an authorized public employee. U.S. DOT is required. 221.0251 requires all other intrastate operations to register with the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles.

Mississippi: State is ambiguous with their intrastate requirements. It appears that motor carriers must register for authority with Mississippi Department of Transportation to operate intrastate.

Missouri: Regulates non-consent towing in Chapter 304.

390.030 exempts tow trucks from intrastate operating authority only while towing wrecked or disabled vehicles, all other motor carriers of property must have intrastate operating authority from MO DOT. Additionally, all motor carriers require a U.S. DOT number. SB 1233 provides for some exemptions from FMCSR for intrastate operation of vehicles less than 26,001 lbs. Also provides for more relaxed hours of service for intrastate carriers.

Montana: Regulates intrastate carriers through the Motor Carrier

Services division of the MDT. Unlike most other states, Montana has apportioned registration even for vehicles under 26,000 lbs.

18.8.1501 provides for exemption from most FMCSR for intrastate operation of vehicles under 26,000 lbs. A U.S. DOT number is still required for all commercial vehicles greater than 26,000 lbs.

GVWR. Montana Code Title 61 Chapter 8 Part 9 regulates towing services. It is worth noting that the definition of a commercial tow truck does not have any weight distinction.

Nebraska: Regulates non-consent towing in 60-2401 et. al., and requires a U.S. DOT number. They specifically exclude intrastate carriers from having a MC number, however since towers routinely bounce between both a MC number may still be applicable. There are less restrictive hours of service regulations for intrastate motor carriers found in NRS 75-363.

Nevada: NRS Chapter 706 gives the Nevada Transportation Authority the right to regulate “tow cars.” General freight is not regulated intrastate in Nevada, however most motor carriers of property still must register with the NTA. A U.S. DOT number is required for all motor carriers. They make no mention of weight, meaning the towing regulations and authority/permits are applicable to any size tow truck. 706.386 appears to exempt motor club and salvage towers from obtaining a Certificate of Convenience (authority) to operate. Also provides for less restrictive hours of service for intrastate operators.

New Hampshire: Regulates motor carriers through Saf-C 900.

They have adopted the federal regulations even for intrastate operations, however only require state operating authority for household good movers.

New Jersey: State has a few unique tow truck regulations. They require an insurance decal be displayed on each truck to prove valid insurance. They also require adherence with the FMCSR for both interstate and intrastate regulations. This means you will need a U.S. DOT number. It also has a corporate receipts tax that is levied upon all regulated transportation within the state if provided by a business registered as a corporation. NJAC 13:60.

New Mexico: Requires a warrant, issued by the Public Regulatory Commission to operate a towing service. Intrastate carriers of property, except towers and household goods are not regulated anymore. A U.S. DOT number is required. Additionally, New Mexico has a weight distance tax that applies to all vehicles greater than 26,000 lbs.

New York: Requires intrastate carriers of property to obtain state

authority (DMV Number) before operating. A unique requirement of New York is that proof of workers compensation insurance is filed before intrastate authority will be granted. New York also requires a U.S. DOT number. New York collects a weight distance tax, called Highway Use Tax. This is imposed on all commercial vehicles with gross weight in excess of 18,000 lbs. HUT compliance is verified with a decal. New York also requires special tow truck registration plates and a tow truck endorsement on all class of driver licenses.

North Carolina: Allows for some exemptions to motor carrier

regulations for vehicles under 26,000 GVWR operated intrastate.

For vehicles over 26,000 lbs., it adopts the federal regulations, requiring U.S. DOT number. 14B NCAC 07C .0101 also allows for relaxed hours of service for all intrastate motor carriers of property.

G.S. 20 101 requires all tow trucks, even those less than 26,000 GVWR to be marked as to identify the owner.

North Dakota: Exempts non-CDL vehicles from hours of service regulations in 39-32-02, also provides for exemption from hours of service for tow trucks responding to law enforcement requests. The same section of law also provides for relaxed hours of service for intrastate drivers. Unlike most other states, North Dakota does not require a U.S. DOT number for intrastate motor carriers of property.

Ohio: Regulates intrastate motor carriers as public utilities. The

Ohio PUC requires Ohio domiciled motor carriers to obtain a Certificate of Public Convenience Number as well as a U.S. DOT number even if you only engage in towing of wrecked or disabled vehicles.

Ohio also requires the display of special tow truck license plate to engage in towing of unlicensed vehicles.

Oklahoma: Title 595 Chapter 25 gives the Oklahoma Depart-

ment of Public Safety the authority to regulate wrecker services. All towing companies must obtain a permit from DPS to operate as a wrecker service and use qualified drivers trained by an approved instructor. In addition to the DPS requirements, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission requires all for-hire intrastate motor carriers to obtain a for-hire license to engage in intrastate commerce. The OCC also requires intrastate motor carriers to have a U.S. DOT number.

CONT. PAGE 33 Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 31

may be relaxed for a period of time immediately after a declared state of emergency, many states do not copy.

The burden is on you to be sure you have all the necessary operating authorities to perform intrastate operations in whatever state you send trucks to. Many times this is covered by having UCR registration, which is required if you are an interstate carrier anyway, but not always. Texas, for example, imposes their intrastate regulations on all carriers performing point-to-point work within the state.

Towing licenses, truck inspections and even operator (driver) certifications may be required. There can even be vehicle registration requirements for weight distance taxes, special license plates, apportioned plates or even dual state tags. States like Wyoming, Montana and Arizona (among others) require registration or trip permits for all commercial vehicles. A few states requires any truck staying in the state more than 24 hours to perform

32 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

intrastate transportation to display a state registration plate or permit if not proportionally registered through the IRP program.

In some instances, these requirements also change depending on the type of towing equipment you send to work in an area. Washington, for example, does not consider a truck that can carry more than two vehicles at a time a tow truck for towing service licensing and registration requirements. Some other states consider any vehicle that the deck can touch the ground and uses a winch to load vehicles a tow truck, while others still only apply the tow truck or wrecker label while the equipment is being used under special circumstances.

One other special exemption area involves what would be interstate commerce within certain local areas that happen to go across state or international borders. These are defined as exempt intra-city zones by the FMCSA and as such allow for exemptions

from most of the federal regulations, including interstate motor carrier authority number for companies that operate exclusively within these zones. (Exempt intra-city zones are established by regulation in 49 CFR 372 Subpart B.) The bottom line is that, with few exceptions, most tow companies are more than just towing services. Most towers should qualify and comply as for-hire interstate motor carriers as well as meeting whatever towing regulations their state may impose.

This opens up many more business opportunities than just local towing, allowing for a more balanced revenue stream.

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

Oregon: State Department of Transportation requires intrastate motor carriers to obtain authority before engaging in for-hire intrastate transportation. 740-100-0010 provides for more relaxed intrastate hours of service. ORS 822.200 requires towing companies to register with the Department of Motor Vehicles. Tow vehicles greater than 26,000 lbs. need to register with the Motor Carrier Transportation Division for weight distance tax. All tow trucks will have TW plates. A U.S. DOT number is required.

Pennsylvania: Public Utilities Commission regulates for-hire

motor carriers, however wrecked or disabled motor vehicles are excluded per Title 66. That said, a secondary tow of a wrecked or disabled motor vehicle that is not to a place of repair is fully regulated transportation. Commercial vehicles used exclusively in intrastate commerce with a GVWR in excess of 17,000 lbs. require compliance. U.S. DOT number is required. Although not required, it has available transferrable “Repair/Towing Service” plates that can be moved from vehicle to vehicle as a class of dealer plate. To use these, sales tax must be paid on the vehicle and it must be titled in the company or owner of the company name and the vehicle must be used exclusively for the repair towing operation, not any other business enterprises with common ownership. RT plates also cannot be used when transporting other than disabled or wrecked vehicles, no auction or other freight type work is permitted.

Rhode Island: Public Utility Commission Division of Utilities and Carriers regulates intrastate motor carrier operations. All towers must apply for authority to operate within Rhode Island and non-consent rates are regulated by Tariff imposed by the PUC. South Carolina: Requires intrastate motor carriers to have a U.S. DOT number and register with the Office of Regulatory Staff Transportation Department. Code of Laws Title 58-23-50 provides an exemption to ORS registration for the towing of wrecked or disabled motor vehicles, however other services provided by a towing company still require registration. The SC DPS Highway Patrol Division regulates rotation wreckers through SC Regulation 38-600.

South Dakota: Adopts FMCSR by reference in 49-28A-3, however they provide exclusion of vehicles under 26,001 lbs. GVWR for most regulation. Intrastate motor carriers are required to register with their county of domicile, the SD PUC no longer regulates intrastate motor carriers. The county will forward an application to the Department of Revenue to allow for “unusual use of highway.”

A U.S. DOT number is required on all vehicles greater than 26,000 GVWR. Tennessee: State Department of Revenue regulates intrastate

authority for motor carriers, including wrecker services. In addition to an application with the DOR, motor carriers must comply with the Unified Carrier Registration and have a U.S. DOT number.

Texas: Requires intrastate motor carriers to register for a TxDMV Number with the Department of Motor Vehicles as well as a U.S. DOT number. Additionally, the TDLR requires all towers, even consent towers, to register with the TDLR for a wrecker license.

Drivers must also have a license to operate a wrecker issued by TDLR. There are multiple classes of registration that depend upon the type of towing the company is approved for. Storage facilities require additional licensing from the TDLR. Initial and continuing education for wrecker operators is required by TDLR.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

Utah: Administrative Code R909-19 requires all tow truck motor

carriers to comply with state regulations including certification of drivers, inspection of tow trucks and compliance with all FMCSRs. In addition to the tow truck certificate from the Utah Department of Transportation as required in 72-9-602 a U.S. DOT number is required for all vehicles in excess of 10,000 GVWR.

Vermont: 5 VSA 2101 adopts the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations in their entirety with the exception of allowing drivers between 18-21 years old to operate commercial vehicles in intrastate commerce. A U.S. DOT number is required for intrastate operation.

Virginia: Title 46 Sub V regulates intrastate motor carriers. For-

hire operations, including towing services, are required to register for authority with the VA Department of Motor Vehicles. 19 VAC 30-20-40 adopts the FMCSR and require display of a U.S. DOT number on all commercial vehicles.

Washington: Requires intrastate motor carriers operating vehicles with a GVWR in excess of 16,000 lbs. to have a U.S. DOT number. Additionally, the state Utilities and Transportation Commission requires registration of motor carriers of property, although they exclude tow trucks when removing disabled vehicles from highways. RCW 81.80.40 provides exemption for tow trucks that do not carry more than two vehicles and are not used for any other purpose than transporting wrecked, disabled or repossessed vehicles. They do allow operable vehicles to be carried for the purposes of exchanging with a wrecked or disabled vehicle. RCW 46.65.30 requires the registration of tow truck businesses, as well as vehicles and operators with the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Washington, D.C.: Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs requires registration of all towing businesses based within D.C. Additionally, it adopts the FMCSR by reference requiring a U.S. DOT number. The district is part of an exempt intra-city zone that offers certain relief from interstate operating authority and other FMCSR requirements.

West Virginia: Public Service Commission maintains authority of intrastate motor carriers, including wrecker services. For-hire intrastate operations, excluding wrecker services, requires a PSC certificate of authority. If you are providing wrecker services only registration is still required (WVC 24A-2-2a). Additionally, it requires compliance with the FMCSR including a U.S. DOT number.

Wisconsin: Chapters 325 & 327 provide for the regulation of

intrastate motor carriers using the FMCSR, although they exempt vehicles under 26,000 GVWR as well as tow trucks when operating at the request of law enforcement. Intrastate operating authority is required from the Department of Transportation. A U.S. DOT number is also required.

Wyoming: Department of Transportation requires registration (WY DOT Number) of contract carriers of property (for-hire) including towing services. Vehicles less than 26,000 GVWR are exempt from most motor carrier regulations when operated solely intrastate. For vehicles engaging in interstate commerce as U.S. DOT number is required.

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 33

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Suicide by

TOW TRUCK

By Randall C. Resch

T

here’s no such thing as a routine call. Anything could happen during the course of your duties. You must be prepared for anything and have some mental plan to react to an unplanned scenario.

Focusing on driver safety, especially for tow operators primarily working night shifts, this is perhaps one of the most difficult topics I’ve ever covered.

I’m aware and compassionate to the sensitivities and sadness of suicide.

I’ve prepared this narrative in the best interests of families touched by suicide, including my own. Although suicide by tow truck isn’t something that occurs continually, it’s a critical and relevant topic for operators and tow company management (alike) to understand.

The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that more than 500,000

36 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

truck accidents occur annually. The numbers suggest that a tow operator being involved in a crash on the job is a near-certain likelihood. Unfortunately, this is one topic no one wants to approach, but, its debilitating after effects can easily cripple a tow operator if their psyche isn’t prepared.

Data from the Center for Disease Control’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Reporting System attributed 190 suicides to the deliberate crashing of motor vehicles in the U.S. for the years 1999-2000.

(There are no solid statistics breaking out which incidents were suicide by tow truck.) Those who choose to end their lives oftentimes do so by intentionally leaping into the path of a moving truck or driving the wrong way on a road or highway.

Here are four illustrations of suicidal traffic scenarios: • C ase one: In July 1997, my driver completed a service call on a San Diego highway and was writing up the paperwork.

While seated in the tow truck’s passenger seat with his customer standing next to the truck’s open door, a suicidal male, driving a stolen rental car, chose our tow truck to kamikaze by intentionally crashing into it at high speed. The tow truck and rental car were totaled; our customer was critically injured when the tow truck’s unrestrained dollies launched and struck her across the face. The suicidal male was injured, but survived. “I wanted to end my life,” he said to CHP.

Dealing in the aftermath of someone else’s mental anguish In February 2019, in Nathalie, Virginia, a 1999 Ford Crown Victoria intentionally steered across the centerline, striking a B&B Towing rollback carrier head-on and causing the carrier to roll over. Although critically injured, the towman survived.

• Case two: In July 2017, a newbie tow operator was working the night shift and driving on Interstate 5 near downtown San Diego, California, when a wrong-way driver, allegedly intoxicated, crashed head-on into his carrier. The horrific crash resulted in the tow operator being burned over 50 percent of his body as he courageously attempted to pull the other driver from the burning vehicle. The wrong-way driver was killed. There was insufficient evidence to make a determination of suicide, yet there was dialogue to the possibility.

• Case three: In February 2019, a tow operator in Nathalie, Virginia, was driving on a twoway highway when the driver of a 1999 Ford Crown Victoria intentionally steered across the centerline, striking the carrier head-on and causing the carrier to roll over (pictured). Both

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

‘‘

Road traffic

suicides are more easily disguised as accidental

than many other

methods of suicide.

Classification

of a death as, ‘accidental’ rather than ‘suicide’ saves the decedent’s family from any stigma, shame, guilt and anger of suicide and allows them the financial security of insurance.

vehicles were totaled. Although critically injured, the carrier’s driver survived. The Crown Vic’s driver told the VSP he was “trying to commit suicide.”

• Case four: In June 2017, a tow operator near Oceanside, California, struck and killed a pedestrian on a darkened stretch of Oceanside’s Mission Avenue. “I was nearing a strip mall when someone jumped from the center divider … they came out of nowhere,” said the tower. “By the time I saw ’em, I couldn’t stop in time.” The female pedestrian had an alleged history of depression.

I’ve found little to no documentation by U.S. law enforcement or federal traffic safety departments on this topic.

However, there was a 2003 investigation by Australia’s Monash University Accident Research Centre entitled, “Suicide and Natural Deaths in Road Traffic.” The report stated, “It has been shown that in many of these cases

➢

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 37

DEFENSIVE DRIVING RECOMMENDATIONS For tow operators working nighttime hours

Be aware far beyond your tow truck’s hood.

When not responding to calls bound by ETAs, consider driving city streets where you’re not exposed to wrong way motorists on the highway.

I f you must travel high-speed highways, be constantly aware of off ramps and headlights aimed at your direction. rive in lanes away D from the shoulder and center divider areas where pedestrians may suddenly appear. eep your truck’s speed K at legal posted limits.

there was a history of mental illness, and the presence of alcohol use. One study identified the main mode of suicide among pedestrians was to walk or jump into the path of a heavy vehicle.”

In regards to suicidal intent, it’s challenging to discern if a pedestrian fatality or head-on crash was intentional or accidental.

If a suicide note is discovered or if words were spoken to that effect, those are solid indications of a suicidal person’s intent.

Relating to events leading up to wrong way vehicle and pedestrian fatalities, the Monash Study reported, “Road traffic suicides are more easily disguised as accidental than many other methods of suicide. Classification of a death as, ‘accidental’ rather than ‘suicide’ saves the decedent’s family from any stigma, shame, guilt and anger of suicide and allows them the financial security of insurance.”

Avoidance

Of articles I’ve found relating to fatality scenarios, suicidal pedestrians were reported as dressed in dark clothing with limited to no reflectivity. The ability of a driver to react in time is severely diminished by inability to spot the pedestrian.

Regarding vehicle-related scenarios, many head-on collisions are by suicidal and/or intoxicated motorists who enter high-speed highways going the wrong way. Whether intoxicated or suicidal, head-on crashes often occur in faster lanes of travel and involve higher impacts with violent results.

Unfortunately, innocent motorists must deal with the emotional aftermath of having struck and killed a suicidal pedestrian or being involved in suicidal-related crashes. Because it’s difficult to prove that suicide was the actual cause, these deaths are generally categorized as pedestrian fatalities.

Dealing with the aftermath of a suicidal pedestrian or motorist can be a mind-numbing experience for tow operators. The reality of feeling guilty for taking someone’s life can lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and its complications. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event. Any person, including tow operators, may succumb to PTSD, especially when in crashes and other incidents with fatal results.

(For more information on dealing with PTSD personally and at work, see Dr. Chad Wetterneck’s article “Recovering from PTSD” on the following pages.)

Motorists and pedestrians caught up in depression and other mental anguish may see your tow truck as a means to end their turmoil. There’s plenty to be learned by stories from commercial truck drivers who were faced with similar scenarios. Check out the twopart account online here: overdriveonline.com/suicide-by-truck.

Remember, your first consideration should be operating your tow truck within the letter of the law; you have no control over the actions of others. However, you should be aware and ready to react if faced with a similar situation.

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.

38 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

COPING WITH

PTSD

By Dr. Chad Wetterneck

M

ost of you have heard about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and, if you have, you may associate it mainly with military personnel serving in war zones. While folks in the armed forces are more likely than most to experience PTSD, they are likely in the minority of those in the U.S. who suffer from the condition. Another thing you may not have known is that the day-to-day experiences in towing and recovery make you more likely than others to develop this condition.

People are not born with PTSD and you don’t catch it from others. It only develops in some people after experiencing a traumatic event. We know that war and battle can be traumatizing, but so can physical assaults (e.g., muggings, fighting, domestic abuse), sexual assaults, accidents of all types (including motor-vehicle accidents), experiencing a natural disaster (e.g., tornado, hurricane) or other life-threatening situation (e.g., fire, fall, etc.)

The events themselves do not have to be life-threatening, but rather perceived as life-threatening. In addition, these traumatic events don’t have to happen to you; you could also be traumatized by witnessing them or their aftermath. That’s why the best research we

➢

40 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

The trauma of working the white line is far-reaching, but manageable … with help

have shows that about 40 percent of the U.S. population will experience a traumatic event and almost 25 percent of them will develop PTSD in the course of their lives.

How are towing personnel at risk?

Consider: • You often are called to work areas with heavy traffic and cars moving at high speed, mere feet away from where you are working.

• You come onto the scenes of accidents where people have been seriously injured or killed.

You have likely seen the harm to human life firsthand and often.

• You have likely had some close calls with inattentive drivers and you have heard too many stories of people in your profession who die as a result.

Criteria

Being exposed to a trauma is not the only thing required to have PTSD. You have to have four other criteria in order to meet a diagnosis: re-experiencing, avoidance, altered mood and thoughts, and “autonomic arousal.”

For re-experiencing, most people have either flashbacks or nightmares about the incident(s). Flashbacks are an unexpected stronger version of a memory and it makes you feel as

though the traumatic event is re-occurring in this very moment; they can be quite terrifying. Nightmares are often about the event itself, but can be about related topics (danger, being chased, etc.) that are also scary. An essential part of re-experiencing is feeling scared or helpless when thinking about the event.

Avoidance means you are trying to reduce your contact with anything that reminds you of the trauma. It could be that you avoid aspects of your job or things related to your job, such as driving in heavy traffic or on fast roads. It likely means you are trying (albeit unsuccessfully) to avoid thinking about anything related to the event or sometimes just feeling your feelings. The more you avoid, the more you restrict your life—for most people this leads to increased anxiety and depression.

The change in mood and thoughts can look a little different for each person. For many, people report feeling more anger, shame and a lot of fear.

Others find themselves emotionally “numbed.” Your views on the world and people will likely also change with the idea that you consider the world to be a much more dangerous place than before. You have a hard time trusting others or even yourself, and you find creative ways to blame yourself for

what happened even if you had nothing to do with it besides doing your job.

Autonomic arousal is just a fancy way to say, your body and mind are a lot more anxious. Your startle response to loud noises or unexpected events greatly increases, you feel nervous all the time and you are constantly on the lookout for what could go wrong and bring you or others into harm’s way.

Most first responders besides towers—police, firefighters, paramedics, emergency room personnel—also see the aftermath of trauma. Other professions are more regularly involved in attempts to commit suicide (e.g., train engineers witnessing people standing on train tracks).

Recognizing Signs

How would you know if you or someone else is showing signs of PTSD or trauma? For some, their entire world will change in a matter of days or weeks after the event. But in many cases, the accumulation of seeing trauma, near-hits, or hearing about colleagues dying on the job, can lead to a slower progression that can be harder to spot. You need to be aware of what someone’s “baseline” is with regard to how active they are, what they enjoy doing in life and how emotional they become.

➢

Four Criteria of PTSD

RE-EXPERIENCING

Most people have either flashbacks or nightmares about the incident. An essential part is feeling scared or helpless when thinking about the event.

AVOIDANCE

You are trying to reduce your contact with anything that reminds you of the trauma.

You are likely trying to avoid thinking about anything related to the event.

42 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

ALTERED MOOD AND THOUGHTS

Many people report feeling more anger, shame, and a lot of fear. Others find themselves emotionally “numbed.”

You may find ways to blame yourself for what happened.

AUTONOMIC AROUSAL

Your body and mind are more anxious. Your startle response to loud noises or unexpected events increases. You feel nervous all the time.

As trauma takes its toll on a person, people change from their baseline activities, feelings, and thoughts. They do less and especially avoid any activity that has any element of danger; they also avoid fun activities (basically they move away from anything that elevates emotion).

‘‘

You can’t put a price on your health or

your quality of life.

Their emotions and reactions become more blunted in many cases, or they only display negative feelings such as anger, shame or depression.

They may focus on danger or the negative aspects of life more than usual.

They have poor, interrupted sleep. They may not want to hear about the news (because of it’s focus on negative events) and not want to discuss emotion-related topics.

If you see a sudden, or even slow-developing, change in behaviors in yourself, your co-workers or your employees, they may be experiencing a reaction to trauma.

Getting Help

What can you do to help yourself or others? I wish it were as simple as talking about it—if someone is able to talk about their experiences, get support from a trusted person, and reduce the avoidance of reminders of the trauma they can recover mostly on their own.

Unfortunately for most, the feelings to avoid are powerful and even talking about the topic is too risky for most.

The good news is there are many evidence-based treatments designed specifically to deal with PTSD and the effects of trauma. Three in particular are highly recommended: Prolonged Exposure, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Each approach has had dozens of clinical trials where hundreds of patients have shown great benefit.

44 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

They are endorsed by the American Psychological Association and the U.S. Department of Defense.

I know therapy is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it really works and allows people to resume their life and escape the misery of avoidance and negativity. Each approach teaches a person how to confront and overcome the trauma, while greatly reducing the symptoms.

There are many other treatments out there, but I’ll be honest with you—most of them have little to no evidence to support how effective they are, despite some therapists claiming that they really work. I wouldn’t risk my physical health by trying treatments for COPD, cancer, or another health ailment with an unproven method before trying those that unbiased experts have determined are the best practice. I also wouldn’t send any of my family to a therapist who is not skilled in one of the recommended approaches. You deserve the best treatment; don’t settle for less.

‘‘

So few people want to talk

about mental health—be one of the people who helps

destigmatize the topic and

make it just as important as your physical health.

What will you do in these therapies? You will learn how to challenge your thinking about the traumatic event. You will learn how to reclaim the parts of your life that you lost by slowly reintegrating them into your life.

You will feel safe to feel, and you will sleep better. You can’t put a price on your health or your quality of life.

As a clinical psychologist, I hesitate to recommend that you try to treat yourself, even though there are some self-strategies and books out there. If you want to try to challenge your symptoms on your own, I suggest you identify what areas of your life you have restricted and see if you can slowly re-engage in them. Keep a journal about the things you avoid and also write about any emotions you experienced during the day. It’s hard to do this, but the more you allow yourself to feel anxious without trying to escape or avoid it, the more you teach yourself that the anxiety is a carryover from the trauma and it will start to reduce on its own. Talk to peers and share experiences while trying to support each other. The more connected you are to support, the more likelihood you will get your life back and stay healthy.

Is there a cure for PTSD? That’s hard to answer. People can greatly reduce their symptoms and get back to

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Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 45

what life was like prior to experiencing any trauma. But you won’t ever forget what happened or what you saw. Your brain is too concerned with your survival to let you fully forget it.

Don’t be hard on your brain, it’s just doing its job.

A lot of people don’t realize they have PTSD or even what PTSD is.

They try to tough it out and hope it goes away on its own. If you or a peer have PTSD and it goes untreated for more than six months to a year, it is highly unlikely it will go away without professional help. So if you are one of those people who want to wait and see what happens, don’t wait too long.

If you do, you put yourself at risk for losing your happiness, reducing the quality of your relationships, relying on alcohol, drugs or prescription medications to try to get sleep, and making it more likely you will become depressed, anxious and develop a substance-use disorder.

So few people want to talk about mental health—be one of the people

46 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

who helps destigmatize the topic and make it just as important as your physical health.

PTSD is far more common than people realize and ranks as one of the more heavy psychological burdens to carry. Your job can be stressful and put you at risk; be aware of the signs in yourself and others and be willing to move toward getting help.

If you or someone you know is looking for treatment, you can look on PsychologyToday.com or search online for local treatment centers and type in the key words “PTSD” or “trauma,” and either “Prolonged Exposure,” “Cognitive Processing Therapy” or “EMDR.” Other sites that have therapist directories or support groups include the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (istss. org), the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (abct.org), the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (adaa.org) and the National Alliance for Mental Illness (nami.org).

When you ask for an appointment, first ask the clinician how they treat trauma, what percentage of their clients are there for trauma and PTSD, and how they measure when someone is ready to be done with therapy. You deserve a chance to interview them and if they can’t answer those questions while demonstrating a lot of knowledge and compassion for why you ask, move on to the next one.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Chad Wetterneck, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist at one of the nation’s leading mental health hospitals, Rogers Behavioral Health, where he designed all the adult PTSD programs ranging from outpatient to residential levels of care. He has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed articles and a book, and teaches in the graduate counseling program at Marquette University.

New Jersey’s Hawk’s Towing and Recovery and Risoldi’s Automotive teamed up for a box truck hanging from an overpass.

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

Long-time towmen team up fishing for a dangling truck

48 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

A

ngling is the pastime of fishing with a rod and line; recovery is the science of knowing the angles and fishing for casualties with a boom and wire rope. Such was the scene of a three-vehicle crash on I-195 eastbound outside Trenton, New Jersey, that left a box truck dangling over the side of a highway bridge for almost six hours.

The truck was involved in a multi-vehicle crash with a GMC Envoy and Mini Cooper on I-195 at the I-295 interchange around 2:30 p.m. that caused the box truck to slam through a guardrail. The driver was removed from the vehicle and suffered minor injuries along with at least two other people. Multiple injuries were reported, but non-life threatening, according to the New Jersey State Police.

Troopers called Hawk’s Towing & Recovery in Trenton to clean up the mess.

“The New Jersey State Police called us to respond for a truck that went off

the ramp. I was close by in one of my MPL-40s, so I went over to see what the situation was,” said Brian “Hawk” Hawkins. “It appeared that the cab of the truck, a 2019 Hino 24-foot box truck, got caught along the edge of a grassy median with the trailer portion coming to a rest on the road below.

“The accident had lanes closed, backing up traffic and causing delays in the area and the police wanted this clear as soon as possible. I knew I would need more than my MPL-40 to handle this and my 25-ton was down south on another job, so I called Mike Risoldi, the president at Risoldi’s Automotive, to assist on this one and he brought out

➢

Risoldi’s 80-ton NRC did some heavy rigging and lifting along with Hawk’s Jerr-Dan HDL 1000.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 49

EQUIPMENT ON-SCENE • 2009 Peterbilt 367/2009 Jerr-Dan HDL 1000.

• 2016 Kenworth T800W/2016 NRC HIM 60/80 80-ton rotator.

• 2018 Freightliner/ Century bed.

• Two Jerr-Dan MPL-40 wreckers.

As the two left lanes were closed, troopers were anxious to get traffic moving soon.

‘‘

When the State

his NRC 80-ton rotator.”

Mike showed up with the beast he calls “Daddy’s Little Monster,” which was featured in the August 2019 issue of American Towman as the “My Baby” truck. The not-so-little wrecker is a 2016 NRC HIM 60/80 80-ton rotator mounted on a 2016 Kenworth T800 W twin-steer chassis. The rig includes 60,000-lbs. DP two-speed planetary main winch and 20,000-lbs. DP twospeed auxiliary winches.

“On this job I had operators James Ford, Leroy Green, ‘Little Hawk,’ along with Mike and Angelo Risoldi,” Hawkins said. “We all work great together. When the State Police Incident Management trooper showed up, he was relieved to see we were the ones handling this operation.”

Hawk’s crew brought out their emergency recovery unit, a 2018

50 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

Police Incident Management

trooper showed up, he was relieved to see we were the

ones handling this operation.

Freightliner with a Century bed, another Jerr-Dan MPL-40 and “Bad Behavior,” Hawk’s 2009 Peterbilt 367/2009 Jerr-Dan HDL 1000 50-ton independent tandem custom heavy.

It has a 100,000-lbs. three-stage boom with dual 50,000-lbs. planetary winches and a 25,000-lbs. drag winch.

“The two left lanes were shut down and traffic was backed up in the tun-

nel. The police wanted to get the mess cleaned up and get traffic moving as soon as possible,” Hawkins said. “We first removed the Mini Cooper and then we winched the GMC Envoy uphill with one of the MPL-40s and chained it to the guardrail for last until we cleared the box truck out of the way.”

Hawk staged Bad Behavior back at a 45-degree angle at the nose of the box truck and boomed out over the nose. Mike had the NRC 80-ton rotator staged at the rear and boomed out over the side.

“I picked up on the nose and Mike picked up the [rear]. We worked in tandem leveling it off as it came up; I boomed in as Mike swung it back in line and we set it down,” Hawkins said.

“It was just after 8:30 p.m. when we removed the box truck and cleared the scene.”

With traffic moving and everything cleaned up, all of the casualties were transported to Hawk’s yard in Trenton.

➢

“It was a pleasure working with Mike and Angelo Risoldi. This was beautiful teamwork and another job well done by two professional companies,” Hawkins said. “The Incident Management trooper was grateful and called me to come to a meeting with the New Jersey State Police at end of the month.”

Look for these dynamic Jersey boys, their families and equipment at the American Towman Exposition XXXI in Atlantic City Dec. 4-7.

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.

The NRC lifted the rear while the Jerr-Dan hefted the nose of the casualty.

ABOUT RISOLDI’S AUTOMOTIVE Mike Risoldi, his wife, Victoria, and his brother Angelo started Risoldi’s Automotive on July 11, 2000, as a Mobil gas station in Allentown, New Jersey. They bought their first tow truck, a 1999 International 4700/ Jerr-Dan Cougar wrecker, in September 2000. In 2003, the Risoldi’s purchased seven acres and moved their repair shop and towing business to Easthampton; in 2009 they opened a second tow yard in Trenton.

Over the years, Risoldi’s has continued to add to and upgrade their fleet including the addition of their monster NRC 80-ton rotator.

ABOUT HAWK’S TOWING & RECOVERY Hawk’s was started by Brian Hawkins in 1989.

Hawk was born and raised in Trenton and has been servicing his community ever since he bought his first tow truck when he was 17 and went into business for himself. He now owns one of the largest towing fleets in the area. The company celebrated 30 years in business Feb. 15, 2019. Hawk’s wife, Cindy, also works at the lot along with “Little Hawk,” the oldest of their five sons, and brother-in-law James Ford is a heavy operator for the company.

52 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

Cross-Training in Texas

James Bennett, owner of Beards Towing in Fort Worth, Texas, recently hosted a four-day class to gather together emergency responders and other towers in the area for a cross-training.

Bennet and his team set up several different accident scenes and scenarios. All teams responded, cleared the scene and then went into a classroom to discuss what was done and what improvements could be made by all involved.

“All towers should be working this closely with their fellow emergency responders,” said Tommy Anderson, executive director of Southwest Tow Operators.

Source: swtowop.org.

54 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

What’s Your Story?

By Emily Oz

A

nother summer is winding to a close as I write this and I’m kicking back in my office chair reminiscing about the first year I spent creating tow truck videos back in 2011.

I’ve spent nine years in the towing industry meeting the amazing men and women who pour their souls into their work and sometimes die trying to help others broken down on the white line. It’s been an amazing journey. Our video channel has 3.5 million collective views to date.

But that first year, I didn’t know much about towing … at all. I knew my brother worked at our small town’s auto repair and towing service in Minnesota when we were in high school. I think I saw a chain and hook once on that wrecker? Oh, and I had been towed from a parking spot in California when I was 23 after I left my car overnight on a parade route. Um, that wasn’t fun.

So, the first few months of my gig launching the TV channel for American Towman were spent reading over and over again dozens of issues of American Towman Magazine.

Familiarizing myself with terms like “boom” and “winch”…

Look for American Towman TV host Emily Oz on the show floor at American Towman Exposition XXXI in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to share your story with viewers.

who the key players were … what types of towing are out there … the difference between a tow body and a chassis.

The list was endless. Luckily, for me, it was a quick learning curve!

With a background in the TV news industry and a degree in Broadcast Journalism, I was no stranger to quickly learning the key facts to tell a compelling video story. But now it was my job to learn everything I could about the towing industry to develop its first dedicated video channel from scratch!

It took time and effort and there were … some … growing pains along the way. With the help of many amazing regular contributors, today we are proud to say we’ve developed a practical and savvy video channel in “American Towman TV” that is seen weekly on TowIndustryWeek.com. (You can also view our entire AT-TV video archive at youtube.com/AmericanTowmanTV.) I truly enjoy speaking with people who strive tirelessly to make this industry a better place. I hope in some small way our videos have helped to pass along import-

56 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

ant knowledge that improved someone’s career or made someone’s shift safer … or simply made them smile at the end of a long day.

I hope that by creating a video platform for towers, by towers, that we continue to join forces to showcase a professional industry, share knowledge and continue evolving.

I remember running around my first American Towman Expo in Baltimore way back in November 2011; I was out of breath and in a tizzy trying to figure out who was who and what was what. I’m sure anyone visiting the world’s largest tow show for the first time can relate!

Today, my coverage of the American Towman expos has become more organized and enjoyable because of the relationships I’ve developed in the industry and the friends I’ve made through the years.

We’ll see you soon in Atlantic City as the famous AT Expo takes over “America’s Playground” on Dec. 4-7, 2019! We love to hear your story ideas and feedback.

Please send me an email anytime at OzATTV@gmail.com.

The lines of communication are always open.

Emily Oz is the founding producer and anchor of American Towman TV, which launched in November 2011. The online video channel releases new videos every week dedicated to the towing and recovery industry. Oz worked as a general assignment reporter and news anchor at several TV news stations in the Midwest before moving to Florida.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 57

58 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

270 Exhibitors!

THE 8TH WONDER Atlantic City December 4-7 is home to the 8th Wonder of the World, the American Towman Exposition. No boast.

Just fact. What else showcases the world’s most amazing trucks; with shapes, sizes and art that perhaps only a child-book author could conjure up. Hands down, AT Expo is the world’s largest tow show and most beautiful truck show, drawing tow bosses in the towing trade from all fifty states and twenty nations.

Inside the Atlantic City Convention Center Tow business owners once again will find all the manufacturers of wreckers, carriers, trailers and truck chassis and several satellite equipment distributors. Plus all the products and services needed today to operate a successful towing business. Whether scouting equipment for purchase or the field of motor clubs on the show floor, towing’s “Main Event” is the place to talk business.

The Main Wrecker/Carrier Manufacturers Dual-Tech Wrecker’s & Carriers Dynamic Tow. Equip. & Mfg. Jerr-Dan Corp.

Metro Tow Trucks Miller Industries

Even

t

(Century, Chevron, Holmes, Vulcan)

NRC Industries

Trailer Manufacturers Kalyn Siebert Landoll Corp.

Talbert Mfg. Witzco

New Show Days Thursday through Saturday

Chassis Manufacturers Ford Commercial Vehicles Hino Trucks International Truck Ram Trucks

December 4-7, 2019

Exhibit Hall Open December 5-7, 2019 Thurs.: 2-5pm, Fri: 11am-5pm Sat.: 11am-6pm

Exhibit Highlights

AT Expo Exhibit Highlights from American Towman display advertisers Pa See ge 18

Pa Se ge e 10 9

Pa See ge 53

AAA Club Alliance

Access Tools

Allstate Roadside Services

The AAA Network of Savings provides superior value to our hardworking, everyday highwayheroes.

The Ultimate Long Reach Kit has virtually every tool you will need to open any vehicle on the road.

Join the only network with automaker-approved vehicle service manuals and videos right in the digital dispatch.

Pa S ge ee N 12 5

Pa See ge 57

Pa See ge 45

American Safety & Supply

Atlanta Wrecker Sales

Atlantic Emergency Solutions

Water resistant and warm this thermal-lined glove features reflectivestripes. The Pleated Palm offers a GREAT Wet-Grip.

Item # G800

Large stock of 2019 Chevrolet 5500’s in stock. Allison transmission & 21’ 6 ton Jerr-Dan carrier, same price as Dodge 5500 or Ford F-550 with 19’ or 20’ bed.

2020 Kenworth W-990, Jerr-Dan 50 Ton JFB, 565hp X15, Eaton 18-Speed Trans, Day Cab / Tri-Axle, Integrated Wrecker Body.

Pa See ge 95

Pa See ge 2

Pa Se ge e 10 7

Austin Insurance

AutoReturn

B/A Products

Specialist in the towing and recovery industry. We provide our clients with the best coverage and most competitive rates possible.

Imagine a world where law enforcement tows are distributed fairly between professional companies who meet service standards.

Switch from a traditional hookup on shipping containers to B/AProducts’ time saving hookup featuring our standard or websling container eye link.

Easy Online Registration at ATExposition.com

TOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 61

Exhibitor Roster 360 Payments

360 Payment Solutions specializes in payment processing and merchant services for automotive industries.

AAA Club Alliance

The AAA Network of Savings provides superior value to our hard-working highway heroes.

AASP/PA

Anchor Graphics

Existing to create customized tow signs, parking permits, hang tags for the towing industry!

ARI Phoenix

Wheel simulators, wheel trim, emergency lighting products, toolboxes and storage products, chrome and aluminum accessories.

State-wide trade association representing mechanical, towing, and collision shop owners through lobbying, benefits and education.

Arkon Resources

Access Tools

Ascentium Capital

Car opening tools & automotive specialty tools.

Agero

Arkon mounts offers a full range of commercial-grade mounting solutions, including charging and security options.

Finance nearly anything: tow trucks, trailers, new or used equipment, technology, and more.

A leader in roadside assistance, offering high volume dispatches, easy online billing and free dispatch software.

Atlanta Wrecker Sales

Alliance Funding Group

Atlantic Emergency Solutions

Truck Equipment financing and leasing, truck loans and leases.

Allstate Roadside Services

Jerr-Dan’s #1 distributor for wrecker & carrier sales.

The premier Jerr-Dan dealer of the midatlantic: wreckers, carriers, rotators, & more!

Faster, smarter, connected. Leading the industry in education and delivering a superior customer experience through digital technology.

Aussie Rimshine

Amdor

Austin Insurance specializes in the Towing and Repair Industry, providing all insurance needs to our customers.

Premium quality roll-up doors and customized LED lighting solutions tailored specifically for the towing industry.

American Safety & Supply

The original ‘on vehicle’ wheel polishing machine.

Austin Insurance

Auto Data Direct

High-Visibility clothing and safety equipment.

DMV123 (real-time vehicle data), Direct Post-Office (certified mailing tools), NMVTIS Salvage vehicle reporting tools.

American Towman Magazine

Automotive Training Inst. (ATI)

Manufacturer’s Spotlight

The leading publication in the towing and recovery industry for 43 years!

ATI is the leader in automotive business coaching providing expert management and consulting services.

Dual-Tech Wreckers & Carriers

AutoReturn

We can restore a fair and transparent tow distribution in your municipality, maintain your current rate or higher on long-term contract.

B/A Products

Parts and Accessories for the Towing, fire rescue, and Auto Transport Industries.

Bad Dog Tools

For 31 years we’ve been making specialty and multi-purpose tools for cutting and drilling that are so good we guarantee ‘em for life.

Battelini Wrecker Sales

Distributor of NRC, Dynamic, Trail-Eze & Reitnouer Trailers. Full sales, service & custom fabrication facility. Family built.

Bay Street

Commercial truck and equipment financing specialists offering programs for all aspects of the towing and recovery industry.

BBSI

BBSI provides valuable services for small business: HR Consulting, Risk Consulting, Payroll, Workers’Comp Insurance, and Business Coaching.

Beacon Funding

Beacon Funding offers flexible financing options at competitive rates to towing businesses across the nation.

Beacon Software / TowLien

Dispatch Anywhere Towing & Roadside Management Software. Fastest dispatch!

Over 50 integrations; QuickBooks, GPS companies,18+ motor clubs. Phone apps.

Benchmark Payment Network Benchmark Payments provides credit card processing solutions to every business type in all 50 states.

Best Tools

Best Tools manufactures its own brand of lockout tools 100% in the USA. We also sell towing, rigging, + emergency equipment.

C3LS

Affordable GPS tracking for Fleets/ Equipment and cloud based in Vehicle Dash Camera Solutions.

Capital One Services

Apply for Capital One Spark Business Card: Unlimited 2% Cashback or 2X Miles on all qualified purchases.

Car-Part.com

Car-Part.com and Cart-PartPro.com creates software that provides auto recyclers with integrated end-to-end work flow.

62 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

MOST COMMON AIR ROUTE: Fly into Philadelphia Shuttle or rent a car and drive to AC.

ON THE

BOARDWALK

Atla nt Cit ic y Atlantic City SPOTLIGHT

Known for top notch entertainment and world class dining, steak lovers will find great steakhouses in Caesar’s, Nero’s and Morton’s, Cuban cuisine at Cuba Libre at the Tropicana and Carmine’s Italian meals. All the Casino hotels have great food. And you can go a block off the Boardwalk for local favorites, Doc’s Oyster House and for great subs, the White House—a Calitri favorite.

Running along the Atlantic seashore is the great difference that has set Atlantic City apart from Las Vegas after it introduced casino gambling in 1978. AC always had the Miss America Pageant, its boardwalk and Monopoly making it famous. But the vast Atlantic Ocean is quite a contrast from the Nevada desert. Vegas gives visitors hot arid air. AC gives you salty sea breeze and invigorating strolls or jogs along the boardwalk, day or night. Las Vegas created destination hotels that replicated popular foreign cities (with the help of one’s imagination). Atlantic City is the destination site with the ocean, boardwalk, casino hotels; a scene Vegas would like to recreate in the desert if it could.

American Towman attendees will see plenty of the Boardwalk at AT Expo events: Miller Rocks at the Hard Rock Cafe & Casino, Calitri’s Cuba at the Landshark Bar & Grill, The Donnie Recovery Luncheon at Morton’s Steakhouse at Caeser’s Palace, and the Big Catch fishing excursion. Those wanting to get in some timely Christmas shopping will discover scores of boutique gift stores at the Mall inside the Tropicana and in other casino hotels or the Tanger outlet center. Diners will find some of the greatest meals ever in the casino restaurants, from international cuisine to the best seafood and steakhouses.

December 4-7, 2019 Easy Online Registration at ATExposition.com

c S h e e t l d u n e v E 5 4 WEDNESDAY DEC.

THURSDAY DEC.

Exhibits Preview

Registration Open

Atlantic City Convention Center (ACCC), Exhibit Hall D

7 – 8 am

Registration Open for WreckMaster Attendees ONLY ACCC, Exhibit Hall D

8 am - 12 pm 12 Hour Heavy Duty Recovery with Rotator Training

by WreckMaster, Part I of III Classroom, ACCC

1 - 5 pm

12 Hour Heavy Duty Recovery with Rotator Training

by WreckMaster, Part II of III Hands-On Training at Bus Parking Lot (adjacent to ACCC)

Registration Open for WreckMaster, Skeet & Fishing Attendees ONLY ACCC, Exhibit Hall D

8 am – 7 pm Registration Open for All Attendees ACCC Exhibit Hall D

8 am - 12 pm

12 Hour Heavy Duty Recovery with Rotator Training

ACCC Level 300, Breakfast for Passport holders

12 pm

Donnie Cruse Recovery Awards Luncheon $65, Morton’s Steakhouse at Caesar’s Palace Co-Sponsored by B/A Products, Zip’s A/W Direct, with American Towman and WreckMaster

2 – 5 pm

Exhibit Hall Open!

Atlantic City Convention Center

by WreckMaster, Part III of III Classroom, ACCC

2 pm

8 am – 1pm

ACCC Exhibit Hall

Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Responder Training

American Wrecker Pageant Open

3 - 4 pm

FREE, Dennis Caltagirone, NJDOT

Luxury Vehicle Education

8 am

Exhibit Hall D sponsored by Allstate Roadside Services

Towman Fish - Deep Sea Fishing 5 Hour Charter $125, lunch included Transport from ACCC at 8 am

Exhibit Hall Closes

5 pm

Atlantic City Convention Center

9 am

Towman Hunt (Skeet) $85, lunch included Red Wing Sporting Clays, Port Republic, NJ Transport from ACCC at 9 am

December 4-7, 2019

9 am - 12 pm

American Towman Academy Conferences

7 – 8 am

7:30 am - 5 pm

2-5 pm

6 pm

Captains of Industry; $75, Sheraton Hotel Ticket required Reception Begins at 6:00 pm/ Surf & Turf Dinner begins at 6:30 pm, Jacket/Tie required

Easy Online Registration at ATExposition.com

FRIDAY DEC.

Grand Opening 11 am

6

8 – 11 am

12 – 5 pm

Police Towers Conference

Luxury Vehicle Education

Ron Meyers, Police Towers of America

ACCC, Exhibit Hall D Sponsored by Allstate Roadside Services

8 am – 12 pm

7 – 8 am

Recovery Billing Course

Registration Open for WreckMaster & Conference Passport Attendees ONLY

ACCC

ACCC, Exhibit Hall D

11 am – 5 pm

8 am – 6 pm

Atlantic City Convention Center

Exhibit Hall Grand Opening!

Registration Open for All Attendees

11 am

American Wrecker Pageant Open

ACCC, Exhibit Hall D

ACCC Exhibit Hall

8 – 11 am

12 pm

American Towman Academy Conferences

Trust Award Luncheon

ACCC Level 300, Breakfast for Passport holders

SATURDAY DEC.

7

7 – 8 am

$60, Sheraton Hotel, Crown Ball Room Diamond Sponsor OMG Tow Marketing and Platinum Sponsor AutoReturn

Super Saturday

Registration Open for Training & Conference Passport Attendees ONLY ACCC, Exhibit Hall D

8 am – 4 pm Registration Open for All Attendees ACCC, Exhibit Hall D

8 – 11 am

American Towman Academy Conferences ACCC Level 300, Breakfast for Passport holders

7 pm

Bull & Pig Roast/Miller Rocks at the Hard Rock Cafe Free Event, Complimentary tickets available at Information Booth & Registration, Shuttle Provided Sponsored by Miller Industries with American Towman

9 pm

Calitri’s Cuba Cigar Smoker Landshark Bar and Grill on the beach at Resorts Hotel & Casino, Comp tickets available at Info Booth & Registration, Shuttle Provided Sponsored by AutoReturn & Police Towers of America

11 am - 6 pm

3 pm

8 – 12 pm

4:30 pm

Recovery Billing Course ACCC

Saturday Pie, Exhibit Hall, ACCC Wrecker Pageant Winner Ceremony

11 am – 6 pm

ACCC Band Stage

Atlantic City Convention Center

Ceremony of the Order of Towman

Exhibit Hall Open!

11:30 am – 2:30 pm

Luxury Vehicle Education ACCC, Exhibit Hall D Sponsored by Allstate Roadside Services

2 pm

ACE Awards, ACCC Co-Sponsored by GEICO and NSD

6 pm

Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel, Crown Ballroom

7 pm

Festival Night with March of the Heroes, American Towman Medal, Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel, Crown Ballroom; ticket required Sponsored by American Towman Magazine TOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 65

e r k c P e t a g r n e a W

CHASING THE SILVER The American Towman Wrecker Pageant inside the Atlantic City Convention Center shows off the world’s most beautiful and amazing trucks. No trade paints and decorates their equipment like the towmen do. Whether hand art on display, or wraps, there is no spectacle of visual expression quite like it on the planet. Towers are driving their Babies in from all over to vie for the Pageant’s Silver-Plated Trophies in the towing industry’s premier competition for truck beauty. National judges will vote on most classes. Attendees will pick Best of Show and Best Carrier Presentation.

December 4-7, 2019

t

Exhibit Highlights

Beacon Funding

Beacon Software / TowLien

At Beacon, we provide tow truck financing solutions that fit your business’ needs and help you grow your business.

Towing and Roadside Management Software Fastest dispatch on the planet! Over 50 integrations including QuickBooks, GPS companies and 18+ motor clubs. Phone apps for driver productivity.

Chelsea Products Div. of Parker

210 Series Power Take-off Patent(s) Pending design launching with NEW Ford 10R140 transmission; 4x2 and 4x4 SuperDuty applications

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Your one stop shop for Chevron and Vulcan Car Carriers, wreckers & parts. We are the eye candy of the Industry!

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Chevron Commercial

AT Expo Exhibit Highlights from American Towman display advertisers

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Crawford Truck Sales

Crouch’s Wrecker & Equip.

Jerr-Dan Sales, Parts & Full Service. The largest Jerr-Dan parts department In the USA.

Full line Miller Industries distributor.

Wide variety of new and used equipment in stock. Parts/Service.

Serving Tennessee and Florida.

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DewEze Mfg.

DP Winch

DewEze is your live hydraulics solution, backed by more than 20 years in the wrecker industry.

dp Winch® is excited to introduce their new line of light duty, recovery winches. Available in 8,000, 12,000, 15,000, and 20,000 lb capacity.

Easy Online Registration at ATExposition.com

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Dual-Tech Wreckers & Carriers

Dual-Tech-Manufactures a full line of quality, low profile, towing and recovery equipment.

TOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 67

Exhibitor Roster

Electric Guard Dog

Chelsea Products Div. Parker

DK2 Warrior Winches

We teach you how to get paid for what you already do — cleaning up spills at accident scenes.

Chevron Commercial

Dom’s Wrap-A-Wreck

Parker Chelsea designs and manufactures superior PTO solutions for the vocational truck industry.

Chevron and Vulcan car carriers, wreckers and transporters.

Command Light

Light towers - elevated lighting - LED UnderBoom remote lights.

Copart Auto Auctions

Copart remarkets salvage & clean title through internet sales utilizing VB3 Technology around the world.

Crawford Truck Sales

Crawford Truck Sales - Jerr-Dan sales, parts & full service.The largest Jerr-Dan parts department in the USA.

Crouch’s Wrecker & Equip.

Sales and support of full line Miller Industries tow trucks and tow accessories since 1989.

Custer Products

Custer Products manufactures & distributes the highest quality LED lights in the Towing Industry.

Custom Radio Corp.

DK2 Warrior Winches are the premier supplier of Industrial Winches to the North American Towing Industry.

High quality collision/wreck protected film.

DOT Tie Down

Tow Straps, Towing Hardware, Ratchets & Cam Straps

DP Winch

DP Winch has been your trusted provider of recovery winches for almost 50 years.

Dual-Tech Wreckers & Carriers

Dual-Tech is a leading manufacturer of quality towing equipment. Rollbacks and wreckers readily available.

Dynamic Tow. Equip. / Mfg.

Designs, manufactures, & distributes self loading wreckers, carriers, slideins & rotating rollbacks domestically & internationally.

East Coast Truck & Trailer Sales Full service Jerr-Dan & Cottrell dealer.

Offering parts, service, and equipment sales at great prices.

East Penn Truck Equipment

Mobile digital video recorders, dashcam video recorders.

Full line Miller Industries distributor featuring sales, parts, service, fabrication, paint, restoration and more!

Dedicated Funding NY

ECCO

Financial Services

DewEze Mfg.

Easy installation with minimal OEM changes continues with 2019 clutch pump kits, including the Dodge Ram diesel.

ECCO has safety lighting and alarms for the tow industry.

Eemerg.com

Unique roadside service allows customers opportunity to select service provider that is most suitable for needs and budget.

A security fence company dedicated to providing reliable solar powered electric fences and perimeter security.

Environmental Chemical Solutions

Equalizer

Equalizer Tools — We are the world leader in autogas removal and replacement.

Equipment Gateway Miracle System & Airopower

Equipment Gateway Distributors For: Airopower, Miracle System, Celette, Wielander & Schill, Flexible Bumper & Door Stands

Excel Sportswear

Custom designed imprinted & embroidered sportswear.

Eye3Data

Eye3Mobile live and recorded video/ audio/GPS/ solutions to monitor work, track fleet, defend against fraudulent claims.

EZ Spare Wheel

EZ Spare is a multi-fit “towable” spare wheel with full-size tire that fits most vehicles .

FCar Tech USA

FCAR delivers great truck diagnostic scanners and services to tow truck owners and service professional.

Federal Signal

Federal Signal is a premier provider of tow truck warning lights and back-up safety products.

Firmhorn Sweeping System

Wide area sweeping machines for accident scenes to cut labor time of hand sweeping!

First Business

Manufacturer’s Spotlight

Equipment Financier

Dynamic Tow Equipment & Manufacturing

FleetNet America

Premier 3rd party planned & unplanned maintenance management company specializing in medium & heavy duty.

Force America

Force America is a total systems manufacturer & distributor of mobile hydraulic components.

Ford Commercial Vehicles

Built Ford Tough, synonymous with the rugged capability, outstanding performance and dependability of Ford trucks.

68 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

CELEBRATING HEROES

Industry Legend: Mike Corbin, Original Spirit Rider

No tower has lived the life without the experience of Festival Night. Oh one may have done all that towers do, but no event validates the risk, the challenge, the heart and heroism that is Festival Night. This Saturday evening event has been a lightning rod for industry pride since 1989. Be there as the heroic tales are told and towmen receive the American Towman Medal, towing’s most coveted honor. Be there and break bread with peers as the Mike Corbin Band performs live the Towman Ballads like Booms in the Sky, The Road Calls and favorite American hits like The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Join American Towman and tow bosses from around the world at the Sheraton Hotel for an unforgettable Festival Night.

F es

Atlantic City SPOTLIGHT

tiv al

There are two stellar acts on Festival Night; the March of the Heroes and Towman Medal Ceremony and Mike Corbin, the man who led the Spirit Ride. No musical act in Atlantic City will feature the kind of music the Mike Corbin Band plays on Festival Night– original Towman Ballads and pop retro hits.

Your best bet for dining and entertainment on Saturday night is the Sheraton with American Towman’s Festival Night!

Ni gh t

December 4-7, 2019 Easy Online Registration at ATExposition.com

Exhibit Highlights Pa Se ge e 11 3

Dynamic Tow. Equip. / Mfg. The Python has a reach of 82”, 25˚ of power/neg tilt 8,000 lb tow rating.

Customers asked for a unit that lifts faster, higher & provides better weight transfer.

Environmental Chemical Solutions

FM 186-2 provides a non-hazardous approach to dealing with fuel spills, while reducing the potential for toxic vapor inhalation and fire.

Hale Trailer Brake & Wheel

Come see how you can join the elite in providing exceptional customer service to GEICO’s 14.5 million customers and 22 million automobiles.

First Faymonville Mega Max with steerable axles built for the US market. 50-Ton trailer extends to 42’ and has a deck height of 14”.

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70 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

First Business First Business Equipment Finance, LLC part of First Business Financial Services, Inc., provides expert, customized, competitively priced tow truck financing.

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GEICO

The ITD X-Series Dolly has the most advanced features of any dolly in the world. Made in the USA!

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Ins S id ee Co e Ba ve ck r

In The Ditch Towing Products

AT Expo Exhibit Highlights from American Towman display advertisers

Integrated Vehicle & Equipment Leasing

As a national direct lender since 1999, Integrated has been providing leasing and financing for the tow truck industry.

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IAA (Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc.)

Work your way: whenever, wherever.

Learn more at our booth.

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Intek Truck & Equipment Leasing/Finance

Offers customized and flexible lease & financing options for all new and used towing equipment. Exclusive finance programs for up to 10 years.

Easy Online Registration at ATExposition.com

Exhibitor Roster Fred Beans Parts

The largest OEM parts distributor and one of the largest aftermarket powertrain distributors in the US.

GEICO

The country’s second largest automobile insurance company which provides its own outstanding Emergency Road Service.

Goosetown Communications

Goosetown Communcations offers full-service communications solutions, specializing in wireless communications for business and government.

Hale Trailer Brake & Wheel

Full service trailer dealership specializing in the tow industry offering sales, parts, rentals, service, and financing.

HCI - Huston Communication Nationwide Push-to-Talk Radios for Motorola Solutions.

Hino Trucks

Integrated Vehicle & Equip. Leasing

Nationwide direct lender. 20+ years in tow truck industry. Leasing, financing for new/used trucks, equipment, trailers and service vehicles.

Intek Truck & Equipment Leasing/Finance

IAA (Insurance Auto Auctions)

Work your way: whenever, wherever. Join our tow network today!

Illusions Wraps

We are a custom wrap shop with 3M preferred installers.

In The Ditch Towing Products

Creates and manufactures innovative and easy-to-use products for the Towing Industry; made in USA.

International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame/Museum Preserving the history of the towing industry for over 23 years!

December 4-7, 2019

Wireless Radio Remote controls for many different applications.

Lucky’s Trailer Sales

Talbert, Landoll, Felling & Trail King Lowbeds & Traveling Axle Trailers Sales & Service Peterbilt Trucks Sales & Service.

Mach 1 Services

Miller Industries products and Talbert trailers.

The automated & on-demand roadside assistance app that works for you.

Jerr-Dan Corp.

Manufacturer of all Towing/Trucking needs! Straps, chains, round slings, Stainless Steel Collections.

Leading industry innovator offering an extensive range of standard, medium- & heavy-duty wreckers, carriers & rotators.

Jouvalle / Forever Young

Trailers for the towing industry, sliding axles, VersaMaxx Bus Transports and Hydraulic Trailers.

Landoll Corporation

Manufacturer of specialized equipment transport, traveling axle and detachable trailers. Galvanizing, HOSS hydraulice systems, enhanced LED lighting.

Legacy Plus Insurance

Providing towing insurance for over three decades. Service and proper coverage is our priority.

Lift And Tow

Inexpensive alternative tow truck for your pick up truck.

Manufacturer’s Spotlight

ITI Skate Products: Control Arm, Container, All Purpose “the originals” machinery, ramps, Skates move anything!

Lodar USA

Vehicle keys and remotes, key programming and cutting equipment, entry access tools, technical support.

Kalyn-Siebert

I Tow In

Missing wheels on a recovery, come visit GUNIWHEEL™ we have the solution.

International Key Supply

Honk Technologies

Towing and recovery supplies, lights, straps, ratchets, and chains.

LKQ Corporation

Lynch Truck Centers

Skin Cream for UV protection (SPF30) with sunscreen. Elevare Rev Device for stimulation for hair growth.

Hooks Towing & Recovery Supplies

Effective online marketing solutions for towing professionals. Drive Cash calls to your business by calling us today.

Customized, flexible, lease and finance options for all trucks and equipment.

Exclusive finance programs up to 10 years.

Medium-duty conventional and cab forward trucks.

Honk connects service providers to nearby motorists in need of towing and roadside assitance.

Lift Marketing Group

Jerr-Dan Corp.

Manufacturer Express

Marathon Business Fuel Card Program

Marathon Fleet card solutions help make managing your business easier and keeps your drivers moving - saving you time and money!

Marlow Ropes

Synthetic fiber ropes for winching and vehicle recovery offer strength handling and safety improvements over traditional wire products.

Maryland Carrier & Wrkr. Sales

Maryland’s premier Jerr-Dan Distributor truck sales, parts, service.

Massage Corner

Seated massage, foot massage and Reiki sessions.

Matheny Towing Equipment

Full line Miller Industries dealer with locations in West Virginia, Ohio, Virginia and now Kentucky.

Towing & Recovery Conference Roadside Safety

Topics include arriving at the scene safely, proper parking of the truck, proper use of emergency lighting and work lights, customer safety and avoiding the traffic side of the truck.

Terry Abejuela, American Towman Magazine. Thursday, 10 a.m.

Wreckers Past to Present

Shane Coleman discusses how technology advancements developed by identifying jobs-to-be-done in the towing industry. These have driven the development of new technologies, what we might expect to see when it comes to the technological advancements and services that will continue to evolve the industry and make it enticing to future generation towers. Shane Coleman, Jerr-Dan. Thursday, 11 a.m.

$125 Passport

(through advance registration)

Access All Seminars!

Reducing Line Tension with Snatch Blocks

This seminar will cover lines to the load, how line angles affect line loads, traveling versus fixed blocks, and simple versus compound; Terry Abejuela, American Towman Magazine.

Saturday, 8 a.m.

A c a e d h emy T How to Safely Strap & Tow a Motorcycle

Power point presentation of improperly and properly tied down motorcycles. Tie-down techniques for various brands/models of motorcycles - how to avoid mechanical and physical damage.

Miguel Cifuentes, Road America; AmeriDeck. Friday, 8 a.m.

Defensive Driving/ Driving Professionalism

A presentation on the dynamic nature of tow trucks when loaded vs. empty, following distance and other traffic hazards that could help prevent some crashes.

Brian J. Riker, American Towman Magazine. Saturday, 9 a.m.

Recovery from Median Cable Barriers Systems

Discusses options to safely recover all sizes of wrecked vehicles when entangled in the cable barrier systems. Discusses issues with releasing the tension of the cable barrier system.

Bobby Tuttle, CIRT. Saturday, 9 a.m.

Traffic Management The Right Way

Reducing the risks associated with roadway incident management.

Bruce Campbell, WreckMaster. Saturday, 10 a.m.

72 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

Scooby’s Mystery Theater

An entertaining theatrical review of air cushion jobs worldwide.

Howard “Scooby” Eagan, John Sweezy Jr., Matjack Jumbo Safelift. Saturday, 8 a.m.

Safety Conference Three Proven Ways to Improve Fleet Safety

Hear how transportation leaders have driven measurable impact through new, easy-to-deploy programs, and how you can use those same strategies to improve the safety of your fleet.

Eleanor Horowitz Samsara; Thursday, 9 a.m.

Building an Advanced Warning Area

This presentation focuses on the need to deploy simple techniques and devices to make your on-scene presence OBVIOUS, and, provides advanced emergency warning to approaching motorists.

Randy Resch, American Towman Magazine.

Saturday 10 a.m.

Building Revenue Conference Keep Pace With Google Changes

Learn how recent changes to mobile web architecture, quick-load content creation, click to call ads and customer review requests will affect how you get found online. Dennis Wencel, Lift Marketing Group.

Thursday, 10 a.m.

New Money Through Diversification

From accident remediation to car-replacement, how you can increase the revenues of your business through diversifying into other areas that are a natural for towing companies.

Bill Johnson, Hampshire Towing. Thursday, 11 a.m.

Online Market Dominance Calls & Clicks

Standing tall within Google’s search results takes know-how and ongoing effort.

Jared and the OMG Tow Marketing Team will review the latest techniques used by the country’s most successful tow bosses.

Jared Fischgrund & Henry Heredia Sr. OMG. Friday, 10 a.m.

Brand Yourself Online To Dominate Your Market

Learn specific steps to beat your competition.

Convert eyeballs to phone calls and phone calls to cash. Daniel Ostrov, Whiterail Reviews.

Saturday, 8 a.m.

Billing for Liquid Debris Cleanup

Liquid debris cleanup is an untapped revenue resource for towers as first responders. This seminar will also address the law and regulation, dealing with the insurer, proper cleanup and getting paid.

Jim Figueira, Environmental Chemical Solutions.

Saturday, 9 a.m.

Building a Loyal Customer Base Gain an understanding why your customers choose YOU. Bear Godfrey, WreckMaster.

Saturday, 9 a.m.

Pricing: Are You Leaving Money on the Table?

Do you know where you need to be on pricing?

John Borowski, Auto Return.

Saturday, 10 a.m.

Reposession Conference Repossessing Special Assets Parts 1 & 2 (90 minutes)

Commercial asset and specialty lenders are looking for repossessors who can recover more than automobiles. Add to your bottom line by repossessing special assets: commercial trucks, farm equipment, manufacturing equipment, construction and heavy equipment. Recover boats, RV’s, motorcycles and even retail store fixtures. Attendees receive a 25% discount from online course as well as a contact list of commercial lenders.

It takes a certain set of skip resources and procedures to locate and recover these types of assets. Part Two of this seminar discusses how to locate these assets with commercial and special asset skip-tracing.

Completion of both sessions earns attendees a certificate of attendance that can be used as a $100 discount if you sign on to the RISCUS. COM portal and take the CCRA online course within 30 days of the seminar.

American Towman Repo Editor, Mark Lacek, Commercial Asset Solutions.

Friday, 9 – 10:30 a.m.

Insurance Conference

Insurance Strategies for Today’s Volatile Market

Information on what is happening with the increase of insurance premiums in the towing industry, types of claims that the underwriters are identifying as causes and strategies that towing companies could employ to help reduce their claims and rates.

Bobby Tuttle, CIRT; Thursday, 9 a.m.

Designed to help take your towing business to a higher level and greater profits, the American Towman Academy offers insights and new practices on all aspects of towing operations.

Most sessions are fifty minutes with specific content that will motivate and enlighten the most wily of veterans. The Acadamy Passport gets one into all seminars and includes breakfasts all mornings, Thursday through Saturday inside the Atlantic City Convention Center.

Business Operations Conference

Comp Breakfasts Thurs.-Sat. for Academy Attendees

OSHA and the Towing Industry

Exploring the broad scope and reach of the OSH Act, which is where OSHA and related state agencies draw their authority from. It will also discuss the differences between state and federal enforcement. Brian J. Riker, American Towman Magazine.

Thursday, 9 a.m.

Are You Busy? Or Just Dizzy?

Are you running your business or is your business running you?

John Borowski, Auto Return.

Thursday, 10 a.m.

Dispatch and Artificial Intelligence

Just like auto driving cars, dispatch software can auto accept and dispatch jobs to drivers. Beacon Software will discuss the pros and cons of this evolving technology along with its impact on your business. Todd Althouse, Beacon Software.

Thursday, 10 a.m.

The Uncontaminated Vehicle Storage Facility (VSF)

A presentation that addresses the leaks and staining at VSF’s from the damaged vehicles. A proper best management procedure addresses and eliminates the staining from these leaks. Save thousands of dollars in cleanup costs, fines, and bad publicity.

Jim Figueira, Ed Grubbs, Environmental Chemical Solutions.

Thursday, 11 a.m.

How Tow Owners Can Protect Their Business

Discover the tools you can use to protect 100% of your assets from lawsuits, save thousands of dollars each year in taxes and avoid probate and eliminate all estate taxes. Larry Oxenham, American Society for Asset Protection.

Friday, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Why Are More Towing Companies Using Software?

Demanding customers want to be able to have constant contact with their providers to reassure them that they are a priority.

This seminar will explore how using software impacts motor club work and what towing management software is and its advantages.

Tom Bacon, Towbook. Friday, 9 a.m.

Improving Management of Recovery and Heavy Hauling Operations

Managing invoice integration of multitruck recoveries with charge details and related driver commissions, along with heavy hauling flexible scheduling, advance notifications to drivers and automated dispatch to driver’s mobile app.

Jim Shellhaas, Ranger SST. Sat., 8 a.m.

IoT – The Connected Workforce

An in-depth discussion on the use of sensors, telemetry and IT to provide real-time feedback to make smart business decisions.

Daniel Young, US Fleet Tracking.

Thursday, 11 a.m.

Effective Succession Planning

Seventy-one percent of entrepreneurs plan to retire in the next 10 years, but most are woefully unprepared. Join Jim Groves of Automotive Training Institute as he shares how to create the life you want in your golden years. Jim Groves, ATI. Friday, 8 a.m.

From the Dispatch Office

Be that multi-tasking personality, necessary to taking calls, balancing call-volume, auto clubs, law enforcement, customers, accounts and caring for challenging tow truck drivers.

Randy Resch, American Towman Magazine.

Friday, 8 a.m.

December 4-7, 2019

74 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY!

Police Towers Conference

Strategies for increasing your town’s regulated rates. Having statistics to back up one’s case for a rate increase can mean all the difference. The Conference will also cover ways to cultivate a strong relationship with the town and the police department.

Ron Myers, Police Towers of America.

Friday, 8 a.m. – 11 a.m.

a d c e A m y e h T

Independent of Academy Seminars WreckMaster Rotator Recovery Training

WreckMaster instructors conduct a special 12-hour training course on rotator recovery; classroom and outdoors hands-on.

Includes Passport access into all seminars and complimentary breakfasts.

Thursday & Friday • $595

Recovery Billing Course

The famous 8-hour course that teaches you how to charge the value of recovery work and collect from insurance companies.

Fee includes two company personnel, the boss and billing clerk. Bob & Eric Fouquette. Fee also includes the A.T. Academy Passport and breakfast Thursday - Saturday.

Must be accepted by Recovery Billing.

Fri. & Sat., 8 a.m.-12 noon • $1,850 Another networking and educational opportunity is the Captains of Industry’s Conference featuring AT’s legendary Long Table and this year’s address on the groundbreaking Road Clearance initiative. Acquire dinner tickets through advance-registration.

FREE Traffic Incident Management Training

The goal of Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Responder Training and Certification is to provide first responders a shared understanding of the requirements for: motorist and responder safety; safe, quick clearance of traffic incident scenes; prompt, reliable and open communication.

Dennis Caltagirone, Incident Management Coordinator, NJDOT. Thursday, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. • Advance Registration required.

Easy Online Registration at ATExposition.com

AUTO REPAIR & COLLISION

Sport NETWORKING

CONFERENCE

Tow Industry sportsmen will cast out for the Towman Catch deep sea fishing excursion in the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday morning, or be game for the Towman Hunt, Skeet Shoot (rifles provided). Transportation is provided, see events schedule for more info. Advance register.

An invigorating way to start off Thursday at AT Expo.

This educational conference is for Auto Repair & Collision shop owners; presented by the Automotive Training Institute, Senior Instructor Matt Winslow.

The seminar sessions will cover how to: • Improve Your Cash Flow • Dramatically Improve Profitability • Market Faster and Smarter • Create Consistency and Freedom with SOPs These are in-depth sessions drilling down to many aspects of running an auto repair and body shop, from recruiting the right technicians to target marketing for building your business; giving the owner the freedom needed to progress through essential time management to planning for retirement and succession.

Course fee: $197 for all sessions Friday and Saturday

8-11 am

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s o d Ku ACE AWARDS Towman ACES are nominated by motor clubs/call providers for service reliability. Saturday, 2 pm ceremony at the AC Convention Center. Event sponsors: GEICO and NSD

ORDER OF TOWMAN The Towman Order is nominated by police and fire chiefs for outstanding service to their agencies and to their communities.

Ceremony Saturday, 6 pm at the Sheraton.

Sponsor: American Towman Magazine

Back Side

Front Side

December 4-7, 2019

OFFICIAL AT EXPO BEER STEIN

(or extend current subscription)

Through Advance-Registration

(at AT Merchandise Booth)

Custom made in Germany

Subscribe to American Towman

and receive the official AT Expo Beer Stein in Atlantic City

DONNIE CRUSE RECOVERY AWARDS

TRUST AWARDS

The American Towman Trust is awarded to tow company owners whose companies were nominated by organizations in or related to the towing industry, nominated for proving their trustworthiness in their working relationship with that organization. Nominees then had to pass muster by standing out on internet with performance reviews on Yelp and Google.

Friday noon luncheon at the Sheraton.

Diamond Sponsor: OMG Tow Marketing, Platinum Sponsor: AutoReturn

The Donnie is awarded for recovery excellence in the name of training legend, Donnie Cruse, for a challenging recovery well performed. Light, medium, and heavy duty recoveries are judged and awarded.

The Donnie Recovery luncheon presents a multimedia critique of the winning recoveries. A must event for all die-hard recovery specialists. Thursday 12 noon Sponsors: B/A Products, Zip’s/AW Direct, WreckMaster, American Towman Magazine

Exhibit Highlights

Legacy Plus Insurance

Jerr-Dan Corp.

Landoll Corporation

Roll up ready with Jerr-Dan! Backed by industry-leading warranties - ready to work.Check out our standard and heavy duty units today.

800 E Series DetachableSeries detachable is available with full width power paver ramp option with 8.5˚ load angle and hydraulic lift system.

Lodar USA

Lynch Truck Centers

Use the wrecker industry’s standard for wireless control. Lodar keeps your people and equipment safe up to 1,000 ft away.

Towing Equipment Dealer. Full line of Miller Industries products.The finest towing equipment available. The right equipment at the right price, right away.

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Specializing in transportation insurance. Superior customer service,coverage and professionalism for towing, repossessors and auto haulers for over three decades.

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One-of-a-kind, stainless steel ratchet with steering wheel lock.We have built a sound company exclusively on our reputation of reliability, efficiency and exceeding customers expectations.

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Manufacturer Express

AT Expo Exhibit Highlights from American Towman display advertisers

Maryland Carrier & Wrecker Sales

Towing and recovery vehicles from industry leading brands, all make truck parts, and reliable service.

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Mach 1 Services Mach 1 is making it easier for providers to make money. Our patent-pending model automates and digitizes the roadside assistance industry.

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Matheny Motor Truck Co. An extensive selection of Miller Industries Equipment and a familyowned legacy of customer service.

Come see the Matheny difference!

Easy Online Registration at ATExposition.com

Exhibitor Roster Matjack Jumbo Safelift

Matjack air bags, underwater and jumbo cushions, landing bags, rigging, lighting and cribbing.

National Automobile Club

For 90+ years NAC has been committed to our customers, service providers & to being the best.

OnTrak Solutions

Insurance Video Telematics

Optotraffic

Swift™ Tow & Impound Web App combines full featured management software with powerful back office services.

Penny Pockets

Custom embroidered jackets & shirts.

Metro Tow Trucks

Navistar, Inc. (Int’l Trucks)

Penske Truck Leasing Service

Midwest Keyless

Nite Beam

People’s United Equipment Finance Corp.

Midwest Keyless is a nationwide supplier of new and high-quality refurbished, replacement automotive remotes!

Midwest Wrecker

Midwest Wrecker is a full service tow truck dealership that offers unmatched pricing on new and used Rollbacks and Wreckers.

Miller Industries

World leader in towing and recovery equipment. Manufacturers of industry leading brands: Century, Vulcan, Chevron, and Holmes.

Millner-Haufen Tool Co.

Millner Tools puts high quality durable tools in your hand. Lifetime replacement guarantee.

Mobile Video Computing Solutions

MVCS integrates video, telematics and information systems to create fleet solutions for the towing industry

MOTOR

NOCO Jump Packs - Jump starter packs and chargers for cars, trucks, and off road equipment.

Muncie Power Products

We are a leading manufacturer of power take-offs and hydraulic components for mobile applications.

Myers Benner Corp.

Insurance program including property, liability, automobile and workers compensation.

Mytee Product

Auto hauling straps, towing chains, wire rope, snatch blocks and more.

Nation Safe Drivers (NSD)

A forward thinking motor club working to make a positive change to benefit our partners and clients.

December 4-7, 2019

Complete lineup of class 4-8 commercial vehicles for recovery and towing. Product and service offerings, focused on uptime.

Award winning leader in LED safety apparel and LED safety products.

Nottingham Insurance

Exclusive insurance agency for the auto service industry offering comprehensive and complete solutions.

NRC Industries, Inc.

Manufacturer of towing and recovery equipment renowned throughout the world for their strength and reliability.

Penske operates more than 280,000 vehicles and serves customers from more than 800 locations.

Premier nationwide commercial finance company that specializes in finance/ leasing programs for the towing and recovery industry.

PGM Recovery Systems

Catalytic converter recycling. Come visit our precious metals experts today, where recycling makes $ense.

Phoenix USA

Axle caps, axle covers for towing buses and trucks.

Wheel simulators, wheel trim, emergency lighting products, toolboxes and storage products, chrome and aluminum accessories.

Omadi

Planet Halo

OMG Tow Marketing

Pop - A - Lock

Olson & Company

An end-to-end towing management platform complimented by a partner network to supply towing professionals with more jobs.

Creative advertising and marketing services since 1990. Websites, local search ads, video, on-hold Messages, and more!

OnlineParkingPass.com

OnlineparkingPass is a state of the art digital parking permit and enforcement company.

OnSpot Automatic Tire Chains

Onspot Automatic Tire Chains enhance traction and reduce braking distance on snow and ice.

Manufacturer’s Spotlight

Metro Tow Trucks provides the most affordable way into the heavy duty wrecker market.

Metro Tow Trucks

Autocam powered by Planet Halo inc.

Next generation dash camera for towtrucks expandable six channels, PTO alerts, live video, realtime tracking.

Offering franchises for road service and auto locksmithing.

Powerhouse Industries

Northeast VAL6 Infrared Heaters, use two thirds less fuel no smoke, no smell, no noise.

PowerTac USA

Emergency lighting solutions and EDC lights.

Exhibit Highlights

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OMG Tow Marketing

Matjack Jumbo Safelift

Miller Industries

New Hurricane System uprights casualties in as little as 5 minutes!

Century Improve your approach with the Century 12-Series LCG™ with Right Approach™ option.

2019 Sponsors Registration Counters

AT Expo Exhibit Highlights from American Towman display advertisers

ACE Awards

OMG Tow Marketing providing tow bosses with creative advertising & marketing services since 1990.

Websites, local search ads, video, on-hold messages, & much more!

Events and Specialty Items

Show Bags

Hotel Room Keys Luxury Vehicle Education Badge Inserts

Information Booth Wrecker Pageant Voting Booth Bull & Pig Roast “Miller Rocks”

Donnie Awards Lanyards

Expo Info Card Calitri’s Cuba Trust Awards Diamond

Platinum

Captains of Industry AT Academy Festival Night Saturday Pie

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Phoenix USA All Stainless Toolbox 1.5 mm stainless steel construction with stainless steel hardware, automotive bulb seal, rolled door edge, ergonomic compression latch. Available in 48” x 18” x 18” and 60” x 18” x 18”.

Ranger SST

Ranger’s SmartDispatch™ dispatchers easily grasp the big picture for better assignment decisions -- considering ALL OPEN JOBS and ALL TRUCKS on ONE screen.

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Ricky’s Sales & Service HiViz Apparel, Winter Jackets, T-Shirts, Vests, Custom Shirts, Rain Gear and More! Lights, Chains, Straps, Towing Equipment.

Military Grade Winches: Reliable, dependable, uncomplicated, and safer with true free spooling drums and automatic 2-speed on high capacity winches.

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Recovery Billing Unlimited Course teaches towers proper writing of recovery invoices, billing on property damage liability insurance and more.

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Santander Bank

Road America Since 1978, Road America has been a leading motor club with strong focus on light duty & heavy duty services. Weekly pay through direct deposit.

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Sepson US /Patterson Mfg

AT Expo Exhibit Highlights from American Towman display advertisers

Santander offers a simple application process, quick credit decisions,flexible programs and customized payment schedules.

Finance with a leader.

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Specialty Vehicle Equipment Funding

Specialty Vehicle Funding is a direct lender providing fast financing for tow trucks, trailers, service vehicles and other specialty equipment.

Easy Online Registration at ATExposition.com

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Spill Tackle 1-20lb bag of Spill Tackle will absorb up to 10 gallons of fluid, and roughly equals 120-150lbs of cat litter.

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TALKING BUSINESS Motor Clubs and other national call providers have a stand-out presence on the AT Expo exhibit floor. They all come to discuss business with tow bosses, scout for new service partners, primary and secondary, depending upon their needs in various areas of the country. There are several strategies towers can implement with clubs.

For example, become a primary tower for one or more clubs. There are towers looking only to be the secondary tower with many clubs. Or the tower called on when no other tower is available. Each strategy can have different goals. Many towers seek to tow for this or that motor club knowing the affiliation can open other doors.

For the tower seeking club relationships and revenue the American Towman Exposition is a bonanza with nearly twenty call providers exhibiting, bringing their regional reps with them from around the nation.

Motor C

& C a l l Pr o l u b vid s ers

AAA Agero Allstate Roadside Services AutoReturn Copart Auto Auction FleetNet America GEICO Honk Technologies IAA (Insurance Auto Auctions) Mach 1 Services National Automobile Club (NAC) Nation Safe Drivers (NSD) Penske Truck Leasing Quest Towing Services Road America TTN Fleet Solutions Urgent.ly

December 4-7, 2019

Exhibit Highlights

AT Expo Exhibit Highlights from American Towman display advertisers

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Steck Mfg. Co.

Sterling National Bank

Talbert Mfg.

Fourth Wheel Loader Allows drivers to load and secure vehicles up to 5 tons with broken ball joints and locked wheels on roll back wreckers.

Advantage Funding has joined Sterling National Bank. Great new solutions for your transportation financing and more.

Since 1938 Talbert has manufactured very high quality heavy haul trailers and specialized transportation equipment, including low bed and travel axles.

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Teufelberger Fiber Rope Corp.

TFR Fabrication & Mfg.

New from TEUFELBERGER Fiber Rope: Endura 12 HMPE 2-color, twist-indication synthetic winch line.

Specializing in custom metal fabrication of wrecker & rollbacks, parts & repairs. Steel, aluminum & stainless.

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TLC is the leader for custom fabrication and builds. We are also the exclusive home of the Stepside Classic Carrier.

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Cloud-based towing software built for towing companies of every size and offering 24/7/365 support!

Sign-up for your free trial today!

TLC Truck & Equipment

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Towbook Management Software

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TowMate TM-FLUX32 - Super fast charging wireless light. 8 minute charge time.

4 hour runtime. No battery to ever replace. Made in USA. Lifetime warranty.

Easy Online Registration at ATExposition.com

TowTruckLocator.com Buy/Sell tow trucks/trailers/service vehicles. Turn unused equipment into cash.

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Exhibitor Roster Priority Capital

Priority Capital is the largest small business lender in the United States.

Pro-Vision Video Systems

Specialty Vehicle Equip. Funding Tow Truck financing made simple.

Spill Tackle

Absorbent manufacturer, specialized in absorbent solutions for all spill response.

Recovery Billing Unlimited

Stamp Works / Sup. Magnets

Ricky’s Sales & Service

Steck Mfg. Co.

Advanced business management classes.

Family owned and operated! Apparel, parts, sales and service for your specialty needs.

Custom tow truck magnets and light up key chains!

Road America

Steck’s BigEasy Lockout Tool Kits have become the tools of choice for tow drivers. Accessories are I-Bolt and 4th Wheel Loader.

Robert Young’s NRC Sales & Serv.

We provide an array of financing options for both new and used wreckers, rotators and service trucks.

Dispatching towing and roadside events nationwide for over 50 clients.

Your “One-Stop-Shop” for NRC equipment, B/A Products, All-Grip, TowMate and much more!

R & A Insurance

RP Recovery Consulting

Stertil-Koni is the global market leader in heavy duty vehicle lifts, capacities up to 156,000 lbs.

PRO-VISION manufactures dash cameras, back-up cameras, body cameras, and fleet management software solutions.

Purpose Wrecker

Miller Industries, Kalyn-Siebert - heavy duty car carriers.

Quest Towing Services

Independent insurance brokers specializing in the towing and recovery industry.

Ram Trucks / EEI Global

FIAT Chrysler Automobiles manufactures fleet specific vehicles for the commercial, government, and rental industries.

Ramsey Winch

Leading manufacturer of hydraulic/ electric, Worm and Planetary winches and hoists. Using advanced processes and premium materials.

Ranger SST

#1 All-In-One Tow Management Solution: LD/HD towing, recovery, lot management, heavy hauling, auto transport, PPI, relocation, roadside assistance.

RC Industries

Tool boxes, underbench boxes, accessories for your storage needs.

Rear View Safety

Manufacturer’s Spotlight

RVS offers vehicle safety technology to commercial fleets and producers.

Miller Industries

Emergency Roadside Assistance and Towing Services are provided to various clients as part of a B2B partnership.

Distributor of Sonetics Wireless Team Communication Headsets.

Rydin Decal

Rydin is an industry leading manufacturer of affordable, durable, high-quality tow signs and warning decals.

Samsara

Helping businesses improve efficiency, safety, and sustainability with connected sensors and software.

Santander Bank

Offers a simple application process, quick credit decisions, flexible programs and customized payments schedules.

Sepson US

Sepson manufacturers of world class, military grade winches to make your operation safer, and more reliable.

Shanghai Tough Rope & Webbing Co.

Tough supplies, hundreds of rope styles, twisted and braided strands, nets, webbing, slings, straps, fishing nets, etc.

Sterling National Bank

Stertil-Koni, USA

Talbert Mfg.

Manufacturers of high quality heavy haul trailers and specialized transportation equipment including lowbed and travel axles.

TCF Capital Solutions

(FKA TCF Equipment Finance) is recognized as one of the premier US tow/ recovery equipment finance companies.

Teufelberger Fiber Rope Corp.

Teufelberger is the leader in design and manufacturing of synthetic winch lines for towing and off road.

TFR Fabrication & Manufacturing Fabrication and manufacturing company specializing in replacement parts, replacement deck and much much more.

The Wireless Experience

Connected dashboard cameras, GPS tracking, fleet management telematics, wireless phones, DIRECTV.

TLC Truck & Equipment

TLC is the home of the “Stepside Classic” and your premier custom tow truck builder!

TOMAR Electronics

Leading manufacturer of rugged, high performance LED warning lights.

Tow Canada

Tow Canada tells the story of Canadian towing professionals, delivering educational content from industry experts.

Tow Life

Wearing apparel which includes T-shirts, hoodies, tank tops and decals.

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MILLER ROCKS ON THE BOARDWALK AT’s Bull & Pig Roast (Miller Rocks!) this year takes place at the Hard Rock’s classiest Cafe in the Hard Rock dynasty. Aside from its winning design, it features an exclusive collection of rock and roll memorabilia, ranging from Elvis’ Rolls Royce Phantom V and Slash’s Harley to Lady Gaga’s and Prince’s wild getups.

Sponsored by the towing industry’s largest worldwide wrecker manufacturer, Miller Industries, Miller Rocks features free pork and beef carving stations with savory fries and a live band to rock the night away. The ambience allows for great conversation, raucous laughter, and wild dancing! And of course, this year’s complimentary Miller Rocks t-shirt! Advance register now for towing’s premier party. It’s on the Boardwalk, Friday evening December 6th and it’s free!

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on the Boardwalk

t P i g & s R o l a l Bu Sponsored by:

Atlantic City SPOTLIGHT Chill out on the Boardwalk at American Towman hospitality events like Miller Rocks and Calitri’s Cuba or stroll along the ocean and discover America’s greatest promenade. If you need retail therapy, your shopping paradise can be found at the indoor mall ‘The Quarter’ at the Tropicana on the Boardwalk, with over 30 stores under one rooftop, plus many top eateries.

December 4-7, 2019 Easy Online Registration at ATExposition.com

L egen dary HOSPITALITY

American Towman’s Legendary Hospitality will be felt at all AT Expo events in Atlantic City, whether it’s Miller Rocks (Bull & Pig Roast), Calitri’s Cuba, the Academy breakfasts or the fantastic assortment of pies on Super Saturday. In Atlantic City AT will welcome America’s greatest service professionals with the deserved respect.

December 4-7, 2019

Exhibit Highlights Pa

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Verdant Commercial Capital

Urgent.ly

AT Expo Exhibit Highlights from American Towman display advertisers

Urgent.ly is re-imagining roadside assistance. Our digital platform connects you with more nearby jobs to grow your business efficiently.

Verdant Commercial Capital is an independent equipment finance company whose veteran specialty vehicle team offer competitive rates, quick decisions, and unparalleled service.

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Warn Industries Warn Industries increases Hydraulic Series Winches’ performance and durability allowing for increased productivity and more money in workers’ pockets.

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We Buy Key Fobs

West End Service

Turn your key fobs into CASH! Bring your key fobs to booth 515 and we will pay you cash on the spot!

Will-Burt Company

2020 White Pete 389 HD, Miller Spec, Twin Steer, Tri-Axle, Century 1075, 75 Ton Rotator, Cummins X15-605HP, 18 Speed Manual Trans, Raptor Controls, 5 Winch.

Night Scan HDT Night Scan is a full line of light towers that improves safety, efficiency, and makes you more money.

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Witzco Trailers, Inc.

Worldwide Equipment Sales

Wreaths Across America/INA

One person driver side hydraulic operation. Towing, recovery, rental market. Manufacturing high quality trailers since 1938. Affordable.

Dependable. Quality. Value.

Full service Jerr-Dan, Landoll, and Cottrell dealer. Three locations to serve you better. 200+ in-stock units ready for immediate delivery.

Sponsor a wreath at the AT Expo to remember our Fallen U.S. Veterans.

National Wreaths Across America Day is to remember, honor & teach, by the wreath-laying ceremonies.

Easy Online Registration at ATExposition.com

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Exhibitor Roster Towbook Management Software

Modern, cloud-based towing software for companies of all sizes; #1 software in the industry!

Towing.com

Provides an internet marketing advantage for towing companies that want to win the internet. Become a member now.

TowingWebsites.com

Tow marketing, websites, social media, Google advertising and more. No contracts, no large up front fees!

TowMate

Wireless Towing Lights, strobe lights, safety flares, overhead light bars.

TowToolz

Tri-State Trailer Sales

New and used trailer sales, rental and leasing. Four locations: Pittsburgh, Lancaster, Hubbard and Cincinnati

Truck Crane Solutions

The Erkin #122 ton/meter is the only articulating rotator tow truck in the world!

It’s 360˚ stable.

Trux Accessories

Trux Accessories; your industry leader for worklights, headlights, LED’s, and wheel accessories.

TTN Fleet Solutions

A solution to save our clients time, resources, and increase fleet utilization and visibility, while decreasing expenses.

Serving the industry with innovative recovery solutions through a combination of consultation, training, and professional equipment sales.

TXI Systems - TOPS

TowTrax

A roadside assistance platform that gives the stranded motorist access to the tow truck closest to the stranded vehicle.

Re-imagining roadside assistance — our digital platform connects you with more nearby jobs to grow your business efficiently.

TowTruckLocator.com

US Fleet Tracking

Buy/Sell tow trucks/trailers/service vehicles. Turn unused equipment into cash. Find tow industry resources.

TRAA

The industry’s only national membership association, offering leadership, representation and the gold standard in certification.

Tracker Management Systems

Manufacturer’s Spotlight

The #1 Software for the towing and recovery industry for over 30 years.

NRC Industries

Full service towing management solutions with GPS fleet tracking.

Urgent.ly

Live vehicle tracking with 10-second updates, PTO monitoring, no controls, no hidden fees.

Verdant Commercial Capital

National commercial equipment finance company that focuses on customized financing solutions.

Verizon Connect

Mobile Resource Management Solutions including Cloud Based Fleet Management software.

Warn Industries

Manufactures electric and hydraulic winches and hoists for commercial and industrial applications.

Webfleet Solutions

GPS Tracking & Fleet Management.

Helps you maximize efficiency of your tow trucks with tracking, reports, & software integration.

We Buy Key Fobs

Turn your unwanted key fobs into cash, we will pay you on the spot!

Weego Div. Of Paris Corp.

Weego pro-grade portable jump starters that jump, charge, power and light.

West End Service

Miller Industries Full Line distributor of wreckers and carriers. Medium-duty international dealer.

Whelen Engineering Co.

Designs, manufactures, and assembles super-ED Lightbars and lightheads, LED beacons, siren control centers.

Whiterail Reviews

Whiterail Reviews integrates with your dispatch software to effortlessly drive positive online reviews and driver reporting.

Will-Burt Company

Night Scan HDT light towers by Will-Burt help you stay safe and make money.

Witzco Trailers

Witzco Challenger Trailer’s - America’s premier trailer manufacturer; sliding axle, lowboys, stepdeck, flatbed, tag trailers.

Worldwide Equipment Sales

Worldwide Equipment Sales is the leading dealer of new and used tow trucks, wreckers and car carriers.

Wreaths Across America/INA

A day, to remember, say their names, honor, & teach by wreath-laying ceremonies.

WreckMaster

WreckMaster offers operator training and certification along with a wide selection of rigging and recovery products.

Xpress Pay

Xpress-pay helps businesses adopt an ePayment solution that reduces or eliminates, credit card processing fees.

Xtreme Air Wedge

Introducing the first air wedge with attached sleeve, no more repair costs.

Patent Pending.

Zip’s / AW Direct

Industry-leading supplier of everything a tow company needs, including straps, chains, lighting and safety gear.

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r i t ’ i s l C a ub a C VIP CLUB

No other Cigar event in the world beats Calitri’s Cuba for its illustrious characters, good times, and blowing smoke.

Towers have said it, there’s nothing like it anywhere for camaraderie and conversation among tow business owners.

Join American Towman at the Landshark Bar and Grill on the Boardwalk at Resorts Hotel & Casino, Friday night 9-11.

Sponsored by:

Atlantic City SPOTLIGHT Whether a morning jog, stroll, or ride in a legendary pushcart, towers will attend AT Expo events, enjoying the Boardwalk; and visit a myriad of curiosity and souvenir shops, or step inside one of the Casino malls for some world-class shopping, or into the many restaurants serving Continental and International fare.

December 4-7, 2019 Easy Online Registration at ATExposition.com

On the Web

For more information on propane autogas vehicles: Propane.com/fleet-vehicles.

Drivers will spend less time refueling once their trucks add a propane autogas bi-fuel system.

Propane Autogas in the Towing Fleet

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Apache Sands

saves $8,000 using

By Michael Taylor

For four plus decades, U.S. fleets have selected propane autogas as the fuel solution for their vehicles to lower their operating costs and clean up their communities with reduced emissions.

From coast to coast, propane autogas technology is providing towing and recovery fleets with the confidence they need to make the next run.

Over the past decade, dramatic improvements in propane engine and fuel system technologies are providing owners with more reliable daily performance, the lowest total cost-of-ownership and the most cost-effective method for reducing emissions when compared to any other conventional or alternative fuel.

The following tow companies have realized the consistent performance they need alongside cost savings they

‘‘

Each year,

propane autogas

want with propane autogas.

Apache Sands

For more than 60 years, Apache Sands towing has served Mesa, Arizona, as an automotive repair, towing and tire center. Today, its fleet includes 21 tow trucks and 23 mobile battery-installation vehicles.

General manager Brian Fredrickson, has been with the company for more than 30 years. Most recently, the company had been primarily using diesel-powered vehicles in their fleet.

However, when the federal government mandated Tier-4 emissions regulations requiring that particulate matter and nitrogen oxide must be reduced, the new vehicles Fredrickson purchased came with a diesel emissions system.

instead of gasoline and $5,000 using propane autogas instead of diesel.

“When the vehicles got over 150,000 miles, all of a sudden the check engine lights were going off,” he said.

“We kept taking them to the dealer and they all needed anywhere from $4,000 to $10,000 worth of repairs for the diesel emissions systems. When you have eight or nine of those trucks and they’re all hitting about the same amount of miles and they’re all needing repairs, it gets very expensive, very fast.

“The amount of expense for

➢

Apache Sands in Arizona now uses propane autogas in 51 percent of its fleet.

maintenance on these things changed my mind about what we were doing.

That’s why we started looking at propane again.”

Apache Sands had used propane autogas in the past, so their site had a

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14,000-gallon underground fuel storage tank and dispenser in place that the company used to sell propane to the public. Fredrickson said Apache Sands originally moved away from propane autogas years ago when the older vapor injection kits lacked the performance and reliability that the fleet needed. However, the newer liquid-injection conversion kits are more efficient and produce more reliable performance. Today’s liquid propane autogas fuel systems provide vehicles with performance that is comparable to gasoline and diesel.

Fredrickson purchased four bi-fuel conversion systems that his in-house team installed on Ford F-650s. He said the process to make the switch went smoothly. He was also able to take advantage of an alternative-fuel excise tax credit at the time that reduced the cost per gallon of propane.

“We already had all the infrastructure, we didn’t have to go out and buy a propane tank or rent one,” he said.

“I already had relationships with all the wholesalers and the dealers. So, switching the vehicles to run on propane, finding the fuel was not a problem for us.”

Fredrickson noticed a positive change in the reliability and performance of the vehicles compared to the propane autogas vehicles in the past.

He observed that the vehicles got better fuel economy and had more power.

The trucks are more efficient which allows the drivers to stay on the road for 12 to 14 hours a day without refueling. The EPA certified bi-fuel systems operate on propane autogas as the primary fuel, but still have a reserve tank of gasoline to eliminate concerns about range anxiety. Each truck has an on-board capacity of 50 gallons of propane autogas and 50 gallons of unleaded gasoline, if needed.

Fredrickson was also pleased with the emissions profile as Apache Sands is able to exceed Tier-4 emissions regulations. He shared that his fleet has significantly reduced the total amount of carbon dioxide and NOx emissions per vehicle.

After testing the propane autogas engines, Fredrickson chose to install conversion kits on several vehicles, including an additional four Ford F-650 tow trucks and a combined 14 Ford E-250s and GMC cargo vans. His company car, a GMC Denali, also runs on propane autogas. Today, 51 percent of his fleet operates on the fuel.

Fredrickson says one of the biggest changes he’s noticed since making the switch to propane autogas is the amount of money the company saves on fuel costs. Each year, Apache Sands saves $8,000 using propane autogas instead of gasoline and $5,000 using propane autogas instead of diesel.

On average, propane autogas costs as much as 50 percent less per gallon than gasoline or diesel. The wholesale price of propane falls between the price of oil and natural gas, the fuel’s two sources. Even as prices fluctuate, propane autogas will consistently be less expensive.

“The cost of propane itself is less volatile, it doesn’t jump up and down as much,” Fredrickson said. “And the cost of propane is a heck of a lot lower than the cost of gasoline. I save enough money to make the car payment for the vehicle every month.”

As for the main reason he made

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Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

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AATR in Florida tested propane autogas in a few tow trucks and now plans to incoproate it across the fleet.

the switch, Fredrickson says he hasn’t had any issues with the maintenance of the vehicles. He has a full-service team on site that has been able to easily handle all of the oil changes and maintenance on the engines.

“Most tow trucks run about 500,000 miles before we get rid of them,” he said. “I’ll be curious to see how long the trucks hold up. But the amount of money we’re saving on fuel and maintenance will hopefully supersede that.”

AATR Towing & Recovery

Adam Karim Ayed, the owner of AATR Towing & Recovery in Orlando, Florida, started the company as a one-man show in 2004. In the 15 years since, his operation has grown to 60 trucks ranging from light- to heavy-duty tow trucks to handle the company’s transport and relocation operations.

When he started in the industry, Ayed was using gasoline-fueled tow trucks to travel the Orlando metro.

However, Ayed soon realized his drivers often had to stop during the day to refuel. That’s when Ayed began searching for a new option and discovered the benefits of propane autogas.

In 2017, Ayed converted three Ford F-550s with the 6.8L V10 to an EPA-certified propane autogas bi-fuel system.

Prior to the conversion, the total gasoline capacity for his light- and medium-duty tow trucks was about

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26 gallons. With the bi-fuel system, the trucks have tripled capacity with the addition of a 50-gallon propane autogas tank, eliminating the need to refuel during a shift.

“We run these trucks on a daily basis more than 300 miles a day in traffic,” Ayed said.

For propane autogas refueling, Ayed worked with a propane supplier to install a standard private propane autogas station with a 2,000-gallon propane tank at the company’s headquarters. Drivers returning to base at the end of the day can easily refuel their vehicles before their next shift.

On average, each truck consumes about 200 gallons of propane per week.

Prior to the conversions, ICOM North America provided hands-on training for Ayed’s technicians which ensured the staff knew how to properly install and maintain the propane autogas engines.

“They gave us all the tools,” Ayed said. “We incorporated the three vehicles smoothly into our maintenance schedules.”

AATR’s drivers say they have noticed a difference in how the trucks operate since transitioning to propane autogas. They say the trucks run smoother and the engines stay cooler.

Plus, they aren’t stopping as often to refuel.

As the benefits increased over several months in operation, Ayed

chose to incorporate two additional F-550 trucks into the fleet with plans to transition all of his 30 light- and medium-duty trucks in the future. Ayed says he’s confident in the fuel moving forward.

“The cost of operation is cheaper when everything is factored in,“ Ayed said. “Plus, the trucks run smoother and it’s cleaner for the environment.

I think it would be a no-brainer for anybody in the towing and recovery industry to use propane.”

Towing and recovery fleets interested in using propane autogas can take advantage of the experiences realized by AATR and Apache Sands.

Both fleets are pleased with the economic and environmental benefits of propane autogas, most notably the overall lowest total cost-of-ownership.

Fredrickson says he thinks others should take the time to research propane autogas.

“Propane will save you money, especially if you’re tired of the diesel emissions and DEF problems.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Michael Taylor is the director of autogas business development for the Propane Education & Research Council.

He can be reached at michael.taylor@propane.com.

Allstate Announces Safety Grants

Allstate (allstate.com) is offering $150,000 in grants that can be used for safety improvement projects on the 15 “Risky Roads” the company identified in June in recognition of the 15th anniversary of the America’s Best Drivers Report.

Local safety experts are working with Allstate to determine which projects will make a positive impact for motorists driving on these crash-prone streets.

Allstate uncovered the “Risky Roads” with more collisions than other streets in each of the 15 bottom-ranked cities as identified in the initial America’s Best Drivers Report rankings. Allstate is partnering with local transportation experts to invest in improvement projects focused on infrastructure, distractions, traffic flow, pedestrian safety and more.

“We need Congress to pass comprehensive infrastructure reform so we can rebuild a transportation network that ensures a safer future on the roads for everyone,” said Saat Alety, Allstate’s Director of Federal Legislative and Regulatory Affairs.

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TTN Announces Marketing Partnership

TTN Fleet Solutions (TTNfleetsolutions.com) recently announced that the company has entered into a strategic marketing partnership with Diesel Laptops.

“Diesel Laptops and TTN Fleet Solutions serve the same industries, and we’re leaders in our respective crafts,” said TTN’s VP Tyler Harden.

“This relationship enables TTN to provide leading diagnostic tools and equipment, along with related support and training to the towing and repair professionals within our network.”

“TTN and Diesel Laptops have common goals in mind: To help our customers reduce costs, increase productivity, and increase vehicle uptime,” said Tyler Robertson, Diesel CEO. TTN Fleet Solutions will begin marketing and providing its Diesel Laptop tool and equipment packages to its provider network effective immediately.

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 99

Managing Storage Facility Pollution

B

By Charles Duke

efore 1987, environmental regulators weren’t focusing on storm water drainage; that year, however, the environmental laws went into place. Then it took the government until 1992 to get the regulations written. By 1998, the government realized that solutions to the problem of storm water runoff was going to cost trillions, and seemingly decided to just “look the other way.”

“Then in 2010, Washington State was the first state sued by an environmental group, and they got a lawyer,” said Environmental Chemical Solutions President Ed Grubbs. “It cost the state $10 million, which they paid immediately; they didn’t even argue it. They paid it because they didn’t want to go to court. It was really quiet; nobody knew.

“When it happened in Los Angeles, they decided to fight,” Grubbs said. “It went to a lower court, an appeals court, then finally to the U.S. Supreme Court.

When that happened and the Supreme Court came down on May 15, 2014, with the decision it was their fault, all of a sudden it opened the floodgates, and every city, county, municipality throughout the United States started being sued.”

The ramifications for the towing industry were huge. Local residents who are lodging the complaints drive a lot of the lawsuits going to regulators.

There were 486 citizen-based lawsuits in California against private companies last year alone.

Today, regulators are increasingly concentrating on the storm drains that are on vehicle storage facilities.

Contaminants are being carried by rainwater into the storage drains, which ultimately are polluting nearby rivers, lakes and streams—causing pollution issues and other environmental problems.

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“If regulators see VSF with loads of concrete, asphalt and/or soil contaminated with oil, they see your facility as part of the problem,” said Jim Figueira, VP of Environmental Chemical Solutions. “As rain hits that oil and runs the pollution into the storm water drain, it doesn’t go to a water treatment facility.

It goes to the rivers, lakes, streams, bays, oceans—any body of water.”

Storm water is the largest pollution source in the country right now, Figueira said.

‘‘

Ed Grubbs and Jim Figueira of Environmental Chemical Solutions will present their seminar, “The Uncontaminated Vehicle Storage Facility,” at the American Towman Exposition XXXI, on Dec. 5, at 11 a.m. in Atlantic City, New Jersey.”

see: that you have a

nant containment) plan that you have at your facility, then they’ll leave you alone,” Grubbs said. “You won’t be impacting the city’s MS-4 (storm water permit).”

plan, you know what

Solutions

That’s what the

regulators want to

you’re doing.

Towing operations will have to remove the pollution from their facilities, as regulators will eventually recognize the towing industry as a source. When they do, that means towing companies will eventually have to test month after month, after every rain event, and demonstrate that they are not running any contaminants into storm water drainage systems.

“Once the inspector walks in the yard, the first thing he or she is going to do is a cursory review,” Figueira said. “If the yard is messy, the inspector is bound to take a long, hard look at the facility. If they look at your yard and feel that it is very clean, the inspector will say that the tow company is on top of things and the whole approach to the inspection changes.

“If you show them the (contami-

Bioswales, or rain gardens, are constructed wetlands where the runoff would come off into a storm water planter, sit and retain itself. What happens is the contaminants will drop down into the soil where the natural biodegradation process will occur.

Figueira said that special plants can pick up the contaminants as well, like the metals or hydrocarbons.

Bioswales are very expensive, though.

“I have been to two facilities where they were required to put them in because of the pollution,” Figueira said. “The cheap one was $75,000. The other guy was moving to a new facility and having it built—and half of his budget for his new facility went to a bioswale. And it’s taking him three years of maintaining it to make sure that it takes so the material will flow off.”

However, if the tow company

➢

is treating the pollution in-place with a chemical solution, the chemistry will allow the natural biodegradation to occur. If the response to the spill is immediate—when the pollution is first recognized—the facility does not need a treatment permit.

The chemical treatment can breakdown the spill into micro-emulsions where the bacteria rises to the top and the contamination is degraded.

The micro-emulsions do three things: strip the contaminant from the surface through agitation with a stiff bristle brush; suppress organic vapor release; and enhance the natural biodegradation through bioavailability.

Regulators may come to you and state that your business needs a storm water discharge permit, or a NPDES (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System). What it means, Figueira said, is that your business is allowed to put so many parts per million of contaminants into the storm drain. If you go over that, the regula-

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tors will fine the business.

“So now all of a sudden you’re on record,” he said.

Figueira said this is what’s happening throughout the country.

“They’ll come out on a rain event, pull a sample, run it through their lab; and then they’ll notify you that you’re over. This is happening to the DOT, because they run the highways,” Figueira said. In fact, he added, lawsuits have been filed against the DOT; and they lost a case in Washington, D.C.

Work Your Plan

Grubbs stated that it is important for tow businesses to write-up a storm water pollution prevention plan.

“You can Google it, find one and just copy it. If you have one and a regulator comes in and you hand it to them, they can’t do anything because you have a plan. They can say that your plan is not proper; but they can’t fine you as long as have that plan.”

Figueira added that regulators also look at how your employees have been trained related to storm water pollution prevention. If they have been annually trained on the plan, have them sign off on it; regulators look at training logs, too.

Managing your vehicle storage facility pollution prevention is a simple process, Figueira said.

“Put it into place and execute your plan … by having that into place, you’re addressing the spills,” he said. “That’s what the regulators want to see: that you have a plan, you know what you’re doing, your facility reflects your plan and you’ve got spill prevention applications. It’s important and it saves you a lot of grief.”

American Towman Magazine Senior Editor Charles Duke has written and served as editor for trade, music and nonprofit publications.

He also serves as the editor for AT’s online sister publications Tow Industry Week and Tow Industry Today.

Protecting Against

Lawsuits

Even when you win, you still lose

O

By Larry Oxenham

ne of the keys to learning how to protect your business and personal assets from lawsuits is to understand how lawsuits work. The proceedings of a lawsuit can be broken into six simple steps.

Step 1: Injury or loss. The beginning of a lawsuit is an injury or loss of some kind.

Step 2: Find a defendant who can pay. Most lawsuits are done on a contingency basis, so one of the first things an attorney does before accepting a case is to perform an asset search to see if the defendant is worth pursuing.

Attorneys search for a candidate with substantial personal and business assets available for seizure and/or significant insurance

coverage. All too often, peop l e a re n a m e d a s d e f e n dants in a lawsuit because of their ability to pay, not because of fault or error.

Step 3: Construct a theory of liability. If the person immediately responsible for the loss or injury does not have the ability to pay, the attorney will search for a deep-pocketed defendant and a theory of liability that can be developed against him or her, showing why that defendant should be held responsible. The success of the trial attorney is dependent upon this.

Trial attorneys make up one of the largest

lobbyist groups in the country and have created laws to increase the level of vicarious liability.

Vi c a r i o u s liability means you can be held responsible for the actions of others. Trial attorneys have worked hard to ensure that whoever has the money can be held responsible for negative outcomes through vicarious liability, even if they committed no wrong.

Step 4: Trial.

Every day we see trial attorneys winning cases that appear to be irrational, absurd and/or without merit.

➢

Protecting Your Business Larry Oxenham has authored and co-authored several articles and books on asset protection. He led a special two-hour seminar, “How Tow Owners Can Protect their Business,” at Tow Expo-Dallas last month and is scheduled to do so at the American Towman Exposition XXXI in Atlantic City this December (atexposition.com).

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Many attorneys will even pursue a bad case if they can find a defendant with the ability to pay. They hope that they can obtain a settlement or convince the jury to award cash to the injured, needy plaintiff from the comparatively wealthy defendant.

Many jurors have freely admitted that they have overlooked whether the defendant was at fault if they felt sorry for the plaintiff.

Step 5: Judgment. If the plaintiff (person filing the lawsuit) wins the trial and the defendant (the person they are suing) is found responsible for the injury or loss, the court renders a judgment to compensate the plaintiff for their injury and/or loss.

It is now routine for judgments to be in the millions of dollars.

Step 6: Collect on judgment. The court provides the judgment, but the judgment is of no value if there is no way to collect on the judgment. While a family could win a wrongful death judgment against a murderer, many murderers do not have enough assets to justify a lawsuit. For this reason, it is rare for a murderer to be sued for the wrongful death of their victim.

(An exception to this was in the case of O.J. Simpson. Although he was found not guilty during his murder trial, Simpson was sued by the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman and found liable for their

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wrongful deaths. The courts awarded a judgment of $33.5 million in damages to the victim’s families. Simpson was sued because he had assets which the attorneys felt they could collect on.

Decades later, the attorneys continue to work to collect on the judgment.)

‘‘

All too often,

people are named

as defendants in a

lawsuit because of their ability to pay, not because of fault or error.

Settlement

Any time during the lawsuit process, you can come to a settlement to end the lawsuit. Attorneys know that even if you win a lawsuit against you, you still lose because it costs you thousands of dollars in legal fees to defend yourself. The cost to defend yourself, even against a frivolous lawsuit, can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The trial will also take time and

cause mental and emotional strain.

Your privacy and reputation can be damaged, and the uncertainty of the outcome can result in a high degree of stress and anxiety.

Attorneys exploit all of these factors when they sue you. The attorneys know that you may be willing to settle the case—even if the case holds little or no merit—just to have it behind you.

If you have available and reachable assets, the attorneys know they have leverage to get you to settle. Many attorneys make a living collecting settlement after settlement from innocent defendants (victims). This is what we call legal extortion.

The best way to defend against a lawsuit is to take away the financial incentive of attorneys to prevent the lawsuit from ever happening. If you have no reachable and seizable assets, the trial attorney’s strategies of legal extortion will not be effective against you. With proper asset protection in place, attorneys will not want to pursue a lawsuit against you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Larry Oxenham is a senior advisor with the American Society for Asset Protection and is one of America’s top asset protection experts.

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AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 107

National First Responders Day

By Richard Del Campo

S

urrounding us every day are tragic events that require quick action on behalf of first responders, and we should all take a moment to be eternally grateful for the job they do. It’s easy to lose sight of the importance of their work, especially when emotions are high and we’re right in the middle of an emergency.

‘‘

Simply put—towmen are a first line

of response for

traffic accidents,

road construction incidents and the

increasing number of weather-related emergencies.

Many people immediately associate police, fire and medical professionals to this line of work, but there are people alongside those professionals that are equally important— they are the individuals who respond to road and traffic emergencies with towing and recovery equipment.

Simply put—towmen are a first line of response for traffic accidents, road construction incidents and the increasing number of weather-related emergencies.

Our actions save lives and reduce danger for people both in and around road emergencies. Along with firefighters, police and medical professionals, there can be no argument that towers aren’t part of our nation’s first responder forces.

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No one can argue that towers aren’t essential first responders on the roadway, helping save lives and making scenes safer. Image from cross-training event of towers and firefighters.

These are the men and women who make it their business to act when disaster strikes. National First Responders Day takes place on October 28—a day to show gratitude to these everyday heroes.

In May 2017, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tom Cotton, along with Reps.

Mark Meadows, Michael Capuano and Elijah Cummings introduced a resolution to establish National First Responders Day. Additionally, states like Colorado and cities like Boston have echoed that recognition by passing resolutions to honor first responders.

In the United States there are more than 35,000 tow companies and hundreds of thousands of individuals employed in the towing industry, including tow operators, dispatchers, safety advisers and owners. Tow operators can be found on the side of more than 4 million miles of the nation’s roadways and respond to nearly 15 million accidents each year.

National First Responders Day is an opportunity for the rest of us to say

thank you to those who protect us in times of disaster, despair and dependency. Whether you simply thank and acknowledge a first responder, bring cookies to your local fire station, or help to raise funds to make sure your local community’s first responders have the equipment they need to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies, take that day to give gratitude.

In our industry, we are keenly aware that we provide more than rescue and recovery equipment and people. We provide care for the individuals involved. We’re not just about equipment. The actions of the towers in our industry are often the difference between life and death. It is an awesome responsibility and one we are proud to share with our fellow first responders.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Richard Del Campo is the VP and general manager at Jerr-Dan Corp. (jerrdan.com).

Bank Gets Plowed by Jury

By Mark Lacek

T

here was almost two feet of snow in front of the travel-trailer when the repossessor pulled up to the address. The driveway was at least 100 feet to the freshly plowed road. It would be impossible to repossess the RV that was sitting next to the barn.

The repossessor was ready to leave, until he noticed an older pickup truck with a snowplow attachment parked next to the RV. Looking around—confirming no one was home—the repoman thought there still was an opportunity to complete his repossession. He hiked quickly through the snow and up to the driver side of the pickup and spotted the

keys in the ignition.

The truck started quickly and the engine roared. It only took the repossessor 10 minutes to plow the pathway between the RV and the street using the appropriated snowplow (without permission). Twenty minutes later, the travel-trailer was hooked to the back of the repossessor’s truck and on its way to the impound lot.

Ken & Vicky Stevenson almost had the car and travel-trailer paid off, but fell behind because of some health issues. The finance company decided to hire a non-certified, unprofessional repossessor to recover the Stevenson’s car and travel-trailer.

I was an expert witness on this law-

suit. It was this past July in the Ashland County, Wisconsin, courthouse when the lawsuit came to trial. (The Ashland County courthouse is a beautiful granite building built in 1915.)

I was called to the witness stand and sworn to tell nothing but the truth.

I was asked to explain to the jurors about repossession industry standards, repossession certification and professional standards.

I explained to the jury how a certified repossessor is trained on breach of the peace and consumer protection.

I explained how the repossessor acted against professional industry standards when the repossessor entered the customer’s truck and plowed

➢

An older truck with snowplow enabled a repo agent to finish the job … at a significant cost to the financial institution that hired him. Michael Pereckas photo.

110 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

the driveway. The judge then thanked me and sent me back to my seat.

The lawyer hired by the finance company placed both her hands forward and leaned into the 105-year-old oak railing separating the jury from all others in the courtroom.

“We don’t need any big city, expert witness telling us how to do repossessions,” she said. “We live here in our small town, away from all that big-city hustle.”

The lawyer looked into the eyes of each juror, slowly turning her head.

“The pickup truck was old and half worn out,” she continued. “This really is not such a big deal, so I ask you: Decide against finding my client guilty of a wrongful repossession; they’re just a small, local bank.”

The quick-witted attorney walked back to her seat, wearing a half smile of more confidence than she could afford. She sat down on the oak chair probably built by the same craftsman who built the oak railing back in 1915.

The Stevenson’s lawyer stood

up and walked towards the jury and placed a single hand on the same oak rail. He paused and looked across the room at the bank’s lawyer, then back to the jurors.

‘‘

Big city or small

town, you have the

right to be protected from those who

violate your rights as an American citizen.

“She just told you that because you live in a small town … the law does not apply to you,” he said. “She just told you that if your pickup truck is half worn out, then you have no rights.

“You heard the expert; he said the repossessor was wrong, and you have

rights which protect you under federal law,” he continued. “Big city or small town, you have the right to be protected from those who violate your rights as an American citizen.”

Shortly after my plane landed back home, delivering me from Ashland, I received a call from the lawyer who hired me. The jury reached a guilty verdict in a unanimous decision. I was glad to hear justice was served, with punitive amounts applied against the bank.

Certification in any industry is important. Someone once said (me) that if a non-certified plumber makes a mistake, someone gets a leak. If a non-certified repossessor makes a mistake, someone could die.

Some lenders who hire repossessors are focused on their bottom line and not on the customer’s safety.

Many lenders choose a repossession company based on lowest fees, and not the quality of service. There are forwarders out there now taking advantage of repossession companies shorting them at every chance they get. Just recently I was notified of a forwarding company that allegedly is taking advantage of hundreds of repossession agencies across the country. You can bet we are looking into this.

This month I will be at the Allied Finance Adjusters mid-year meeting on Oct. 17-18 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I will be presenting on the subject of repossessing commercial trucks and equipment.

Then Dec. 4-7, I will be at American Towman Exposition XXXI in Atlantic City, New Jersey, hosting a seminar on how to make the “Big Bucks” repossessing trucks, equipment and commercial accounts. Sign up early because the room will fill up.

Be safe.

Repo Editor Mark Lacek authored the Certified Commercial Recovery Agent certification program and has more than 30 years of recovery experience. He is the former editor of “Professional Repossessor” magazine. Email him at Mark@commercialassetsolutions. com.

112 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

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AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 113

AT’s Lacek Leads Repo Talk at AFA

American Towman Magazine Repo Run Editor Mark Lacek—founder of Professional Repossessor Magazine, former president of Florida Association of Licensed Repossessors and author of the Recovery Industry Services Co.’s Certified Commercial Recovery Agent national certification program—is set to speak at this year’s Allied Finance Adjusters Midyear Meeting in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on Oct. 18 at the Hilton Garden Inn Virginia Beach Oceanfront at 9 a.m.

Lacek, one of the nation’s leading expert witnesses on professional standards and the repossession industry, will be providing the audience with the ins and outs of why commercial repossessions can increase a collateral recovery agency’s business.

“A CCRA-trained repossessor can increase his/her bottom line by hundreds of thousands of dollars every year,” Lacek said.

He will discuss commercial

114 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

skip-tracing strategy, how to invoice correctly and how to successfully repossess commercial trucks and equipment. Lacek will also show how to locate local commercial lenders in your area, make contact with national commercial lenders as well as how to gain and maintain them as a valuable client.

“I have been repossessing commercial trucks and equipment successfully for over 30 years and I believe this niche is currently underserved,” said Lacek. “I want to help other agencies grow their businesses by adding this offering.”

Source: riscus.com.

All Charges Dropped in NYPD Repo Saga

Being a repo agent can be hazardous, but it landed Jose Rodriguez in jail, after he tried to repossess an NYPD detective’s car earlier this year.

Now, four months later, the Staten Island district attorney’s office agrees.

It’s decided to have all remaining

charges against the repo agent dismissed—proof, Rodriguez says, that the police never should have arrested him.

“I think they knew that they had nothing on me,” he said. “Once they put the handcuffs on me, they knew they had to charge me with something … because it was an officer ’s car.”

Rodriguez tried to tow a Nissan Maxima owned by a detective from the 120th Precinct. A bank wanted to take possession of the car because of three missed loan payments.

But officers surrounded the repo agent, released the car from the tow, and arrested Rodriguez on a felony charge of possessing stolen property.

He spent more than 20 hours in jail before being released.

The felony was quickly dropped, but a handful of misdemeanors— including charges of falsifying business records and possessing police scanners—were not until the Staten Island DA had them dismissed in

early September after two hearings.

Still, Rodriguez says he is out thousands of dollars in earnings because the police placed a boot on his rig for nearly two weeks.

Rodriguez says a GoPro camera he was wearing at the time of his arrest should have recorded the entire incident, but it was taken by police and when he got it back, there was no footage.

Rodriguez said he’s filed a notice of claim against the NYPD and two officers involved in the incident.

The NYPD said its internal affairs bureau is investigating.

Source: ny1.com.

‘Good Luck Finding It’

A Wichita Falls, Texas, man behind on his truck loan allegedly sold parts to a nearly $12,000 Ford pickup on Facebook, keeping it out of the hands of a repo man, court documents showed.

Aaron Mark Johnston is alleged to have wrecked the 2003 F-250 and then

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sold its parts on “The Original Wichita Falls Trading Post,” according to court records.

Johnston was indicted on one felony count of hindering secured creditors for $2,500 to less than $30,000 since the bank could not seize its collateral, according to the recent indictment.

According to an affidavit for arrest, an assistant VP at Fidelity Bank told a Wichita County Sheriff’s Office deputy that Johnston had received a loan from the bank to buy the pickup.

Another bank employee emailed Johnston on Feb. 27, stating the loan was 71 days past due and payment was due immediately. Otherwise repossession proceedings could commence.

On March 2, Johnston had a wreck in the truck. A Wichita Falls police officer who investigated the accident issued Johnston a citation for failure to maintain financial responsibility. Mike’s Towing Service towed the vehicle to its storage lot.

On March 11, Johnston told the bank employee that he had an accident and that his insurance would not cover it because of lapsed coverage.

He asked her what he should do to move forward.

She forwarded Johnston’s email to the bank’s executive vice president who, in turn, emailed Johnston the same day. He told Johnston that Mike’s towing was going to sell the pickup to cover the storage cost.

The bank executive VP also asked how Johnston was going to handle the debt owed to the bank since he didn’t have insurance coverage.

Johnston didn’t reply to the email.

So the assistant vice president who had reported the incident to the sheriff’s office and another bank employee talked by phone with him.

The other employee told him not to “part out” the truck.

But on March 13, Johnston got the pickup out of impound without Fidelity Bank’s authorization. Then he reportedly began to part out the

➢

AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 115

truck through the trading post page on Facebook.

Among evidence bank employees provided was an email from the repo man for Mike’s Towing Service.

The March 22 email showed that Johnston had stripped the truck of parts and told the repo man, “good luck finding it.”

Source: timesrecordnews.com.

Mercedes-Benz Using Sensors for Car Repos

Mercedes-Benz is using sensors to track a vehicle’s location in the event it needs to be repossessed.

According to UK newspaper The Sun, Mercedes-Benz has been fitting sensors inside new and used vehicles to pinpoint their exact whereabouts.

That information can then be shared with bailiffs and third-party recovery firms.

The automaker said tracking can occur in rare circumstances after a customer agrees to finance a car through Mercedes-Benz’s financial services.

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“In this case, they sign a contract and agree to the use of the car’s location in the event they default or breach their finance agreement,” a Mercedes-Benz spokesperson told PCMag. In addition, all customers are made aware of the repossession process and how location tracking can be involved.

“This repossession process is used in a few exceptional cases and only as a last resort, when customers default or breach their finance agreement and repeatedly fail requests to return their vehicle,” the spokesperson said.

“We also want to emphasize that this does not mean constant tracking.”

Source: pcmag.com.

Woman Accused of Driving Into Agent

A Gainesville, Georgia, woman recently was accused of driving toward agents working for a repossession company, with one agent being taken to the hospital, according to authorities.

Patricia Renee Garrison, 46, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault.

“During the initial investigation, deputies determined that two men with a repossession company had arrived at the address to repossess the SUV. As she was leaving the location, Garrison intentionally drove the Chevrolet Equinox toward one of the men, hitting one of his legs,” said the Hall County Sheriff’s Office by email.

One 53-year-old did not suffer any injuries.

“She struck a second victim with the SUV, hitting one of his ankles and an arm. Hall County Fire Services transported the injured man, 32, to Northeast Georgia Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries,” Booth wrote.

Husband Doyle Timothy Garrison, a passenger in the SUV, was charged with two counts of party to the crime of aggravated assault.

Source: gainesvilletimes.com.

118 • October 2019 - TOWMAN.COM

410-784-7029

To Advertise In Towman’s Market

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

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AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 119

Winning Wreckers in Texas Here are the winners of the USA Wrecker Pageant from the American Towman Tow Expo-Dallas at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas.

Best of Show

Crawley’s Services Sugarland, Texas 2011 Peterbilt 330/ Century 21’ 15 Series

First Place: Vintage All Out Towing & Recovery Houston, Texas 1927 Chevrolet/ Weaver Auto Crane

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Best of Show: Working Class

Lonestar Towing & Recovery Baytown, Texas 2015 Ford F-350/ 2015 Vulcan 812 Intruder II

First Place: Service/Support

Miller Towing & Recovery Conroe, Texas 2018 Continental Cargo Trailer

First Place: Light-Duty 2018-’19

Texas Towing Waco, Texas 2018 Dodge Ram 5500/2018 Century 312

First Place: Light-Duty Pre-2018

Kostka Auto Paint & Body Highlands, Texas 2012 Ford F-550/2012 Jerr-Dan HPL 35

First Place: Heavy-Duty Single

Boo-Keys Wrecker Service Hessmer, Louisiana 2019 Peterbilt 337/Century 4024

First Place: Carrier

Bell’s Towing & Recovery Keithville, Louisiana 2020 Freightliner M2/Century 30 Series

First Place: Rotator

Harmon’s Automotive & Towing, Inc. Minden, Louisiana 2019 Peterbilt 389/2019 NRC 4050 CSR

First Place: Heavy-Duty Tandem

Texas Towing Waco, Texas 2015 Peterbilt 389/Vulcan V-70

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AMERICANTOWMAN.COM - October 2019 • 121

Market Domination is addressed at the American Towman Academy during AT Expo in Atlantic City.

Pictured above, a display on the AC Boardwalk of the Monopoly board game.

The Only Game in Town

By Steve Calitri

I

n some ways, Atlantic City is perched on the Jersey shore in the shadows of the big cities, New York and Philadelphia, where it has been cultivating its niche for over a century as a resort town for all classes of people.

Tow bosses can identify with this characterization of Atlantic City because all across the country they have carved their own markets in the face of imposing regulations or a big competitor.

The big competitor is every successful tow company that, like Atlantic City, may not be a giant company but a giant competitor. The towing industry has just a few very large tow operations, but many companies who have found ways to compete successfully.

Competing with the two towering cities just north and south of AC is not a slam-dunk. New York has more attractions than any place in the world, plenty of nighttime entertainment, and just a lot for vacationers to do. Philadelphia has its nightlife and tourist spots and its share of historic sites, the Liberty Bell and more.

Atlantic City is a much simpler

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place compared to those cities, but maybe more dynamic per square foot with its unique boardwalk of dining, shopping, entertainment and gambling venues and the ocean as its backdrop. Its focus is to have fun.

AC has carved its niche as the playground of the eastern seaboard, leveraging its beach year-round with its famous boardwalk and all the entertainment, world-class cuisine and shopping that the casino hotels offer.

Likewise, successful tow business owners cultivate a certain niche of the towing business as lucrative to them, relatively speaking, as the casinos that line the boardwalk.

Cultivating a niche within towing is the subject of one seminar being offered at the American Towman Academy during AT Expo XXXI, on Dec. 6: New Money Through Diversification. The beauty of this seminar is that it deals with potential business that is already circulating through your towing operation. The seminar presenter is Bill Johnson, owner of Hampshire Towing in Massachusetts,

who is a trailblazer on diversification.

Another seminar among the 30 being offered is Branding to Dominate Your Market. This title reminds me of the slogan promoted by Las Vegas promoters, What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas, suggesting it was the ultimate destination of untold pleasures. Atlantic City doesn’t compete with Vegas’ Sin City reputation, but is rather more like Monaco, the sovereign principality on the French Riviera with its seaside allure and gambling, its mix of shore town common folk and international high rollers.

Casino gambling has sprouted all over the northeast and throughout the nation since it was legalized first in Atlantic City, but AC is the most visited gambling town in the country next to the one out west in the desert.

How it competes and comes out on top is an experience worth exploring for tow bosses at the American Towman Exposition XXXI. For the complete roster of AT Expo Academy seminars, go to ATExposition.com.

Towing Fee Schedule Considered

Lawmakers in Kingston, New York, are considering amending Kingston’s fee schedule to include the towing of vehicles.

The Common Council’s Laws and Rules Committee recently endorsed a resolution to include towing fees on the city’s fee schedule. Such a move would allow lawmakers to then consider changing the fees currently paid to tow truck operators who remove vehicles from the scenes of accidents, disabled vehicles, or vehicles found in violation of the law.

The council sets the city’s fee schedule.

Alderwoman Andrea Shaut said when the council updated the fee schedule last year the towing fees were not included. She said Daniel Gartenstein, the city’s assistant corporation counsel, suggested the towing fees be included on the fee schedule. The council’s Finance and Audit Com-

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mittee could then decide what the fees should be, Shaut said.

Source: dailyfreeman.com

Proposed Ordinance on Vehicle Booting

Councilors at a Bangor City (Maine) Council recently referred a proposed ordinance to a committee regarding self-releasing boots on cars in the downtown district.

The city’s parking management company is suggesting to impound cars with a boot which then can allow the offender to call a 24/7 call center, pay what they owe and the boot is then released.

The offender would have to return the boot back to public parking in 48 hours to avoid a larger fine.

Councilor Gretchen Schaefer says this would be for people who have multiple unpaid parking tickets and, in most cases, this would replace towing.

Source: wabi.tv.

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County Considering Adding Tow Rules

The Carroll County (Maryland) Board of Commissioners recently discussed legislation that would enable the county to adopt rules and regulations for the licensing, maintenance and operation of towing companies in Carroll. Included would be fee limits for towing, recovery, and storage of vehicles impounded from public streets, according to the agenda.

Commissioner Stephen Wantz had suggested during an earlier commissioners’ meeting that the county set fee limits for towing companies after he learned of an instance when an ambulance received a large bill for a short-distance tow. Upon researching, Wantz realized Carroll does not have any towing regulations, unlike neighboring counties.

Legislative liaison Mike Fowler noted the proposal would be just to enable the commissioners to adopt towing regulations. Whether the commissioners choose to regulate fees or licensing would be decided later.

Source: baltimoresun.com.

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Towman Shot after Road Altercation

A Durham, North Carolina, towman is recovering after he was shot on the job recently.

Greg Liles thought it would be a simple job, towing a woman’s car out of a ditch, just a few feet from his shop, but things took an unexpected turn.

“This lady drives over the cones I had in place and I had my door open so it was more visual to stop and I was like, ‘Hold up! Please, please stop!’ and she stopped for a second and starts yelling out the window and cursing at me.”

Liles, who drives for Dave’s TowA-Way, didn’t take the threat seriously but says he should have. Once he returned to the shop, a car he didn’t recognize pulled up.

“The Corvette pulls up and didn’t really yell it but was just like, ‘Did you just have an altercation with my wife?’ And I pointed with my right arm towards where we were, ‘Yeah she

tried to …’ Boom boom boom!”

Liles was shot in the arm. The bullet shattered his bone and another bullet is lodged in his ribs.

“This whole situation transpired because someone did not want to move over,” explained Liles. “Please drive safely. When you see the lights, we’re not there for your amusement.

We’re there to do a job and help other citizens. Please just move over. Slow down.”

Durham police were investigating the shooting.

Source: cbs17.com.

Council Denies Tower Appeals

Mobile (Alabama) City Council members denied appeals from three wrecking companies to lift an additional 30-day suspension for various violations, including overcharging for storage and towing. By a 5-2 vote, councilmembers recently voted to

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deny the appeals of SOS Towing, Southport Towing, and A+ Wrecker.

“We have to fix the ordinance, because right now, it appears to be broken,” said council VP Levon Manzie. “I hope we have a committee meeting so we can get the matter resolved.”

SOS, Southport, and A+ were three of five wrecker companies given an additional 30-day suspension because they charged fees not authorized by the city of Mobile and were cited for additional violations.

Representatives of the three companies questioned if Mobile Police Chief Lawrence Battiste arbitrarily used the towing ordinance to target those companies.

Battiste said he was only acting according to what was in the city’s ordinance and told Manzie he had received additional complaints regarding overcharging, noting he based it on information provided to his department.

Councilman Joel Daves, who presented motions to approve appeals

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for all three companies, said he did not believe Battiste acted arbitrarily in giving the companies the additional suspensions.

Harry Satterwhite, who represented SOS Towing, told councilmembers what was going on with the companies was not a good look for the city, and he appealed to the council not to allow SOS Towing to be penalized the additional 30 days.

“You’re going to eventually run these companies out of business,” he said. “It seems like you’re being heavyhanded. The people that are being represented are willing to compromise.”

But MPD attorney Wanda Rahman said after companies were taken out of the rotation for 30 days and after it was publicized by the media, there were customers who called complaining about additional violations. Rahman said of the five companies suspended, only one—Casher ’s Towing—had records.

SOS Towing owner Gary Smith said he received emails requesting

information and denied he overcharged customers.

“I cannot show you an invoice, because MPD has taken my records,” he said. “As far as overcharging, I can’t dispute it, because no one returned my phone calls. I have strike one; I’ve been out for 30 days. If I do it again, then give me an additional 30-day suspension.”

Source: thecallnews.com.

Man Sentenced in Fatal Crash

A Louisville, Kentucky, man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for hitting and killing a tow truck driver nearly three years ago.

William Hillard was driving a van on Dixie Highway when he sideswiped 42-year-old tower Steven Simpson, who was loading a vehicle onto a wrecker on Oct. 3, 2016.

According to the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, Hillard was

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indicted on Oct. 30, 2018, more than two years after the crash, after a toxicology report indicated he was intoxicated when he hit Simpson. Hillard was found guilty of manslaughter in the case.

In court Wednesday, Simpson’s mother Bonnie Grigsby told Hillard that if he wanted to prove he was sorry, he should start encouraging others to not make the same mistakes he did.

“Send things out, support the Slow Down Move Over Law, no drinking, no drugs while you’re driving,” she said. “That could show us more than anything.”

Source: wdrb.com.

SafeClear Becomes ‘Tow and Go’

The SafeClear Program was added to Houston-Galveston (Texas) Area Council’s regional traffic management plan and is now known as the “Tow and Go Program.”

Stalled vehicles on Houston’s freeways will be towed to a nearby safe location off the freeway at no cost.

Vehicles with a good spare and a jack will have flat tires changed at no cost.

For vehicles towed to the driver’s home or another location, the city of Houston’s non-consent tow fee applies, which is currently $175.50 for the first 20 miles, and 2 percent per mile after.

Vehicle towed to a nearby storage lot will be stored at no cost for up to 48 hours. Storage fees will begin to accrue after 48 hours. The tollways and the Katy Freeway High Occupancy Toll lanes are not included.

Source: abc13.com, towandgo.com.

CTTA to Observe ‘Move Over’ Day

The California Tow Truck Association will join more than a dozen other states on Oct. 19 to raise public awareness of Move Over laws and the roadside dangers that towing operators and emergency responders face daily.

“We are losing towing operators at an enormous rate. Anything we can do to help stop this, and create awareness for tow trucks, we should try and do our part,” said Angela Barnett, executive director of the Arizona Professional Towing & Recovery Association.

CTTA has planned a tow truck/ first responder vehicle parade route and event in Los Angeles at the Santa Fe Dam Recreational Area, in San Francisco at the San Leandro Marina and in Cloverdale at the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds. Staging of tow trucks and first responder vehicles will begin at 7 a.m. at all locations.

“Tow operators are some of the hardest working people on the planet.

They are out on the roads every hour of every day, protecting the motoring public. Raising awareness of Move Over laws is the least we can do for our fallen brothers and sisters, and hopefully our message will make an impact,” said CTTA President Quinn Piening.

Source: CTTA.

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Council OKs Abandoned Vehicle Ordinance

The Fremont (Nebraska) City Council recently approved an amendment that would make it easier for police officers to take action on abandoned vehicles.

The ordinance will allow the city to tow a junked motor vehicle that has not been moved in 30 days. A “junked motor vehicle” is defined as a vehicle that has expired or no license plates or is “wrecked, dismantled, partially dismantled, inoperable, not towable, not drivable, abandoned or discarded.”

Assistant City Administrator Shane Wimer, who brought the amendment forward, said he changed the language from the last reading at Councilman Brad Yerger’s request to allow a five-day grace period after the vehicle’s towing to claim it, not including the day of execution, weekends or holidays.

Yerger said although he supported the ordinance, he took issue with how officers would be able to define a vehicle as “junked.” Wimer said the ordinance would require officers to be “reasonable” on what is and what isn’t a junked car.

“You got to give the officers a little latitude with the ability to enforce these ordinances with restricting them so narrowly or making them jump through so many hoops to get these things done that the ordinance becomes completely ineffective,” Wimer said. “And the more hoops you have the officers jump through, the less likely they want to enforce them because it becomes so difficult.”

The ordinance’s proponents said it was tailored for improving the community and wouldn’t affect people who have undrivable cars outside, like car hobbyists.

Source: norfolkdailynews.com.

County Considering Adding Tow Rules

The Carroll County (Maryland) Board of Commissioners recently discussed legislation that would enable the county to adopt rules and

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regulations for the licensing, maintenance and operation of towing companies in Carroll. Included would be fee limits for towing, recovery, and storage of vehicles impounded from public streets, according to the agenda.

Commissioner Stephen Wantz had suggested during an earlier commissioners’ meeting that the county set fee limits for towing companies after he learned of an instance when an ambulance received a large bill for a short-distance tow. Upon researching, Wantz realized Carroll does not have any towing regulations, unlike neighboring counties.

Legislative liaison Mike Fowler noted the proposal would be just to enable the commissioners to adopt towing regulations. Whether the commissioners choose to regulate fees or licensing would be decided later.

Source: baltimoresun.com.

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CTTA to Observe ‘Move Over’ Day

The California Tow Truck Association will join more than a dozen other states on Oct. 19 to raise public awareness of Move Over laws and the roadside dangers that towing operators and emergency responders face daily.

“We are losing towing operators at an enormous rate. Anything we can do to help stop this, and create awareness for tow trucks, we should try and do our part,” said Angela Barnett, executive director of the Arizona Professional Towing & Recovery Association.

CTTA has planned a tow truck/ first responder vehicle parade route and event in Los Angeles at the Santa Fe Dam Recreational Area, in San Francisco at the San Leandro Marina and in Cloverdale at the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds. Staging of tow trucks and first responder vehicles will begin at 7 a.m. at all locations.

“Tow operators are some of the hardest working people on the planet.

They are out on the roads every hour

of every day, protecting the motoring public. Raising awareness of Move Over laws is the least we can do for our fallen brothers and sisters, and hopefully our message will make an impact,” said CTTA President Quinn Piening.

Source: CTTA.

9,700+ Towed for Parking Violations

In San Diego, California, more than 9,700 vehicles have been towed since 2015 for violating a 72-hour parking restriction.

More than half of those vehicles, 5,284, were later sold at auction. Public advocacy groups criticize the law, claiming it targets the unfortunate and benefits tow companies and the city.

“Cities are losing money on tows, especially when the reason for the tow is someone’s inability to pay government fines and fees,” reads one report.

“Towed vehicles sold at lien sale in San Diego generally accrue over $3,000

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in fees and fines, but the average sale price for these vehicles is about $565.”

Currently, a group of homeless people are suing the city in a class action lawsuit for the city’s Oversized Vehicle Ordinance which prohibits overnight parking of recreational vehicles in locations throughout the city as well as prohibits them from parking in other locations for more than 72 hours.

Source: nbcsandiego.com.

Towman Shot after Road Altercation

A Durham, North Carolina, towman is recovering after he was shot on the job recently.

Greg Liles thought it would be a simple job, towing a woman’s car out of a ditch, just a few feet from his shop, but things took an unexpected turn.

“This lady drives over the cones I had in place and I had my door open so it was more visual to stop and I was like, ‘Hold up! Please, please stop!’ and she stopped for a second and starts yell-

ing out the window and cursing at me.”

Liles, who drives for Dave’s Tow-AWay, didn’t take the threat seriously but says he should have. Once he returned to the shop, a car he didn’t recognize pulled up.

“The Corvette pulls up and didn’t really yell it but was just like, ‘Did you just have an altercation with my wife?’ And I pointed with my right arm towards where we were, ‘Yeah she tried to …’ Boom boom boom!”

Liles was shot in the arm. The bullet shattered his bone and another bullet is lodged in his ribs.

“This whole situation transpired because someone did not want to move over,” explained Liles. “Please drive safely. When you see the lights, we’re not there for your amusement. We’re there to do a job and help other citizens. Please just move over. Slow down.”

Durham police were investigating the shooting.

Source: cbs17.com.

Man Sentenced in Fatal Crash

A Louisville, Kentucky, man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for hitting and killing a tow truck driver nearly three years ago.

William Hillard was driving a van on Dixie Highway when he sideswiped 42-year-old tower Steven Simpson, who was loading a vehicle onto a wrecker on Oct. 3, 2016.

According to the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, Hillard was indicted on Oct. 30, 2018, more than two years after the crash, after a toxicology report indicated he was intoxicated when he hit Simpson. Hillard was found guilty of manslaughter in the case.

In court Wednesday, Simpson’s mother Bonnie Grigsby told Hillard that if he wanted to prove he was sorry, he should start encouraging others to not make the same mistakes he did.

“Send things out, support the Slow Down Move Over Law, no drinking, no drugs while you’re driving,” she said. “That could show us more than anything.”

Source: wdrb.com.

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SafeClear Becomes ‘Tow and Go’

The SafeClear Program was added to Houston-Galveston (Texas) Area Council’s regional traffic management plan and is now known as the “Tow and Go Program.”

Stalled vehicles on Houston’s freeways will be towed to a nearby safe location off the freeway at no cost.

Vehicles with a good spare and a jack will have flat tires changed at no cost.

For vehicles towed to the driver’s home or another location, the city of Houston’s non-consent tow fee applies, which is currently $175.50 for the first 20 miles, and 2 percent per mile after.

Vehicle towed to a nearby storage lot will be stored at no cost for up to 48 hours. Storage fees will begin to accrue after 48 hours. The tollways and the Katy Freeway High Occupancy Toll lanes are not included.

Source: abc13.com, towandgo.com.

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CopyrightŠ2019 American Towman Magazine. Characters and stories are fictitious; no resemblance to real life characters is intended.

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