Lowdown
Got Loose Dunnage? By John Borowski
Since 2015, John Borowski has been responsible for establishing, maintaining mutual understanding and cooperation within the towing industry and AutoReturn. With over 45 years of experience in the towing industry he is a well-known industry expert and trainer. John has held key positions for tow truck manufacturers. He was awarded the first “Towman of the Year” by American Towman magazine in 2005 and inducted in the Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame in 2001. He owned his own tow company for 19 years and was the largest municipal tower in the northeast.
Inside of the vehicle struck by grid which fell off the moving tow truck.
R Note: WPTV in Florida was sourced for photos and facts used in this article.
ealizing that we are nine months into this Covid-19 Pandemic, people are not as aware as they usually are, that of course includes our tow operators. There has definitely been an uptick of preventable accidents, however, not everyone is focused on the task they’re performing because of all of the daily distractions that we now have. Recently, in Del-Ray Beach, Florida a tower with a flatbed had his grid slide off the right rear tow bar and never knew it. The grid going down I-95 at about 70mph is an extremely dangerous thing as it weights 40 lbs. (It has a cost of about $400
58 • December 2020 | Towman.com
plus shipping). State Police and Highway Patrols across the nation are looking to clamp down on this problem called loose dunnage. According to the driver, Eduardo Medina, said only pieces of glass fell on him after the metal object busted through the windshield of his truck. Florida Highway Patrol believes the road debris fell off of a flatbed tow truck that was driving on Medina’s right side. Medina hit the brakes and stopped in the middle of the interstate, while the tow truck driver kept driving down the highway. Medina added that he is grateful no one was hurt.
◀
