Low Down

Rebirth of the Rated Tower

by Steve Calitri

Just looking at some of the news we couldn’t fit into this issue, it’s no wonder that the authorities and the public harbor a general lack of trust for the towing trade. In Ventura, California, eight towers have been indicted by the city’s Criminal Grand Jury on charges of predatory towing along with extortion, carjacking, assault with a deadly weapon and the unlawful taking of vehicles. While shenanigans related to private lot towing are regularly reported in the news, Ventura’s harsh response should run up a flag for all towing professionals, the bad apples and the good guys.

Down under, half way around the world, it’s no better. News reports are detailing that tow truck drivers have been bashed at gunpoint in an apparent turf war in Brisbane, Australia over lucrative towing contracts. Well, veteran towers know they don’t have to travel that far to find violence among towers fighting to make a living.

In this industry and in the public’s eye, towers not only have to earn their respect, they have to battle for their right to charge a profitable rate for the services they provide. It’s so with every sector of the towing business.

What has been clear over the years is that professionalism and its manifestations have been the driving force behind this industry’s ability to shape its own course, whether it concerns dealing with a town, the police, the state legislature, the state DOT or any national entity. Towers and towing organizations that wear the badge of professionalism get the respect they deserve and the people in authority willing to work with them.

The truly professional tow boss realizes it’s not all that simple to stand apart from the rest, when the rest are all tooting their own horns and operating with cutthroat business practices in what is very much still a cowboy industry.

That’s why, when in 1998, American Towman and the National Towing Alliance created a third party, the American Towman Standards Authority, to rate tow businesses on their business practices, that the most professional tow bosses saw a game changer in the making. Indeed, those companies that got rated by ATSA that first year, over a hundred of them, saw an immediate benefit. Some reported they were able to lower their insurance premiums because of their rating. Others told of how their rating through ATSA won them commercial accounts and city contracts.

Many told us how the rating program helped them to attain new standards of operating procedures, that previously had only been an occasional notion. Seeing the professional standards in black and white before them, helped them to set goals to take their towing operation to another level of professionalism.

Back in 1998, the American Towman Standards Authority and its rating program were well received. It was us who dropped the ball through a change of leadership. Since that time, the program sat on the shelf and towers who had been rated regularly asked about reviving it.

The ATSA rating program is a winner because it’s a blueprint for all towers to use in their efforts to run a successful towing business. It’s a winner because it helps professional towing businesses by lending them a credible, third party’s voice to toot their horns for them. It’s why we’re bringing the program back. The industry needs it.

Publisher

Dennie Ortiz-Sorrenti

Editor-In-Chief

Steve Calitri

Operations Editors

Terry Abejuela Randall Resch

Chassis Editor

David Kolman

Safety Editor

Bill Simmons

Contributing Editors

Frank Sanchez Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

Editorial Board

Tommy Anderson, Dallas, Texas Roy Carlson; St. Paul, Minn. Gary Coe; Portland, Ore. Frank Child; Cody, Wyo. Belinda Harris; Greensboro, N.C. Amado Llorens; Hialeah, Fla. Ron Mislan; Warren, N.J. Chuck Swider; Chicopee, Mass.

**********************************************************

Art Director/Production Manager

Ann Marie Nitti

Graphic Manager

William Burwell

Advertising Sales Manager

Dennie Ortiz-Sorrenti

Senior Account Executive

Ellen Rosengart

VP of Accounts

Norma Calitri

VP of Communications

Neila Kennedy

Internet Developer

Henri Calitri *****************************************************

American Towman Network, Inc. President

Steven Calitri *****************************************************

Headquarters

7 West Street, Warwick NY 10990 800-732-3869 or 845-986-4546 Fax: 845-986-5181 *****************************************************

E-mail:

Publisher: dsorrenti@towman.com Editor-In-Chief: scalitri@towman.com

AT’S Digital Edition: itowman.com Weekly Industry News: towman.com

Copyright ©2010 American Towman Magazine is published 12 times a year by American Towman Network, Inc. U.S. Subscription: $50–1 yr; $75–2 yrs • US $65 and $105 • International

Editorial Policy: the act of mailing or delivering a letter or article to American Towman Magazine, shall constitute permission to publish that letter or article or any portion thereof. American Towman Magazine reserves the right to edit any and all material submitted.

Can’t Pick One Tower

A lawsuit filed by six Texas towing companies, names all four Wilson County commissioners as defendants, in addition to County Judge Marvin Quinney and Rick's Towing Service Inc., the company picked exclusively to do those county's nonconsent tows, dispatched through the sheriff's department.

The towing companies, all based in Wilson County and all part of a previous nonconsent towing rotation, contend they have been unfairly deprived of business rather than provided a more precise rate structure.

County commissioners said concerns about overcharging and other service problems prompted them to take new bids for service. Rick's Towing, which previously had not been part of the rotation, was the final choice.

The lawsuit states commissioners violated the Texas Constitution by awarding the contract to one company alone. That constitutes a monopoly, the suit contends, and the county does not have the authority to award an exclusive contract. Source: mysanantonio.com

Despite revenues being down 15 percent or more and reducing his fleet from 50 to 15 trucks, California tower Jan Qualkenbush has started making his diesel tow trucks compliant with costly state and federal environmental regulations that go into effect next year.

The president of Jan's Towing Inc., which covers much of the San Gabriel Valley, said the company has spent at least $2.5 million so far in purchasing "green" tow trucks for his Azusa and Glendora shops, and at least 75 percent of the fleet has been converted to more environmentally-friendly vehicles.

The new regulations –which were announced in 2008 and will only apply to diesel trucks and buses over 14,000 pounds are still being modified, and deadlines will be extended to give companies more time to comply, according to Tony Brasil, chief of the heavy duty diesel implementation branch of the California Air Resources Board.

The changes will be implemented in stages. By early 2011, fleets must have exhaust filters installed in at least 25 percent of their vehicles. Companies will have to continue the process until their entire fleets are converted by 2014. Source: Whittierdailynews.com

Going Green Ahead of the Pack Calgary Likes its Service Patrol

Calgary, Alberta, Canada's year-long pilot program launched in February prepared for the city’s land use, planning and transportation committee, notes that over a 43day period between February and April, the stand-by tow service responded to 333 calls, and continues to respond to more than seven incidents per day.

Traffic manager Troy McLeod said it’s difficult to measure how much the $636,000 pilot program has helped improve traffic flow but said just the practice of removing vehicles from busy thoroughfares only helps reduce congestion.

He noted the city is also working with the province to change legislation to allow the city to move vehicles abandoned in traffic without the owner’s consent, which is currently only held by peace officers including police and parking authority officials. Alderwoman, Diane Colley-Urquhart, who originally pushed for the tow pilot, said the city has an opportunity to continue the project and save money by including it with the city’s existing contract for towing services, which is set to expire.

“It would be really nice if we incorporated that into the towing contract that works with every business unit in the city,” she said, noting the city is about to farm out a 10-year contract for its towing services. Source: Calgarysun.com

Tower Saves

Man from Car Fire

Tow operator Kyle Evans of Fuller’s Towing was driving on I20 in Terrell, Texas when he saw a tragic, four-vehicle chain reaction crash that started with an 18wheeler hitting an SUV. Evans says, "As everything came to a stop, the SUV kind of burst into flames."

That's when Evans went running...toward the fire. The first victim he says he saw, "was a lady. She was thrown out of the car. She was on fire herself. I pulled her from the wreckage and pulled her out and asked someone to get a cover to cover her up."

Evans then noticed two young children inside, also dead. But when he moved the car's airbag, he spotted Wyndell Greene, alive, his eyes looking around and his hands fluttering. Kyle Evans says, "They grabbed a blanket and I threw it over my head and arm...and I just leaned in and I said, 'Give me your arm.' All I seen through the smoke was a hand and I grabbed him by the hand with both my hands and I pulled him out of the vehicle."

Evans will be nominated for the American Towman Medal for heroism at this years AT Expo November 20th, 2010 Source:the33tv.com