Number 159 on Reader Card
Number 114 on Reader Card
FEATURE CONTENTS
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Eye-Opening Bus Recovery
Departments
Lifting a bus became the smallest part of the job for Anytime Towing. by A.J. Johnson
Low Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 News Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Road Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 AD Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Tow Boss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Beacon’s On! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 On Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 My Baby. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Towman’s Market . . . . . . . . . . . .50
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A Day at the Races Miller Motorsports Director Ken Burdine tells how he coordinates dozens of tow trucks and operators for races. by Mickey Mills
Adventures of A.T. . . . . . . . . . . . .53
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Which Dispatch Style Do You Use? It takes a mish-mash of styles to hand out the calls and keep everyone happy. by Dave Lambert My Baby features the Jerr-Dan Element Self Loader.
TOWMAN.COM - March 2012 • 5
Pride and Mirrors by Steve Calitri
I
suppose the instant popularity of American Towman TV has to do with human nature and our vain fascination with the reflection in the mirror. There is as much pride as vanity staring back from the mirror at the truly professional tower. How we go about our business is driven as much by our sense of pride as it is by strictly practical considerations. Of course, the first rule for success in anything probably is take pride in what you do. The great thing about pride is that it precludes needing any other purpose. If you’re proud of who you are and what you do, material riches can’t reward you any more than that. For me, as a reporter in this industry, my most rewarding experiences come from visiting a tow boss who is a class act, from the spit and shine of the company’s wreckers to the professional demeanor of its tow operators. In the few months that AmericanTowmanTV.com has been airing programs, ATTV’s Emily Oz has visited or spoken to towing professionals all across the nation. We have captured unique recoveries and heart-rending stories: wrecker parades benefiting Toys for Tots, funeral processionals of wreckers, heroic deeds. In all of our programs the pride of our industry has shone through, and it’s contagious. This is the main reason why towers are watching this new industry phenomenon on the Internet. After all, if we don’t feel the urge to be as good or better than others we see, then we are not alive. If we are complacent in what we do and how we do it, we are not living our lives to the fullest, or running our businesses to
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progress. We feel most alive when we are striving toward goals—when we are running the race, not when we’ve collapsed past the finish line. Towmen working the roadways and at accident scenes feel in their bones the import of their role. They thrill at the uprighting of a vehicle or the retrieval of a car up a steep difficult slope. Likewise, when they see a challenging recovery from the comfort of their tablet or laptop, or simply watch the proud Towman talking about such a job, the pulse quickens and the chest swells a bit. He is able to look in on this remarkable profession from the vantage point of one who knows its ins and outs, but while in a moment of luxury on the outside. It’s like an outof-body experience and you’re watching yourself from a distance. When the Michigan tower on ATTV recovered a war cannon that played a role in the American Revolutionary War and spoke proudly of his involvement, thousands of towers watched it thinking back to their most unusual recoveries. When the Tennessee tower tackled the recovery of a an SUV wrecked on Signal Mountain in the pages of American Towman last month, towers everywhere matched this feat against many of their own. They continue to size it up watching ATTV’s video coverage of the same recovery. I don’t think it’s farfetched to say that pride more than any other force has kept this industry together. At AT, we are thrilled with our role in illuminating the heart and soul of this industry, its extreme challenges and its extreme pride. We’re more excited than ever to be able to share what we see.
Publisher Dennie Ortiz Editor-In-Chief Steve Calitri Editor Brendan Dooley Operations Editor Randall Resch Field Editors Terry Abejuela Jim “Buck” Sorrenti Chassis Editor David Kolman Safety Editor Bill Simmons “On Screen” Editor Emily Oz Editorial Board Tommy Anderson; Dallas, Texas Roy Carlson; St. Paul, Minn. Gary Coe; Portland, Ore. Belinda Harris; Greensboro, N.C. Amado Llorens; Hialeah, Fla. Ron Mislan; Warren, N.J. Chuck Swider; Chicopee, Mass. Frank Sanchez; Bridgewater, N.J. Page Layout Artist Ann Marie Nitti Advertising Sales Dennie Ortiz Ellen Rosengart VP of Accounts Norma Calitri VP of Communications Neila Smith Subscription Manager Miriam Ortiz Customer Service Henri Calitri Tow Industry Week Media Director William Burwell American Towman TV Program Director Emily Oz American Towman Media Headquarters 7 West Street, Warwick, NY 10990 800-732-3869 or 845-986-4546 President Steve Calitri 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: towman.com AT’S Weekly: towindustryweek.com ATTV: americantowmantv.com Copyright ©2012 American Towman Magazine is published 12 times a year by American Towman Media, Inc. Subscription: $50–1 yr; $95–2 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.
Number 109 on Reader Card
First Association for Motor Club Towers On Jan. 20 in Sacramento, Calif., 75 individual towing companies attended the first meeting of the United Coalition for Motor Club Safety. The new association will focus on addressing common concerns of motor club contractors. Membership is open only to towing and recovery companies that contract with motor clubs. The association is designed to tackle the challenges associated with providing the high level of service required by motor club contracts. “By linking together we can shape a different and better future that ensures the success of our businesses, while also improving our services to motor club customers,” said Dan Charlebois, UCMCS president. The new association will facilitate and encourage the safety and professionalism of towing and recovery companies contracting with motor clubs, as well as ensuring the safety of the public that they serve. Through collective action, the association will employ legal counsel, lobbyists, and PR professionals to ensure its members’ rights are heard and defended. “At first glance, changing the status quo of the motor club industry seems daunting,” said Steve Sgarlato, UCMCS vice president. “It is doable if we trust one another and work together.” To learn more, email staff@motorclubcoalition.org or call Charlebois at 916-206-1919 or Sgarlato at 408-592-9460.
CCAS Is Now Agero Cross Country Automotive Services and its subsidiary ATX Group are both under the new corporate brand name, Agero. The brand change will take effect on March 1. The new brand will reflect a leadership in roadside assistance and connected vehicle services. The focus will be to promote safety, security and innovation. Agero has four decades of experience and nearly 2,500 employees in the U.S., Canada, Germany and France. Its roadside assistance services protect more than 75 million drivers a year in North America through the response and management of in-vehicle and post-emergency safety and security situations. These programs are supported by more than 30,000 roadside assistance providers across North America. 8 • March 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
Denver Towers Targeted by Robbers Three armed robberies in three weeks in Denver, Colo., targeted tow truck drivers. The latest victim, Tim Rohac, owns Rohac’s Junkyard Dogs, a business that buys and tows away junk cars. On Feb. 5, he went to a house and was robbed by two men with a gun. The men tied Rohac’s hands behind his back and forced him to lie face down in the snow. They took about $900 in cash, his cellphone and pain medication. “My dog Roxy kept them from stealing the truck,” Rohac said. Denver Police confirmed two
similar armed robberies recently targeting towers. “Those guys are gonna kill someone. If things had gone awry, they would have killed me,” Rohac said. Source: www.9news.com.
Towing for
Ta-Ta’s Towing for Ta-Ta’s is an eye-catching, pink vinyl wrapped, light-duty wrecker that made its debut at the American Towman Exposition in Baltimore, Md., last November. Atlantic Emergency Solutions, a Jerr-Dan dealer, got the attention of towing companies and consumers alike with this rolling tribute to breast cancer research. At the Baltimore Convention Center, the pink truck drew many spectators who openly shared personal stories of their brush with breast cancer. “I got a lot of handshakes and hugs and some tears,” said Danny Horton, Atlantic’s director of towing and recovery sales. “Most people can relate to breast cancer as so many have friends or
loved ones affected by it each year,” said Atlantic CEO Joe Pack. Craig Goldstein, owner of Westway Towing in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., purchased the truck at the show. Rock Star Wraps, responsible for the pink-ribbon theme, will add Westway’s company name and logo to the wrapping, as well as the name of a friend who lost her life to the disease. Goldstein has committed $1 for every tow made by this truck to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. With the purchase of the Ta-Ta Truck, Atlantic donated $500 in Goldstein’s name to breast cancer research.
“... changing the status quo of the motor club industry seems daunting ...” Towing Ordinance Makes $170,000 for Lubbock In Lubbock, Texas, the city council unanimously approved an ordinance to tow uninsured vehicles in January 2011; the city has collected almost $170,000 in one year since the change. The city only gets money from citations; that money goes into the general fund to pay for city costs. “If somebody was stopped for speeding, had a light out, or expired registration and an officer asks for insurance and it’s not provided, that’s when it comes into play,” said Sgt. Jonathan Stewart. Since the ordinance took effect, police have towed 700 vehicles, but have given out more than 6,000 citations for no financial responsibility. Firsttime offenders face a $244 fine for the ticket alone. Before getting their cars back, offenders must show proof of insurance. Lubbock Wrecker Manager Chad Wilson tows vehicles for the police department. He says they’ve had between 60 and 70 people not claim their car. On average, he says they give people two months to pick up their vehicles. Source: www.kcbd.com.
Tenn. Operator Saves a Life In LaVergne, Tenn., Easy Towing employee John Murray is being called a hero. The tow operator has many stories to tell of middle Tennessee interstate crashes, but this is the first time he’s been the hero of the day. The accident unfolded right in front of Murray when an 18-wheeler rear-ended a small SUV. The big rig toppled on its side, ruptured a fuel tank and slid down the highway about 600’, already ablaze. Murray and another passer-by raced to the flaming truck to attempt rescue of the trapped driver. “We knew we had to get him out of the truck. No one would have lived through a burn like that,” Murray said. “All I was thinking was, ‘We’ve got to get this man out. He’s got family.’ ” Murray and the other driver risked their lives to save the stranger. Murray said he just did what someone else would have done for him. The driver was transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Source: www.wsmv.com.
New Tow Rules in Fairfax, Va. In Virginia, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to increase towing rates to the maximum levels set by the Virginia General Assembly in 2006: $125 for a tow, $75 for a boot and $50 for daily storage. The new rates represent the first increase since 1994. The board outlined the changes as a benefit to consumer protection. There are stringent new requirements for “No Parking” signage for size and color. Towers must take photographs of the vehicle clearly showing the reason for the tow and the condition of the vehicle. The new regulations also ensure that motorists can retrieve their vehicles at any time of the day and pay with cash, credit cards or debit cards. If card devices are inoperable, a personal check must be accepted. Receipts must contain information explaining the reason for the tow, the time of the tow and any fees assessed by the operator. Tow operators are required to store vehicles on their own lots. Source: www.washingtonpost.com.
Spare Tires Going Extinct? Car buyers always kick the tires. If auto manufacturers have their way, that may not include the spare. With new government fuel efficiency standards in place, some vehicle manufactures are omitting spare tires and equipping new vehicles with an emergency sealant and inflator kit or tires that can run reasonable distances without air when damaged. In 2010, the Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency established new corporate average fuel economy standards for vehicle model years 2012 to 2016. The new standards are set at a combined 29.7 mpg for the 2012 model year, increasing to 34.1 mpg by 2016.
Achieving these standards will require many changes to the vehicles we drive. One area of focus is to reduce the weight of vehicles without compromising occupant safety. A spare tire, related tools and a jack can weigh more than 40 lbs. That may seem like a small amount but every little bit helps and unlike other weight-saving changes, it doesn’t add cost to the vehicle. Source: AAA.
TOWMAN.COM - March 2012 • 9
Check Out What’s NEW and HOT!
Custom Service Truck Targets Motor Club Calls
High-Efficiency LED Work Lamp Hella’s Power Beam 3000 LED Work Lamp provides an output of 3,000 lumens at just 43W of power. It uses 16 long-lasting LEDs to create a powerful white light in both close- and long-range illumination models. Hella’s Free-Form reflector technology delivers more light output and provides a more precise beam placement. The Hella Power Beam 3000 has a lifespan of more than 60,000 hours. The Power Beam's housing is made of die-cast aluminum for light weight and good heat dissipation. It comes completely sealed from the factory and requires no additional service.
www.hellausa.com Number 200 on Reader Card
Bailey’s Snatch Block The Bailey’s Snatch Block is made in the U.S.A. and features a 4” steel sheave that is machined smooth for use with synthetic winch lines and wire rope up to 7/16”. A self-lubricating bronze bushing is pressed into the sheave for maintenance-free use. The design of the laser-cut side plates allows you to rig the block quickly and utilize the large opening for a variety of rigging options. All steel parts have corrosionresistant zinc plating. • Working Load Limit: 9,000 lbs. • Ultimate Breaking Strength: 41,000 lbs. • Length: 10-1/4” • Weight: 7.35 lbs.
www.baileystowinginc.com Number 201 on Reader Card
Compact Vehicle-Mounted Spotlight Whelen Engineering’s Micro Pioneer is a compact spotlight designed to fit almost anywhere on your vehicle. It features a diecast aluminum housing and solid-state electronics. Comes with four easy-to-change optic lenses: standard for 90’ x 20’ wide flood, 40’ x 20’ flood, 8’ x 40’ horizontal flood, 8-degree spot flood. Produces more than 3,900 lumens and draws only 4 amps at 12.8V.
www.whelen.com Number 202 on Reader Card
T
he custom-built Gran Challenger SUV work truck from East Penn Carrier & Wrecker Sales was created to make all your service calls profitable, from lockouts and jump-starts to battery sales and towing. The Gran Challenger is a multi-purpose service utility vehicle that should make motor club calls more profitable and features secure, lockable storage of equipment, rust-resistant Galvanneal steel body, keyless entry and modular design. Available in configurations for Ford, Dodge and Chevrolet chassis. Standard package (on a 2012 Ford F-350 4x4 Extended Cab) includes:
• Convenience power group. • 6.2L EFI V-8. • SYNC voice-activated system. • Snow-plow prep. • Holmes 220 Auto-Load Wheel Lift. • Jump-start kit. • Air compressor package with 35’ hose. • 1,000W Shumaker power inverter. • 5000 Series GoJak with mount. • Battery storage tray with left and right access. • Aluminum floor jack with mount. • Torrent LED bar light. • 30’ corded tow lights.
www.eastpenntrucks.com Number 203 on Reader Card
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TOWMAN.COM - March 2012 • 11
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Access Tools 45 Agero (CCAS) 4 Akins Body & Carrier Sales 23 ATSA 17 ATTV 40, 41 B/A Products 18 Blades Tow Right 30 Clean Planet 30 Century 28, 29 Crouch’s Wrecker & Equip. Sales 33 DewEze Mfg. 52 Equipment Sales & Service 16 Equipment Sales & Service 52 Gwinnett Place Wr. & Carr. Div 19 Hino Motor Sales USA 13
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Intek Truck Eq. Finance & Lease 18 Jerr-Dan/Run Hard 4, 56 Lift & Tow 32 Matheny Motors Truck Co. 15 North American Bancard 7 New England Truckmaster 44 NRC 55 Purpose Wrecker Sales 31 PWOF 34, 35 TomTom Works 39 Tow Industry Week 47 TowMate 33 Total Resource Auctions 27 Towlot.com 2, 3 Vulcan 21 Worldwide Equipment Sales 47
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March 2012 For more product info, go to www.towman.com and click on the FREE Product info icon. Or circle the corresponding reader service number on the Action Card to the right, and send it in. Form is valid for three months
Auction Options to Get Vehicles Sold by Brendan Dooley
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torage space is a valuable commodity and when a vehicle’s lien period is up and it’s ready for sale, you don’t want to waste time moving it out and pumping up your cash flow. The best dollar option per vehicle is through an auction; whether using an auctioneer at your lot, taking your vehicles to a major auction site, or auctioning them off online.
The Online Option Towlot.com has mainly served towers in the Kansas City region since its inception in 2006, but it began marketing its service to towers nationwide this past October. Since then it has run several auctions for towing companies around the country; in California, Minnesota, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Georgia. John Borowski, manager of Hampshire Towing in East Hadley, Mass. said they began moving their abandoned cars through online auctions at towlot.com. “It’s a great service. It’s simple and it works. It saves us a lot of time and money … we do better with towlot.com compared to selling these cars to a salvage yard or hiring an auctioneer and running a traditional auction from our lot.” With Towlot.com, towers sign up for a one-time fee of $20 and from there it’s just $30 per vehicle listing, with the capability of posting several photos of each vehicle to a virtual showroom. There is no percentage of each sale going to an auctioneer. Upload car info and pictures and you’re off to the races. “We’ve been with them over a year and are very satisfied with our auctions,” said Marshall Copeland, manager at Hillcrest Towing in Lawrence, Kan. “Towlot.com expanded our bidder base; we’ve got14 • March 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
Marshall Copeland of Hillcrest Towing in Lawrence, Kan., said that Towlot.com is easy to use for anyone that can operate a keyboard.
ten bids from as far as Las Vegas.” Towlot.com utilizes a “lightning round” style of bidding that extends the auction 10 seconds with every bid.
That means no last-second snipe bids, and each vehicle can reach its full potential on price. “We’ve been using them for five
Number 194 on Reader Card
DIY Auctioning
Insurance Auto Auctions combines traditional on-site auctioneering with online bidding.
years,” said Joe Meyer, owner of Overland Tow Service. “We get a lot more money on Towlot.com than we ever did with live auctions; we average $600 to $1,000 per car now on any given auction.” Towlot.com’s President Brandon Richard says an auction should have at least 16 cars to draw the number of bidders necessary for a successful auction. Most auctions range between 30 and 80 cars.
Taking a cue from online auctions, a tower in Oregon has married traditional on-site auctioning with an online component for his business, pulling in other tower’s impounded vehicles from the Portland area. If you decide to go it alone with auctions for your yard, Speed’s Towing in Portland, Ore., has established an interesting template for success. Gary Coe (currently running for a seat in the Oregon State Senate) is co-owner of Speed’s, which is part of a group of towing and auto-related companies, including a lien services business. Over the past eight years, Speed’s has aggressively expanded its auction operations. Today, they are actively auctioning an average of 200-250 vehicles every Tuesday, according to CEO Michael Porter. They first looked to expand upon their own lien sales by auctioning the cars donated to nonprofits. Porter said they were already towing cars for nonprofits to other auction sites, so it made sense to market their own auction services to the charities as well. “We offer a discounted tow and take care of all the paperwork and auction cars for the charity,” Porter said “From the time the charity gets a call that someone wants to donate a car, they transfer the call to us and we pick up the car, do all the paperwork and auction the vehicle.” The charity then gets its portion of the proceeds. “Our auctions are now hugely profitable,” said Porter.
Number 150 on Reader Card
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He said the average vehicle sale is more than $500, and credits that to their expanded weekly offerings and that they’ve blended online (www.speedssupertow.com) and onsite auctioning. They added the online auction in Spring 2011. (Prior to that, the catalog of available vehicles went live online every Friday, but bidding was only on-site.) By Friday afternoon each week, Porter said each auction vehicle is posted with four pictures and catalog notes include mileage and if the vehicle runs or drives. The auctions start at 10 a.m. Tuesday, and usually go to 1:30 p.m. Bids are live online and onsite, and include any proxy bids placed prior to auction. The auctioneer is informed of online and proxy bids, while watching the crowd for in-person bids. In addition to driving up vehicle prices with online and on-site bids, Porter said the extra exposure of what they’re doing now is good for business overall. “It gets our name out there, our website gets upwards of 10,000 hits per weekend,” Porter said. “The online aspect has added so much to our auctions. We modeled this off of what companies like IAA and Copart are doing, but we’re not that big yet.” The SuperSpeed auctions are an outgrowth of both the towing and lien service business that Coe founded. Another towing company, Selover’s, in Williams, Calif., branched into “Lien Lizard” services and then into its online Lien Lizard Auction service. This auction service models itself around eBay and Craigslist, as opposed to the live real-time auction that is the hallmark of Towlot.com. Lien Lizard currently serves Northern California towers.
sourcing through insurance companies, car dealers and other companies, including towing companies. IAA auctions include a combination of on-site and online live auctioning at www.iaai.com. “IAA has long-standing relationships with independent and national towing companies,” said Robert Guerrero, VP of National Sales - IAA Remarketing Division. “IAA is actively seeking abandoned cars for auction and has contracts with many towers throughout the country.” He said that IAA assists towers with required documentation, and has an easy process regarding consigning a car and arranging for payment after
the sale. IAA doesn’t own its own trucks, but has nationally contracted towers that can pick up vehicles available for auction. In addition, towers can drop off their vehicles at IAA lots using their own trucks. (IAA also needs more contracted towers in some locations.) In 2011, IAA auctioned more than 1.3 million vehicles through its 150plus locations in North America; thousands of those vehicles came from tow companies’ abandoned vehicles. “In-person and online auctions allow us to flex in ways a single auction model cannot,” Guerrero said. “What we have found is providing an auction environment with both live
‘Do It For Me’ Options Another auction option is off-loading your unwanted vehicles with a national company like Insurance Auto Auctions. IAA provides a solution that exposes your cars to local and national bidders at once. IAA auctions repo vehicles, donated cars, dealer trade-ins, commercial vehicles and more, primarily TOWMAN.COM - March 2012 • 17
Number 145 on Reader Card
Number 108 on Reader Card
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and live-online bidders creates a healthy, competitive auction that drives the best value and high returns for the vehicle. “An estimated 30 percent of IAA’s vehicles are sold and exported to foreign countries,” he said. Other options like IAA include Total Resource Auctions and Copart. Copart (www.copart.com) sells more than 1 million vehicles each year for consignors including finance companies, the insurance industry, dealers and even the public through more than 140 locations. TRA (www.traauctions.com) specializes in salvage, damaged and inoperable vehicles, and operates from nearly 100 locations in North America. Whatever you’re doing to profit from the abandoned vehicles on your lot, there are plenty of auction options, whether you want to do it completely in-house, involve an online partner like towlot.com, or take your vehicles to auctioneers like IAA. Next month: AT talks about the towing business that auction companies are dispatching to towers.
Number 207 on Reader Card
Adding Dually Work for Your Flatbed
Drivers need to carefully watch all areas during load, specifically the path of the topside tire on top of the carrier’s rail. by Randy Resch
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here is a huge niche for tow companies in using their flatbed carriers to provide transport services to dually trucks. When the call comes in to transport a commonsized dually truck, not all tow operators have the right carrier (nor do they know how to load a dually properly). Stock dually trucks are heavy, generally running in the 9,000- to 15,000lbs. range. Depending on their load or optional mounted equipment, their weight may prove too heavy for smaller carriers. Inexperienced tow operators who think they can simply load-and-go with these types of trucks are tempting fate. Techniques and methods for transporting duallies on a carrier are far from the norm. Owners should consider sending their tow operators who have 20 • March 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
The key to safe loading of a dually truck is keeping it centered within the deck’s width and winched all the way forward to the headache rack. more experience and increased training for these kinds of calls. There are huge risks involved with these techniques and beginners shouldn’t be sent, even if it means turning down the call.
Unless your carrier is equipped with removable rails, the first consideration in loading and transporting duallies is obvious. Duallies are generally as wide as most carrier decks at 96”. Most crewcab duallies will just barely fit rear wheels onto a standard 21’ carrier’s deck, leaving little room for tie-downs. With removable rails, consider these technique-specific questions: • Can I load the dually with the rails in place? • Do I need to remove the rails? • Is it dangerous (or illegal) to transport without the rails? The decision to load duallies onto a carrier’s deck is usually up to the company’s owner who authorizes removal of side rails based on workload. Load-
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Number 143 on Reader Card
During loading applications, pad lower valance area to be sure winch cable does not scrape lower components.
ing and transporting vehicles without rails is legal and safe based on an overall premise that all vehicles and loads can be safely restrained from movement via proper and consistent use of safety chains, ratchets and straps, or load binders and chains. Some drivers feel that leaving the rails in place is a great safety feature to keep loads centered and on the truck if a load works loose from its bindings. Companies that transport construction equipment and containers may opt to leave rails off for convenience. Stowing loose rails during transport is an unsafe practice; by removing rail sections and leaving them behind at the shop, you needn’t worry about loose rails or lost hardware, while having sufficient flat surfaces to transport duallies. Duallies can be easily loaded with rails in place. To do so, carriers equipped with 4x4s and other lumber Rear dually tires ride with one inside the rail and one on top of the rail.
make it easy to safely load them. To equal the height of a carrier’s side rails, employ 4x4s or stacked lumber under the dually’s inside tire (4x4s work best when cut on an angle). Transporting any load requires transferred weight to the carrier’s front axle, critical in maintaining 50 percent of the load forward. When winching a dually onto the deck, use a tight chain, chain V-bridle or recovery chain attached to the dually’s lower suspension or frame. Due to the dually’s added weight, nylon bridles are not recommended for this kind of loading process. Attach the winch cable/hook (tip point down) to the tightened chain-bridle or recovery chain to provide more winch-cable at the attachment point, allowing the dually to be pulled farther forward. As winch-on begins, be aware of the tightening winch line, hook and attachment device to ensure no lowhanging parts, lines or the drive shaft get snagged or rub as the dually is winched onto the deck. Another option is to free-spool the winch line and pull the cable hook to the center of the truck or slightly beyond the rear wheels of the dually. Keep the winch line centered on the carrier’s deck and centered to the duallies width. Attach the chain-bridle or recovery chain to the frame’s center area T-slots, or to the rear axle at the attachment device, centered and forward facing the winch. J-hooks can be back-hooked at the rear axle.
Initiate the free-spool lock and be sure to see the free-spool handle lock and listen to it drop into place. Failure to fully lock the free-spool handle could result in the winch letting go. Due to the increased weights of dually trucks, using T-hooks, small S-hooks or mini J-hooks is not recommended for winch-on operations. Consider adding a snatch block as a two-part line to increase the winch line’s capability. If your carrier’s winch is set-up to accept the winch cable’s hook (back at the winch’s mounting location), pull enough cable to twopart the line, attach a snatch block at the chain V-bridle, recovery chain loop, or attachment device near the rear axle. It’s important to check for a lowhanging Class III receiver before winching begins. Either remove it or place long 4x4s under the carrier’s deck to prevent the trailer hitch from gouging the pavement. (Placing 4x4s under the deck prevents them from spitting out.) As you winch the dually onto the deck, ensure that attachments don’t snag or rub underside components. Use a small piece of floor mat or a padded 2x4 to prevent the winch line from abrading the dually’s front spoiler. Generally, only one side of the dually’s tires will ride on top of the carrier’s rails. Duallies can be loaded on top of either side’s rails, so it’s a matter of driver preference. Some operators load tires on the driver’s side rails, so they can watch the dually’s tires from the driver’s side mirrors when driving. Loading in this
Dually completely winched onto carrier’s deck.
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Number 126 on Reader Card
At the scene of a passenger bus that overturned on I-95 in Virginia, Anytime Towing needed to perform a recovery under official supervision for pending NTSB and DOT investigations due to the fatalities.
Eye-Opening
Bus Recovery by A.J. Johnson Anytime Towing, Ladysmith, Va.
Customer Service After Crash Is Necessary, Rewarding 24 • March 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
O
n May 31, 2011, at about 4:50 a.m., a bus crashed on I-95 North on a shift when we had two drivers working. At the time of the crash, one driver was at the shop and the other driver was on a call on I-95 North, just three miles from the crash site. (The bus passed him and then crashed at Mile Marker 102.) Our driver was immediately on-scene, along with a Virginia State Trooper, and they began helping victims. The scene did include fatalities.
Anytime Towing took great care in cleaning up debris at the site and finding as many belongings as they could to return to passengers or their families.
The bus was rolled over and perched partially down an embankment. Our other driver at the shop was called to assist and the trooper immediately called for our heavy-duty 2004 Freightliner Classic with 35-ton Century wrecker. My wife, Reneé, and I were also called and immediately got out of bed and headed to the crash scene, which now had shut down all northbound lanes of I-95. The weather was over 100 degrees that day. Being on-scene was unsettling; as we worked, there were people sitting on suitcases crying, many bleeding or needing more serious medical attention, one mother was looking for her child. Personal belongings and rescue equipment were strewn all over the area.
Recovery We cut a hole through the bus and ran our chains and straps through the bus and lifted the front of the bus into the air enough to allow space between the seats and the bus roof so that emergency responders could extricate the fatalities and injured. In order to stabilize the bus, we used continuous loops rated at 13,200 lbs. each tied to the front axle. Then we were able to put holes into each side of the bus so that we could insert 100-grade chains through the bus and under the floor, which was the most stable part of the bus. We used 100-grade chains because of the rescue personnel inside the bus. Once the people were removed, the National Transportation Safety Board
and Virginia DOT instructed us to turn the bus onto its side for initial inspection. We winched the bus up the embankment onto level ground, then set the bus on its side for further official inspection. Next, we up-righted the bus onto its wheels and prepped for towing. At that time all belongings were retrieved and we towed the bus to our yard for storage and further investigations related to the crash. We had seven workers on-site at any given time due to cleanup and recovery.
Aftermath My wife and several of our drivers began the task of recovering the personal belongings and the scene cleanup during the recovery. The toilet had been TOWMAN.COM - March 2012 • 25
They developed a catalog system through photos and created a log for items that were returned.
dislodged from the bus, seats were torn out of the bus and down the embankment, and luggage and other debris were everywhere. The Virginia State Police cataloged all the items at the scene by photo, and we immediately took pictures of all the items that we recovered and took them to a secure storage facility with access by just Reneé and I. As victims began to call to retrieve their belongings, we had each person describe the items they sought. Then we would take the individual to the storage locker and have them identify their things. We photographed the person with their items and made a copy of their driver’s license to go along with the documents that we used for the victims to identify their things. Every item was found, down to an earring. One young lady had one earring and was missing a 26 • March 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
second and we went back onto the bus and found it and mailed it to her. We did the same with a red iPod for another victim. One young man came in for his suitcase and as I was driving him back to the shop he said he’d lost his wallet too. I turned around and drove back to the storage locker and sure enough, there was his wallet. He opened it up and counted his money in front of me and said, with a smile, “All my money is here.” He was so happy. One of the more serious injuries was a woman in her 90s; we called her “Grandma.” We never met her, but we saw her on TV. Her family kept calling about a “red purse,” but we could not find it. After most other items were returned, we looked through a blue purse and it had Grandma’s ID, so we called the family and that was the purse they were looking for.
There were so many stories, but obviously the saddest ones were the fatalities. This type of recovery is horrible, but it gives you a good feeling inside when you know you took the time to pickup every item possible to return. We picked up every cellphone, camera, glasses, wallet, purse, suitcase, iPod, etc., that we could find. The bus stayed in our storage lot until the investigations were complete, which took about 7-10 days. Got a recovery for AT? Email the details and high-resolution photos to the editor at bdooley@towman.com to be considered for a recovery feature in AT. Your submissions may also be considered for AT's online use and/or a Donnie Cruse Memorial award.
Number 172 on Reader Card
® CENTURY C once again leads
the way in raising your expectations by lowering our carrier bed – a full 5 inches. This 5 inches means more towing capability for you!
• A lower load angle handles low clearance vehicles • A lower center of gravity means more stability for larger loads • A lower deck height eases the back strain when tying down loads and keeps your feet safely on the ground, not the carrier deck • A lower deck allows additional clearance for hauling taller loads • And the added bonus of a high dump angle makes unloading wrecked vehicles a lot easier
Damaged or disabled vehicles and machinery quickly unload off the LCG with its steep 20-degree dump angle.
The side-mounted winch option allows you to easily adjust the cable pulley to maintain a straight-line pull on the tow eyes that have become popular on many automobiles.
The T optional SP 8000 Sidepuller provides you a multitude of recovery options that you can perform from either side of your carrier with minimal lane blockage.
8503 Hilltop Drive • Ooltewah, Tennessee 37363
www.millerind.com • 800-292-0330 Call your local Miller Industries distributor for more information. Number 143 on Reader Card
The low deck height makes it easy for the operator to reach when attaching the front tie-down chains or straps with the bed slid back and tilted compared to conventional carriers.
With 5 to 6 inches of lower deck height compared to a conventional carrier, the LCG provides better stability when driving down the road loaded as well as improved height clearance when hauling taller loads or operating under many lower awnings or in garages.
The extremely low load angle makes it ideal for loading vehicles with low spoilers,bumpers or exhaust pipes without the use of ramps or wood.
Tower Sues over Police Harassment Safeway Towing in Fullerton, Calif., said enough is enough and filed a lawsuit against the city claiming undue harassment designed to block their upcoming bid for the city’s towing contract. The company spent more than $450,000 to open a facility within the Fullerton city limits, specifically to meet the location requirement and qualify to bid. Safeway alleges that since that time, Fullerton Police have ticketed its drivers at least 40 times in a targeted effort to harass and intimidate the company and its drivers. Most of the tickets were for violating the city’s truck route, which makes it illegal for large trucks to shortcut through residential neighborhoods. The company maintains that tow trucks are exempt from the law if they are en route to perform-
ing a service. Safeway says that it has lost drivers who cannot maintain good driving records as a result of receiving multiple tickets. The lawsuit, filed on Jan. 13, asks for the harassment to end and the city to take Safeway’s bid under serious consideration. “We’re taking a legitimate course of action,” Safeway’s attorney said. “It is somewhat of a last resort, but it is an effective last resort.” Source: www.ocregister.com.
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30 • March 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
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BEACON’S ON continued from page 22 manner requires hugging the white line in the shoulder lane. If loading on top of the passenger ’s side rails, there’s less chance the dually’s mirrors will be hit by a vehicle in the other lane. (When possible, both side mirrors on a dually truck should be pushed flat for extra clearance.) While winching, as the truck’s rear tires approach the break angle, set your lumber so that, as winching continues, the dually’s outside tire climbs the rail and the inside tire rolls atop the lumber. Accordingly, the rear tires on the opposite side should remain tight inside those rails and on the car-
rier’s deck. Some operators opt to deflate the dually’s outside tire causing the inside tire to sit heavier on the lumber. Once at the desired forward position, attach forward safety ratchet straps, J-hooks, or chains and binders to prevent rollaway. The dually’s emergency brake should be applied and the transmission set into park (or a standard transmission shifted into gear), per DOT rules for secured loads. Only use chain bridles that have high ratings when loading duallies. Because one side of the dually’s rear tires are setting on the carrier’s
rear side rails, creative placement of rear tie-down chains is in order. Be sure that any chain applied as a holddown attachment doesn’t make contact with air-suspension lines, shock absorbers, or rear brake lines commonly routed over the top of the dually’s rear axle. If you’ve loaded a dually that’s approaching the working load limit of your carrier’s deck, the deck may not slide in as intended because the deck tends to hyper-arch under the weight of the load. Excessive weight may bind the deck when the “In” control is activated. Overloading a carrier’s deck may cause hydraulic hoses to burst. Lower the carrier’s wheel lift to the pavement as a stiff leg to prevent the deck from hyper-arching. Once the dually is loaded and secured, remember that heavier loads dramatically change the acceleration, braking and turning capabilities of your carrier. Allow plenty of stopping distance and slow down when turning into driveways. If you envision a new carrier in your company’s future, consider looking at carriers that boast higher specs of both GVWR and increased bed capacities. Nearly all carrier manufacturers will build a carrier that can haul duallies easily and keep you within your state’s legal load limits. Towing duallies and construction equipment means money to your business while keeping in mind overall safe transport and to ensure legal loads. So when it comes time to consider your next carrier, factor your company’s costs, nature of your business, increased profit and productivity, as well as increased efficiency that perhaps a larger carrier can bring to your company’s bottom line. Author’s note: Special thanks to tow operator Andy Diaz and B&L Towing of Imperial, Calif., for their assistance with this article. Randall C. Resch is a retired California police officer and has been in the towing and recovery industry for 40 years as a tow business owner, manager, consultant and lightduty trainer. Email Randy at rreschran@aol.com.
Number 139 on Reader Card
32 • March 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
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Number 191 on Reader Card
TOWMAN.COM - March 2012 • 33
Number 138 on Reader Card
A Day at the Races by Mickey Mills
Getting on Track with Miller Racing Recovery 36 • March 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
T
he Daytona 500 is in the books and the 2012 racing season is in full swing. It’s back to the track for the Miller Racing Recovery team. At many events, including Daytona, MRR provides ontrack race-car recovery. When you see your favorite driver crash at any of the International Speedway Corp. tracks, MRR is quickly on the scene to check on the driver and get the crumpled car and debris off the circuit. Miller and ISC recently announced a new threeyear agreement to continue their long-running relationship.
volunteer team members, so I have to know where each unit needs to head after an event is complete. Members will drive units towards the next event where the units are needed, depending upon the driver’s residence and destination. Besides making sure the units are at the tracks when needed, I plan and book all my own travel, coordinate the credential lists with the local Miller Industries district manager, compile rooming and camping lists, send in weekly mileage and locaseason about MRR and his role with towers there.
The race recovery fleet at Daytona consists of 29 trucks; 11 carriers and 18 wreckers. The International DuraStar chassis is equipped with Century 21 foot, 12 Series LCG carriers, and Century 602 and 612 tow trucks.
“We are proud of our affiliation with ISC and look forward to continuing to provide these premier motorsport facilities with the finest towing and recovery equipment as well as professional, trained operators who help deliver a positive image of the towing industry to the general public,” said Randy Olson, VP of marketing for Miller. The man in charge of the MRR operation at Miller is Motorsports Director Ken Burdine. He is a longtime employee with a passion for the sport that takes him from Daytona to Watkins Glen, Phoenix to Fontana. If there was ever a dream job for every wrecker-driving race fan, this is it. Burdine talked with AT during the off-
AT: How long have you been with Miller and how long have you been around the towing industry? KB: I was hired as the Motorsports Director in December 1995. My parents are from the Louisville, Ky., area and my uncle, Irvin Johns, owns Suburban Wrecker Service in Louisville. While on vacation at the age of 16 (1974), my uncle needed a car towed over to a car auction in Indiana and since all of the other drivers were busy, he asked me to watch how it was hooked up and then told me to take it and unhook it in reverse of how it was hooked up. That was my first tow. A few years later, I started up my own towing business, Suburban Wrecker Service of Orlando. I started volunteering at Daytona and Talladega, then Atlanta and Darlington. This past Daytona 500 was my 30th year. After Miller Industries purchased Century, I went to Bill Miller and told him there was a lot more we could do with the race program under the proper supervision. That allowed me to turn a passion for motorsports into a career. I started selling Century tow trucks until I joined Miller Industries as the full-time Motorsports Director. I also dabbled in racing, winning the track championship in my division at New Smyrna Speedway in 1986. AT: What does it take for you and MRR to put together a race weekend? KB : The planning for a race weekend, which is really a race week, starts several months prior to an event. The movement of the race units is done by
To join the team, you have to be able to make a commitment to attend training and work the practices and qualifying, not just the race. tion reports, and keep track of all the units, equipment and two trailers. I also have to submit our requests for garage tours at least 10 days prior to an event, along with sending in the crew assignments to the track, so they can assign the NASCAR radios that each person has to have when working a tow truck. The day before is used to clean trucks, inventory trucks, inventory our kits with the NASCAR Track Services items, i.e. lift straps, pliers, screw drivers, etc., set up and clean our TOWMAN.COM - March 2012 • 37
Tracks are stocked with anywhere from 12-22 trucks for a race weekend.
trailer, and pick-up radios, courtesy car and golf cart. I make sure everything is set to go on track, so we are ready to go first thing in the morning. There are usually a few team members that help as their time allows. AT: What equipment does MRR dedicate to its NASCAR affiliation? KB: We usually have anywhere from 12 to 22 trucks in service at any given time. NASCAR has a Track Services Standards that states the amount of each type of equipment needed for each event, including wreckers and rollbacks. The size of track and type of racing helps determine the quantities. At Daytona and Talladega, they ask for seven wreckers and five rollbacks, while the rest of the tracks require four wreckers and two rollbacks—with the exception of Richmond, which uses three wreckers and one rollback. AT: How do you staff an event? Do you use local personnel or bring in people? KB: Even though some of our mem38 • March 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
bers travel to work an event, for the most part we use local towers at each track to staff the recovery units. We typically staff each unit with three people. AT: How does someone go about getting certified for race recovery? KB: First of all to join the team, you have to be able to make a commitment to attend training and work the practices and qualifying, not just the race. All of our team members are volunteers and are very dedicated to making Miller Industries Race Recovery Team the best in the world. Some days can be over 16 hours long. If someone is interested in joining our team, they should contact their local Miller Industries distributor and/or district manager. They will then forward me the information and I get in touch with the individual. AT: What's the biggest logistical challenge you fight, week in and week out? KB: Besides making sure all of the units are there on time, cleaned and ready to go, the long hours are proba-
Ken Burdine
bly the hardest part of my job. With the help of other volunteers and/or the reps, we also have to make sure the workers are fed. The end of the race is also tough. We try to put everything away and hook up trucks that have to be towed and try to do all this within about 30-45 minutes after the checkered flag falls. Keep in mind, it takes nearly a day to set everything up. AT: How do you adapt to weather, for instance the challenge presented at Atlanta’s fall race when they ran the event on Tuesday? KB: Weather delays always create obstacles, whether it is travel plans or prior commitments. Again, we have a very dedicated team and they do whatever is possible and pull the weight of those that just cannot stay. At Atlanta we still staffed six trucks, but only had two people in each truck. AT: Describe the MRR relationship with ISC and NASCAR. KB: Even though many people think that NASCAR and ISC are one in
the same since they are headed up by Brian France and Lesa France Kennedy, respectively, they are separate companies. We have a great relationship with NASCAR, but our contract is with ISC. Even though NASCAR puts out the Track Services Standards, which is done through a peer review board, it is the promoter, or ISC in this case, that is responsible for track services, regardless if it is recovery, fire, medical, clean up, jet blowers, fence repair, etc. AT: What is the most challenging track to work for recovery? KB: On the logistical side, Daytona and Talladega are the toughest due to the fact the equipment and personnel requirements are doubled. On track, the shorter tracks, such as Richmond, are tougher since the field of cars takes less time to get back to where the incident is, and NASCAR wants the track cleared in four caution laps. During this time, the pace car has to pick up the field, the driver has to get in the ambulance before we actually start hooking up, and the track needs to be clear before getting the one to go for the green flag.
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AT: Logistically, are there any differences to the way you provide equipment for Phoenix and Auto Club Speedway because of their location? KB: Usually, the trucks for the West Coast are assembled in California. We only bring two wreckers to Phoenix, which come from California, and a local tower in Phoenix providing the other four. Depending upon the event dates and what equipment we already have built, I have taken units from Kansas to California, and actually took a wrecker to Phoenix in 2011 right after the Daytona 500. AT: What is the toughest part of your job? The easiest? KB: Besides the long hours, it is making sure I have not forgotten something in the planning stages. Personally, the time away from home is tough sometimes and would not be possible without the support of my wife, Paula, and son Jonathan. I spend about half the nights each year away from home. The easiest or best part of my job is that I work from home when I’m not on the road. I tell people that I get my mail in Viera, Fla., and live in a motel room. The best part of my job is the friendships I have made all over the country and to know at the end of the day the Miller Industries Race Recovery Team is the best in the world. Editor’s note: Mickey Mills is a freelance writer living in Oklahoma. He is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association and frequent contributor to Tow Industry Week. He is the motorsports editor at Technorati.com.
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American Towman captures an industry in motion at AmericanTowmanTV.com and TowIndustryWeek.com
At AmericanTowmanTV.com you'll find exclusive video coverage of stoCentury 75 ton rotators were used by both Kauff's Towing and J&J Towing in this recovery of a marina forklift in south Florida, as featured in American Towman Magazine, and coming soon on American Towman TV.
ries impacting the towing industry... everything that matters, from late breaking news to unique, challenging recoveries, from tales of heroism to wrecker processions honoring fallen towers. Fresh, exclusive content each week! Did you see the unique recovery of the cannon in Detroit? If not, when you check out this week's edition of American Towman TV, search our archives, and you'll find it!
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How does your company decide who gets the next call?
Which Dispatch Style Do by David Lambert
It's a mixed bag keeping drivers, dispatchers and owners all happy 42 • March 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
D
ispatching for a company and distributing calls in a manner that keeps the drivers happy is nearly an impossible job, even when the dispatching system being used is fair. There are a variety of dispatching methods and each can benefit owner, driver or dispatcher, but generally not all three.
Proximity dispatch reduces response time and mileage, keeping customers and owners smiling. However, using this method may allow a small percentage of the drivers to run a majority of the calls on any given day. When drivers are paid straight commission, that’s a problem. Hopefully, over the pay period, each driver will run approximately the same number of calls (but there’s no guarantee).
By Rotation This style gives each driver calls in the order they arrived for shift and based on when each call gets cleared. This method may work out the best for drivers, but can be less fuel-efficient and cause delays in response times when the next rotation driver isn’t necessarily the closest truck. Because of these inefficiencies, a pure rotation system is seldom used. When a company uses rotation dispatch, there is often some proximity work thrown in when it makes dollars and sense.
By Dollars In this method, the dispatchers keep an eye on how much each driver is earning during the shift. When one driver runs a high-dollar call, he is “benched” until the other drivers catch up. The dispatcher should attempt to divide the higher paying jobs, such as
police tows and impounds equally among the drivers. The sheer number of calls or their location may force the dispatcher to get away from this method during a shift. For the owner, dispatch by earnings can have the same negative consequences as dispatch by rotation; that is, companies may get slower response times and higher fuel bills. For the drivers, it seems like a fair method if done correctly. For dispatchers who may wear many hats for the company, tracking the dollars per driver can range from difficult to impossible. If a driver runs light-, mediumand heavy-duty calls during a shift, this method doesn’t work. Dispatching by dollars should stay within each weight class.
By Bid The dispatcher puts the call out electronically to all drivers and the first to accept the call gets it. (I have limited experience with this method.) For the drivers, it provides the opportunity to pick calls and work, or not work, as much as they want. There must be some ground rules that deal with response times and enroute mileages. The dispatcher must watch the progress of the calls up for bid to ensure all calls are accepted and they may eventually have to assign some calls when there are several in the queue.
You Use? By Proximity This method can benefit both the customer and the owner by dispatching the closest truck to the location of the call. Computer software can automatically determine which truck is closest and either dispatch the information directly to the driver or allow the dispatcher to send the information.
Whatever the reason, when dispatching by favoritism occurs, you need to put a stop to it. TOWMAN.COM - March 2012 • 43
Drivers may be more likely to accept calls that are closest to their last drop point. Drivers can run more calls; response times can be quicker for the customer and fuel economy would likely please the owner.
There could be legal ramifications for the owner
By Favoritism (Not Good) There’s one method of dispatching that no dispatcher would ever admit to (and no owner should ever allow to happen). Dispatching to favorites, whether it be for a spouse, significant other or bribe is always a no-no. In all these cases, the perception among drivers is the same; one driver is getting either the “money calls” or the most calls. Whether it’s perception or fact, it can have a devastating effect on a company’s working relationships and friendships. Favoritism, real or perceived, can result in good drivers quitting and poor customer service in the field. Real problems arise when the owner either isn’t aware or chooses to ignore dispatchers playing favorites. Dispatch records are generally avail-
who chooses to ignore favoritism. able with the click of a mouse and owners should periodically look for this type of activity. (Dramatic differences in paychecks should provide an instant clue.) There could be legal ramifications for the owner who chooses to ignore favoritism. If a driver brings the problem to the owner and ends up quitting when the problem isn’t addressed, the driver could sue the owner for unemployment benefits even though he
quit the job. If it can be shown there was disparity in the dispatching and that the owner was made aware of the problem and nothing was done, a lawsuit could result. Win or lose, justified or not, a lawsuit costs time and money. I’ve worked for three companies and owned another over the last 30 years and have seen each of these dispatching methods in use. The one I see keeping the drivers, dispatchers and owners happiest is by rotation, with proximity mixed in as necessary. David Lambert is president and lead-instructor for the North American Towing Academy, providing tow operator training and certification programs to state and national associations and individual towing companies. He assisted in editing TRAA’s Level I certification program; served as Chairman of the SAE Towability Committee; and, past field editor for American Towman Magazine. He can reached at 407-765-5149 or www.TheNATA.com.
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44 • March 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
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ATTV Starts With You
I
’ve been reporting with video since 2003, and I can honestly say some topics don’t carry over well onto the small screen. I’ve never been a fan of filming at luncheons, where the best video you have is people stuffing food into their mouths. And trust me, I covered plenty of those types of stories when I was working in TV newsrooms in smaller Midwestern cities. What can you do? Sometimes it’s a slow news day! Other topics lend themselves to video superbly. The best video stories have action. I love to film the activity of festivals, races and cultural events. I found the recent American Towman Exposition in Baltimore to be a trade event that was truly a mix of festival and culture—a unique culture indeed! Since I hopped aboard the American Towman train in October of last year, I’ve gotten to know several dedicated towing professionals, and I’ve become quite keen on the action happening every day in this industry. I receive news alerts via email every day about towing and I sort through dozens of stories each day that peak my interest. There is no shortage of action to document in the towing and recovery industry. The video I use to tell the stories comes from a variety of places. But most often the video element or photos come from you, the tower. In fact, a disk arrived today and I’m currently producing a story about a Jeep recovery down a steep mountainside in Chattanooga, Tenn., that was AT’s February cover story. By the time you read this, the video will be available too, at AmericanTowmanTV.com. From the news headlines, an interesting story out of Detroit caught my eye last fall. Boulevard & Trumbull Towing worked with law enforcement to pull a historic war cannon from the Detroit River. I worked the phones until
46 • March 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
I found a way to source video quickly and get the story up onto Towman TV. I film my own stories too, thanks to my training as a “one-man-band” journalist (that’s a reporter who shoots their own video, writes the story and edits it too.) I was up in New Jersey with Ed Hefter taking a peek inside his business, D&E Service. I also travel back to see my family in Minnesota quite often, which is where I found “Kustom Karriers” for a business profile up on the American Towman video player. Another great place I’ve found video of this industry is on YouTube. Ah, the beauty of the Internet! I will peruse videos on YouTube to see what people are posting themselves. It’s not uncommon for smart phones to capture the action on the scene. And with a few keystrokes, towers are posting what they witness on YouTube. You can also find all of American Towman TV’s content on YouTube. com/AmericanTowmanTV. YouTube is a great way to share the sequence of events of a difficult or challenging tow. I’ve found some really good ones posted by towers and I’m currently working on producing a few stories featuring these. So, use those smart phones to film your next amazing recovery and share it with me by email at O z @ A m e r i c a n To w m a n TV.com. We are gathering video from a multitude of sources to bring to you on Towman TV. AT’s magazine editor, Brendan Dooley, is lending his video skills to the mix. He recently filmed inside Big Rig Training courses Emily Oz is the anchor and producer for American Towman TV. You can email her at oz@AmericanTowmanTV.com
by Emily Oz
in New Jersey, proving he’s as adept with a camera as a keyboard. In this day and age, most of us in the media have learned to wear many hats (take photos, write copy, edit video, blog, etc.), which is not unlike most towers who are required to answer service calls, rig recoveries, calm people and battle traffic all at once. When we all share what we’ve learned, we can help one another. And that’s really the ultimate goal at AmericanTowmanTV.com ... to help all towmen. Be safe out there!
Handcuff Assists with Tow Eyes The Bulldog Handcuff from Bulldog Towing Products is designed to help towers with bumper tow eyes on imported models by BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. Many times the cable hook is too large to hook to the tow eye supplied with the car. Using the Bulldog Handcuff enables the tower to use the winch hook without other rigging. www.BulldogTowingProducts.com
Number 151 on Reader Card
TOWMAN.COM - March 2012 • 47
Hawk's Has 'Bad Attitude' Story and photos by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti
B
rian "Hawk" Hawkins, his crew and awesome fleet, are no strangers to American Towman's readers. He founded Hawk's Towing & Recovery, based in Hamilton Township, N.J., in 1989 and has been building some of the most outrageous rigs to grace these pages and the American Wrecker Pageant at the AT Expo in Baltimore, Md., ever since. His fleet of 19 trucks services N.J. State Police, Hamilton Police, Mercer County Sheriff, Amtrak Police, the City of Trenton, and several dealerships, local body and repair shops, and motor clubs. Featured here is yet another unique truck from the hallowed halls of Hawk's Towing. This one, aptly named "Bad Attitude," is the brainchild of Hawk's son, Brian "Lil' Hawk" Hawkins Jr.
The truck is a 2011 Ford F-350 4x4 with a 2011 Jerr-Dan Element Selfloader on the business end. A 6.2L V8 flex-fuel engine mated to an automatic transmission supplies power. This truck was completely ripped apart and redone. All of the suspension, front and rear, was removed and custom painted. Adding to the look are custom running boards and light panels with more than 70 LEDs including Underbody Street Glow. Both front and rear strobes, along with the taillights, are custom. "We inserted the lights and blanched them out and then added custom Recon Halo headlights," Hawk said.
It's all in the details! Like all the amazing rigs rolling out of Hawk's, Bad Attitude really attracts attention and doubles as a mobile billboard. All paintwork was done inhouse at their body shop, Trenton Collision Center. "Crazy Joe" at Touch of Class in Clarksburg, N.J., did the airbrushed graphics which took a few weeks to finish. "We have included loads of mirror stainless and also took a lot of MPL-40 panels and installed them on this body to give it that crisp, finished look," Hawk said. "The entire interior was ripped out and all redone in leather with swear inset. We installed a complete in-dash stereo with custom speakers and amp. To make the exterior more appealing, we added custom 24-inch wheels and of course finished with our unique paint jobs that took endless hours, since it was all hand-drawn." I had the pleasure of meeting Hawk and his crew many years ago at the AT Expo and they have become like family to me. A more dedicated and nicer crew of people you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere. I met Lil' Hawk when he was but a wee lad and watched his passion for the tow-
ing industry and its equipment grow year after year along with his involvement in the family business. "I have to tell you everybody thought that I was meticulous with putting a show truck together," Hawk said. "You haven't seen anything until working with my son, Lil' Hawk. I enjoyed helping my son build this truck, with the help of my friends Brian, Mike and Chris. I have to say I never thought I would see the day Lil' Hawk and I would both be standing up there in Baltimore holding two 1st Place trophies. I'm so proud of him. He has a lot going on, being a senior in high school and being in his second year of Diesel in Vo-Tech, he has a girlfriend, works everyday at the shop after school, and yet he still has time to hang out and take his four younger brothers places. "I remember taking him to Baltimore when he was four years old. He grew up so fast into a very talented young man. I'm sure his brothers will follow his footsteps. "And also I want to add how much support my wife has given our team with her dedication to the shop and myself with her tolerance of late nights, hanging down at the shop all night, and making sure we were able to eat. I love my family and I am very dedicated to my profession." Along with amazing trucks Hawk has built an amazing family business ... with the emphasis on family.
Tech Highlights Name: Bad Attitude Chassis: 2011 Ford F-350 4x4 Wrecker Body: 2011 Jerr-Dan Element Self-loader Engine: 6.2L V8 flex-fuel Trans: Automatic Built by: "Lil Hawk," family and friends Extras: LEDs, strobe lights, running lights and many custom pieces. Paint: In-house at Trenton Collision Center Airbrush: "Crazy Joe" at Touch of Class
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TOWMAN.COM - March 2012 • 49
USED TRUCKS FOR SALE 2010 Ford F-550 auto white 4x4 w/ a new factory 6.4 motor w/ warranty/(no miles on motor) w/a 19' Aluminum Champion 48,000 miles 2007 Chevy 7500 auto w/ a Vulcan 896 wrecker 75,000 miles (Located in Alaska) 2007 Dodge 3500 w/ 254,000 miles white,auto w/auto loader wrecker
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American Towman Magazine is on Facebook!
Find us on Facebook to get the scoop, interact with us and share your stories and photos!
Frank Child, 74, Dies Francis “Frank” Washburn Child, 74, of Cody, Wyo., died Jan. 24. He founded Towing and Recovery shortly after moving to Cody from Minneapolis, Minn., in the early 1980s. Child built the business into the most prominent wrecker service in the state and over the years received many awards for his service from American Towman. Contributing Editor Jim "Buck" Sorrenti knew Child well and will recount his impact on the industry in the next issue of AT. Number147on Reader Card
Number 152 on Reader Card
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Copyright 2012 American Towman Magazine. Characters and stories are fictitious; no resemblance to real life characters is intended.
Send your thoughts/suggestions on the Adventures to scalitri@towman.com or American Towman, 7 West St, Warwick NY 10990
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