Number 176 on Reader Card
Product Gateway 2013 pages 38-40
FEATURE CONTENTS Pepe's Towing Service in Los Angeles used two Century rotators to lift a trash truck blocking an on-ramp.
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Rotators Lift Garbage Truck An overturned trash truck was blocking an L.A. on-ramp; a missing arm pin complicated the lift for Pepe's Towing. by Jose Acosta
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Heavy-Duty Training Dispels Myths Departments Low Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 News Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
At a training session in Iowa at Zip's, the focus was on rigging, heavy-duty equipment and getting students hands-on experience. by Brendan Dooley
Road Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
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AD Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Expand Business with Repair Bays
Beacon’s On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Tow Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Tow Americana . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Repo Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 On Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 My Baby. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Towman’s Market . . . . . . . . . . . .66 Adventures of A.T. . . . . . . . . . . . .69 4 • December 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
Create more business for your company with auto repair and focus on Courtesy Checks by techs for customers. by Matt Winslow
Number 148 on Reader Card
Wake Up! by Steve Calitri
J
ust on the heels of reporting how a California town is taking 25 percent of the tow fee of non-consensual tows, we now learn that Kansas City will take more than 50 percent of the tow fee. A $200 regulated tow will give the tower less than $100, with $22 going to Auto Return and the rest to the city. While we’ve been tracking this––since the town has put out hints that this was coming, Emily Oz was the first to report the details of the new deal in November on American Towman TV. Auto Return is the San Franciscobased dispatch company that targets large municipalities and counties to net them all the nonconsensual tows. Apparently they work deals with cities that put money into the city coffers as well as their own at the expense of towers. Wake up Kansas City towers! And this is a wake-up call for all of you. It’s time to stop allowing towns to dictate terms and take a piece of your action. It’s time for towers who compete with one another to form a kind of détente (the term Henry Kissinger used in forging better relations with the then-Communist Soviet Union), and get together to fight for your businesses and your industry. Towers who don’t organize in their municipalities are sitting ducks, easy prey for the likes of Auto Return, others like them, and the greedy politicians. Because towers are not organized with their fellow towers in town, they are usually afraid to rattle the cage— fearing they will be ostracized by local officials and deleted from the rotation list. Better to eat s--t. After all, something is better than nothing. That’s the thinking of too many tow business owners. Well, you’re right about one thing.
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You fight it alone. The only answer is to form an association of the towers in the town, find the common ground and fight for your rights. Can this be done? First, leaders among you have to step forward and act to make it happen. In Kansas City, officials obviously think that a $200 is a reasonable fee for a nonconsensual tow. Towers should think that way too. Only towers should realize that they do the work; they bring the expensive equipment, the operators, and the expertise to the scene, not to mention their liability. The town receives taxes to fund its police department. It should not be encroaching on businesses that operate in the free enterprise system, and in this case, businesses they rely on to keep the roads cleared. If tow business owners think it’s acceptable for their town to muscle into their business like the mafia, wake up and stop being chumps. You deserve better. I don’t have to tell you that running a 24/7 operation is a demanding proposition that only dedicated service professionals can manage. I hope other tow bosses will call towers in Kansas City and urge them to organize against this encroachment. There are other companies besides Auto Return who offer similar services to cities. But towers can easily tie into new software systems that are GPS based, and then partner with their police departments in a way that leaves no logical room for a middleman to enter the picture. Towing for the town and police is a profitable business sector for thousands of towing businesses. It’s up to those business owners to recognize the threat that looms and act to stop it. It’s time to find common ground with your competitors and organize in your municipality.
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 Repo Run Editor Mark Lacek 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 Manager Dennie Ortiz Senior Account Executive Ellen Rosengart VP of Accounts Norma Calitri VP of Communications Neila Smith Subscription Manager Miriam Ortiz Customer Service Henri Calitri Publisher’s Assistant Sintora “Toni” Vanderhorst 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 218 on Reader Card
In the Wake of Hurricane Sandy ‘God hates us!’ said a New York Post front page following reports of a huge snowstorm rolling into the area, just a week after Hurricane Sandy ripped through and wrecked havoc. In New Jersey, the new storm also added a layer of frustration for coastal residents and property owners still trying to clean up from Sandy’s devastation. “We’ve been running 24 hours a day since the day after Sandy hit,” an employee of APK Towing in Toms River, N.J., told American Towman. “We’ve been running all of our own drivers, plus hired on two more to help us cleanup in Seaside Heights. “It’s just been a constant recovery of cars, trucks, overturned boats, vehicles in ditches … and massive cleanups and being able to manage inventories for these hundreds of cars,” he said. Seaside Heights was one area of the Jersey Shore hit particularly hard, and was toured jointly by President Barack Obama and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Due to the poor condition of the roads on the barrier island, residents were not immedi-
President Barack Obama looks at Hurricane Sandy storm damage as he and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie make an aerial tour aboard Marine One near Seaside Heights, N.J. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza.
ately permitted to drive into Seaside Heights. APK Towing was the borough’s only designated towing company. Stories of gas gouging were plenty following Sandy, as fuel shortages wracked the region. AAA MidAtlantic announced it could no longer deliver fuel to members for a period after the recovery started. They also
Delivering Generators
From left to right are Robert Whelan, Kurt Wilson, Adam Fuller, Christina Mays and Bruce Pedigo of Joe’s Towing. Photo courtesy of Joe’s Towing.
8 • December 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
limited long-distance towing to conserve fuel for service trucks and be available to help members in immediate need. Power outages, downed wires and extensive damage to cell towers across the region made any communications chaotic after the storm. Sources: www.examiner.com, www.thetowntalk.com, www.nj.com.
to Storm Victims
A Bloomington, Ill., towing company headed for storm-ravaged New York with five semis, each hauling a large Caterpillar generator. When Bruce Pedigo of Joe’s Towing got the call from Ron Pullen at Big Red Towing in Syracuse requesting help in getting generators delivered, Pedigo didn’t hesitate. He jumped at the chance to be of service. To augment the one semi he could provide, Pedigo rented four more. Joe’s Towing picked up the gener-
ators at a Caterpillar facility for delivery to the northeast. Before heading out, the crew fanned out around the area and picked up other smaller generators to take along and hand out as needed to their towing brethren back East. The generators were delivered to a local hospital and LaGuardia Airport, and by Nov. 2, the crew was on the way back to Bloomington. Source: www.centralillinoisproud.com.
… Boot fee to discourage semi parking … Operator Struck Loading Car A November crash claimed the life of a Union City, Tenn., towing service owner who was working a scene. David Scarborough, 35, died as the result of injuries sustained in the accident. Scarborough was working to hook a disabled vehicle for towing. The crash also injured the driver whose vehicle allegedly struck Scarborough and the other two vehicles involved in the initial crash. The suspect’s vehicle apparently entered the emergency lane and struck the disabled vehicle, Scarborough and the wrecker. Criminal charges were pending, though neither drugs nor alcohol were cited as factors. Source: www.nwtntoday.com.
City Revisits Boot Issue Sandy Springs, Ga., enacted a booting ordinance in order to set fees. “The goal of the police department is to protect the public from unreasonable practices of a few impound agencies,” said the police chief. “We’re just looking for some regulation that sets a standard that protects the citizens but protects the businesses as well.” The council adopted a resolution that set a fee schedule for booting, so as to discourage semi-trucks from parking in local parking lots and streets, breaking down the asphalt. After researching booting fees in nearby cities, the new fee schedule puts a $75 maximum booting fee per day on cars and trucks less than 10,000 lbs. and a $150 maximum fee for vehicles weighing between 10,001 and 20,000 lbs. Vehicles weighing 20,001 lbs. or more will be charged a maximum fee of $300, and combination trucks will be charged a maximum fee of $450 per day. Source: www.neighbornewspapers.com
Tower Taken for a Ride An Amherst, N.Y., woman faces a reckless endangerment charge after Lockport police say she allegedly drove away while a tow truck driver was hanging on to the hood of her car. The victim told police he was waiting for another employee to arrive to tow a vehicle from a lot when a woman came up to the vehicle and began yelling at him. He said the woman made a phone call, and soon two men showed up and began to push the driver. The woman then allegedly got into the car and appeared to be trying to leave. The victim stood in front of the woman’s car but she continued moving the vehicle and soon the man wound up on the car’s hood. The woman pulled out of the parking lot with the tow truck driver still clinging to the hood; he was thrown off the hood and suffered minor injuries. Source: www.lockportjournal.com.
Tower Killed Changing Tire A hit-and-run driver killed a tower in Wilmington, N.C., in November while the operator was changing a tire on the roadside. Witnesses said John Junior Colville, 55, was helping a woman change her tire when he was hit and thrown into the air; he later died from his injuries. Anthony Thompson, 50, is charged with second-degree murder, driving while impaired, habitual impaired driving, driving while license revoked and hit-and-run with injury. Records show Thompson has faced up to eight charges for driving while impaired and at least two charges of failure to stop for an accident. Source: www.wwaytv3.com
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TOWMAN.COM - December 2012 • 9
Check Out What’s NEW and HOT! Sockets Remove Damaged Lug Nuts
Keeping in Proper Form
The Easy Off Twist Socket Set from Access Tools remove all damaged or locking lug nuts without a key. The sure-twist grip technology gets locked wheel lugs to spin off with little effort. These sockets feature sizes to fit virtually every lug nut and work with an impact gun or breaker bar. Sockets come with a limited lifetime warranty.
www.caropeningtools.com Number 200 on Reader Card
Bailey’s Towing Accessories is now offering a full line of custom business forms for the towing industry. Forms include: • Business cards. • Checks/banking supplies. • Continuous forms. • Cut Sheets. • Labels. • Letterhead/envelopes. • Logo-design services.
www.baileystowinginc.com Number 201 on Reader Card
Monitor Fleet with Unlimited Data
Reliable, Compact Worklights
Eye3Data’s Eye3Dispatch Live View streams live video and real-time GPS using a web-based interface for managing your fleet. The company recently added an unlimited 3G/4G data plan for trouble-free monitoring. Eye3Dispatch Live View has the ability to record video and audio to a local PC, give real-time vehicle health status and more.
www.eye3data.com Number 202 on Reader Card
10 • December 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
Whelen introduced its SlimLine Series of Pioneer LEDs that are less than 3” in height with the same reliability and advantages of larger Pioneers. The scaled-down models feature rugged die-cast white or black powdercoated housings and are rated to last thousands of hours. Multiple mounting options include recessed, low-profile pedestal and bail bracket. The lights include a five-year warranty.
www.whelen.com Number 203 on Reader Card
New Rollers, Ramps for Landoll Trailers Heavy-duty rollers help the Model 455 transport skid-mounted equipment.
Air-operated ramp moves equipment easier between lower and upper deck on Traveling Tail series.
L
andoll Corp. has added a Hydraulic Kicker Roller Package option for the Model 455 Traveling Axle trailer. This package allows skid-mounted equipment to be easily loaded from the ground onto the trailer deck. Heavy-duty 4-1/2” rollers are stored below the deck surface while the trailer is transporting equipment; when the operator needs to load skid-mounted equipment, the rollers are raised hydraulically 2-1/2” above the deck with a dual-cylinder lift system. This package is available with four or eight
rollers, and each roller has a 10,000-lbs. capacity. Landoll also redesigned the air-operated upper deck ramp for its Traveling Tail series. The air-operated ramp allows equipment to easily transition from the lower to upper decks on the 900 Series trailer. The redesigned Traveling Tail frames accommodate a longer ramp previously only available on the 930 doubledrop frame. The new longer ramp is now 70.5”, which reduces the load angle to 11.5 degrees. With the lowered load angle, the operator can load low-clearance equipment on the upper deck without high-centering.
www.landoll.com Number 204 on Reader Card
TOWMAN.COM - December 2012 • 11
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AD INDEX
Fax To: 888-847-6035 Page #
Access Tools 35 Akins Body & Carrier Sales 49 American Safety & Supply 48 Atlantic Emergency Solutions 20 ATSA 41 AT Show Place Las Vegas 28, 29 ATTV 68 Auto Data Direct 23 AW Direct/Grainger 54 B/A Products 15 Blades Tow Right 26 Columbus Truck & Equipment 34 Comeup USA 25 Crouch’s Wrecker & Equip. Sales 25 Custer Products 32 Digital Ally 47 Dynamic Towing Eq. & Mfg. 22 ECM Performance 15 Equipment Sales & Service 55 Ford Commercial Truck 2, 3 Freightliner 7 Gwinnett Place Wr. & Carr. Div. 13 Hino Motor Sales USA, Inc. 63 Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA) 45 Intek Truck Eq. Finance & Lease 15 Jerr-Dan Corp. 72 Jiffy Jump 68 KOLO DBS 55
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102 126 135 153 190 —— —— 197 209 108 216 105 214 177 128 127 165 173 152 176 218 207 142 110 145 124 164 187
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Landoll Corp. 47 Lodar/Skidmore 32 Lynch Chicago 19 Master Pull 16 Matheny Motor Truck Co. 71 Matjack/International Wreckers 27 New England Truckmaster 45 North American BanCard 17, 27 Pierce Sales 42 Progressive Platforms 21 Purpose Wrecker Sales 43 Ramsey Winch 5 Rush Towing Systems 33 Savatech 42 Steck 68 Tiger Tool 57 TowIndustryWeek.com 55 TomTom Works 61 TowLot.com 58, 59 TowMate 24 Tracker Mangement Systems 48 Twin Cities Wrecker Sales 26 Wrecker.com 50, 51 Worldwide Equipment Sales 23 Vulcan 36, 37 Zendex Tool Corp. 32 Zip’s Truck Equipment 57
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174 163 149 135 194 186 171 109 117 210 212 148 198 148 132 121 —— 180 159 191 184 215 —— 151 143 181 140
December 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
Number 207 on Reader Card
Suicide: Why It Matters to You
S
uicide is a topic most people avoid. But as roadside responders, there’s a reality that you could interrupt a suicidal person (especially during the holidays). The moment you enter their drama, there’s peril regarding your own well-being. For years, I’ve taught arrival assessment that requires a tower to understand how your life could be in immediate danger and be ready to react. It’s important to recognize that those bent on taking their own life aren’t concerned about yours. If your tow patrol takes you onto the world’s highways, bridges and other locations known for suicide attempts, consider that suicidal people in those areas could perhaps take you with them. Suicide is an important topic to consider as it relates to your daily routine. Experts calculate that 90 percent of suicidal people have mental illness at the time of their deaths. Untreated depression is the No. 1 cause of suicide, but not all suicidal people have mental illness. Studies have shown that depression, mental issues, and life’s difficult events are capable of pushing anyone to the brink of suicide. If you come face-to-face with what appears to be a distraught and suicidal person, you can: • Dial 9-1-1; notify authorities of your exact location. • Stay at least 8’ away. Never get into a position where they can grab you. • Remain calm and non-confrontational; try to connect by asking their first name. • Speak quietly, slowly, calmly. • Don’t joke or encourage them to go ahead and jump. • Offer them compassion and sympathy. • Don’t make promises or lie to them. While it’s not fair to prejudge a person’s mental state, a tower’s ability to quickly deduce a suicide attempt might be the path to ensure survival. Be aware that even if you show empathy, sympa-
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thy and understanding to a suicidal person, approaching them is a dangerous task that’s better left to the professionals.
Bridges
Landmark bridges, like the Coronado Bay Bridge in California, factor into a suicidal fantasy of “a heroic final exit.”
Because tow operators serve law enforcement, suicide is an important training topic for safety meetings. Across America, towers work famous bridges. In San Diego County (Calif.) alone, there is the Pine Valley Bridge, the Coronado Bay Bridge and the infamous Laurel Street Bridge near Balboa Park, nicknamed, “Suicide Bridge.” Every state has a favorite highway bridge or water crossing familiar to those who contemplate ending their lives. Training should identify the dangers that face tow operators who respond to calls, or happen upon or witness people behaving in a suicidal manner. Tow operators should know that at what appears to be a disabled vehicle, the owners may be contemplating their own death as you approach. The angered, paranoid, depressed, or overly emotional individual may see towers as there to stop their plans. We’re tow truck operators, not psychologists. We have no special training or expertise, which makes
by Randall C. Resch
these interactions incredibly dangerous for us. Just ask tow operator Ernie Feeney with the New York Bridge Authority. Feeney dealt with four suicidal people in past years. While working a bridge on May 11, 2008, he approached a man standing in front of his stopped car, assuming that the vehicle had a flat tire or run out of gas. “I pulled in front of him, approached him and asked, ‘What’s wrong with your car?’ ” Feeney said. “The motorist replied, ‘Tell my brother the keys are on the front seat.’ ” At that moment, the motorist went to the rail and jumped over the side. Feeney attempted to grab him, but his arm hit the rail and he couldn’t hold the motorist. Feeney’s lucky he didn’t go over the rail too. A Psychiatric Foundation of Northern California study found that the use of pedestrian barriers is effective in discouraging jumpers at landmarks like the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower. But not every bridge has an effective barrier system designed to halt suicidal actions. Landmark bridges “are majestic, and they tend to be very noble looking, almost spectacular creations,” said Gary Spielmann, former chief of suicide prevention for New York. Such bridges may inspire “the sense that your final statement is a noble one, a heroic final exit from this world,” he said. “It’s a fantasy.” Nationally, reports have found San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and San Diego’s Coronado Bay Bridge as the two deadliest “suicide bridges” in the nation. Both have a demonstrated reputation of satisfying the needs of the suicidal mentality. Others include the George Washington Memorial Bridge in Seattle, Wash., and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg, Fla. You are likely aware of a similar location in your region. A Southern California tow company owner was on-scene loading a CHP
Number 173 on Reader Card
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TOWMAN.COM - December 2012 • 15
“successful” bridge suicide, five to 10 people were dissuaded from jumping. Cavner confirmed the importance of always being aware.
Stay Alert Not all suicides are by jumpers: In 1999, a depressed male decided that suicide was his best way out; he stole his girlfriend’s rental car and headed Dealing directly with a suicidal person is a dangerous task that’s better left to the professionals.
onto the highway. San Diego’s Star Tow-
impound near a bridge known for suici-
either could react, she sailed over the side
request to change a flat tire. Star’s driver
dal jumpers. As he and the officer pre-
some 400’ to her death.
changed the tire in the normal manner
ing had responded to a freeway callbox
pared for tow, a vehicle approached
Sgt. Steve Cavner drove a tow truck
and was writing an invoice to his cus-
rapidly while the driver madly honked
in his parents tow business during the
tomer. As the tower and customer were
the horn. It skidded into the center of the
late 1960s and remembers working the
on the non-traffic side, this wayward
bridge 100’ past them and just missed the
Coronado Bay Bridge as a tower. He later
depressed male slammed into the rear of
joined the Coronado Police Department
Star’s parked F-450 tow truck at approx-
The vehicle stopped abruptly at the
where he responded to numerous
imately 80 mph. The impact totaled the
bridge’s rail and a female got out and
jumpers with the department’s harbor
stolen vehicle, the customer’s Toyota,
CHP unit and the tow truck.
headed for the bridge’s rail. She yelled
police boat that worked San Diego Bay.
something at the CHP officer, but before
Now retired, he estimates that for each
Number 135 on Reader Card
16 • December 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
continue to page 42
Number 109 on Reader Card
The ABCs of Attachment Hooks by Terry Abejuela
W
hen towers use attachment hooks with chains or straps for towing, transporting and recovery, they must understand the working load limits, intended use and proper application of the hook in order to use them effectively, efficiently and safely. I recommend that towers carry a variety of hooks to have the most suitable hook for any particular application. All hooks should be clearly marked with size and grade. When possible, obtain written instructions from the manufacturer for recommendations on proper use, working load limits and maintenance. Many operators tend to improvise in the field in order to get the job done. Although it may get the job done, it does create a liability issue. If a hook is used in a way that was not intended and the hook fails under load and causes injury or death … you may be liable.
J-hooks
The J-hook has been in the industry for many years; many towers feel that they are now obsolete. With the advent of front-wheel drive, independent rear suspension, unibody design and lightweight suspension components, the J-hook cannot be used as often. They do still have some appropriate usage and are common on car carriers and in conventional sling towing. J-hooks are available in the I-beam style and the roundshank style and in short or long shank. The I-beam style is stronger and is clearly marked with it’s working load limit. None of the round-shank J-hooks I’ve seen in the field have been marked. The I-beam style J-hooks are generally rated between 4,700 lbs. and 5,400 lbs. working load limit. The round-shank J-hooks are rated between 3,500 lbs. and 3,900 lbs. working load limit. Most J-hooks were not intended for recovery operations or as secondary attachment chains. They were designed and intended for passenger vehicle towing and transporting. When using J-hooks to attach to a vehicle for a conventional sling tow, make sure that there are at least five links of chain between the end of the J-hook shank and the grab hook on the tow bar (otherwise the hook can be pushed off of the attachment point in a hard stop). J-hooks should be loaded with the load in the throat or centerline of the hook. Loading a J-hook with a load that is offset will substantially reduce the working load limit. If a Jhook is tip-loaded, it will likely fall off the attachment point when there is no tension on the hook. The correct way to use the J-hook is to attach it with the open side of the hook facing up. Make sure the hooks do not make contact with parts of the vehicle that may be damaged such as tie rods, shock absorbers, fuel tanks or brake lines. Some tow operators will attach the hook with the open side of the hook facing down to avoid puncturing frontwheel drives or independent rear suspension axle boots. I recommend using a different hook rather than turning the Jhook upside-down.
T-hooks
The J-hook is not yet obsolete and does still have some appropriate usage.
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Mercedes-Benz was one of the first auto manufacturers to use T-hook slots for towing and transporting their vehicles, starting in the mid-1970s. Since their vehicles were rearwheel drive, the T-hook slots were only at the rear of the vehicle. They were often covered with rubber grommets making them difficult to locate. When the Japanese vehicle manufacturers started installing T-hook slots on the front end of their vehicles, tow operators started to use T-hooks more often. Unfortunately
Number 149 on Reader Card
A T-hook slot for towing or tie-down will be in double-reinforced steel.
brackets to keep the T-hook at the proper angle became a preferred hook-up method for conventional sling towing. Domestic vehicle manufacturers started installing Thook slots on the bottom or side of the frame—often behind the front wheels or forward of the rear wheels. T-hook slots in the bottom of the frame are much less likely to have a problem with improper hook angles. T-hooks are common on a set of tow chains for conventional sling towing, attachment bridles or tie-down chains or straps on a car carrier. Some holes in vehicles look like Thook slots but are not designed for towing. The difference is a T-hook slot for towing or tie-down will be in double-reinforced steel (as opposed to just in the sheet metal). The hook of the shank on a T-hook should be in line with the slot when under tension so that the ears of the hook are perpendicular to the slot. The hook has to turn 90 degrees to come out of the slot. T-hooks should be marked with their size and working load limit. Most T-hooks are 5/16 Grade 7 and have a working load limit of 4,700 lbs. They were designed for towing … not for recovery operations or as secondary attachment chains.
Grab Hooks those T-hook slots were primarily designed for transport by sea or rail and not for conventional sling-type towing. Many operators lost the primary hook up to these vehicles in tow when the T-hooks came out of the slot because of an improper hook angle. Using lumber under the T-hook slot
20 • December 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
Grab hooks are common on a set of tow chains for conventional sling towing, car carrier attachment bridles, tiedown chains or straps and on recovery chains. Some grab hooks are designed to accept more than one size of chain. It is common for these grab hooks to be
Number 153 on Reader Card
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R-hooks will work at any angle for the attachment slot. Some grab hooks are designed to accept more than one size of chain. Know your working load limits.
marked 5/16 Grade 7 or 3/8 Grade 4. (If the hook is used on a 5/16 chain, it has a working load limit of Grade 7, and if used on a 3/8 chain it has a working load limit of Grade 4.) If the grab hook only indicates one size, then it is designed only for that size chain. A 5/16 grade 7 grab hook has a working load limit of 4,700 lbs. When attaching a grab hook to an attachment point on a vehicle pass the hook over the attachment point, then back
under and attach the hook to the chain on the non-welded side of the chain. When using a grab hook to attach to a vehicle for a recovery operation I recommend that you duct tape the hook to the chain to make sure it is a positive attachment. There are also grab hooks with latches for a positive attachment for recovery operations or secondary attachment chains. Grab hooks can sometimes be used to attach directly to the attachment point such as tie-down rings. Make sure that the hook is loaded in the throat of the hook and not tiploaded.
Number 165 on Reader Card
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Mini J-hooks Mini J-hooks are common on a bridle and tie-down chains or straps on a car carrier. They were not intended for recovery operations or as secondary attachment chains. Most mini J-hooks are marked with their size and grade; a 5/6 Grade 7 mini Jhook has a working load limit of 4,700 lbs. Mini J-hooks will work in T-hook slots and other holes in the frame and the angle is less critical than with Thooks. When using the mini J-hooks on a bridle, avoid using holes on the outside of the frame. Because the bridle comes together in a V shape, the mini J-hooks have a tendency to pull out of the holes on the outside of the frame.
R-hooks Mini J-hooks will work in T-hook slots, but the angle is less critical.
R-hooks are common on a bridle or tie-down chains or straps on a car carrier. They were not intended for recovery operations or as secondary
attachment chains. The are more common in transport than towing. The advantage of the R-hook is that it will work at any angle to the attachment slot. It works in T-hook slots, round holes and almost any hole in the frame that it fits. R-hooks should be marked with their size and grade; a 5/16 Grade 7 R-hook has a working load limit of 4,700 lbs. These five hooks are the most common for light-duty towing and recovery, but there are many others available. Whichever hook you’re using in a scenario, make sure you know the working load limit, manufacturer ’s recommendations and guidelines for proper use.
Terry Abejuela has 30 years of light-duty towing-and-recovery experience; he's also been a light-duty level 1 instructor for the California Tow Truck Association since 1998.
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TOWMAN.COM - December 2012 • 23
Towers’ Group Sues Kansas City Concerned Tow Operators of Kansas City and Northstar Auto Body are suing Kansas City, the mayor and San Francisco-based Auto Return in federal court. The suit applies to new regulations with Auto Return dispatching policerelated calls; there are about 14,000 police-initiated calls per year. Auto Return subcontracts with 24 tow companies. Tow companies that were not selected for the city’s business say they have been adversely affected. The lawsuit alleges Auto Return has directed its tow subcontractors to stand by at accident scenes before being dispatched, while prohibiting other companies from approaching accident scenes. “All tow trucks and tow truck dri-
vers not under a subcontract with Auto Return are effectively barred from the scene of accidents and breakdowns,” the lawsuit alleges, “even those involving persons who have made, or are capable of making, consensual towing decisions.” The lawsuit also alleges the new approach effectively regulates prices charged for consensual tows, in violation of federal law. “We had some of the highest tow rates in the nation,” said one councilman. “We had to take action. I firmly think we did the right thing.” Source: www.kansascity.com.
Honolulu Ends Rotation An Oahu, Hawaii, company will soon take over towing responsibilities for the Honolulu Police Department,
Number 191 on Reader Card
24 • December 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
which is expected to benefit HPD and the public. Leeward Auto Wreckers will pay the city $60,000 a month for a five-year contract. Up until now, eight contractors had been handling Oahu. The city wanted a single tow company to handle responsibilities. “We used to have complaints about the fact that people used to pay in excess of $200 to $300 because of HPD’s tow and the fact they did not claim the vehicle right away,” said Dennis Kamimura, Honolulu Department of Customer Services. Leeward implemented a $165 cap on tow charges. Owners will be able to pick up their vehicle from one of the five spots across the island. The company will take care of everything for HPD, including impounds accidents. So far this year, HPD has towed 25,000 vehicles. Source: www.khon2.com.
Number 214 on Reader Card
Number 177 on Reader Card
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Man Beats Tow Truck A Louisville, Ky., man is facing several serious charges after allegedly damaging a tow truck and threatening the occupants inside. Officers were sent to a gas station on reports of a man kicking and hitting a tow truck with the driver and his girlfriend inside. According to the arrest report, the man and woman were “scared to death” while 44-yearold man pounded on the vehicle. He kept “beating the truck, saying he was gonna kill us,” said the driver. As he was handcuffed, police said the suspect continued “screaming how great Obama was” and that he could do what he wants now that he had been re-elected. He was charged with terroristic threatening, criminal tres-
passing, criminal mischief, trespassing and public intoxication. Source: www.wdrb.com.
City Eliminates Towing Fees The San Marcos (Texas) City Council moved to eliminate outdated fees and allow the city to continue contracting multiple wrecking companies. Towing companies will no longer be able to charge drivers a $50 “show up” fee if a car’s owner arrived to move the vehicle before it was on the tow truck. According to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, it is illegal for tow truck operators to charge a fee if an owner arrives to move a vehicle before it is fully hooked up.
Number 215 on Reader Card
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At the core of the city council debate was whether or not to go to a single contractor system and eliminate the rotation. After much discussion, council voted 5-2 to keep the rotation system. SMPD Chief Howard Williams expressed concern over instances where dispatched wrecking companies show up late or not at all. He also said there is sometimes difficulty in getting drivers to the scene of a pickup in the middle of the night. The chief believes contracting one company would save San Marcos residents who get their cars towed $189,000 a year in wrecking fees. He also said $5 of each towing fee would be allocated back to the city. Source: www.star.txstate.edu.
Number 216 on Reader Card
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TOWMAN.COM - December 2012 • 27
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W
e received an agency call about 1 p.m. for an overturned trash truck that was empty, and was blocking an on-ramp to a freeway in Los Angeles. We sent out two heavies—our 1999 Peterbilt 379 with Century 40-ton rotator and 2001 Peterbilt 379 with 60-ton Century rotator. The four-axle front-loader garbage truck would normally be a simple liftand-catch. For this one, upon arrival, we backed up to it, removed the driveline and rigged for recovery. The problem was that the bottom pin that holds the trash truck’s arms in place was sheared off in the accident. So as we were lifting, the body was coming up, but the chassis stayed down. The trash company had sent their own tow truck as well, so we used that truck to low-sheave the front of the trash truck. That way, we were able to work in coordination with us lifting the body, while the other truck was holding the chassis and keeping everything parallel.
With the 60-ton Century lifting the rear of the truck, we attached to the Hendrickson Walking Beam suspension—the most solid part of the undercarriage. It’s just a huge piece of solid steel and very rugged to lift from. The 40-ton Century attached to the frame up front for the lift. We used 1/2 Grade 10 chain in the rigging. We didn’t use a catch on the trash truck because … you couldn’t catch that, it would just damage it more. Once we got the trash truck up, we suspended those huge arms so that a makeshift bolt could be inserted where the pin should have been. On an empty trash truck, you don’t normally need so much equipment. Usually this is an easier lift because you can use the whole body to lift, but that missing pin caused it to be dislocated. After we uprighted the trash truck, we spun it around so that we could release it at the scene to the trash company’s tower that was on-scene. We were clear in about two hours.
Century 40 and 60-ton rotators do the work.
Rotators Garbage Truck
Lift
Overturned Trash Hauler Was Blocking L.A. Freeway by Jose Acosta, president of Pepe’s Towing Service
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TOWMAN.COM - December 2012 • 31
Hooks Supplies Adds LUBE-A-BOOM Hooks Towing & Recovery Supplies in Wynne, Ark., is now an authorized dealer to sell LUBE-A-BOOM’s full line of specialty lubricants, including LUBE-A-BOOM, LUBE-A-PIN and LUBE-A-BOOM CLEAR. www.lubeaboom.com
TomTom Expands WEBFLEET Reporting TomTom Business Solutions expanded its WEBFLEET fleet management application’s reporting capabilities to include a new set of more than 40 different reports. WEBFLEET is part of TomTom’s WORKsmart fleet management solution, enabling businesses to manage their fleet 24 hours a day from any computer. The online
application offers live vehicle and location information and a real-time and historical trend overview. The new WEBFLEET comprehensive reports include: • Trip reports. • Location reports. • Maintenance reports. • Working time reports. • Driving performance reports. • Order status reports. • I/O reports. • Administrative reports. http://business.tomtom.com
Peterbilt Adds 2013 Compliant Engines
Number 163 on Reader Card
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Number 128 on Reader Card
The next generation of PACCAR engines—that are 2013 EPA-emissions compliant—will be available in Peterbilt’s 2013 medium- and heavy-duty trucks. The PACCAR MX-13, PX-9 and PX-7 engines are designed to maximize fuel efficiency, reliability and provide a low total cost of ownership. The 12.9L PACCAR MX-13 engine is available in Models 579, 587, 386, 384, 389, 388, 367 and 365. The 8.9L PACCAR PX-9 engine is available in Models 382, 348 and 320. The 6.7L PACCAR PX-7 engine is available in Models 330, 325, and 210/220. Peterbilt also announced a company production record for the Model 320. “We are very proud to reach this Model 320 production milestone, increasing our production by 33 percent over the previous record year, which serves as an indication our customers recognize the benefits and value this product offers,” said Bill Kozek, Peterbilt GM. The company named Allstate Peterbilt of Fargo, N.D., as the 2011 North American Parts and Service Dealer of the Year. The award recognizes overall excellence in parts and service performance. www.peterbilt.com
Number 198 on Reader Card
305 Tow Trucks Enter Ill. Parade The annual Tow Trucks for Tots parade, organized by Worldwide Equipment Sales, featured 305 trucks on Nov. 11. Though a little shy of beating their own Guinness World Record of 324 trucks, the 2012 event still collected 15,000 toys for less fortunate families. Some of the day’s awards included: •Best Decorated Truck: Grosse Point Towing; Northbrook, Ill. •Furthest Distance Traveled: J&S Towing; Sparta, Ill. (313 miles). •Most Trucks On-Scene: O’hare Towing; Downers Grove, Ill. (15 trucks) Most Toys Collected: Calumet City Auto Recyclers (7686 toys).
Number 105 on Reader Card
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Number 102 on Reader Card
Whether it’s recovering an overturned tractor-trailer or towing a truck across town, you’re in command with your Vulcan V-100. The Vulcan V-100 is the tool you need to accomplish any task – just ask loyal Vulcan users who always demand the best from their fleets. Once you purchase
For versatility in light- and medium-duty towing and recovery, the Vulcan V-30 meets your demands. Available in an aluminum or composite modular body, this 16-ton powerhouse comes loaded with many features found on Vulcan’s heavy-duty units.
a Vulcan, you’re in command.
Vulcan has led the industry in heavy-duty integrated towing and recovery units for 25 years. Available in 25-, 35- and 50-ton capacities, the Vulcan heavy-duty integrated series easily tackles the toughest jobs.
Vulcan’s L.C.G. (Low Center of Gravity) car carriers features a deck height that’s 5- to 8-inches lower, offering more stability during transport, a lower load angle and greater ease in securing loads. For recovery, Vulcan offers the SP8000 Sidepuller, the ultimate in car carrier versatility.
INNOVATIVE. DURABLE. BRUTALLY TOUGH. 8503 Hilltop Drive • Ooltewah, Tennessee 37363
www.millerind.com • 800-489-2401 Number 143 on Reader Card
The Vulcan Intruder leads the light-duty line-up with an autoload crossbar capable of picking up vehicles at a 90-degree angle and your choice of steel, aluminum or composite modular bodies. Other popular Vulcan light-duty units feature Vulcan’s strapless wheel-lift system.
Check out what these participating suppliers have to offer in the coming year.
American Safety & Supply Specializing in High Visibility merchandise including: jackets, sweatshirts, t-shirts, gloves, hats, and vests. We have custom imprinting available. 413-737-5176 www.americansafetysupply.com
Advertorial section includes participating advertisers from this issue.
AW Direct Atlantic Emergency Solutions
Auto Data Direct
This is a Jerr-Dan 35-ton HDL 700/350 integrated heavy-duty wrecker on a Peterbilt 388 with Cummins 1SX 500hp engine and an 18-speed manual transmission. 800-442-9700 www.atlanticemergency.com
Get the information you need! Auto Data Direct offers a single source for more real-time DMV records than any other company of its kind. 850-877-8804 www.ADD123.com
Outstanding lightbar for larger trucks. The LPL2528AA LED lightbar features a NarrowStick traffic-directing device that diverts vehicles from accidents or worksites. 58” fits standard or large-sized trucks. Largest light selection in the industry. 800-243-3194 www.awdirect.com
B/A Products
Blades Tow Right
Columbus Truck/Marietta Mack
Twist Lock Grab Hooks quickly and securely attach to Grade 70 or Grade 80 chain, 1/4”-5/8” sizes. The most secure latch available. 410-381-1700 www.baprod.com
Made in the U.S., the finest wireless tow lights with innovative ideas like charging lights, auto-delay flashers and individual serial numbers. Better Quality, Better Value. 734-449-0518 www.bladestowright.com
We represent Jerr-Dan, Mack, Volvo and Hino trucks. Let our 63 years of experience work for you! 740-538-3228 www.columbus-truck.com
38 • December 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
ComeUp USA ComeUp USA offers a full range of winches from 1,500 lbs. utility, ATV and UTV, all the way up to 18,000 lbs. 12V/24V electric and hydraulic self-recovery and industrial winches, with everything in between. 503-783-6142 www.ComeUpUSA.com
Jerr-Dan Put away the loading ramps, ease your hook-ups and improve load stability with the lowest load angle in its class and optimized deck for maximum payload. 800-926-9666 www.jerrdan.com
Digital Ally
Dynamic Towing Equip. & Mfg.
Dynamic’s new service vehicle (previous Automatically record incidents with up to eight cameras for liability protection, savings model shown) now has four roll-up doors, two large side compartments, one deck box and safety benefits. Document your and a 4,000-lbs. wheel lift. It’s the only unit interactions and transactions, plus inspire professional behavior from everyone involved. on the market with 32-sq.-ft. of deck space. 800-831-9299 800-440-4947 www.dynamicmfg.com www.digitalallyinc.com
Kolo DBS We are a professional real-time dispatch and billing services call center that provides fast and accurate answering services allowing our clients a chance to relax. 716-829-1761, ext. 111 www.kolodbs.com
Landoll Corp. Landoll Model 855 Hydraulic non-ground bearing lowboy trailer, 55 ton, three or four axles, loaded deck height 19.5”, deck lengths up to 32’, seven-position rideheight adjustment. 800-428-5655 www.trans.landoll.com
Miller Industries Master Pull MatJack MatJack has delivered a new high volume filter system for the jumbo compressor/suction pump to keep debris out. 317-359-3078 www.matjack.com
Superline XD is comprised of highstrength Superline at its core and a Dyneema over-braided cover for unrivaled abrasion resistance and UV protection. It weighs 80-percent lighter than steel cable, yet is stronger and safer. 360-510-2307 www.MasterPull.com
Miller’s optional MMO and MMGO control systems record and stow complete wrecker and chassis info on touch screens in the cab and tool compartments including tow data and videos along with boom angles, extensions, and weight data on rotator models. 800-292-0330 www.millerind.com TOWMAN.COM - December 2012 • 39
New England Truckmaster
North American Bancard /Phone Swipe
Progressive Platforms
You get it all—the right price, a service department that knows how to take care of you, a parts department with everything you need to get you going, and attention to detail when building your custom small wrecker, carrier, or heavy-duty. 800-481-0501 www.netruckmaster.com
SmartPhone Processing; process credit cards on your smart phone. 2.69 percent. No monthly fees, no set up fees! Easy and quick setup! Free swipe device. 866-481-4604 www.psfreeapp.com
Purpose Wrecker Sales
Ramsey Winch
Purpose Wrecker Sales has provided the towing industry new and used wreckers and rollbacks for 20 years. 636-639-9700 www.purposewrecker.com
Ramey’s new HSW-10,000 winch delivers up to 32’ per minute line speed, making it the fastest worm gear in the industry. 918-438-2760 www.ramsey.com
The 4th Wheel Loader allows tow truck drivers to safely load and secure a vehicle with broken ball joints, lost wheels, locked wheels or brakes, collision damage and control arm failures onto their rollback wreckers. 937-222-0062 www.steckmfg.com
Tiger Tool
TowMate
Tracker Management Systems
The Heavy Duty U-Joint Puller, No. 10102, is engineered to provide the ultimate “brute strength” to disassemble the most severely seized driveshaft yokes. 800-661-4661 www.TigerTool.com
The new Safety Alert System by TowMate lets you know when the perimeter of your worksite is breached, alerting you to get out of the way! 800-680-4455 www.TowMate.com
Go directly from dispatch to driver to tow to accounting. 800-445-2438 www.trackermanagement.com
AVL tracking for only $19.95 per month with no upfront costs. Increase your profit and productivity and manage your fleet from any mobile device. 617-949-8900 www.progressiveplatforms.com
Steck Manufacturing
40 • December 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
WorldWide Equipment
Zendex Tool
Zip's Truck Equipment
Take control of your business with GPS tracking. Monitor your fleet’s PTO usage, location, speed and idle times. Get alerts by phone or PC. Increase productivity. 815-725-4400 www.DriverLocate.com
GoJAK combination jack/dollies lift and move vehicles up to 6,200 lbs., with tire widths to 20”. Tow truck and wall mounting brackets, weather protection covers available. 800-446-5257 www.prontojak.com
Zip's has the largest selection of towing equipment, parts and accessories in the nation. Now with two locations to better serve you! 800-222-6047 www.Zips.com
Bill Johnson Nicholas Testa
Paul Best
David Bigusiak
Number 190 on Reader Card
BEACONS ON! continues from page 16 and Star’s tow truck. All survived the crash (highlighting another reason for being on the non-traffic side). On August 11, 2011, a Hackensack (N.J.) female jumped in front of a tow truck on I-80. The truck operator noticed a female parked on the right shoulder with the vehicle’s hazard lights going. When the driver decelerated and moved toward the right shoulder, thinking nothing more than it was a service call, she jumped into the path of the moving tow truck. Officers found evidence within her vehicle that she was planning to take her own life. On May 11, 2002, Freeway Service Patrol operator Brian Naylor stopped to
assist a disabled vehicle parked on I-5’s southbound shoulder. He greeted the vehicle’s driver and politely advised him he was going to affix a red tag on the vehicle per the CHP’s policy. For reasons unknown, the driver became enraged and opened fire with an automatic handgun. The tower took as many as six body shots, but miracously survived because of heroic efforts of a marine who carried him to safety while he was fired upon. Witnesses saw the gunman run east across all lanes and jump the fence onto Camp Pendleton where police confronted him. The suspect refused to surrender and was shot to death when he allegedly pointed his weapon at officers.
Number 117 on Reader Card
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Psychological training for bridge workers—including tow truck operators—is currently being developed, but for now the key to your survival is your initial power of observation and arrival assessment to all calls. The bottom line is self-preservation. You don’t have to be a hero. Your actions may be those that save your own life, but not necessarily the life of a suicidal person. 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 212 on Reader Card
The mixer was only about 35,000 lbs., this would’ve been the same at 70,000 lbs., Luciano said. The main winch off the side-puller does all the lifting. The lines off the back of the truck are to keep the mixer level during the upright and keep it from rolling down the embankment.
by Brendan Dooley Photos courtesy of Zip’s Truck Equipment
Myths
Heavy-Duty Training Dispels Course Goes In-Depth on Rigging, Loads
N
o matter the industry, staying up-to-date on new methods and techniques is important to staying at the forefront. In towing, the training that’s key is being able to work and experience hands-on activities for lessons with staying power. This summer, Zip’s Truck Equipment in New Hampton, Iowa, hosted training focused on heavyduty scenarios. Miller Industries’ Tom Luciano and industry trainer Joe Sroga taught “Techniques of 44 • December 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
Miller Industries’ Tom Luciano leads the training at Zip’s Truck Equipment in Iowa this summer.
Number 110 on Reader Card
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TOWMAN.COM - December 2012 • 45
To recover this dump truck, operators were shown how a light-, medium- and heavyduty truck could work together when two heavies aren’t available. The layup included creating a compound where the large truck and medium truck were not doing any of the actual winching.
Heavy Duty Towing & Recovery” to more than 70 towers. “Education is a great thing, no matter who does the training,” Luciano said. The operators came from eight states and Canada to learn more about leverage, winches, rigging and equipment, calculating resistance, heavyduty wreckers and get hands-on experience in the field. “Right now in education, the economy is such that guys do not have the money they did before. You have half a class with little experience and the other half has a lot more experience,” Luciano said. “You have to give the guys on each side an appetite to go home and want more. “You’ve got to give the beginner something and not talk over his head, and you’ve got to give the experienced guy something to take home, too. That’s what we did.” The first day was about towability, covering items like why we tow, why we air up systems, why we tow some 46 • December 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
vehicles from front or rear, Luciano said. “The first day was really for the beginner. Then on the second and third day we get more advanced and on the third day we really concentrate on advanced rigging.”
“Education is a great thing, no matter who does the training,” Tom Luciano
The training session at Zip’s included significant classroom time, as well as scenarios conducted on their training grounds that included recovering a loaded dump truck in a ravine, a loaded cement mixer on its side on a hill, and a loaded water tanker on its side nose-first down an incline. “This class not only shows new techniques that work safely,” said Craig
Goldbeck of Goldbeck Towing in La Crosse, Wis., “it dispels myths and clearly shows that rigging and hookup methods really reduce line load, tiphook weight or transfer weight to the front axle. A great course for new and veteran operators.” Luciano said he wants to help towers “become successful businessmen.” He shows them how to attack a job that needs two heavies with equipment most already have. “A lot of operations have a large, a medium and a small wrecker,” Luciano said. “We showed how you already have the horsepower you need to do a job like that,” he said by making a compound. With proper six-part lines between the trucks, “you can do it the way I showed them to attach and pull with the equipment you already have.” In the end, it’s about educating towers in an environment where they can concentrate on learning. “It’s great that Zip’s promotes the school and education to their customers the way they do.” Luciano said
Number 127 on Reader Card
Number 174 on Reader Card
TOWMAN.COM - December 2012 • 47
Zip’s does it the way they want free of industry politics and “promote it to all their customers that any education is a value.” “A huge thing for that school is Paul [Rottinghaus, Zip’s president] has bought all the casualties to be rolled over time and again,” and they have the space to do them on different inclines in creek beds and more, said Luciano. “The casualties make the success of the school. … it’s not just casualties in a hotel parking lot.” “Towing and recovery inherently is a dangerous business,” said Rottinghaus. “Let’s do what we can to make it safer and to command the respect of the rest of the responders, as well as the insurance companies, motor clubs and the motoring public as a whole.” Mo re im ages and info rm atio n fro m these training scenario s w ill be used o nline at To w Ind ustryWeek .co m . Mak e sure to k eep up o n the latest new s, reco veries and m o re w ith TIW’s w eek ly up d ates.
Number 184 on Reader Card
This tanker had in excess of 4,000 gallons of water in it; estimated weight of tractor and trailer 65,000 lbs. “The class wanted to see the tanker uprighted with one truck doing all the lifting,” Luciano said. They did use a second truck on the tractor as a safety to keep it from rolling away after. The 9055 does the upright, Luciano said, because students didn’t want to see a rotator do it, they wanted one 50-ton wrecker on it.
Number 135 on Reader Card
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Number 126 on Reader Card
instance, if they have a coolant leak and need a water pump, you might find they need a cooling system flush, hoses replaced or their timing or serpentine belts replaced as well. If they come in needing new brake pads, you might find they need their caliber slides serviced, their brake fluid flushed and their rear brakes cleaned and adjusted. The next opportunity is the Courtesy Check, a list of about 20 to 30 safety and maintenance items you inspect when their car comes in for other services. For example, their car may come in needing brake service and you find it also needs wiper blades, bulb replacement or cooling system service. Finally, today’s cars are expensive, so consumers have a reason to keep them running trouble-free as best they can. By recommending and performing factory scheduled maintenance you’ll enhance the value of their car, keep them running trouble-free, keep your technicians and service bays busy, and put a lot more profit to your bottom line.
In October 2012, P.J. and C.C. Andrews expanded their Bullet Towing and Recovery business in Shelbyville, Tenn., by adding an experienced mechanic and repair bays. Photo courtesy of C.C. Andrews.
Expand
Business with Repair Bays Get Vehicle Service Humming Along with Courtesy Checks 52 • December 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
by Matt Winslow
T
oday’s cars are much more reliable as manufacturing defects and pattern failures significantly decreased over the past 30 years. Now with smart braking and Electronic Stability Control, accidents are decreasing. Many towing operators are having trouble
staying busy because today’s vehicles just don’t break down as often. What can you do to make more money and stay busy as cars become more reliable? Focus on selling automotive service and repair. You have four opportunities to increase sales and profits with automotive service and repair through: • Requested repairs. • Additional services related to those repairs. • Repairs and services following a Courtesy Check. • Factory scheduled maintenance. Today’s cars have high mileage and things still do break, so repair is still a valuable part of your business. Opportunity number one is the original request that brought them in which is usually a request for auto repair. Opportunity number two comes from packaging additional items around their original request. For
About Courtesy Check Many shops do a general inspection of cars when their customers come in for service, but most shops have problems getting their technicians to do thorough Courtesy Checks and have trouble getting their service managers to recommend needed work. So, what are some keys you need to create an effective Courtesy Check program? First, you have to create buy-in with your technicians and your service manager. To create buy-in, you need to define a meaningful purpose for the Courtesy Check and you need to create a form they’ll use. If you find more work, you have the opportunity to sell more work. But a more important reason we can all rally around is making sure the customer’s vehicle is safe and reliable. Today we live in a gas-and-go society. When is the last time you saw anyone open their hood and check their oil level while getting gasoline for their car? Probably 10 years ago!
Today’s customers expect to be able to put gas in their vehicles and have you be responsible to maintain their cars. At Automotive Training Institute, we feel it’s important to promote the customer’s safety as the most important purpose to your employees. If your employees feel finding and selling more work is the most important purpose for your Courtesy Check, you may find they’ll cherry-pick the repairs they recommend. For example if your technician likes to do front end alignment they may recommend struts on virtually every vehicle. But by focusing on keeping your customers’ vehicles safe and reliable, your technicians will rally around the higher purpose of taking care of your customers. You’ll get more thorough Courtesy Checks without having to constantly discipline your employees.
Courtesy Check Forms Now we need to create a form that makes sense to techs that they’re likely to use. (Email me at mwinslow@autotraining.net and I’ll send you a copy of a basic Courtesy Check form you can use.) Circulate the forms you choose and ask employees to fill it out on every vehicle they check for the next week. You can probably expect them to dislike the form and tell you it won’t work. They’ll tell you the form doesn’t match their checkout workflow or they may tell you the form is cumbersome and takes too long to fill out. But don’t give up. Have a mini shop meeting and ask for comments and recommendations to change the form. Then redesign the form over the weekend, incorporating their suggestions. Give them the new form on Monday morning and again ask them to fill it out on each car they service for the next week. At this point, you’d think they’ll love the new form, right? Maybe, but I would have another mini shop meeting on Friday and ask for their suggestions and recommendations to tweak the form. You may have to do this for several weeks until you get a form they believe in and will use consistently. TOWMAN.COM - December 2012 • 53
A big part of keeping the repair business going is including Courtesy Checks on each vehicle that comes in for service. Photo courtesy of C.C. Andrews.
Now we need to create systems and checks to make sure your technicians fill out the form correctly and consistently on every single vehicle
they service. Your service writer or service manager should be responsible to make sure these forms are filled out.
The service manager should inspect each form when the technician submits it and verify the form is filled out correctly and completely. Be sure your technician documents good things as well as things needing attention. Your service manager needs to give customers good news as well as bad news. It’s important to let them know most of their car is in good shape and fixing their car is a good investment. If you only tell them about bad things or things that need replacement, your customer may think their car is a bad investment and may tell you they’re selling it tomorrow and decline the work. In many shops, when you’re slow, your technicians fill out the forms to sell more work. But when you get busy, they often stop filling out Courtesy Check forms so they can just focus on getting cars finished on time. If we only check cars when we’re slow, our customers can’t rely on us to keep their cars safe and reliable at all times. Customers want to depend on you for consistent and reliable service. If the quality of your service fluctuates based on how busy you are, then they can’t depend on you and may go somewhere else. Providing excellent consistent service is what separates top companies who make consistent profits year in and year out from average companies who ultimately fail.
Editor’s Note: Matt Winslow is an instructor with the Automotive Training Institute and an ASE-certified Master Technician with more than 20 years experience in the automotive business. He has more than 15 years experience as an instructor, presenter and training-course developer. Contact him at mwinslow@autotraining.net. Number 209 on Reader Card
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Number 152 on Reader Card
“Please deliver it to my residence and while you’re at it check the oil and fluids.”
Catch Boomer Hayes each week on TowIndustryWeek.com. Penned, drawn and colored by Don Lomax, Boomer finds himself in absurd situations only a tower would know about. Also found at towweek.com, Tow Industry Week offers original editorial features covering the towing industry.
Number 187 on Reader Card
TOWMAN.COM - December 2012 • 55
Book Review: ‘A Man & His Truck’ by Brendan Dooley
I
n “A Man & His Truck: How I Shared the Gospel in the Towing Industry,” author Robert U. Stuart covers his 59 years in the business in on-the-job anecdotes that he relates to Bible verses for life lessons. Apart from Stuart and the Bible, a 1943 Sterling with a crane, 1000’ of cable and a Tulsa winch serve as the other main character throughout. The book’s 56 chapters are single anecdotes, at a page or so each with a Bible verse following. Some of the chapter headings include, “The Horn Blower,” “Death Row,” “The Load of Pigs, “The $21 Million Job,” “Black Ice” and more. There are plenty of stories about encounters with “sidewalk superintendents” butting in to give advice, dealings with police officers (both those who get it and those who don’t) and the general public at large. The book features more than 20 black-and-white pictures in a center section showing some of the wrecks Stuart and the Sterling worked. Included are many tractor-trailers that they’ve uprighted in and around Kernersville, N.C., where he worked. Stuart relates in his introduction that “Witnessing lives turned around was the greatest joy in my experiences.” It’s obvious in this volume that being a “wrecker man” was not just a job, but a greater calling for him. The book is available by sending a check or money order for $15, payable to Robert Stuart, care of “A Man & His Truck;” P.O. Box 105; Kernersville, NC 27285-0105.
Robert U. Stuart retired in 2007 and wrote “A Man & His Truck” about his career as a tow operator and Christian.
The book is illustrated with more than 20 blackand-white photos from Stuart’s recoveries with his 1943 Sterling wrecker.
56 • December 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
Number 121 on Reader Card
Number 140 on Reader Card
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After six auctions through TowLot.com, Procon says salvage yards benefit too: "The yards can hand-select the cars they want and say no to the cars they don't – and I'm playing fair to all the salage yards that we do business with."
Number 159 on Reader Card
Double Assigning Is a Deadly Game by Mark Lacek
D
ouble assignment. In the tow world it means sending two competing tow companies to pick up the same car. In the repossession business, a double assignment is when the lending institution sends a recovery assignment to more than one agency. This practice could be the most dangerous mistake made by a client. Imagine receiving a recovery assignment, adding the data into your repo program and beginning your preliminary verification process. You verify the debtor’s address and decide the best time to attempt the recovery is at about 10 a.m. after the debtor returns from his nightshift job. You send your recovery agent “Joe,” who spots the vehicle in the driveway. Joe decides this is a great opportunity to “hook-and-book,” thinking the debtor is fast asleep after a hard night at work. Normally this process works. Good information from the client and excellent verification procedures make for a cost-effective and profitable recovery. But sometimes there is a glitch in the system neither you nor your agent was able to identify. Something terrible is about to happen to Joe, who won’t make it home today, because the collateral he is about to repossess was double assigned. Joe will be tomorrow’s news. What Joe didn’t know was that about an hour before he arrived, another company’s agent attempted to repossess the car. The other agent backed up to the unit in the driveway, only to wind up face-to-face with the angry debtor. The wild-eyed and tired man yelled at the agent, “Get the hell off the property or I’ll blow your head off!” The earlier agent sped away
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while the debtor was yelling at him. An hour later, an unsuspecting Joe pulls up to the house and begins to back into the driveway, lower the selfloader and begin to lift the vehicle. Then the debtor approaches the side of Joe’s truck and without hesitation fires shots into the truck yelling, “I told you never to come back here!” The financial institution whether a credit union, local bank or a national lender is not trying to place anyone in harm’s way. They are trying to save money. Unfortunately, double assigning is a problem that happens all too often. From a lender’s point of view, it probably sounds like a great idea to have two agencies working the same file and let “the best man win.” But, in fact, nobody wins. Another (less lethal) scenario is when both repossession agencies are giving updates to the client on the same assignment. Your client might share your updates with the other agency, calling it “new information.” The second agency uses this information to recover the asset. Then the client calls your office and tells you to close the account and lies to you that the debtor “voluntarily turned in the collateral.” If you are working the account on contingency, you just got screwed. You may think this sort of thing doesn’t happen, but it does … every day. Another example of double assigning happens if the repossession assignment is a skip account. You work the case and are unable to verify the debtor’s residence or place of employment. You notify the client that this debtor has gone off the grid. The client sends the assignment to a skip trace company. The client advises you to “keep your eyes open” for the collateral and you’re happy to oblige.
A skip company could utilize data resources you don’t have. In the process of the skip company locating the asset, it may utilize its own recovery agency to recover the unit thereby removing your agency from the profit loop.
Tommy Morris
Real Case The scenario with “Joe” above isn’t just a scare tactic or extreme example; it comes from a real tragedy. On Feb. 25, 1994, Tommy Morris was working an account in the Houston, Texas, area. Morris spotted the pickup truck in the debtor’s driveway. He backed up to the truck and before he could hook the asset, the .30-.30 slug from a deer rifle went through the cab of the truck and tore into his chest. Morris tried to drive away but only made it a short distance before he bled to death. Just a half-hour before Morris pulled up to the residence, another recovery agent was yelled off the property.
A jury found that Morris’ family should receive $2.3 million in a lawsuit that accused a used car dealership of enticing the agent into an “ambush.” The family contended that Steeplechase Motors caused the shooting by issuing duplicate assignments to repossess the truck owned by Jerry R. Casey, who was delinquent on his loan. Casey, 35, told police he fired a rifle at Morris when he believed his truck was being stolen. (He killed himself eight months after being cleared by a grand jury of wrongdoing in the death.) Many believe, as I do, that Casey should have spent the rest of his life in a cell. More than a year after the police investigation ended, repo agent Andrew Martin came forward to say he also had been assigned the Casey job. He said he tried to repossess the truck about 15 minutes before Morris arrived, but was scared away when the lights came on inside the house. Used car salesman Jeff Cook testified that Casey threatened to kill anyone repossessing his vehicle. During the case, it was discovered that Steeplechase Motors had already assigned this repossession with several other agents, earlier that evening. Jurors, in an 11-1 decision, found the dealership committed fraud and gross negligence. Repossession agents from the Houston area adopted the case as a crusade against “double assigning” work to multiple agents.
Make It Known How do we combat the dangers involved in double assigning? Make it clear to your client, up front, that you do not work assignments unless you are the only agency working the case. Include the verbiage in your paperwork “No Double Assignments Accepted.” Place the words on your “Hold-harmless” page. Include the words on your invoices and your website. If your client advises you they are sending the assignment to a skip tracing company, tell your client you will place the assignment on-hold. Explain that when the skip company has uncovered new information, you will be available to re-open the assignment. The communication between client and recovery agency is critical to performing safe repossessions. Try your best to have as much contact as possible with your clients. Valuable communication now can bring an end to the dangers of double-assigning.
Editor’s note: Author Mark Lacek is a 30-year recovery industry veteran and former editor of Professional Repossessor magazine. Mark@commercialassetsolutions.com Number 180 on Reader Card
TOWMAN.COM - December 2012 • 61
Change Begins at Local Levels
by Emily Oz
Emily Oz interviews the family and friends of fallen tower Todd Young. Young owned Northern Lights Auto Service in Mattydale, N.Y., and was killed by a passing tractor-trailer while working the white line in late 2011.
I
attended my first Wall of the Fallen ceremony this September to report for American Towman TV. Right away, I was impressed by the sheer number of people who were there to pay their respects outside the International Towing and Recovery Museum and Hall of Fame in Chattanooga, Tenn. This September, the names of 33 men and one woman were added so their families, friends and industry leaders could gather to honor their sacrifice and celebrate their lives. I recognized quickly that the Wall is a necessary part of this industry and fills a need to honor those who have died in the line of duty. It also offers those left behind a resting place for their grief. Another reason the Wall is necessary is because to solve any problem you have to continue to expose it. Most of the towers who die in our line
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of work are the victims of tragic accidents where drivers, for whatever reason, don’t give the tower the respect of slowing down and moving over. During the Wall of the Fallen ceremony, several speakers at the podium referred to continuing the fight to educate the public about Slow Down, Move Over and to look for ways to ramp up safety measures for all operators. Along with the painful emotions of that day, what also stood out to me was resilience. Many who lost loved ones showed signs of forging ahead with their own localized Slow Down, Move Over campaigns, started in memory of their fallen tower. Ideas were flying about different ways people were spreading the message in their own communities. Until the laws (or enforcement of them) can catch up, our industry will
continue to rely heavily upon our own efforts. After all, one spark can start a fire of change right?
Emily Oz is the anchor and producer for American Towman TV. You can email her at oz@AmericanTowmanTV.com
Number 142 on Reader Card
Chrome Complements Titan Wrecker by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti
W
immer’s Wrecker Service was founded by Charlie Wimmer in 1985 in Phenix City, Ala. He has a dedicated, professionally trained staff of five operators who handle everything from local and long-distance towing for light- to heavy-duty vehicles, accident recovery and more. “We also offer mobile truck service and accept commercial and national accounts,” Wimmer said. “We take great pride in our exceptional customer service and our competitive rates.” Wimmer has seven rigs in his fleet, including three heavy-duty wreckers. This featured heavy is a 2003 Peterbilt 379 sleeper powered by a 475 Cat with a Fuller 13-speed gearbox. The wrecker is an Aatac Titan 70 series 35ton hydraulic unit with an integrated three-stage underreach with full-function radio remote control, towing attachments, air bags, two sets of recovery straps (6” and 12”) and LED taillights. The optional front outriggers give it greater stability and
increased recovery capability. It is equipped with a pair of two-speed, 35,000-lbs. planetary DP winches. The Wimmer ’s crew built this beauty in house and added an adjustable air ride for heavy loads. Southeast Truck & Trailer Refurbishers in Phenix City tastefully finished this rig in Wimmer’s trademark red-andgrey color scheme. “All of my trucks are painted the same so they stand out on the road and people identify with us,” Wimmer said. “Our trucks are rolling advertisements that promote our company and give us recognition.” To complement the paint job, this truck has classic touches of chrome
and stainless including the front bumper, sun visor and airfoil. Besides looking good, the airfoil is attached to direct air over the cab and sleeper and improve aerodynamics and fuel economy. The 10” stacks add an imposing look. “The interior is chromed out and it has 370 LEDs and strobes all around,” Wimmer said. This beauty is an eye-catcher wherever it rolls. At the Florida Tow Show, it won in Working Class in 2007 and took First Place in the HeavyDuty Class in 2010.
Tech Highlights Chassis: 2003 Peterbilt 379. Wrecker Body: 2006 Aatac Titan 70 35-ton. Engine: 475 Cat. Trans: Fuller 13-speed. Winches: Two DP 35,000-lbs. Builder: Wimmers. Extras: Adjustable air ride, 10” stacks, 370 LEDs and strobes. Equipment: Radio remote control, towing attachments, air bags, two sets of recovery straps Paint/Graphics: Southeast Truck & Trailer Refurbishers.
Should your truck be in AT? Email some details and interesting facts about your truck, along with some high-resolution photos, to bdooley@towman.com to be considered for a future 'My Baby' feature. Your submissions may also be considered for AT's online use.
64 • December 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
TOWMAN.COM - December 2012 • 65
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66 • December 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
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TOWMAN.COM - December 2012 • 67
Number 164 on Reader Card
68 • December 2012 - TOWMAN.COM
Number 132 on Reader Card
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
Number 194 on Reader Card
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