Las Vegas Conferences Address Critical Issues
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Departments Low Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 News Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Road Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Beacons On! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
FEATURE CONTENTS
AD Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
18
On Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
360˚ in Las Vegas
Repo Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
The 360˚ Conference in Las Vegas
Towman’s Market . . . . . . . . . . . .74
during Tow Industry Week includes classroom and hands-on training
Adventures of A.T. . . . . . . . . . . . .77
with Patrick Zozaya. by Steve Calitri Pepe's Towing in Los Angeles did plenty of math on-scene to recover a tractor-trailer 250' down a foothill.
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Arrival Assessments When you get on-scene, your awareness, truck position, communication and more need to be honed and true. by Randall Resch
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Recalculating the Resistance A heavily damaged tractor and distance from the highway complicated this recovery in Southern California. by Joshua Acosta
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AT Expo Recap Did you miss it? You know you should’ve been there, but we’ve got your back with this recap of 2012’s show. by Steve Calitri
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Number 109 on Reader Card
It’s Wilmington All Over by Steve Calitri
T
he city of Wilmington, Del., just finished a towing contract whereby the tower had to kick back $50 per tow to the city, yet can’t collect either a tow or impound fee for 30 days. City officials told the News Journal of Wilmington they were simply trying to make the arrangement motorist-friendly. The amazing thing to me is that any tower or businessperson would go along with such an arrangement. Unfortunately for this industry, tow business owners are putting up with similarly absurd city contracts all across the nation. Tow bosses today face many critical issues with city contracts. In some cases it’s simply a case of town pols overreaching into towers’ pockets to fill city coffers. In other cases it’s a national company trying to control a city’s dispatch and rotation program where the city wins big and the towers get the short end of the stick. In yet other cases it’s the tower battling for the right to charge for services rendered, like accident cleanup; battling the town and the insurance companies. These are just a few of the issues. Veteran tow boss John Borowski has begun a “Police-Tower Initiative” that kicks off May 17 in Las Vegas during Tow Industry Week. Borowski believes that his Police Towers of America will be able to deliver the tools the towers need to have successful relationships with the cities and towns that need their services. The call to Las Vegas will give tow bosses an opportunity to get a leg up in local battles. Borowski will be busy in Las Vegas. He is also conducting a three-hour conference on Accident Remediation. The concept: turning accident cleanup into a profit center. Something John and tow
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boss Bill Johnson accomplished in Massachusetts. Speaking of Las Vegas, tow bosses who have either purchased or are considering the purchase of a rotator, should read the cover article on rotator trainer Patrick Zozaya. Besides the rotator training being offered during Tow Industry Week on May 18-19, you’ll learn about the many other educational opportunities on the slate. One of them has to do with the business of recovery and the challenge of collecting on recovery bills. To this end, Tow Industry Week is presenting an exclusive engagement of the famous class conducted by Bob and Eric Fouquette of Recovery Billing Unlimited. From all the testimonials I’ve seen and heard, the Recovery Billing class is worth every penny of admission, which, by the way, allows for two company personnel and the opportunity to take the class a second time. Tow Industry Week and the American Towman ShowPlace–Las Vegas are for tow business owners who are in the game of succeeding. The event is for men and women who are neither complacent nor resigned to mediocrity, and are looking to take their business to another level. Las Vegas, of course, puts a little fun into the agenda. Well, perhaps a lot of fun. While recovery is playing a big role on the Las Vegas agenda, it does so in this issue as well. We feature a tractortrailer with obstacles and impediments that raised the need to recalculate resistance. Read how Pepe’s Towing in Los Angeles handled it on page 30. And on page 24, Operations Editor Randall Resch goes in depth on Arrival Assessments and how a tower upon the scene should case the incident and why.
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 ©2013 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.
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Chattanooga Tackles Rotation Members of the Chattanooga (Tenn.) City Beer/Wrecker Board listened to pleas about the rotation list from local wrecker services at a January council meeting. Wrecker companies are asking the city to fairly distribute work. The city’s rotation list of qualified wrecker services is currently administered by the 9-1-1 emergency call centers. If a trucking company has a preferred towing company on file, that company will be called instead of using the list. Problems often occur when a tow truck driver appears at the site of a wreck and tells the officer that his company is the preferred wrecker company. Towers are asking the board to review the issue thoroughly and level the playing field among the city contractors. A board chairman said it would probably require several more months before new ordinances are completed. Source: www.chattanoogan.com
Miracle: Towers Avoid Injuries A pair of Rockford, Ill., tow trucks responding to a minor accident along I-90 were struck and heavily damaged by a passing semi. Two HAAS Towing trucks were attempting to winch a car out of a ditch when a passing semi collided with one and pushed it into the other. Both trucks flipped over. The semi swerved back into traffic and collided with an RV. It is believed the driver of the semi fell asleep at the wheel. In spite of the heavy damage to multiple vehicles, there were no injuries and the road was cleared in time for morning rush hour traffic. Source: www.rockfordscanner.com 8 • February 2013 - TOWMAN.COM
Joel Johnson Named WreckMaster of Year At the 2012 American Towman Expo in Baltimore, Md., WreckMaster recognized several towers in its annual awards luncheon just before the show floor opened on Friday. Joel Johnson of Best Rate Towing was named the WreckMaster of the Year. “Joel has been involved with Team WreckMaster for many years and his dedication to this great industry has earned him a spot at the top,” said Justin Cruse, president of WreckMaster. Also given awards were the Top 10 WreckMasters for 2012: Jeremy Matthews, Matthews Garage; Kurt Wilson, Joes Towing & Recovery; Scott Eger, Eddies 24 HR Towing; Tad Bokker, White Motor Co. Inc.; Kyle Hodges, Hodges Garage & Towing; Laurence McKay, Suburban Towing and Recovery Inc.; John Potts, Wagners Auto Salvage; Bill Wiganowsky, Wyoming Fleet Services; John Somerville, Abrams Towing; and Sam McGuire, McGuires Towing & Recovery.
Vandal Damages Tower Memorial The roadside memorial for fallen Colorado Springs, Colo., tow operator Allen Rose was vandalized, and his widow spotted the vandal in the despicable act. Police say Rose’s widow watched a man snapping a small cross at her husband’s memorial site along a Colorado Springs street and called police. . Tower Allen Rose was killed on-duty in The memorial sits on February 2012; a memorial for him was Platte Avenue where Rose was recently damaged by a vandal. dragged for more than a mile after becoming tangled in towing ropes when he tried to tow an SUV in February 2012. Rose later died, and Delta Farries was convicted of his death. The memorial has been a gathering place for friends and family, as well as others in the community who remember clearly what happened and wish to pay their respects. The damage is a misdemeanor offense. Source: www.kktv.com
... Towers are asking to level the playing field ... Tow Truck Stolen Surveillance video at Panther Towing in West Palm Beach, Fla., showed thieves using their own tow truck to steal another. The video showed a man walking to Panther’s fenced compound to break in with a pair of bolt-cutters. His partner then drove a tow truck into the compound where they stole a 2011 Ford unit valued at $90,000. The theft took under five minutes. The stolen truck had a GPS unit, but the thieves drove on the turnpike to Delray Beach, and apparently disabled the GPS unit there. After that, the tow truck vanished. “You know, it’s just heartbreaking. It’s bad for me, bad for my employees because they gotta cut down their work and I’ll be doing less calls, and I’ll be makin’ less money,” said Mohammad Ali, Panther’s owner. As of press time, the company was still hoping to get the truck back and asking for help on its Facebook page. Source: www.cbs12.com
Nashville May Raise Towing Fees The Metro council in Nashville, Tenn., is considering raising the maximum amount private towing companies can charge to tow a vehicle when responding to a Metro police call. The rates increase the further you are from the downtown core. Currently, if you’re in the inner loop of downtown interstates, a tow that now costs $85 will go up to $125. Other zone increases would be from $95 to $135, and $105 to $145. The fees haven’t increased since 2008. Dad’s Towing owner Jim Mitchell said business costs have gone up a lot since then. “I pulled my receipts from 2008 and fuel was $1.86 a gallon then, now diesel is $3.80 or $3.90 a gallon,” Mitchell said. He said his insurance has gone up 20 percent since 2008. “So many things caught up with us that we were basically working for nothing,” he said. Source: www.wsmv.com
Towman Ballad & Monument in Las Vegas Both the Towman Balladeer and the Towman Monument are taking their act to Las Vegas for Tow Industry Week. Singer-songwriter Mike Corbin, who debuted the Towman Ballad (The Road Calls) in Baltimore, will sing that and other towing-theme ballads at the American Towman ShowPlace on May 17th and 18th. One of Corbin’s performances will take place by the Towman Monument which is also trekking all the way from the east coast. The Monument, first unveiled in 1998 in Baltimore to oohs and ahhs, will be on display on the exhibit floor inside the Las Vegas Convention Center. The song, The Road Calls portrays a towing professional on call in the middle of the night who happens to see a car go off the road. The subsequent heroic act in the lyrics makes the Ballad an appropriate song to sing before the Towman Monument, which also depicts a heroic scene. AT ShowPlace–Las Vegas will give thousands of towing professionals the opportunity to see Towing’s most famous bronze icon, and hear the live rendition of the Towman Ballad.
New Teen Driver Cellphone Law in Michigan AAA Michigan saluted Gov. Rick Snyder for signing a new law on Jan. 8 that prohibits novice teen drivers from talking on cellphones while driving. Under the bill, teenage drivers with a Level 1 or 2 license will have to comply with cellphone restrictions. The only exemptions will be allowing new teen drivers to report a crash, emergency or crime. Numerous studies have shown that new teen drivers are far more likely to be involved in cellphone-related crashes than older drivers. The new law allows police to issue a civil infraction to teens who are in violation of the new law. AAA Michigan strongly encouraged the passage of the law, referred to as “Kelsey’s Law,” named for Kelsey Raffaele, a 17-year-old Michigan resident who was killed while talking on her cellphone and driving. Source: AAA.com.
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Check Out What’s NEW and HOT! Intelligent Flares The LMPRO-Flare is an LED-based intelligent, rechargeable electronic flare from Lightmodule Inc.’s Portable Utility Light System family. It produces 950 lumens of ultra-bright orange/amber light in a 360-degree pattern that emulates the flame color of a chemical flare. It can be handheld, laid directly on the road or secured atop a 12” orange cone for greater visibility. Light patterns feature a standard flare flicker, S.O.S. Morse code, strobe or anything the customer wants programmed.
Folding Ramp Flatbed
www.lightmodule.com Number 200 on Reader Card
Fix Minor Damage Quickly The Straightwell Tool System from Porter-Ferguson can help repair some damaged areas quicker than conventional methods. The system was designed primarily for wheel well, quarter panel and fender repair; it can also be used to pull minor damage on bumpers, taillight or headlight housings, or anywhere with a pinch weld.
4,000 Lumen Work Light www.lowellcorp.com Number 201 on Reader Card
Custer Products’ new 50-watt LED floodlight, No. WL50RCT, features more than 4,000 lumens to light up work areas. The light has a diecast aluminum housing and stainless steel mounting bracket. Operating voltage is 10-30V DC.
www.custerproducts.com Number 202 on Reader Card
35-ton Light Industrial Trailer Landoll Corp’s Model 835D trailer is a 35-ton capacity hydraulic detachable non-ground bearing unit. The two-axle light-duty industrial/construction trailer has a frame rating with 12’ and is standard with flip third axle brackets and air connections. Lower deck lengths are available up to 32’. The load deck
features a loaded deck height of 18.5” from the ground with a 6.5” clearance. The patented gooseneck has seven ride height positions. The 835D can be equipped with the optional 31” fold-over front ramps to give an 11.5-degree load angle. The 60” ramps give a 5-degree load angle for equipment like asphalt pavers.
www.landoll.com
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s an increasing number of towers add transportation of construction, agriculture and rental equipment to their businesses, Miller Industries launched their new FRF (Folding Ramp Flatbed) industrial carrier. The FRF has a 28’ by 102” deck to accommodate a wide variety of heavy equipment with tracks or tires. The deck sits just over 5” off the chassis frame to accommodate many tall loads, and with the fold-out rear ramp and tail section, equipment can be quickly and easily loaded onto the FRF.
The FRF is standard with a 20,000-lbs. planetary winch with air free spool and both manual and wireless controller to operate the ramp and winch. The deck is constructed of steel and apitong wood. With the low deck height, the operator can secure most loads while standing safely on the ground using the 24 key slots located down the sides of the FRF. A Reese-style hitch receiver and seven-way plug are standard to accommodate towing a trailer behind the FRF. The FRF is designed for a tandem-axle chassis with a minimum 190” from cab to bogie and 56,500-lbs. GVW.
www.millerind.com Number 204 on Reader Card
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TOWMAN.COM - February 2013 • 11
No Routine Incident
by Stacey Tucker and Ray Marin
Once you have made contact with law enforcement or incident command, you can reposition your vehicle. Scan the scene to determine what type of casualty you are dealing with and which parties will be providing assistance. American Towman file photo.
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s multiple agencies continue to work on improving best practices of Incident Management and Quick Clearance, our industry must not only keep up to speed with these expectations, but also remain vigilant on safety. These multiagency coalitions are often focused on minimizing traffic slow downs. A good tow operator will share this goal, but never at the expense of safety. Professional tow truck operators are trained to assess, manage and clear incident scenes; they also must be vigilant about safe practices. It doesn’t matter if you’ve responded to one or 1 million incidents—each situation needs to be looked at freshly with keen eyes. Accept that nothing is routine, and anything can go wrong. The steps to assess your scene will remain the same whether working a disabled vehicle with a flat tire or a multi-car 12 • February 2013 - TOWMAN.COM
pileup with injuries; on a multi-lane freeway or a residential street. Always be prepared for new variables and to react as if the worst has occurred. This is what brings us home safely. Prepare for the worst so you don’t have to live it.
Approaching the Scene Approaching the incident scene can be as dangerous as being a part of the incident. (For a detailed look at “Arrival Assessments,” see Randy Resch’s article on page 24.) As you approach, where the local laws allow, activate your warning lights. This alerts nearby drivers that you are arriving to the incident scene. While emergency lights make you more visible to surrounding motorists, these tools are never permission to ignore other laws, such as speeding. Operators are bound to follow the public roadway laws, unless specifically directed by law enforcement to do differently. In extreme circum-
stances law enforcement may choose to allow the operator to use the shoulder, or some other measure that they deem appropriate. In no circumstance will law enforcement’s direction negate the operator’s responsibility and liability.
Arriving on Scene Pull up behind the first responder vehicles prior to making contact with law enforcement on the scene. Once you have made contact with law enforcement, or incident command, you can reposition your vehicle. It is always easier and safer to adjust your vehicle forward, rather than moving the vehicle back. Visual contact and use of peripheral vision is critical during the entire time you are at the incident. Constantly reassessing the visual clues can be life saving as the scene around you may be rapidly changing. Don’t fall into a false sense of security thinking that the emer-
gency lights protect you. They also serve as a distraction to passing motorists. Before exiting the tow truck, be sure that you are wearing the mandated ANSI Level III safety vest. It’s the law and it saves lives.
Assessing the Scene Once you have safely positioned your tow truck, quickly scan the scene to determine what type of casualty you are dealing with and which parties will be providing assistance to clear the incident. Are there other agencies on the scene? Is it a singular vehicle? How much of the lane of travel is compromised? Don’t get a false sense of security by assuming you fully understand the scene with just this information. Identify additional hazards, like fluid spills, debris, strewn car parts, potential for the casualty to shift or roll, and the potential presence of bloodborne pathogens. Always take time to address potential life-threatening items, like downed power lines. Following a thorough assessment, the operator can determine the next steps
in the priority to clear the lane of travel and get traffic flowing. Take a moment to go over the plan with the Incident Commander and briefly discuss how much time you will need and any additional requests or resources to complete the job. If traffic control is deemed necessary to safely complete the incident removal, this is the time to request it. It is also the right time, whether implied or not, to confirm that the scene is ready to be processed. Law enforcement may need to do a thorough investigation, which could include measurements and pictures. Tow operators should take advantage of that time and opportunity to photograph and document damages for their internal files. Remember, the incident is not over until the four wheels are back on the ground (and damage can occur during a recovery). Additionally, damages on a recovery might not become evident until the vehicle is being towed down the road (like when the airbags don’t deploy until the vehicle is in tow). The other goal of your assessment is
to define a secure and safe work zone while removing the casualty. Beyond an operator’s own safety—keep in mind your position to keep your equipment safe, as well as the motoring public. Taking enough time to properly conduct the assessment phase is critical. Don’t cut corners or your removal/recovery portion of the job can easily be compromised. In general, the assessment should take longer than the actual recovery.
Clearing the Scene During the removal of the casualty, make sure there is a safe travel lane outside of the established incident area and safe work zone. There is a fine balance between identifying enough safe working area and making sure that you are taking no more working area than you need, but safety is non-negotiable. If traffic needs to be shut down for a period of time for safe removal, make such request to law enforcement. Rarely is there great enthusiasm to completely shut down a road, however; there are lives at risk and
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you need to be comfortable asking for what you need to complete the job. Creating a lane of travel still leaves two key areas for secondary accidents. The obvious area is at the incident itself (though traffic is generally slowed enough here); the other danger area is at the end of the traffic back up. This creates an opportunity for secondary collisions and/or vehicles that stray into a different lane, which may place emergency workers at risk. Appropriate traffic management techniques saves lives, and includes cones, flares, toolboxes, lights, signs and more. If one of the other agencies on scene places one or more of these tools out and then leaves the scene because their portion of the job is done, make sure that you continue to be protected. Take two minutes out of the recovery and replace the traffic tools that they removed. Do everything in your power to make sure that you’re looking to oncoming traffic as much as possible. Do everything in your power to not turn your back to oncoming traffic. Don’t ever
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assume that the passing motorist won’t come into your work zone or lane. Protect your body with your equipment and have an escape plan in your head if your equipment moves (struck by a motorist) other than when you intended it to. Never get between the tow truck and the vehicle. If the vehicle casualty is hit from behind, it becomes a life-threatening weapon pushed towards the tow truck (and you, if you are between these vehicles). Once given permission to load the casualty, load the one that is blocking the traffic the most first. With a flatbed, load the vehicle and use enough straps to hold it onto the bed to move to a safer location of the shoulder to finish the hookup. If you are using a wheel-lift, put one strap and one safety chain on and move to the shoulder to finish proper hookup. In other words, secure your load enough (safely) to move to a safer location to properly complete a hookup.
Leaving the Scene Once you’re properly hooked up, make contact with the Incident Com-
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mander to make sure it’s O.K. for you to leave the scene. Once you have been authorized to leave the scene, know your destination prior to pulling away. It’s a distraction to double-check GPS or with dispatch after you’re moving. Stay on the shoulder as you increase speed before pulling onto the road. Turn off your emergency lights as you continue to your destination (unless these are required by law in your state). We’re not trying to scare you, but rather to emphasize the need to always be mindful of safety and handle each incident as unique and attentively. Your life depends on your ability to appropriately assess the risks and make efficient choices in removing the vehicle. Your life depends on it. Chico Towing’s owner, Stacey Tucker, and GM, Ray Marin, share more than 30 years of experience in the towing industry and promote safety for towers everywhere.
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ADVERTISER
ACTION PAGE
AD INDEX
Fax To: 888-847-6035 Page #
RS#
57 44 43 13
102 114 126 153
AT ShowPlace Las Vegas 34, 35, 36
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Autow Custom Die Cast Key Tags 23 B/A Products 23 Blades Tow Right 15 Century 40, 41 Columbus Truck & Equipment 76 Comeup USA 26 Crouch’s Wrecker & Equip. Sales 14 Custer Products 22 DewEze Mfg. 22 Dynamic Towing Equip. & Mfg. 79 Equipment Sales & Service 73 Ford 2, 3 Freightliner 7 Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA) 14 Intek Truck Eq. Finance & Lease 23 I Tow In, Inc. 70 Jerr-Dan Corp. 80 KOLO DBS 15 Landoll Corp. 17
189 108 216 143 105 214 177 128 147 165 152 176 218 110 145 160 124 187 174
Access Tools Agero Akins Body & Carrier Sales Atlantic Emergency Solutions
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Page #
Lift & Tow Lodar/Skidmore Lynch Chicago Matheny Motor Truck Co. Matjack/International Wreckers National Automobile Club New England Truckmaster North American BanCard Pierce Sales Progressive Platforms Purpose Wrecker Sales PWOF 28, Recovery Billing Unlimited Rush Towing Systems Savatech Sovereign/Santander Steck Mfg. Tow Expo Int’l TowLot.com 68, TowMate Warn Worldwide Zendex Tool Corp. Zip’s Truck Equipment
38 38 55 33 39 22 16 5 42 27 71 29 70 37 42 21 17 51 69 32 76 17 15 39
RS#
139 163 149 194 186 178 171 109 117 210 212 136 155 198 148 103 132 —— 159 191 120 151 181 140
February 2013 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
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Rotators, Re covery Recovery Bu siness
Tow Industry Week Las Vegas Event Offers Intensive Instruction on Critical Operations by Steve Calitri
Patrick Zozaya instructing a Rotator class
Patrick Zozaya Certifications: • OSHA Certified Riggers Trainer, 2010 - present. • TRAA Level 3, 2010 - present. • WreckMaster 6/7, 1996 - 2011. • Matjacks Air Cushion Certified Level 1, 2010 - present. • Certified in Brake Maintenance and Repair by Stemco 2011- present. • TTSA certified in heavy-duty recovery, 2008 - present. • Certified by CTTA in light & heavy-duty towing and recovery, 1995 - 2003. • Certified in Railroad Safety and Recovery by: CSX. 2010 - present. • FEMA Certified Levels 100, 200, 400, 700, 2009 – present.
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ailing Patrick Zozaya to conduct Rotator training during the Tow Industry Week in Las Vegas was a must. Zozaya is one of the nation’s most experienced trainers of Rotator application who has instructed all over the country. Indeed, no other trainer in the U.S. has his vast experience doing actual recoveries using the Rotator. Zozaya helps manage Ewing Bros. Towing & Recovery in Las Vegas as the company’s Heavy Duty Supervisor. Ewing Bros. fields 50 drivers and 100 pieces of equipment. The company was founded by the late Ewing brothers (Rex Ewing Sr. passed on in December of 2012). Zozaya is one of many well known industry educators who have signed onto Tow Industry Week, May
16–19. Names like WreckMaster, Fouquette (Recovery Billing Unlimited), and Resch, to name but a few, make up the headliners (visit www.atshowplace.com). Aside from the educational opportunities and special events, the Week also features the American Towman ShowPlace–Las Vegas and the nation’s top suppliers exhibiting their products and services inside the Las Vegas Convention Center, May 17th and 18th. Like many career towing professionals, Zozaya started riding in
wreckers at age five when his father would take him out in his heavy duty wrecker. For the next ten years he even helped his father with hook-ups and at the controls of many uprights of semi’s. By age 16 he was doing it all, and at 19 he set out on his own. Soon he was given a 60-ton Rotator to operate and he began going to recovery training courses in 1995. Zozaya’s list of educational and training credentials in the towing industry are impressive. After more then 15 years of continuous training courses and seminars and 17 years of behind the wheel experience he decided to take towing certification to the next level. In 2010 with help from his long time mentor and veteran trainer, Wes Wilburn, Zozaya became the first Level 3 TRAA certified operator as well as an accredited OSHA certified trainer in the state of Nevada and in the towing industry. With more than 20 taught classes under the eye of Mr. Wilburn he has helped create and develop a one of a kind Rotator/OSHA certification. His straight forward talk and real life experiences have set him apart in the training field and is one of the reasons many travel across the country to attend this course. In 2009 Zozaya led the Ewing Bros. team that won the Heavy Duty Donnie trophy in Baltimore, awarded for excellence in recovery performance. Zozaya’s experience in the field of heavy duty recovery with both rotators and traditional wreckers is as deep as it gets. The two-day Rotator course being offered is part of Tow Industry Week,
both in classroom and in the field, hands-on training. The two-day course fee is $475 for those registering by March 30th. The first four-hour classroom session on Rotator usage takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Saturday May 18th, which includes the OSHA Qualified Rigger Certification. This four-hour classroom session is also part of the 360˚ Conference that attendees can buy into for just $75. Those who have purchased the full two-day course will have time to be on the Exhibit floor and then are transported to the Ewing Bros. facility for the outdoor training session that evening. Eight hours of training the following day, Sunday, May 19th, completes the 16 hour course and earns OSHA Certification as well as Rotator Certification from the American Towing & Recovery Institute, the training organization Zozaya co-founded in 2010.
The Conferences Intensive educational sessions are the hallmark of the educational program offered during Tow Industry Week (co-sponsored by TowIndustryWeek.com and American Towman Magazine). There are six conferences, some 16 seminars in all, that focus on six critical areas of running a towing business (see Six Conferences sidebar on page 20). There are also two courses independent of the Conferences, the Rotator Training Course and the famous eight-hour Recovery Billing Course conducted by Bob and Eric Fouquette of Recovery Billing Unlimited, taking place Friday and Saturday mornings at the Las Vegas Convention Center. TOWMAN.COM - February 2013 • 19
Tow Industry Week; May 16-19, 2013
Six Conferences
Go to ATShowPlace.com
$75 Passport gets you into all Conferences and Seminars
The Big Corrections
Recovery Business
Correcting critical areas of your towing operation and how they are managed is the focus of this conference. The three areas: Hiring and Maintaining a Motivated Professional Team of Tow Operators, Upgrading Dispatch, Cost Control. Presenters: Randall Resch, AT, Matt Gunzenhaeuser, TomTom, Shon Allen, SSCS-Digital Dispatch. Thursday, May 16, 2-5 pm
will present groundbreaking seminars on critical issues of Recovery: Standards for Recovery Classification and Billing, Case Incidents (marrying specific recovery tasks to fee structures). The Recovery Conference is designed to help tow bosses take their Recovery game to the next level of professionalism. Presenters: Team WreckMaster, John Borowski, Amber Scene Clean, Friday 8–11 am
Accident Remediation
The 360˚ Conference
Session 1: Evolution of accident cleanup: laws, expectations and obligations, and why tow business owners should be doing it today to make a profit. Session 2: Getting started with equipment, training, billing and collections; how to work successfully with insurance companies. Presenter: John Borowski, Amber Scene Clean Saturday, 8–11 am
All about rotators; usage, applications, economics, politics of road clearance. What does it take for a heavy-duty wrecker operator to learn a rotator? How can you make the Rotator work for you economically? What are the issues with DOTs regarding the Rotator and highway clearance? When and how to apply the Rotator. Includes OSHA Qualified Rigger Certification. Presenter: Patrick Zozaya, American Towing & Recovery Institute Saturday, 8 am to 12 noon, May 18
Impound Conference Shrewd management of your impound yard and unclaimed vehicles can turn into a significant profit center for your towing business. Negligent management can lose you money and have your company skirting illegality. The Impound Conference covers these critical issues: Auctions (on-site and online), Lien Compliance and Inventory Management, Profitability. Presenters: Brandon Richard, TowLot.com, Brian Handy, Insurance Auto Auctions, Jim Taylor, AutoData Direct, Friday, 8–11 am
Sales and Promotion Promotion of towing services is being revolutionized by the Internet, Social Media, and Smartphones. This Conference shows you how to take your creative promotional ideas to these new platforms. It also shows you how to economically promote yourself via video on the Internet. Presenter: Mike Rappaport, OMG National, Thursday, May16, 5pm
Recovery Billing
Independent Course: $1850 The famous 8 – hour course presented by Bob and Eric Fouquette, whose Big Wheel Towing and Recovery company spawned Recovery Billing Unlimited. Bob and Eric were Towmen of the Year in 2010 for pioneering education of recovery billing to rave reviews from tow business owners who have taken the course. Since that time, the Fouquettes have taught hundreds of tow bosses and the rave reviews about the value of the class has continued to this day. The course covers: • Remediation of the Accident Scene • Proper way of writing recovery invoices • Billing liability insurance • Billing for vehicles that only have property damage coverage • Obtaining payment from insurance companies The fee for your company’s enrollment is $1850. The company owner may and should bring his billing clerk to attend. The fee 20 • February 2013 - TOWMAN.COM
Bob Fouquette
includes both individuals. Both may repeat the class twice at no additional fee. Classes are usually held at the Big Wheel/Recovery Billing Unlimited facility in Freetown, Massachusetts. American Towman presents this exclusive engagement in Las Vegas, 8 am till 12 noon, May 17th and 8 am till 12 noon on May 18th. Attendees must be at both sessions. Several hundred tow business owners have taken this course since it was first introduced in 2009, and the overwhelming critique has been: two thumbs up. The course typically has been credited by tow business owners for increasing their revenues by hundreds of thousands of dollars. The course includes breakfast each morning. For more details on the course, you may call Recovery Billing Unlimited directly to speak with either Bob, Eric or Linda: 508-763-5927. All payments are made to American Towman by check or credit card.
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Standing Named Trinity SVP Trinity Underwriting Managers named, Stephen Standing, senior vice president to develop new programs and strengthen the company’s agent force. Standing has extensive relationships with both the carriers and reinsurers that focus on writing program business. Standing started as an underwriter for Homestead Insurance Co. in 1996. Most recently, he was SVP at Kirkway International.
Trinity offers a full line of products created for specialty classes of transportation and writes policies in 48 states, excluding Massachusetts and Alaska. www.tumi-ins.com
Lodar Expands in U.S. Lodar will expand its presence in the U.S. market with the help of Wade Pierce of Pierce Sales. Pierce will become marketing manager of Lodar USA and focus on building relationships and new markets for Lodar’s expanding product range. In conjunction with this appointment,
Lodar created a distribution network to provide faster service for the customer. Distributors now have access to the full range of products from the company’s Henrietta, Texas, warehouse. For more information, check out www.lodarusa.com
GPS Insight Adds Hours of Service GPS Insight added an Hours of Service Solution to its tracking software intended for fleets that need both electronic driver logs and GPS tracking combined. Their EOBR-1000 device combines GPS tracking with an Electronic Onboard Recorder and Electronic Driver Logs. The application integrates electronic Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports in a workflow environment ensuring compliance with inspections and omitting paper forms. The Hours of Service Solution should reduce HOS violations, eliminate driver paperwork and reduce log-auditing time. www.gpsinsight.com
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Arrival
Assessments It’s All in Your Approach
by Randall C. Resch
A
rrival assessment in law enforcement demands that officers develop skills to immediately evaluate an incident or accident scene and take the necessary steps to prevent further harm. For us towers, we too have the need for determining immediate on-scene actions. Much of arrival assessment is learned on the job and oftentimes takes years to perfect. This industry is a hands-on, skills24 • February 2013 - TOWMAN.COM
based profession; the more we’re exposed to varying conditions, the better we become at adapting to various scenarios, but not without being exposed to continuous dangers. Arrival assessment is one’s ability to first visualize what’s necessary to get the job done, and react accordingly in a moment’s notice. From the moment your boots hit the ground, your guarantee of survival greatly decreases and raises the odds of you becoming a strike victim. Learning to
recognize on-scene dangers is the primary component of arrival assessment; however, there are other components of consideration.
Truck Positioning Arrival assessment demands that the tow truck or carrier be positioned in the best location offering both mechanical advantage for the recovery and impact protection to the driver—without having to make adjustments (move to another
advantage point) to complete the recovery or load the vehicle. Towers should consider placing their tow vehicle in a position that offers the most protection, especially when working recoveries or loading carriers from roadside shoulders. Working the nontraffic side should be a conscious choice vs. standing in locations openly exposed to approaching traffic.
Situational Awareness Arrival assessment demands that towers react to immediate and present dangers. Will on-scene circumstances force you to work an incident with your tow truck positioned within middle traffic lanes and as traffic flows around you? Where’s the safest place to stand? Do you choose to work from a vantage point that offers you the most possible protection? Vehicle owners or others involved in traffic tows further complicate on-scene responsibilities, because we’re saddled with their safety. Vehicle owners and riders have no clue as to the dangers of the highway, making it your responsibility to get them into your truck with seatbelts fastened, behind a guardrail, up an embankment, or any other location out of harm’s way. The moment you’re out of the tow truck, you must take control of their actions before any recovery or loading procedures are initiated. The number one cause of tower fatalities is towers working outside the tow truck as pedestrians. If a vehicle is headed in your direction, is there time for you to take evasive actions and avoid being hit? Probably not! Do you sweep towards traffic or set flares with your eyes constantly on approaching traffic? Are you standing on a bridge where any attempt to dodge a speeding car could result in a deadly fall?
The Right Equipment Arrival assessment is similar to all classes of tow truck; only the vehicle sizes are different. Not all recoveries will work within the safe-working load limits of your company’s trucks, so there may come the need to request assistance. Mutual-aid relationships should be developed prior to actually needing them. For law-enforcement towers, mutual aid or use of sub-contractors may or may not be allowed by contract. If the on-scene incident commander is aware your company doesn’t have the equipment or experience to handle a recovery, they may cancel your company and request another company respond to the scene. Once you’ve landed on-scene and you’ve determined that specialty equipment is needed to get the job done, communicate your recovery plan to the incident commander or officer in-charge. This is especially true when working bigrig scenarios or accidents requiring hazmat collection or other extended cleanup.
Looking Up Arrival assessment includes looking at the casualty vehicle’s path where it left the roadway; determining the path is important to your recovery. A vehicle that struck a pole can cause downed wires, a splintered pole or even a loose transformer dangling above. A vehicle in the trees makes for a dangerous recovery and questionable access. Most likely, there will be little to no information given during initial tow requests. Arrival assessment requires for-
ward thinking. If a truck crashes through a bridge barrier and lands below, drivers must evaluate the danger of debris hanging overhead before beginning the recovery below.
Communicate Once you’ve formulated a recovery plan, your ability to communicate your on-scene actions is a primary function. Never begin a critical recovery activity until it’s been thoroughly discussed with the incident commander and other first responders or entities working the scene. This is especially true for fatality incidents. Barging into a fatality investigation and destroying critical evidence is a sure way to be removed from rotation. For critical incidents, your best action is to pull over, make immediate contact, and gather instructions as to what steps will be taken next. One movement that shouldn’t be conducted (until approved) is that of turning your tow truck around on the highway not until you’ve discussed your recovery plan with the incident manager or officer on-scene. Listen for specific details and instructions that describe how the agency will stop traffic or make traffic breaks to assist your movements.
Competency In section eight of California’s Tow Service Agreement, it states “The operator shall ensure tow truck drivers responding to calls initiated by the CHP are competent.” A component of “competency” is the tower’s ability to function with marginal
Techniques Arrival assessment includes your ability to determine the correct techniques you’ll need to work for the scenario. A tower’s ability to determine the best on-scene techniques is ultimately dictated by experience: what works on one scene may not work for the next, but experience tells the difference. Creative tow operators study and internalize what works and what doesn’t.
Situational awareness is key on arrival; are there downed power lines, a railroad, steep embankment or any other dangers to keep in mind?
TOWMAN.COM - February 2013 • 25
Never begin a critical recovery before discussing your plan with incident command. Story photos courtesy of Somerset Hills Towing, Bridgewater, N.J.
supervision while applying learned techniques and methods to tow and recover vehicles. Section eight quietly assumes that towers who respond are trained and professional. Sending an inexperienced or incompetent tower to an officer’s request for services is another way to get removed from the agency’s rotation.
Incident management requires onscene competency. Where incompetent or reckless techniques are employed, everybody working the same scenario is placed further at risk because of operator incompetency. Arrival assessment is the tower’s ability to basically look, see and do … nothing less. The process is easy, yet
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often takes years to develop a good grasp of what arrival assessment entails. For drivers who don’t wrap their minds around what arrival assessment means, both your reputation and that of your company is highly at stake. Remember; the best scenarios are the ones where an on-scene officer doesn’t have to babysit you … they go back to police work leaving you to work your magic. Your on-scene actions dictate what kind of tower you are. The demands and expectations by law enforcement are extremely high. Arrival assessment, at its best, is a personal undertaking every tower should take seriously to becoming a true professional.
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.
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The front axle was ripped off the tractor and caught on a concrete ledge.
Recalculating Resistance the
Damage and Obstacles Complicate Semi Recovery by Joshua Acosta, Pepe’s Towing; Los Angeles, Calif.
Originally given to dispatch as 100' over the side, the unit was closer to 250' past the guardrail.
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W
e received an agency call in the morning to respond for a tractortrailer that had gone 100’ over the side. We responded with our 60-ton B&B fixed-boom truck and our Century 9055 50-ton unit. Upon arrival it was immediately determined the casualty was at least 250’ down on an approximate 30-degree slope. It was jack-knifed with the front axle torn out, and the tractor’s tandems were resting over a concrete ledge (first obstacle). The trailer contained two pallets of dry goods and an electric pallet jack. Caltrans began to shut down one lane for the recovery, and this gave time for our Century 60-ton rotator to arrive. The game plan was to put one line plus chokers (courtesy of Charlie at Bob’s Towing) from each heavy onto the trailer to straighten out the unit. Well, that didn’t work too well as the tractor’s wheels added to the resistance because of the concrete ledge. At this point we sum-
moned our Century 40-ton rotator to come and assist. Using the California Tow Truck Association recovery formula (Rolling resistance [R] + Gradient [G] + Damage/drag [D] = Total Load [TL]), we calculated the total load to be 79,000 lbs., where R = 33 percent of 80,000 lbs., G = 50 percent of 80,000 lbs., and D = 12,000 lbs. due to the missing front axle. I rigged for 80,000 lbs., even though the actual casualty weight was closer to 45,000 lbs. Initially the trailer brakes were caged, but the tractor wheels were purposely left locked to aid in swinging the unit around. Once our 40-ton rotator arrived it attached to the rear of the tractor using 200’ of wire rope and a 100’ choker. Problem solved! The minute this line was engaged, it began to bring the tractor around and thus assisted in straightening out the trailer. We next caged the four tractor brakes (no easy task). All three units began winching simultaneously, and as TOWMAN.COM - February 2013 • 31
wire rope ran out due to choker length, we alternated suspending the casualty with two units as chokers were removed and winch lines were attached straight to the casualty. This occurred three times. As the unit was brought up, we began to turn it clockwise, and this forced us to move our equipment to adjust to different angles. Again, we always had two units on the casualty, as each tow unit was relocated. As we began to jack-knife the unit for the turn, we ran a 25’ strap over the left side of the trailer from the landing gear to prevent tipping. We did this until the casualty was safe and parallel to the guardrail. We were then able to raise the unit (with much cribbing) over the guardrail and onto the freeway. Once set, the 40-ton swung the casualty around to pull the trailer wheels as straight as possible because of a badly tweaked suspension. From there, it was just a “hook and book,” and we were off to the yard!
The tractor and trailer were lifted in tandem over the guardrail and back onto the highway.
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Bid Proposal Shot Down
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It’s back to the drawing board for the Bryan (Texas) Police Department after Bryan council members rejected a proposal to overhaul how the city interacts with tow companies. Chief Eric Buske proposed selecting just one company for police to recommend to drivers involved in a wreck. Buske said it is essentially an endorsement of the company by the city and is an alternative to a system in which tow trucks “swarm” the scenes of accidents. The proposal was pulled after heavy resistance from the tow truck companies, who met with Buske and the council members. City staff is in the process of drafting stronger regulations for the companies. “The council at this point would like to have the chief and staff meet with some of the wrecker companies and talk about their concerns and come up with a compromise beneficial to both sides,” the mayor said. Buske said police started to create the proposal in 2012 after years of dealing with tow truck drivers not showing up when called and not being professional. Buske said tow drivers have been arrested on the job for driving without a license, driving with a suspended license, driving while intoxicated, a hit-and-run and criminal mischief. Buske said eliminating the rotation system is essentially off the table and that he will instead look to such measures as performing background checks on drivers, giving longer suspensions for companies in violation of state law and limiting each company to one spot on the rotation. Some companies enjoy a loophole in the current city ordinance in which each of their trucks are claimed as a separate company, thus giving one owner several spots on the rotation. Source: www.theeagle.com.
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Towers Protest Contracts Several towing companies in New Braunfels, Texas, are protesting a new towing contract system. Some say the selection system showed favoritism and one of the contracts is a conflict of interest. The city council recently approved contracts for four wrecker companies to respond to police-related calls; previously, the police department used 17 companies on a rotation.
City officials say the police chief requested changing the contract system due to problems with some of the companies. “The bid was for one company. At the last city council meeting, they decided to go with four companies. That’s another issue, a major issue we have with the process,” said Garrison Maurer, owner of Comal Towing. He also has copies of a proposal that says one of the currently contracted com-
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panies has listed a police officer as a tow truck driver. “I feel that probably swayed in some of the decisions,” said Armando Hernandez, owner of Hernandez Towing. “I feel like I was wronged. I feel like my mouth was taped shut. I wasn’t able to contact the city council or the police department or anything.” The city declined to comment on the pending litigation. Source: www.woai.com.
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TOWMAN.COM - February 2013 •
In spite of Hurricane Sandy hitting New Jersey and New York, the 24th American Towman Exposition was a success. Towers came from all 50 states and a do zen nations. Over $100 million was transacted among 200 plus industry suppliers insi de the Baltimore Convention Center.
10,000 towing professionals celebrated at 20 American Towman events, 30 seminars, and an exhibit floor loaded for bear. Towers were recognized for their heroism, dedicati on, and performance excellence. They partied at Miller Rocks, Festival Night, the International Feast and they were thrilled hearing towing’s first ballad.
The American Towman experience was all businesslike, educational and fun! A whirlwind of activity that uplifted the spirits and perspective of tow bosses in the U.S. and around the world. Mark your calendars for
November 15–17, 2013 when the Towing Industry gathers again in Baltimore!
2012
American Towman Medal Recipients
AT Editor Brendan Dooley placing the Towman Medal
Nick Webb, Webb’s Towing, Anchorage, Alaska Outside Anchorage, Alaska, a giant ice wall let loose and dropped several tons of ice on a passing pickup truck, trapping nurse Amanda Lawton inside the vehicle. “It flattened the roof to the bottom of the window. And it pushed her down, her face to her lap,” said a fireman. Some passing drivers stopped to help, but were unable to free her. They noticed she was struggling to breathe. Tow truck driver Nick Webb of Webb’s Towing was on his way to another call, but happened upon the scene within minutes of the ice crashing down. Without knowing what exactly ha d happened, and with giant chunks of ice smashed and in the road and possibly more to fall, Webb knew he had to do something. “I came around this corner and saw crushed ice, just big chunks of ice all in the road, and this car right in the middle of it,” Webb said. “Everyone was kind of in a panic.” Webb tried to push down on the pickup’s door with the wheel lift on his truck, but couldn’t force it off it’s hinges. Failing that, he decided to try to raise the crushed roof so the woman might at least be able to straighten up some to breathe. He extended the boom over the crushed roof and passed cable through the cab and around the pillars and winched the roof up to nearly its normal height. “We were just trying to relieve pressure,” he said. “She was squished.” “It was a huge thing that he did,” said the fire chief. American Towman Medal
Jeff Smith, Safari Towing, Mckinney, Texas Safari Towing’s Jeff Smith of McKinney, Texas, happened upon a severe car crash on Highway 121 moments after it occurred. “I saw black smoke, a big rig on its side on fire and a blue SUV in the middle of the road. I immediately parked my truck between the big rig and the SUV. 52 • February 2013 - TOWMAN.COM
As soon as I got out of the truck I heard a lady screaming, ‘Help, help,’ ”Smith said. “I ran to her vehicle and tried to open both front doors with no luck. The dash was already crashed into the lady's feet and trapped her into the car. Then I busted the window with my left hand and tried to open the door from the inside but it wouldn’t work. “I grabbed a hammer and a crowbar from my truck and worked feverishly to open the door.” “From the corner of my eye, I noticed flames growing higher and noticed the electric pole that was hit looked like it might come crashing down,” Smith said. “All the training we do at Safari Towing came into play. I pulled my truck around, lowered my flatbed down and hooked my winch cable up to her vehicle and dragged her car with her in it into the center island and away from the flames and smoke.” As he was doing this, not only did fire squads come on-scene, but the power pole collapsed. Smith’s actions not only saved the trapped woman, but also spared likely injuries to responders who could’ve been working under that pole. American Towman Medal
Stephen Voller Jr., Scorpio Towing & Recovery, Providence, R.I. Around 1 a.m. on a Friday evening in August 2010, while dropping a tow in the Scorpio Towing yard, driver Stephen Voller Jr. looked up and saw what he described as a UFO. It was actually an Audi A6 that had driven off the road; the vehicle skimmed the tops of several trees and fell down a 60-foot embankment and landed upside down in the river. Voller called 911 immediately and ran to the severely damaged vehicle to see if there were any survivors. An off-duty firefighter also witnessed the crash and ran down to the scene as well. Two passengers were conscious and alert; Stephen helped maneuver them out of the vehicle to safety. First responders arrived and performed CPR on the driver who did not survive. The two passengers were later released from the hospital with only minor injuries. “If Stephen hadn't been there in our impound yard … and
responded to the accident so quickly, the two passengers may not be alive today,” said Duane Souza, owner of Scorpio Towing. “Our tow truck drivers are not just drivers of trucks, they are rescuers. They rescue us when our vehicles are broken down on the side of the road and in the face of danger.”
shooter was killed in a police standoff at his home the next day. Marker said from the time he got the second call from dispatch until the van sped off and he realized there had been a police shooting was less than three minutes. Towman Commendation
American Towman Medal
Nate Bristow, Tommie’s Auto & Diesel, Walterboro, S.C. In August 2012, Nate Bristow of Tommie’s Auto & Diesel responded to a county rescue request for an overturned tractor-trailer with entrapment on I-26 in South Carolina. The truck driver was pinned beneath the damaged cab. Emergency responders had been unsuccessful in getting the man out and Bristow was called as time became short. He responded in his 75-ton rotator, and was able to rig quickly through various trees and crash debris, around the cab and to the frame rails for extrication. The driver was flown from the scene to a hospital in Charleston. Towman Commendation
Leroy Frank Marker, Rusty’s Towing, South Strabane Township, Pa. In December 2011, Leroy Frank Marker received a police request for a tow near Strabane, Pennsylvania. En route, he received a call from the dispatcher for his location—she said the officers’ were getting antsy. He told her he was about two minutes away. “Then as I came around a corner, I saw two police cars and one pulling away,” Marker said. “It seemed like a regular impound. As I got closer, I saw a body on the ground; I pulled in and turned my lights on, and then saw a guy run back to a van. “He said ‘I’m getting the hell out of here,’ and I said, ‘No you’re not.’ “ Marker wasn’t sure what he’d rolled up on then, but thought the van driver may have hit someone at the scene passing by. “I tried to block him from leaving in the van, and reached in to pull the keys out of the ignition. I walked towards the body and realized it was an officer hurt on the ground and then realized it was a police shooting.” “I didn’t know everything else that was going on, but it was a good thing he didn’t have more bullets, or he might have shot me. But I didn’t know that at the time.” According to a news report, before Marker was on-scene, “The two officers were shot less than a minute after the suspect followed orders to step out of his blue Dodge minivan. Officer John Dryer was first shot in the left side of his groin. A second bullet struck Officer Robert Caldwell in the hand after he took cover in his squad car. The suspect then stood over Dryer and fired one fatal shot into the right side of the officer’s head.” The other officer was driving to safety and radioing for help when Marker arrived. Marker was taken to police barracks for questioning, and identified the shooter for investigators. The
Christopher Hughes, Austin Hughes, Call Christopher Wrecker Service, Grove Hill, Ala. A teenager was scavenging scrap metal out of a rural dump site on private property above a gully by backing his small pickup to the edge of the decline and hooking scrap to his truck and pulling it up part of the hill. At one point, he parked his truck too close to the embankment. When he got out of the vehicle, it began to roll backwards and he jumped into Christopher Hughes the bed in an effort to somehow stop American Towman Medal the truck. It rolled all the way down the ravine, more than 100 feet, and flipped upside down, trapping him beneath. His body, from the chest down, was pinned by the cab of the truck in the vegetation. “Police and fire responded and couldn’t free the teen, so they called us out,” said owner Christopher Hughes. “We went down there and it was crazy because we had to back up Austin Hughes our much bigger wrecker nearly to the Towman Commendation edge where the little truck had rolled in. I had to climb down the ravine on a very steep slope with 100 feet worth of rigging and snatch blocks to setup the rescue,which was getting time sensitive.” Christopher rigged around several trees on the slope and down to the ravine, while his son, Austin, was at the truck on the edge and worked the controls. “It was just one of those odd recoveries,” Christopher said. “We were at risk trying to save him because he wasn't thinking about the risk when he backed his truck so close to the ravine's edge.” Dylan Edmondson, Kevin Stull, Tony Weller, Tom Shockey, Heather Laman, Jason Worth, Dave Rotz, Tyler Minnich, Ryan Sites, Tom Shockey Collision, Waynesboro, Pa. In June 2012, there was a multi-car accident right outside Tom Shockey Collision in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. A Jeep rear ended a VW convertible, then ran into a Dodge truck that flipped over a guardrail above a creek bed culvert. The Dodge landed on its side and looked ready to fall 15 feet into the creek on its roof at any time. It was held in place by one fencepost that was stabbing into the cab, trapping two adults and an infant in a car seat. Upon the noise of the collision, the crew at Tom Shockey sprang into action to help control the scene and assist until first responders could arrive. “The guys jumped over the guardrail and discovered a man, a woman and a baby in a carseat in the Dodge,” Heather Laman said. TOWMAN.COM - February 2013 • 53
Dylan Edmondson
Kevin Stull
Tony Weller
American Towman Medal
Tom Shockey
Heather Laman
Tyler Minnich
Dylan Edmondson, Kevin Stull and Tony Weller had gone straight to the Dodge, seeing it ready to drop into the culvert. “They realized they could only get the baby out from there, and cut her out and handed her over the guardrail to me standing in the roadway,” Laman said. Edmondson, Stull and Weller stayed on the narrow ledge above the culvert working to keep the Dodge from falling in. Other employees had gotten into company tow trucks to assist at the scene and block traffic. Owner Tom Shockey used a light-duty wrecker to push the Jeep out of the way and back up to the Dodge, so that he and Dave Rotz could get rigging and equipment to the workers on the ledge to secure the Dodge. “We had no way at that moment to get the adults out,” Laman said, but they did get the truck safe from falling into the culvert. Employees Tyler Minnich and Ryan Sites were on-scene helping with equipment and rigging. Sites also brought fire extinguishers from shop for fire control in case, with the mix of steam, heat and fluids. Finally, the first thing employee Jason Worth did upon hearing the accident was jump into a rollback and drive up the road far enough to block and direct traffic off the busy roadway and divert it onto side streets, away from the accident scene and all the debris. His quick thinking prevented further tie-ups, potential secondary accidents and gave people room to work safely.
Towman Commendation
The Inspiration of the Silver Star The American Towman Silver Star–The Joe Doblmeier Memorial Award– is given to an individual who has overcome a major adversity and has continued contributing to the community and the towing and recovery industry. The 2012 Silver Star went to 31 year-old Richard “Bubba” White, the owner of White’s Wrecker Service in Panama City, Fla. Richard “Bubba” White In 2004 Bubba suffered a traumatic accident while on the job and his injuries led to a bone cancer diagnosis (Osteosarcoma). After treatments and remission, the doctors replaced his knee and lower leg bone. The knee was defective and caused infections that he battled from 2005 on. In May of 2011, in the hospital again, doctors cleaned out his infection and did a whole leg and knee replacement again. But a staph infection kept reemerging and finally in August of 2011, Bubba was given two options: lose his leg or his life. Throughout three major operations, Bubba kept returning to his wrecker. When he was released on August 25 after his leg was
54 • February 2013 - TOWMAN.COM
removed, it took him but one week to be back at work, performing a double tractor-trailer rollover. In the words of the person who nominated Bubba: From the time he went into the hospital to present day, he has not let his bumpy roads in life drag him down. He ran his business from a cell phone in the hospital bed and has been driving and operating his tow trucks on a regular, every day basis. I nominate him because he is living proof to his industry that no matter what happens, or how bad things may seem to be, it is possible to pick up the pieces and go on with life. He loves his family, his wife and two young children, his business and his industry so much that he could not quit fighting for any of them. If you ever meet him, you will see a one-legged man, wearing a uniform and a smile. Sitting in the driveway will be his bright red 16 ton wrecker.
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Mark Your Calendar for AT EXPO XXV Nov. 15-17, 2013
1-800 Rescue 911 AAA AASP/PA Access Tools pg. 57 Advantage Funding Agero pg. 44 AHT Automotive all-Grip Vehicle Recovery Sys. Allstate Roadside Services AMBEST Amdor American Force Wheels American Safety & Supply American Towman Magazine American Towman Standards Authority American Towman TV American Truck Technology AmeriDeck Anchor Graphics ARI Hetra Astralease Associate Atlantic Emergency Solutions pg. 13 Atomic LED, Inc. Auto Data Direct, Inc. Automotive Training Institute (ATI) Autow Custom Die Cast Key Tags pg. 23 AW Direct, Inc. B/A Products pg. 23 Bailey's Towing Accessories Bad Dog Tools Batch Out Beacon Funding Beacon Software Blades Tow Right pg. 15 Cal-Van Tools Car-Part.com Century pg. 40, 41 Challenger Chevron Clean Planet Enterprises Code 3, Inc. Comeup USA pg. 26 Commercial Safety Services Convoy Safety Technologies Copart Auto Auctions Crouch's Wrecker & Equip. Sales Custer Products Custom Werks Graphics Dangelo Auto Body DewEze Mfg. pg. 22 Digital Ally, Inc. Dual-Tech DudaMobile Dynamic Towing Equip. & Mfg. pg. 79 East Penn Sales Eye3Data Excel Sportswear Extreme Toys Federal Signal Flash Equipment FleetDown FleetNet America Flitz International Ford Commercial Truck pg. 2, 3 Free State Nam Knights Gaither Tool Company GEICO GM Fleet/Commercial Gwinnett Place Wreckers & Carriers
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Hale Trailer Brake & Wheel Hanscom K. Happy Feet Harrison Hydra-Gen Heil Trailer International Hella, Inc. Hino Motor Sales USA Holmes I Tow In pg. 70 IGTC - McManus Peard Gesl In The Ditch Towing Products Industrial Netting InSight USA Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA) pg. 14 Int'l Hall of Fame Museum Integrated Vehicle Equip. Leasing Intek Truck Equipment Finance & Leasing pg. 23 Jerr-Dan Corporation pg. 80 KeylessRide KOLO DBS pg. 15 Landoll Corporation pg. 17 Lift And Tow pg. 38 Lodar/Skidmore pg. 38 Lynch Chicago pg. 55 Magic Massage Therapy Magnetworks/Stamp Works Martens Johnson Insurance Massage Corner Matheny Motor Truck Co. pg. 33 Matjack International Wreckers pg. 39 Mfr Express Mid-Atlantic Rescue/TOMAR Miller Industries, Inc. pg. 40, 41 Minimizer Muncie Power Products Nation Safe Drivers (NSD) National Automobile Club pg. 22 National Insurance Brokerage/NY National Interstate Insurance Co. National Motor Club (Coach-Net) Navistar Inc./International Truck NBB Controls NGVAmerica NRC Industries Ochoa Roadrunner Products, Inc. OMG National Pay Anywhere Penny Pockets Pep Express Parts/Pep Boys Permco Hydraulics Phoenix USA, Inc. Photo Card Specialists Pierce Sales, Inc. pg. 42 Pillow Protection Corporation Poly Bilt Body Co. Pop - A - Lock PowerArc Powerhouse Industries Prime Industries Pro-Vision Video Systems Progressive Commercial Insurance Progressive Platforms pg. 27 Purpose Wrecker pg. 71 Quality Craft Tools Quest Towing Services R-O-M Corp. Race Ramps Ram Trucks/Chrysler Fleet Ramsey Winch
Ranger SST RC Industries, Inc. Recovery Billing Unlimited pg. 70 Ricky's Sales & Service/UD Trucks RMP Powertrain Solutions Road America Robert Young's Wrecker Sales ROI Protective Tapes Rontan Signals RP Recovery Consulting Rush Towing Systems pg. 37 Safety Vision Savatech Corp. pg. 42 Shazam Slick Top Solutions SoundOff Signal Sovereign Bank/Santander pg. 21 Spartan Safety Supply Specialty Vehicle & Equip Funding Speed Tech Lights Square SSCS Star Headlight (Signal Veh. Prod) Steck Mfg. Co. pg. 17 Stertil-Koni, USA Summit Truck Equipment Super Springs Int'l Superior Signals Superwinch LLC Susquehanna Wire Rope T.R.A.A. T.R.P. Maryland Talbert Mfg. TCF Equipment Finance Tech International Teletrac The Insurance Professionals TIS / Transportation Info Systems TOMTOM Tow Canada Tow Professional Tow Times Towing & Equipment Magazines Towing.com Towingnearyou.com Towlot.com pg. 68, 69 towPartners TowProgram.com towXchange Trackable Response Tracker Management Systems Trail-Eze/Dakota Mfg. Transit Pros Travis Barlow Insurance Truck Country Tulsa Winch, Inc. USAC/MD Velvac Vulcan Warn Industries pg. 76 West End Service Whelen Engineering Co. Will-Burt Company Wireless Links Worldwide Equipment, LLC pg. 17 WreckMaster Zip's Truck Equipment pg. 39 Zone Defense
Number 102 on Reader Card
Light-Duty 2011-2012 Class 1st 1st Place - Morton’s Towing & Recovery, Clarksburg, Md 2011 Ford F-550 and 2011 Century 312.
Light-Duty Pre-2011 Class 2nd 2nd Place - Pete’s Towing Westbury, NY 2009 Dodge 4500 and 2009 Chevron Autogrip 408A.
3rd 3rd Place - United Body Works, Long Island City, NY 2009 Chevy Silverado and 2009 Dynamic 701.
2nd 2nd Place - Auto Beautifiers Rockford, IL 2012 Ford F-550 4x4 and 2012 Jerr-Dan MPL-40.
Sponsored by Dual-Tech
3rd 3rd Place - Safeway Towing New Rochelle, NY .2011 Ford F550 and 2011 Vulcan
58 • February 2013 - TOWMAN.COM
1st 1st Place - Swift Towing & Recovery Flushing, NY 2000 Ford F550 and 2000 Century 312.
TOWMAN.COM - February 2013 • 59
Medium-Duty Class
Carrier Class
2nd
2nd
2nd Place - Bach Towing East Long Meadow, Mass. 2006 Peterbilt 335 and 2006 Chevron 14 Ton.
2nd Place - American Auto Body & Recovery Maspeth, NY 2012 Ford F550 and 2012 Jerr-Dan Flatbed.
Sponsored by Dual-Tech
3rd 3rd Place - Green’s Garage Hampstead, Md 2011 International 4300 EC and 2011 Century 21’ 6” Roll Back/Car Carrier.
1st 1st Place- Horton’s Wecker Service, Inc. Haymarket Va 2013 Hino 258 and 2012 21’ Jerr-Dan
1st 1st Place - Jet’s Towing Brooklyn, NY 2011 International 4400 and 2011 Century 3212 / 16 Ton.
60 • February 2013 - TOWMAN.COM
TOWMAN.COM - February 2013 • 61
Vintage Class
Champion Sponsored by Dual-Tech
2nd
2nd Place - Panek’s Garage, Livingston, NJ 1978 Ford F350 and 1978 Holmes 440.
1st 1st Place - Garners Towing Fortville, Ind. 2011 Kenworth T800 and 2011 Century 75 Ton.
CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY
BULL & PIG ROAST “Miller Rocks!”
FESTIVAL NIGHT
INFORMATION BOOTH
SHOW BAGS
1st
1st Place - Green’s Garage Hampstead, Md 1978 Ford F350 and Comander 1200 / With Pro Star Wheel Lift.
REGISTRATION COUNTER
ACE AWARDS AMERICAN WRECKER PAGEANT
AT EXPO FOOD COURT “Jerr-Dan Diner” SM
EXPO INFO CARD
A.T. ACADEMY
BADGE INSERTS
THE ORDER OF TOWMAN
DONNIE AWARDS
WORLD TOW CONFERENCE
LEGENDARY HOSPITALITY
LANYARDS
CALITRI’S CUBA
62 • February 2013 - TOWMAN.COM
TOWMAN.COM - February 2013 • 63
Heavy-Duty Single Axle Class
2nd 2nd Place - Apple Towing Brooklyn, NY
3rd 3rd Place - Morton’s Towing & Recovery Clarksburg, Md 2012 Peterbilt 388 and 2012 Century 9055.
1st 1st Place - Loyal Towing Harriman, NY 1991 Peterbilt 379 and 1991 Challenger 20 Ton.
Heavy-Duty Tandem Class
Sponsored by Dual-Tech
1st 64 • February 2013 - TOWMAN.COM
1st Place - Wards Truck Center Woodbridge, Va 2007 Peterbilt 379 and 2007 Century 9055. TOWMAN.COM - February 2013 • 65
Best in Show-Working Class
Rotator Class
Sponsored by Dual-Tech
1st 1st Place - Robert Young’s Auto & Truck, Inc. Roanoke, Va 2012 Kenworth T800 and 2012 NRC 60/80 SR.
2nd 2nd Place - Pinehill Towing & Automotive, Inc. King George, Va 2012 Peterbilt 388 and 2012 Century 1140S.
3rd 3rd Place - Simpson’s Towing Service Salisbury, Md 1996 Freightliner Classic and 2011 Custom Built, CBR 30. 66 • February 2013 - TOWMAN.COM
1st 1st Place - Swift Towing & Recovery Flushing, NY 2000 Ford F550 and 2000 Century 312.
TOWMAN.COM - February 2013 • 67
“These guys were there all the way along. They were with me on all th e little things – from how to do the listings to taking the pictures and uploading them– you name it. They put the time into it with me, but more than that, I truly felt they were sincere in wanting to help us in our busines s.” James Graham
“We sold 19 cars our first auction. I was extremely happy with it. We improved on our sales price per car by 50% to 80%. Almost all the cars we sold we then got a secondary tow to take the vehicle to somewhere – sometimes out of town.” James Graham and his son, Nicholas Graham’s Towing, Portage, Michigan
©Towlot.com
Creating Public Awareness for ‘Move Over’ by Emily Oz
T
here are many names, faces and stories that illustrate the importance of the Move Over law. One person I’d like you to get to know, as I did, is Ken Moore. You’ll glance at the photo on this page of Ken and I talking at the 2012 American Towman Expo in Baltimore, Md., and you can probably make some assumptions about his story. And yes, they are true. It brings tears to my eyes to recall talking to Ken and hearing his incredible story of survival on the white line. Like so many in his position, he never saw the car coming. The accident, in a New York snowstorm two years ago, severed his legs instantly. The driver who hit him was criminally charged. Moore started using prosthetics three months after the accident, but is still using a wheelchair as he continues to learn how to walk again. Moore expressed to me that he was grateful to even be alive after such a close call. It’s left him with a new passion, ignited in his effort to begin an organization called “Move Over Awareness.” Moore wants to see all roadside personnel (police, fire, EMS, towing, municipal, utility) protected by Move Over laws. His goal for the organization is to spread the core message and to accomplish this by building awareness at parades, car shows and drivers’ education classes, just to name a few. At the AT Expo last November, Moore attended expressly to talk to as many people as he could about getting his Move Over Awareness off the ground. Ken is looking for partners and sponsorships to make this happen and, in the long run, prevent tragedies like what happened to him on that snowy day in early 2011. If you’d like to help you can contact Ken at moveoverawareness@gmail.com or 585-743-7562. He’s
70 • February 2013 - TOWMAN.COM
started a Facebook page too, at www.facebook.com/MoveOverAwareness. Look for more coverage of Ken’s mission now on American Towman TV: www.AmericanTowmanTV.com
Emily on the AT Expo show floor in Baltimore with Ken Moore following her interview with Ken about the tragic accident that took his legs and his fight to increase Move Over Awareness.
Emily Oz is the anchor and producer for American Towman TV. You can email her at oz@AmericanTowmanTV.com
Number 155 on Reader Card
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Reading Body Language
W
hen all else has failed and you cannot locate the collateral, clients will often advise you to conduct a “door knock” or a demand for the vehicle. The door knock to gather information will make or break a recovery effort. Mastering the communication skills needed for this field interview is critical. The correct approach gets the debtor to be more honest and open, which will lead to bigger profits (higher profits are a good thing). Years of observation in the field teaches us to be aware of our surroundings at all times. In the towing and repossession business, if you are not paying attention to what is going on around you, today could be your last day alive. By paying attention to the sounds and actions of your surroundings, your day can be more productive and safer. During a repo conference some time ago, the keynote speaker was FBI profiler Joe Navarro, who specializes in nonverbal communication or body language. I talked with Navarro about the doorknock situation we repossessors encounter. He enlightened me on some very interesting facts that helped me become a better field agent. The following are some examples of what we discussed.
Appearance A person is more likely to lie to someone who is poorly dressed or wearing loose-fitting clothing. A man wearing a suit or a sport coat will be lied to 60 percent less often than someone in a T-shirt. Sounds hard to believe, but I put it to the test and it’s true. Now I know we can’t wear a jacket or a suit in the field, but a collared shirt and newer jeans or Dockers will work.
Intimidation When approaching a door to talk to a debtor, I’ve learned I get better interviews 72 • February 2013 - TOWMAN.COM
when I stand back about 10’ after I knock. The person answering the door feels less intimidated and becomes more open. I guarantee a too-close-for-comfort approach will get your nose whacked by a slamming door.
Wave We all are aware that people don’t answer the door if they feel you are a bill collector or a recovery agent (you notice the curtains move but the door remains unanswered). A clever habit is to make sure you slam your car door hard enough so people inside might hear you. As you walk up to the house, look at the windows and wave. There is a good chance someone is watching you; if they think you saw them, they are more likely to answer the door. I wave at every house while walking up the sidewalk—call me crazy, but this really works.
What? I cannot tell you how many times a person I’m questioning pretends not to hear me, answering with a “What?” or “Excuse me?” When the debtor pretends not to hear you, this usually means he is working on a lie while you repeat yourself. Speak very clearly—it helps.
No Habla? I used to be guilty of losing my temper when someone lied about not speaking the language. Some years ago, I went as far as walking across the street and pulling a “for sale” sign off of the neighbor’s lawn … I stuck the sign into the debtor’s front yard and said I was putting their house up for sale. It only took a second for the person to loudly tell me not to sell his house … in English. Do not ever do this. I have since received hours of therapy. Now there are translation apps to use.
Don’t Multitask Avoid the temptation to check your
by Mark Lacek
text messages or your watch. Instead, focus on what the debtor is saying by facing them directly and making eye contact. It is more difficult for a person to lie to you when you are making eye contact. Lean forward, nod and tilt your head to show, nonverbally, you’re engaged and paying attention. It’s very important to make sure they realize you are listening to them.
Smile When you smile at someone, they almost always smile in return. A smile could cause the debtor to be more truthful. (Unless the person is a serial killer and he is smiling just to lure you inside.) Speaking of, by entering the person’s home you are opening yourself up to all kinds of bad situations. You will be in big trouble if this person is setting you up to accuse you of any number of crimes. The police will undoubtedly believe the homeowner first. (Plus, if the person really is a serial killer, you’re in big trouble.)
Stay Calm Keep your voice down; allow your voice to relax. Talk calmly to the debtor. After you introduce yourself and explain your objective, talk about something easy and familiar. If the debtor has a John Deere in
Learning to read body language is an essential skill for repossessors. PhotoXpress.com photo.
the yard for instance, tell the debtor what a great product Deere makes and how you really like your own. If you see a 10lbs. bass hanging on the wall, explain how much you enjoy bass fishing. If you see tomato plants in the garden, comment on how beautiful they are and ask how he has managed to produce such great tomatoes. Compliment him, and then switch back to a question you need answered. You will be surprised how well this works. When a person feels comfortable and at ease, you will be amazed at how much info they share.
Listen If you have a person who won’t stop talking, shut up and listen. Even if the person is lying, there will be a certain amount of truth mixed in. Don’t forget to write down notes when you leave— sometimes it is difficult to remember a conversation just 30 minutes later.
More Is Better I can’t tell you how many times I left
a field interview prematurely. Getting excited and cutting an interview short because you think you have enough information is a common error. Try to ask the same question a few different ways so you get every bit of information you can. If you have to come back, the person might not be as willing to talk.
Get a Number After the field interview, ask the person for his cellphone number in case you need to reach him. Explain you are always hearing of job opportunities and you would contact him if anything comes up. When he gives you the number, don’t write it down. Input the number into your SmartPhone and push the call button. If it rings on his end, explain you pushed call by mistake. If his phone does not ring, apologize for taking the number down wrong and ask him to repeat it. Most of the time, he will tell you the truth the second time pretending to have made a mistake. Oftentimes, you
will think of a question after you’ve left—while you’re 30 miles away.
Transport And last, but certainly not least, the word “repossession” often embarrasses the debtor. I have found that if the word “transport” is used instead, the debtor isn’t as embarrassed. I once had a debtor tell me as long as I was only transporting it, he would tell me where the car was parked. Always think of the debtor as a person who is down on their luck or a victim of this terrible economy. The respect you give directly equates to the respect you receive. Be safe out there.
Author Mark Lacek is a 30-year recovery industry veteran and former editor of Professional Repossessor magazine. Mark@commercialassetsolutions.com
Number 152 on Reader Card
TOWMAN.COM - February 2013 • 73
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Number 105 on Reader Card
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Copyright 2013 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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