American Towman Magazine - April 2014

2014

Tow Industry Week, May 15–17 AutoReturn Addresses Towers Parking Enforcer Debuts Rotator Training at South Point Arena Fouquette on Recovery Billing towman.com

towmantv.com

towweek.com

Number 176 on Reader Card

First On The Scene

Since 1977

AT ShowPlace-Las Vegas, page 40-46

Cover Inset Ron Pullen, center, discusses how to use Sonetics' headgear on show floor last year.

He'll be back at South Point in Vegas, May 16th & 17th.

FEATURE CONTENTS

30

Freezing February Fury Winter storms caused I-70 to shutdown after 10 semis and 12 other vehicles wrecked.

by Jim “Buck“ Sorrenti

48

Insurance Comparison Departments

Are there better options for your tow operation’s insurance needs available?

by Anthony Dengel

Walkaround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 News Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 AD Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Road Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

50

Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . .14

Questions Every Boss Should Ask

Tow Boss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Tow Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Repo Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 My Baby. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84

Sapp’s Wrecker Service had a little superhero fun on their 75-ton’s boom.

Are you prepared to respond to the many risks that could deeply impact your business?

by Mike Harding and Skip Mulvey

Towman’s Market . . . . . . . . . . . .86 Low Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88

65

Adventures of A.T. . . . . . . . . . . . .89

Buyers Report Dozens of towers tell us how they feel about industry suppliers.

4 • April 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

Number 109 on Reader Card

Stay Safe

by Dennie Ortiz

Y

ou may not yet have noticed yet, but we have added something new to American Towman magazine. In our continuing effort to promote tow truck operator safety, we have added a new mantra to our pages: Work the Passenger Side–Stay Safe!

This message is not necessarily as subliminal as it is discreet. Though it is conspicuous enough to reinforce to you the importance of safety while working the roadways.

We know the dangers in this profession are many, and oftentimes drivers and operators are not as mindful as they should be of their own personal safety.

The idea to keep this aspect of road safety at the top of everyones mind for towing professionals was a suggestion from AT’s own concerned motorist and office assistant, Henri Calitri.

“It’s a very dangerous job tow truck operators perform. Though they know they’re in danger, they really need to remember to be safe,” Henri said.

“Is there any way we can keep reminding them?”

We can, and in fact will continue to do so in every issue!

In addition to safety, another common topic in this industry is the perpetual need to get adequate compensation for the services towers provide.

Later on in this issue you will get a glimpse as to how the repossession industry is set to unite to push for fair and justified fees. This is a common ground that both towers and repossessors share.

So, tow bosses may want to keep an eye on these repo professionals to see if they accomplish this important goal. It could possibly set the stage for what towers may be able achieve in the future.

First On The Scene!

Dennie Ortiz Steve Calitri Brendan Dooley Randall Resch Terry Abejuela Jim “Buck” Sorrenti David Kolman Bill Simmons

Publisher Editor-In-Chief Editor Operations Editor Field Editor, West Field Editor, Northeast Chassis Editor Safety Editor

Emily Oz

On Screen Editor

Mark Lacek

Repo Run Editor

Editorial Board Tommy Anderson Don Archer Roy Carlson Debbie Collins Belinda Harris Bill Johnson Ron Mislan Kurt Wilson

Dallas, Texas Jefferson City, Mo. St. Paul, Minn.

Las Vegas, Nev. Greensboro, N.C. South Hadley, Mass.

Warren, N.J. Creve Coeur, Ill.

American Towman Staff Ann Marie Nitti Dennie Ortiz Ellen Rosengart Norma Calitri Neila Smith Miriam Ortiz Henri Calitri Toni Vanderhorst William Burwell Peggy Calabrese Ryan Oser Emily Oz Steve Calitri

Page Layout Artist Advertising Sales Mgr. Senior Account Exec.

VP of Accounts VP Communications Subscription Manager Customer Service Publisher’s Assistant TIW Media Director Regional Advertising Sales iMarketing Manager ATTV Producer President

American Towman Media Headquarters 7 West Street, Warwick, NY 10990 800-732-3869 or 845-986-4546

Towers Speak Up

A

by Brendan Dooley

t American Towman, the annual rites of spring include hours of calls and emails to readers and customers of the products in our pages.

The April Buyers Report issue is our yearly offering that includes dozens of testimonials about companies and products from the people who actually use them.

It just wouldn’t be spring without the pages of quotes in this month’s pages.

The Buyers Report section is a place where you can start your research on a new supplier, reaffirm old beliefs and see what else the tow industry’s vendors have to offer you.

6 • April 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

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 ©2014 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. American Towman Media does not test or review products submitted for inclusion in its publications. All included information, specifications and abilities are as claimed by the equipment manufacturer who is solely liable for any defects or misrepresentations in its products.

Number 216 on Reader Card

Texas Rate Increase Approved The Bell County (Texas) Commissioners recently voted to increase the rates towing companies are allowed to charge.

The increase, the first in 20 years, raises the amount tow companies are allowed to charge motorists from $90 for an arrest-related tow and $110 for an accident to a flat $150.

The increase brings the fees in line with what the cities of Killeen and Temple allow, while keeping Bell County in the bottom one-third of counties in Texas, a commissioner said.

Bruce Wilkerson, president of the East Bell County Towing Association, and Rose Goode, president of the West Bell County Towing Association, said the increase is a necessity. Source: www.kdhnews.com.

Spring Break Bonanza Local restaurant and bars aren’t the only businesses hauling in the money during this year’s spring break season. Since spring break officially kicked off March 1, Panama City Beach, Fla., towing services say business is booming.

“We towed probably about 50 cars yesterday,” said Hassie White, White’s Towing manager. However, tow company workers agree they would rather spring breakers save their money and park somewhere legally.

“It messes up the flow of business for the businesses out here. There is nowhere for customers to park and that’s really the main reason why we do this,” White said.

“It’s a job that we have to do. In the back of their mind they don’t think they will get towed, but they will.”

Store owners say each business has “spotters” to patrol the area and will call tow companies to pick up cars. Source: www.wjhg.com.

Allstate Training at Towman Expos Allstate Roadside Services will be conducting training classes on the towing methods for various makes and models of luxury and premium vehicles at American Towman expositions in 2014. The classes are open to all show attendees and will first take place at the following shows: • American Towman ShowPlace–Las Vegas, May 15-17, South Point Hotel & Casino.

• Tow Expo Int’l–San Antonio, Aug. 79, Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

• AT Exposition–Baltimore, Nov. 2123, Baltimore Convention Center.

Participants will have the opportunity to see how to safely secure and tow a variety of luxury and premium vehicles during exposition hours.

For information on the upcoming American Towman ShowPlace in Las Vegas, visit www.atshowplace.com. The training courses will be held on the South Point Arena concourse adjacent to the South Point Hotel Pavilion. For questions regarding any of the classes, call 800-732-3869, Ext. 214.

8 • April 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

AutoReturn CEO

Will Speak in Vegas John Wicker, President and CEO of AutoReturn, the San Francisco based company that contracts with cities and highway authorities to manage rotation and dispatch, will address tow business owners at Tow Industry Week, May 17th in Las Vegas.

Wicker will discuss the AutoReturn program and what it brings to the table for municipalities, highway authorities and towing operations.

“AutoReturn is entering into five-year contracts with cities, municipalities and highway authorities across the country,” said American Towman Editor In Chief Steve Calitri. “I think every smart tow business owner should take a close look at how they do it and why

municipalities are turning to a third party to manage rotation and dispatch. Also, for those who want to find out about the opportunity of working with AutoReturn, they can do so in Las Vegas.”

Dan Scanlan, AutoReturn’s VP of Towing and Quality Assurance will co-present the seminar. The seminar takes place Saturday, 10 a.m., May 17th, at the South Point Hotel & Casino, home of Tow Industry Week and the American Towman ShowPlace–Las Vegas.

. . . different rules for towing companies will add to confusion . . .

Ohio OKs Town Rules A recent ruling by the Ohio Supreme Court regarding a dispute on who should have the power to regulate towing companies has opened up the possibility of new ordinances set by municipalities.

On Jan. 21, a unanimous ruling by the court upheld as constitutional the right for the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to regulate towing companies.

But now towing companies can be subjected to municipal ordinances, rules or resolutions regarding licensing, registration or regulation of those companies as long as the rules do not conflict with state law.

Bob Lambert, a lobbyist for the Towing & Recovery Association of Ohio, called the ruling “kind of a mixed message,” adding that individual municipalities having different rules for towing companies will add to confusion for both businesses and consumers.

“We just want rules and regulations to be the same whether you’re in Ashtabula or Cincinnati,” he said. In the weeks since the ruling, Lambert said he has not heard of any municipalities jumping at the opportunity to enact more rules on towing companies. Source: www.morningjournal.com.

Md. Move Over to Add Towers An expansion of the Maryland Move Over Bill involving tow truck safety passed in the Md. House of Delegates.

“We are now feeling part of the team.

You know, people out trying to clear the roads and make it safe for everybody,” said Roy Jones, of Blue Gray Towing.

The new legislation would require drivers to move into an open lane when approaching tow trucks at a roadside emergency. Truck drivers at Blue Gray Towing said they are pleased if the bill passes, especially knowing some of the dangers they’ve experienced on the roadside.

The expansion to the Move Over Bill in Maryland now heads to the Senate.

Source: www.your4state.com.

Work the Passenger Side–Stay Safe!

Arizona Tower Slain Arizona Department of Public Safety officers found themselves in a shootout with a desperate suspect in Tempe on March 10.

The gunman, identified as Andrew Rael, 25, opened fire with an assault rifle, officers returned fire, and one of them hit Rael with a lethal shot. Rael had an extensive criminal history and had been released recently by the Colorado Department of Corrections.

The shootout culminated a crime spree that started the day before in Buckeye, when Rael fatally shot a tow-truck driver during a payment dispute.

A Buckeye police spokeswoman said Rael purchased a car Saturday but had it towed Sunday because of mechanical issues. Police believe he fatally shot tower Michael Psalidas, 49, because he would not drop the car for free.

Rael fled in the tow truck, still dragging his car, but police used the truck’s GPS to pinpoint both vehicles’ location. When police arrived at a residence, the vehicles were parked outside, but Rael had fled.

Less than eight hours later, convenience-store clerk Daniel Scott White, 26, was shot to death by the suspect as well. Source: www.azcentral.com.

Changing the Private Tow Game Parking Enforcer, a turnkey Private Property Impound Management System, designed to capture and retain private property impound business, has been introduced by Parking Enforcer LLC. Designed to increase revenue, Parking Enforcer's Network brand and software equips towers with tools needed to penetrate the private property impound market and solidify existing accounts in today’s regulatory environment. The system utilizes the capabilities of the Internet and smartphone and brings private property towing to a new level of professionalism.

Service providers are able to offer Parking Enforcer's system on exclusive cloud-based software at no cost to private property owners. The system provides instant property notifications, transmits notifications, stores vehicle records, enables online prop-

erty enforcement approval, and more.

Getting a private property owner onto the system can be as simple as sending an email inviting the owner to sign up online with a link to the tower's account page.

Private properties, such as apartment complexes find Parking Enforcer attractive because it offers the most professional mode of dealing with parking infringements, covering the property owner's liability while effectively managing the vehicleowner's response. Parking Enforcer brings transparency to all three parties involved: property owners, tow business owners, and vehicle owners.

Request additional information by registering at www.EnforcerNetwork.com/"EnforcerNetwork.com, or email "mailto:info@parkingenforcer.com"info@parkingenforcer.com

TOWMAN.COM - April 2014 • 9

Number 143 on Reader Card

AD INDEX Page #

Access Tools 53 Advantage Funding 56 Agero 23 Akins Body & Carrier Sales 47 Allstate Roadside Services 35 American Safety Suppliers 29 AT ShowPlace Las Vegas 40, 41 Austin Insurance S 91 AutoReturn 19 AW Direct 75 B/A Products 51 B & Z Sales S 97 Beacon Software 54 Century 16,17 Coach Net 15 Condor Products 29 Crouch’s Wrecker & Equip. Sale 63 Custer Products 74 Daniel’s Wrecker Sales 74 DewEze Mfg. 37 Donnie Cruse Award 81 Dynamic 57 Eartec 55 Elizabeth Truck Center 29 Equipment Sales & Services N 91 Florida Wrecker Sales S 97 FlowStop 38 Freightliner 7 Ford Commercial Truck 2, 3 GPS Secured 34 Hino 49 IGTC 38 In The Ditch 60 I Tow In, Inc. 61 Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA) 11 Integrated Vehicle Leasing 61 Intek Truck Eq. Finance & Lease 20 Jerr-Dan cover 4 Keystone Tape & Supply 28 Landoll 32 LCIA Campisano Insurance Agency N 98 Lift & Tow 52 Lodar 74

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102 106 114 126 183 210 206 105 169 209 108 170 136 143 150 167 177 128 189 147 206 165 133 123 152 107 153 216 176 101 214 212 111 175 110 129 145 124 208 174 112 139 163

Fax to: 888-847-6035 Page #

Loganville Ford 34 Lynch Chicago 39 MFR Express 55 Matheny Motors 33 MatJack/International Wreckers 58 Miller Eaton 10 NationWide Towing & Recovery Group 59 New England Truckmaster N 91 Next Generation Tool Company 81 North American BanCard 5 Nussbaum Equipment N 94 OMG 62 Pacific General Insurance Agency S 95 Police Towers of America 82 Quest 20 Ramsey Winch 27 Recovery Billing Unlimited 59 R.P.M. Equipment S 95 Rush Towing Systems 21 Santander Bank cover 3 Savatech 37 Smyrna Truck Center 37 Snappy Box 81 Sonetics Corporation 59 Specialty Vehicle & Equip. Funding 73 Steck 55 TowBook 11 Tow Expo Int’ll 83 Tow Ramps 28 Towman Hero Award 77 TowIndustryWeek N 97, S 96 Towman 500 N 95, S 98 TowLot.com 78, 79 TowMate 63 Transportation Info Systems (TIS) 26 Twin Cities Wrecker Sales N 98, S 91 Vulcan 64 Warn Industries 60 Whelen Engineering 36 Worldwide Equipment 52 Zacklift International 81 Zendix Tools Corp.

61 Zip’s Truck Equipment 25

April 2014

RS#

207 149 213 194 186 143 142 171 196 109 168 215 193 104 199 148 155 178 198 103 118 113 161 172 195 132 115 206 131 206 206 206 159 191 130 138 154 120 137 151 121 181 140

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TOWMAN.COM - April 2014 • 11

Check Out What’s NEW and HOT!

New Century 50-Ton Rotator

Low-Profile V-Bridle In order to prevent damage caused by the hook of the winch line coming into contact with delicate components on modern vehicles like bumpers, spoilers, oil pans, etc., B/A Products Co. redesigned the winchline hook with an oblong link. The patent-pending solution puts the hook of the winch line on a horizontal plane with the tip of the hook pointed away from components that could otherwise be damaged.

www.baprod.com Number 200 on Reader Card

One-Hand Jack Tool Access Tools changed the way long-reach tools are used with the One Hand Jack method; utilizing the patented One Hand Jack as a pry-bar, the door frame is lifted slightly away from the vehicle allowing for easy insertion of the Air Jack without damaging weather stripping. The new One Hand Jack method eliminates any hammering. A rubber bumper on the back of the tool protects against damages is done to painted surfaces. The One Hand Jack works on any size vehicle creating the space needed to insert the Air Jack.

A

fter more than two years of extensive research and design, Century offers a new 50-ton model that balances heavy recovery and daily towing with its weight-saving design.

The new 1150’s three-stage recovery boom provides 360 degrees of continuous boom rotation, 66 degrees of boom elevation, increased boom reach and dual 50,000-lbs. planetary two-speed winches.

The 1150 is equipped with the field tested and proven SDU4 underlift and can be equipped like other Century rotators with a number of different outrigger, deck and turret-mounted winch options to fit your specific application.

www.caropeningtools.com Number 201 on Reader Card

Faster Winch Ramsey’s next generation of winching is here in its Profile 9500 UT model with a patented semi-automatic clutch that reduces winching time and improves convenience. When used with the Ramsey Wireless remote, the operator can engage and operate the winch from up to 50’ away. The Profile 9500 UT includes an externally mounted solenoid that minimizes the profile of the winch, and a sleek high-torque 5.5-hp motor with a no-load line speed of 35.4 feet per minute. A sealed drum and sealed gear assembly protects the winch from the elements.

www.millerind.com

www.ramsey.com

Number 203 on Reader Card

Number 202 on Reader Card

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Work the Passenger Side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2014 • 13

‘Tow First’ Safety Campaign Year after year the number of names on the Wall of the Fallen at the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum in Chattanooga, Tenn., continues to grow. We may never stop towers from being run down on the side of the highway, we can prevent some from dying with the national safety campaign, “Tow First.”

The objective of the Tow First campaign is simply to save lives by getting towers to stop changing tires on the side of a high-speed interstate, turnpike or other highspeed highway. Most towers are killed because of their exposure to high-speed traffic. Time equals exposure; if we reduce the exposure we can reduce the number of towers killed. Other than performing a recovery, the most timeconsuming service we perform on the side of a highway is a tire change.

The North American Towing Academy has taken the lead on the Tow First campaign. I unknowingly started the ball rolling by making my own pledge on Facebook. I was surprised by the number of other towers who posted their own pledge on my page. That planted the seed, and after speaking with many owners and operators in Baltimore about the idea, the Tow First campaign was started.

It is estimated there are somewhere between 40 and 60 tow truck operators killed each year while performing road services and most occur on the side of the highway.

That number does not include the number of towers injured. While the circumstances of each fatality are unknown, most have been a direct result of exposure to high-speed traffic. It’s reasonable to assume that tire changes have contributed to the annual number of those killed.

Even when the tower takes every step necessary to protect the scene, they have absolutely no control of the approaching vehicles. Drivers may be on their phone, texting, drunk, or doing anything other than paying attention to the road ahead. Because of the posture and positioning of the tower while changing a tire, approaching traffic may not be visible and the tower may not have the ability to move quickly should the need arise. Eliminating tire changes on the side of a highway, interstate, or turnpike on light-duty vehicles reduces exposure.

We want every towers’ participation, and their families to help spread the Tow First message. We can save lives by stopping this single, unsafe roadside service. I’ve spoken with towers who have not changed a tire next to a highway in many years. With few exceptions, customers understand the policy once they know the reason they’re being towed. Towers rarely get paid for the additional towing service, although some may, but that’s secondary when a life may be at stake.

Once we determine the number of towers who are will-

14 • April 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

ing to show their concern by taking the pledge, we will seek the cooperation of motor clubs and third-party dispatch groups to dispatch these calls as a tow rather than a flat tire change. Towing the vehicle will also reduce the amount of physical exposure for the clubs’ contracted towers, their members and reduce their liability.

Towers who take the pledge will not be changing their road service numbers significantly nor will motor clubs.

Changing tires on the side of an interstate is such a small percentage of their business and the number of flat tires actually changed is not nearly equal to the number of calls dispatched for a tire change. Towers regularly respond to vehicles with no spare tire, flat spares, missing lug keys, stripped or over-tightened lugs and any number of reasons why the tire can’t be changed. These vehicles end up being towed anyway. Some vehicle manufacturers, such as Kia, offer brand new vehicles without a spare.

Ultimately, the final choice to Tow First is with the towers or their bosses. Towing the vehicle instead of changing a tire may not be an option that’s available to every tower.

There are service providers who only have light-duty service vehicles, without the capability of towing; towers who operate only wheel lifts; too many passengers to carry or, the company’s policy (boss) may be less flexible regarding the services you must perform.

We understand there will be circumstances or situations when a tire must be changed; however, everyone who provides road services can still agree in principle with the Tow First message, that changing a tire on the side of a high-speed highway is one of the most dangerous services we perform, and still sign the pledge. To take the pledge, go to www.nata.com/towfirst.html.

- David Lambert North American Towing Academy

Forwarding Companies Hurt Repo I have been keeping up with Mark Lacek’s “Repo Run” articles and find them very educational and encouraging. I got out of doing recoveries before the forwarding companies came into play. Now that I have gotten back into it, things have changed drastically.

Because of the economy, I had to find ways to basically keep the doors open. At first I thought these forwarding companies might be a good thing, but found very quickly that they are controlling and greedy. In a short time period, I can already see some litigation coming up. I’m happy to see the lenders opening their eyes.

I have been in the towing business for 20 years now and learn something new every day. Our town has some of the best support and friendships in this business.

All of my competitors have their own customers and the others respect it. No underbidding or cutting each other’s throats for work!

I like to learn new ways to do things and new technology has proven to be beneficial. Whether a fellow operator is young or seasoned, I can always learn something from them. When I can, I love to teach them a new trick or two. …

As Mark is a veteran of the business, I am watching out for more of his articles so I can learn from one of the best! Thank you very much.

Vince Ambrose Southern Pride Towing & Recovery Tullahoma, Tenn.

Towers Object in Pennsylvania

and Pennsylvania’s economy instead of supporting California’s. If Harrisburg is successful in exporting the accident dispatch calls to California, then next they will try to export all 911 dispatch jobs to a different state or foreign country.

For safety reasons, numerous local fire companies have joined the tow responders in objecting to the new third-party dispatch program.

Please join our fight to restore common sense to Harrisburg. Please help us protect our families, local fire fighters, and tow responders. Please help us protect Pennsylvania jobs.

Drew Orient Hovis Truck Service; Emlenton, Pa. and Pennsylvania Tow Responders

The Pennsylvania State Police in Harrisburg has awarded AutoReturn, a third-party dispatch company from California, a no-bid contract to dispatch all of their tow responder needs.

The third-party dispatch will require the tow responders to collect a $22.50 administrative fee from the local motorist for each dispatch. The dispatch will be an automated dispatch from California.

The traditional means of dispatch is currently 911 or the Pennsylvania State Police. There were 240,000 Pennsylvania State Police vehicular dispatches throughout Pennsylvania last year.

That means that a minimum of $5.4 million will be leaving the state of Pennsylvania and going to California in the form of administrative fees.

The tow responders object to this program for numerous reasons.

First and foremost is the safety of the local motorist and first responders.

It is common sense to believe that a local live dispatch from 911, which has situational awareness and complete control of local emergency services, is faster and better than an automated dispatch from California. Our local 911 is aware of Pennsylvania’s rugged terrain, current weather situations, and local emergency assets.

Second, it is wrong to export local money and jobs from our area. If a fee is necessary to help with administrative costs, then we suggest it is better to pay it to 911 and local fire departments.

This will protect Pennsylvania’s jobs Number 150 on Reader Card Work the Passenger Side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2014 • 15

Number 143 on Reader Card

Conflict Resolution—Keep Your Cool

by Randall C. Resch

W

hat happens when you’re set up on-scene to extract a vehicle and an aggressive, rude, aggravating person gets in your face demanding you move your truck and orders you out of the way because, “You’re blocking the exit.” What’s your response? Getting all pushed out over someone else’s anger is the common response for those not trained in anger and conflict management.

How you handle yourself is critical to you and your company’s reputation. To handle an aggressive customer, you need to keep calm under pressure.

In September 2013, a video of a Portland, Ore., tow driver surfaced online as his 100-percent rant gave the industry another black eye. The video portrayed the tower arriving to do a private property impound. At some point, the tower allegedly became angered and minus visible provocation, lashed out at an elderly female. A neighboring business owner came to her aid and jumped into the argument, but the owner remained calm. The tower aggressively lashed out at the businesses owner in an in-your-face mode using numerous expletives and implied threats.

Most towers are generally in control of their emotions making the rant more of an isolated incident. One aspect of being a professional tower is the ability to work through aggressive situations when increased levels of stresses and emotions are present.

Anger Management The world is full of jerks and … more. When they show up on-scene when you’re trying to do your job, you’ve got to be mentally prepared to deal with them. Anger management techniques can be learned and developed by each of us. Not matching 18 • April 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

Anger management, by design, takes us past an unprovoked attack and keeps our emotions under control.

aggressive behaviors requires solid concentration to remain calm without escalating your own emotions.

Anger management is the ability to recognize (at the onset) a verbal attack or button-pushing to immediately know that you’re dealing with someone who will go over the top. Avoid the “verbal judo” that makes no sense and oftentimes leads participants into acts of heightened aggression and further violence.

Yelling back isn’t the answer.

Anger management, by design, takes us past an unprovoked attack and keeps our emotions under control. It’s the mechanics of staying calm and working through the problem or situation at hand.

By practicing simple techniques, anger management is more of a challenging game you play to remain calm and positive to overcome someone else’s outbursts.

When an aggressive person confronts you and demands you move your truck or says something to you that’s rude and overbearing, don’t take their stupidity personally. That is, don’t take their words as a personal

attack on you. In most cases, customers sometimes get upset over delays when having their car towed or when promises are made by others, especially when you have no control over the scenario.

Keep your distance. Don’t move into their personal space. Remember, your own body language may be perceived as challenging or posturing that often leads to physical altercations.

Be patient to evaluate what they’re demanding. By understanding and maybe sympathizing with your customers, you allow them to voice their concerns where they feel someone’s listening to them.

Don’t respond to yelling and don’t be lured by challenges or threats.

Respond by talking at a lower voice level requiring the provoker to quiet down if they intend to continue the conversation.

Apologize, even if it means a passive act on your part. The words, “I’m sorry,” are soothing and non-confrontational. There’s nothing wrong with offering a sincere apology, especially when it brings a volatile situation back to some kind of calm. If they don’t respond with calm after your apology, you know what you’re dealing with.

Call 911 if the provoker won’t back down and/or if they become violent against you. Never pull a weapon as a means to look tough, intimidate or control the aggressor. Don’t become the aggressor. Remember, you have the right to protect yourself against an aggressive, physical act, but only if they attack you.

Find solutions. Don’t be part of the argument, but think of ways to overcome what seems to be the customer’s complaint.

Having your own bad day is no excuse to go off on someone verbally

or physically; confrontation is a twoway street. Everyone (at some time or another) has distress in their daily activities; it’s important to deal with stress and separate it from the job. This industry is inherently dangerous; it demands 100-percent focus all the time.

The other side of emotional outbursts is placing blame on the other guy. You can change how you respond in a controlled manner without going to the other side.

Have you ever been chewed out by a cop on-scene where, for whatever reasons, they’re upset and they go off on you? There’s generally a reason for their displeasure. Remaining calm is key to overcoming their (unwanted) verbal attack.

If you’re verbally derided by an officer, let them speak their piece.

Once it’s over, get their name, unit, or badge number and let your management know of the unfortunate incident. Give a manager all the details of the incident so they are ready for any complaint or counter-argument from law enforcement. Arguing on-scene with an officer is a lost cause … even if you’re right.

If you haven’t done anything wrong and are within the agency’s contract guidelines, management should run interference and justify your actions. In most situations, the officer was upset because they had to wait or they didn’t know all the details causing a delay.

the incident result in an investigation.

There’s nothing greater than learning that a video exists when you’re innocent.

If you’re involved in an altercation, once it ends take a moment to get composed and decompress. It’s not uncommon that your hands will shake and it’ll leave your heart pumpin’.

In both the business world and life beyond the towing and recovery industry, things happen to make emotions peak. For those able to control their emotions, life gets a bit more tol-

erable. Gaining the ability to remain calm is a great personal asset.

Anger management, by design, takes us past an unprovoked attack and keeps our emotions under control.

Randall C. Resch is a retired California police officer and has been in the towing and recovery industry for 40 plus years as a tow business owner, manager, consultant and light-duty trainer.

Email Randy at rreschran@aol.com.

Someone’s Watching Today’s technology makes it possible for anyone to have a camera available or video rolling. When fights and altercations happen, cameras start up to such extent that persons not involved are getting footage of the fight. As we know from what happened to the ballistic Oregon tower, the video quickly makes it online and often goes viral.

If you experience a rude customer, be wary that your actions are being video recorded. Don’t find it threatening, but welcome the media as saving evidence that you didn’t do or say anything out of line, make sure that it can only be used in your favor should Work the Passenger Side–Stay Safe!

Number 169 on Reader Card

TOWMAN.COM - April 2014 • 19

Beacon Adds to Leasing Team

Number 145 on Reader Card

Beacon Funding added three seasoned leasing consultants—Scott Chrenka, Phil Hammond and Donald Seeley—to its equipment financing and leasing team, expanding its capabilities in the commercial vehicle financing market.

The new leasing consultants bring a combined 50-plus years of diverse financial services, equipment leasing and commercial vehicle manufacturing experience to Beacon Funding. They will serve the boom truck, tow truck and trailer markets.

Hammond’s 27-year background in towing and recovery equipment manufacturing at Jerr-Dan Corp. provide him with comprehensive knowledge of commercial vehicle equipment.

Chrenka has more than 12 years of experience in leasing, banking and capital markets. Seeley has 13 years of business-to-business financial services experience at one of the largest equipment leasing operations in the country.

Wall Named TowLien Director Beacon Software Co. recently announced that Jennifer Wall is its new National TowLien Director. As National TowLien Director, Wall’s responsibilities include the growth and success of the TowLien program (www.towlien.com) through business development and multi-state growth.

Wall has more than 18 years of experience in the towing industry working for the Towing and Recovery Professionals of Louisiana. Her experience included managing a lien-processing program and assisting with lobbying.

Wall’s initial plans include working to better integrate Beacon Software’s TowLien and Dispatch Anywhere programs to make the programs more productive.

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Know Your PTO

by Terry Abejuela

A

power take-off is a mechanical gearbox that attaches to a vehicle’s transmission and transfers a vehicle’s engine power to an auxiliary component. The idea for a PTO came as early as the 1920s; by the mid-1930s many truck transmissions were designed with apertures to accommodate a PTO. The PTO in the early days of towing ran a driveshaft that drove a chain and sprocket connection that powered a winch. These old mechanical PTOs were workhorses that could pull until something broke.

These single-gear units would mesh with the vehicle’s transmission and transfer the engine power to an output shaft that would connect to a driveline. The other end of the PTO driveline was connected to sprocket and a chain would connect the PTO sprocket to another sprocket on the winch. The PTO was engaged using a cable connected to a lever on the PTO housing.

Today the PTO commonly will provide power directly to a hydraulic pump in order to operate the hydraulic system on the tow truck. Most modern PTOs are multi-gear units that feature numerous speed ratios and horsepower capabilities and can have a directmounted hydraulic pump. The PTO can be engaged by several different means including a lever and cable, electric shift and air or hydraulic pressure.

Old mechanical PTO with a driveshaft, sprocket and chain.

Muncie TG series PTO (blue), with a direct-mounted Muncie hydraulic pump (red).

Transmission Type Tow trucks equipped with a manual transmission will commonly utilize a mechanical PTO. A gear in the PTO meshes with a gear in the transmission. The gears of the transmission must be stopped before engaging the PTO. If the gears are still moving when the PTO is engaged, it will damage the PTO and/or transmission. The PTO input gear meshes with the transmission’s PTO drive gear.

The truck’s transmission drive gear is usually either a spur gear or helical gear. Spur gears have their teeth cut parallel to the shaft bore and are the most common. Helical gears have their teeth cut at an angle to the shaft bore. Helical gears are quieter.

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to the transmission and may require gear adapters or spacers.

PTOs also come as shiftable input and constant mesh. A shiftable-input PTO has a gear that slides in and out of mesh with the transmission gear. A constant-mesh PTO has a gear that is always in mesh with the transmission and is engaged and disengaged inside the PTO; these are less likely to cause damage due to improper shifting by the operator.

Low RPM

Passenger’s side 10-bolt PTO aperture on an Allison transmission on a 2007 Ford F-650.

Tow trucks equipped with an automatic transmission will commonly utilize a clutch-shift type PTO that engages using friction discs instead of gears. The advantage of the clutch-shift type vs. gear type is that it prevents accidental damage to the PTO and transmission from improper shifting.

The clutch-type PTOs generally cost more initially, but may provide savings in the long run vs. repairing damage.

Most transmissions on Class 4 and

larger trucks will have provisions for mounting a PTO. It is common to have an aperture on both sides of the transmission. Some transmissions may have an aperture on the top or bottom of the transmission. It is even possible to have front- or rear-mounted PTOs in some applications.

The transmission aperture may be a six-, eight- or 10-bolt type. Most tow trucks utilize a six- or eight-bolt type.

The mounting depth must be matched

Most PTOs used in towing applications aren’t designed to be operated at high revolutions per minute, such as in driving. Make sure you know—and don’t exceed—the manufacturer’s recommended maximum RPM for the PTO. An audible and or visual indicator in the cab of the truck can alert the driver if the PTO is still engaged.

There are also over-speed protection devices that can be installed that will automatically disengage the PTO at a specific speed.

The gears of a manual transmission must be stopped before engaging

Driver’s side six-bolt PTO aperture on an Allison transmission on a 2003 International 4700.

the PTO. If your tow truck utilizes a PTO driveshaft, sprockets and chain, then it is important for the operator to stay clear of these moving parts when the engine is running and the PTO is engaged. Exposed, rotating PTO shafts, sprockets and chains should have guards to protect operators.

PTO maintenance may include lubricating driveshaft splines, the chain and sprocket gears. Check proper torque of the mounting bolts.

Check and adjust as necessary the cable shifter. Adjust the slack in the chain to retain the proper tension and inspection of all parts for excessive wear. Some PTOs may be equipped with an inspection cover that allows

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inspection of the gears in the PTO. If no inspection cover is available, you may be able to inspect the gears by removing the shifter cover. Damage to the PTO gear teeth or spline requires that the PTO be rebuilt or replaced.

When installing a PTO on a manual transmission, it is important to make sure there is the correct amount of backlash spacing between the transmission gear and the PTO gear.

Too little or too much backlash causes the PTO to be noisy, can damage the gears and may make shifting difficult. Backlash is usually adjusted using gaskets provided by the PTO manufacturer. Backlash on PTOs installed on an automatic transmission usually do not require adjustment by the installer.

Exposed, rotating PTO shafts, sprockets and Number 130 on Reader Card

chains should have guards to protect operators.

When installing a direct-mounted hydraulic pump to a PTO, it is recommended that a bracket be used to support the PTO and hydraulic pump.

The extra weight of the hydraulic pump and the increased length of the combination may cause damage.

Follow the manufacturer’s recommendation for installation, maintenance and operating the PTO. Display all warning labels provided by the PTO manufacturer. A qualified PTO specialist should be consulted before choosing, installing, repairing or performing maintenance on any PTO components.

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Terry Abejuela has 30+ years of lightduty towing-and-recovery experience.

He is also a light-duty level 1 instructor for the California Tow Truck Association since 1998.

Hino Donates Truck, Adds Exec Hino Trucks recently donated a cab-over truck to Canadian Valley Technology Center, a vocational school located outside of Oklahoma City, Okla. As a result of a May 2013 tornado, CV Tech lost several vehicles that were used as teaching tools in various repair-related programs. Three large diesel trucks were destroyed

within the Diesel Technology shop.

“The donation of this vehicle supports one of Hino Trucks core missions to strive to contribute to local communities in all the regions where we do business,” said Joseph Whalen, Human Resources manager at Hino Trucks.

“While this truck won’t help rebuild the campus, hopefully it will be a useful learning tool for the program.” …

Hino also recently appointed George Daniels as Senior Vice President Sales and Customer Support.

Daniels joined Hino Trucks in 2003 to head up the company’s Parts and Service Operations after spending 15 years at Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, three years at Iveco Trucks of North America and 13 years at various dealer organizations.

Air Cushion Class Nearly Full The Matjack/Jumbo Safe Lift Cushions official 2014 Florida Factory Training Class scheduled for April 5-6, 2014, in Jacksonville, still has a few seats left—you need to reserve soon to guarantee seats for you and your operators. The class will be at Fire Academy of the South, 2700 Firefighters Memorial Drive.

The two-day intensive class offers attendees the most comprehensive indepth practical use of air bags/cushions through classroom and practical instruction by factory-certified trainers with extensive in-the-field resumes, including internationally recognized industry trainers Howard L. Eagan and Jeff Martin. Attendees will also have the opportunity to be trained on the use of landing cushions, which is the newest pneumatic technological introduction into the recovery field.

Eagan and Martin developed the factory training curriculum in addition to owning Big Truck Rescue training and consulting, which teaches both cross-training between recovery and rescue personnel, and air bag/cushion training to recovery, rescue and industrial personnel.

They will also be doing the Big Truck Rescue classroom curriculum (www.bigtruckrescue.com). This information is great to bring back to your community and share with your local emergency services.

For information on the class and to register, contact 800-827-3755, 716-4794702 or bigtruckrescue@gmail.com.

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TOWMAN.COM - April 2014 • 27

Ford Announces New F-650/F-750

Brassell Passes

Ford recently unveiled its new F650/F-750 that will join its commercial vehicle lineup. The Ford F-650/F-750 anchors Ford’s Commercial Truck lineup, from a Class 1 Ford Transit Connect cargo van to a Class 7 Ford F750 tractor rig. Every truck and van in the Ford Commercial Truck lineup will be all-new or significantly refreshed in the next 18 months.

The Ford F-650/F-750, which will be 2016 model year trucks, will be available in spring 2015.

The company said they will be offered in Regular Cab, SuperCab and Crew Cab, in three models as straight frame, dock height and an all-new dedicated tractor model for heavy towing.

The new F-650/F-750 features a powerful and efficient second-generation 6.7L Power Stroke V-8 diesel, medium-duty six-speed TorqShift automatic transmission and a host of unique features not found on any other medium-duty truck. Available PowerScope trailer tow mirrors feature large standard and spotter mirrors and segment-exclusive power telescoping and folding design.

The area behind the cab was redesigned to more easily accommodate custom work bodies, such as tow trucks.

Susan Louise Brassell passed away on Feb. 19, 2014. She was very active in the Towing & Recovery Association of America and Virginia Association of Towing & Recovery Operators. Brassell was employed with Virginia towing companies beginning in 1990.

In 1995, she joined the staff of VATRO. Among the towing awards she’s received, she was TRAA’s “Tow Woman of the Year.” In October 2013, she received the Henry Heath award from VATRO, which is given to the most outstanding tower in the state of Virginia each year. She is the only nontower to ever receive this award.

“Knowing Sue for over 16 years she was very dedicated to the industry as well as her family. She carried herself with incredible poise. A kind and compassionate woman to all,” said American Towman Publisher, Dennie Ortiz. “She will be greatly missed.”

She joins her husband of 40 years, Joseph Thomas Brassell. She is survived by her sister Teresa Reeves; sons Jordan and Daniel; daughters Tina Hertzog and Christina Enfield (Donnie), three grandchildren, five great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

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Freezing February Towers Respond to Highway Mess

I

n early February, winter storms pounded mid-Missouri with heavy snow and sleet causing parts of I-70 to shutdown after 10 tractor-trailers and 12 other vehicles wrecked, became disabled and otherwise were blocking lanes. I-70 Towing & Recovery, based in Columbia, was called to respond.

I-70 owner John Berghager, along

eral pile-ups and chain-reaction crashes. The Missouri State Highway Patrol typically handles about 100 accidents per day, but this time around troopers investigated a combined 1,054 wrecks statewide in the first two days of the February snow. Ninety-six people were hurt and two killed.

“The calls started coming in

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

“I-70 Towing & Recovery wouldn’t be the business it currently is without Don,” said Berghager.

Lake responded in a 2007 Freightliner Coronado with a Vulcan V-100 stainless steel bed with a SP-850 sidepuller. Keith Thompson, a 12-year vet, responded in a 2003 Peterbilt with a 2008 Century 9055 aluminum bed.

I-70’s 2008 Peterbilt/Century 3212CX medium-duty wrecker is staged with other emergency responders and ready to go into action.

with his dispatchers, manned the phones to coordinate the massive recovery effort.

“Sheri Brown, our full-time office administrator and dispatcher, Kelly Middleton, our full-time office dispatcher and back up operator and myself were unable to get away from the office,” Berghager said. “All three of us worked in the office dispatching calls and the daily operations of I-70 Towing & Recovery, because it all starts at the office.”

Road conditions on I-70 were bad due to the winter storm causing sev30 • April 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

around 10 a.m. on the morning of February 4th,” Berghager said. “As my drivers cleared calls, we sent them out to I-70. There were semi-trucks, cars, vans and pickups piled up everywhere. Both lanes of I-70 east and west were blocked. Trucks were jack-knifed into one another and there were trucks in the median through the cables … even trucks on the guardrail.”

John sent out his fleet to clear the tangled mess of vehicles. Don Lake, heavy-duty truck supervisor with 44 years experience in the industry, manages that side of the business for John.

Corey Sieckmann, an 11-year vet, took a 2008 Peterbilt with a Century 3212CX aluminum bed with multipositional rear jacks, dual 15,000-lbs. planetary winches and a 16-ton recovery boom.

“This is one of the most versatile units in our fleet,” Berghager said of the medium-duty rig. “It handles a wide variety of recovery jobs including side pulls. It’s a workhorse. He actually winched a jack-knifed truck and trailer loaded with transformers, weighing 79,800 pounds, back onto the highway. Impressive!”

Fury Hits Missouri Also on-scene were Danny Branham (eight years) in a 1997 Peterbilt with a 2004 Century 5130 aluminum bed; Melvin Pinkett (eight years) in a 2013 Freightliner M-2 with a Century 22’ LCG bed with a SP-8000 sidepuller; Bren Futura (five years) in a 2012 GMC 4x4 with a Century 312 aluminum bed; and Dustin Beall (one year) in a 2008 Chevy 3500 with a Vulcan 810 composite bed.

“Our drivers in the little wreckers

I-70 Towing operators inspect pileup and work to untangle the wrecks on Interstate 70.

Recovery operators discuss cleanup strategy with MODOT workers.

went after the cars, small trucks and vans to clear the way for the big wrecker drivers when they needed it,” Berghager said. “I had drivers winching out cars and pickups while the other guys where towing them to the lot.”

The big wreckers were winching out the trucks and towing them to the off ramps. Then the operators would tow them to the lot and go back and get another one off the highway.

“We eventually got things cleared up and traffic started flowing again slowly,” said Berghager.

Work the Passenger Side–Stay Safe!

Don Lake, I-70’s heavy-duty truck supervisor, operates a 2007 Freightliner Coronado/Vulcan V-100 to upright a rolled over tractor-trailer.

TOWMAN.COM - April 2014 • 31

I-70 Fills a Need John Berghager started I-70 Towing and Recovery in 2002. As an owner-operator with FedEx Ground, John saw a need for a heavy-duty wrecker company in central Missouri.

The company has grown steadily and he now has a mixed fleet consisting of light-, medium-, and heavy-duty wreckers, along with two rollbacks and two tractors with Landoll trailers for equipment hauling.

The company operates primarily in the middle of the state, but also travels outside the area to retrieve wrecked trucks or provide a replacement tractor and haul a disabled one back to its home shop.

“MODOT wanted us to wait on a truck that had collided with other trucks and was in the cables in the median.

So that night after traffic slowed up we went back out there with two heavy-duty wreckers and a couple of light-duties for traffic control and recovered a truck and trailer.”

The next day Berghager sent out a couple of guys in rollbacks and recovered semi hoods and other miscellaneous parts that were scattered along I-70.

“My guys really took care of business and worked together as a team. They were flawless. They really kicked butt. Missouri Highway Patrol and the Missouri Department of Transportation were impressed.”

“I am fortunate to have a very understanding wife,” added John.

Editor’s Note Jim “Buck” Sorrenti, a longtime editor of American Towman, has been our field editor for the past few years. He is a freelance writer and photographer with more than 40 years of experience covering motorcycle, hot rod, truck and towing culture.

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GSTA Names Testa Top Towman The Garden State Towman’s Association recently honored Nick Testa, president of Nick’s Towing Service in Rutherford, N.J., with the GSTA Towman of the Year award for outstanding dedication to the towing industry.

This award has only been bestowed on seven towers over the past 25 years.

“He holds himself and his employees to a very high standard.

His facility and trucks are well maintained; his drivers are uniformed and trained. He goes out of his way for his customers, employees and fellow towers. He is always on the forefront of technology,” said John Glass, GSTA president. “He runs his business with a caring sense of compassion … because he believes to his core that Number 101 on Reader Card

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towers do not get respect as an industry and he leads the way to be a professional.”

Nick’s company was featured in the May 2013 cover story of American Towman, and several of his recoveries have been featured in the magazine or online at TowIndustryWeek.com.

New TRAA Website The Towing & Recovery Association of America recently launched its new website, www.traaonline.com, designed by towPartners, to enhance interaction with members in a new and fresh setting.

“This will be a central location for state associations to list their upcoming events, share ideas and reach out to our members,” said Cynthia Martineau, TRAA executive director.

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Towers Sue Police, DEA Bradley Kelley and Timothy Hall thought they were following their towing company policy and Salem, Ore., city code when they asked for proof of ownership and identification before releasing three impounded cars to a group of men seeking the vehicles.

The cars, it turned out, were unmarked police cars. The men, two of whom wore police uniforms, were from Salem Police, Keizer Police and

the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, according to a federal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Portland.

But that’s when Sgt. Andrew Roberts flashed his badge at the two tow-truck employees, telling them that it was all the identification he needed to get the cars, the complaint states.

The employees soon found themselves arrested and handcuffed in the back of a patrol car.

The arrest is at the heart of a law-

suit filed in the fall by the two men and their employer alleging malicious prosecution, abuse of process and negligence by the officers and their agencies. Although a Polk County jury acquitted the tow-truck employees of obstruction of governmental administration, their employer spent thousands defending the two men in the yearlong prosecution, the complaint states.

The case is making its way through federal court. Lawyers for the city of Keizer are asking a judge to dismiss most of the claims against the lone officer from Keizer Police, saying he played no role in the arrests or in initiating the Polk County prosecution.

The officers lacked probable cause to arrest the two men, the lawsuit states, violating their constitutional right to due process and protection against unreasonable seizure. The officers did not tell them what crime they were accused of committing, the plaintiffs claim, and they also accuse Roberts of threatening their lawyer with arrest if he kept asking questions.

An assistant city attorney for Salem declined to comment on the lawsuit.

The employees, their boss and the company are seeking recovery of lost income and profits. The employees also are asking for $500,000 each in pain and suffering and are additionally seeking punitive damages due to the “reckless disregard” the officers showed for their constitutional rights, the lawsuit contends. Source: www.oregonlive.com.

Gov’t. Vehicles Increasingly Towed in N.Y. Authorities in New York said the past couple of years have seen a sharp increase of towing for illegally parked vehicles from the FBI and other agencies.

The New York Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau Vehicle Enforcement Unit towed 1,855 vehicles with law enforcement plaques in the window in 2013, including 361 police department vehicles, 311 federal Number 137 on Reader Card

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vehicles and 242 fire department vehicles.

No fines are paid in most cases, but the drivers of the vehicles must show police documentation that the vehicle was being used for official business at the time of the towing.

A former Internal Affairs officer speaking on condition of anonymity said the former immune status of official vehicles was revoked in 2008 when an Internal Affairs Bureau sergeant was assigned to ride along with city tow truck operators as part of then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s pledge to crack down on illegal parking by city employees.

Officials said it used to be more common for law enforcement cars violating parking rules to be given citations rather than a tow.

“It’s only been in the last two years where they’ve been actually towing the vehicles,” said Jon Adler, the president of the National Law Enforcement Officers Association.

He said New York is the only location he knows of where cars belonging to the federal government are targeted for towing.

“This issue unfortunately is a recurring issue in New York City.”

Source: www.upi.com.

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New Rules in Bowling Green An ordinance that would regulate towing in Bowling Green, Ky., comes after a spate of after-event towing prompted multiple citizen complaints.

It was placed on the City Commission agenda in November, when no action was taken.

As written, the proposed ordinance would: • Include a maximum fee for towing and storing vehicles.

• Prohibits agreements where impound tow truck services provide payment or rebate money to private parking lot owners or operators in order to tow vehicles from the lot.

• Require impound tow truck ser-

vices to be licensed by the city at a cost of $50 annually.

The draft ordinance would set the maximum charge for towing and 24 hours of storage at either $100 or $125, with a maximum storage charge of $25 a day thereafter.

The ordinance also would require signs to be placed near each entrance of a private parking lot, which notes that unauthorized vehicles are subject to being towed and lists contact information for the impound tow truck service or owner or manager of the parking lot.

It also would require impound storage yards to either have an attendant on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week or have a sign with a telephone number where someone can be reached 24/7. Source: www.bgdailynews.com.

Fees, Credit Cards at Issue

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Under current regulations set by the Carrboro (N.C.) Board of Aldermen, towing companies can charge up to $100 for the towing of illegally parked vehicles. In a future meeting, the board will decide if this cap will rise as well as whether towing companies should be required to accept credit cards in addition to cash, a matter currently at the discretion of towing companies.

Tow truck operators have requested that if they were required to accept credit cards, that they be allowed to charge $25 more than if the customer had the cash on hand.

The Board of Aldermen will vote soon on whether to require tow truck companies to accept credit cards and raising the maximum amount of money that towing companies can charge to $125, a price comparable to nearby Chapel Hill. Source: www.dailytarheel.com.

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Mike Corbin & the Boys, May 15 In Concert at South Point Casino Showroom

Rotator Training, May 15–17

by WreckMaster

AT Open, May 15 Sponsored by USAC/MD

Register online @ ATShowPlace.com AT’s Legendary Hospitality Welcome Reception, May 15 Ribs Fest, May 17

Recovery Demo with New Century 1150 Rotator in the South Point Arena May 15, Sponsored by Miller Industries

Desert Smoke, May 15 Sponsored by Savatech Number 206 on Reader Card

Tow Industry Week Conferences May 15-17 Police Towing Conference

Accident Remediation

Presence & Reputation

Saturday, May 17, 8–10 a.m.

Friday, May 16, 8 a.m.

What it takes to set up an accident cleanup operation, how to bill and collect successfully from insurance companies, how to make your accident-cleanup operation a desirable partner in the eyes of law enforcement. John Borowski, Police Towers of America, Amber Scene Clean

Join Mike Rappaport, creative director at OMG National and Co-Producer of American Towman TV as he takes you through a thorough look at your web presence and reputation and how to handle the bad and leverage the good! All Attendees will receive a FREE comprehensive REPUTATION REPORT AND ANALYSIS of their business for review.

Auto Return Saturday, May 17, 10 a.m.

The AutoReturn system manages dispatch and rotation for cities across the U.S. This seminar is for tow business owners who seek long-term relationships with the town and police and what can be learned from AutoReturn in this regard. The seminar is also for tow business owners who are looking to learn of opportunities offered by AutoReturn in their areas of operation.

John Wicker, AutoReturn CEO

Tracking Retail-Call Conversion Friday, May 16, 9 a.m.

Breakfasts included for conference attendees.

Discover the importance of implementing a phone monitoring system to record incoming phone calls and how it can affect your revenue. Learn a step by step process for calculating your retail phone sales conversion rate and discover how much lost revenue you have been overlooking. Daniel Ostrov, Whiterail Media

Using GPS Intelligence Preserving Evidence

Friday, May 16, 10 a.m.

Saturday, May 17, 11 a.m.

Explore GPS solutions for towers that help reduce operating costs (e.g. fuel, maintenance, insurance, overtime) and better dispatch processes that improve performance, all while creating a safer driving environment; and then discuss ROI that is generated. Matt Gunzenhaeuser and Matt Curtis, TomTom

Learn the reasons law enforcement demands professional abilities when preserving evidence at towing, recovery, and investigation scenes. Learn why proper tow and recovery techniques are critical to criminal prosecutions relating to the prosecution's chain-ofevidence; Satisfy law enforcement requirements and expectations. Randy Resch, American Towman Magazine Operations Editor, is a former towing manager and San Diego, Calif. police officer.

Tow Operations Conference

Facebook Thursday, May 15, 2 p.m.

This Facebook seminar will discuss how to improve your Facebook page, set up Google alerts to get good local content sent automatically to your email inbox, and how to use an automated posting service to get content on there without spending hours doing it. David Tulkin, Demandforce

Drug Testing Thursday, May 15, 3 p.m.

This seminar will go over mandated Department of Transportation Drug and Alcohol Testing and how employers benefit from a Drug Free Workplace.

Sandra Madia, American Alliance Drug Testing.

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Tow Tech Friday, May 16, 11 a.m.

Learn about the latest techology advancements and how tow operations are using them to increase productivity. Robert Eckenrode, Beacon Software Impound Conference

Private Lot Towing Enters 21st Century Friday, 5/16 11 a.m.

A new service for both private-lot owners and towers is accommodating the trend of requirements that municipalities are placing on towers. Parking Enforcer marketing manager Dan Kendrick shows you how his company's new Internet based service keeps everyone happy, including vehicle owners. The smartphone as image and data collector plays a key role allowing private lot towers to maintain legal-compliance and offer transparency to both the lot owner and the motorist.

Tow Industry Week: $75 Gets You All Conferences/All Seminars...Includes Breakfasts

Liens & Impounds in Digital World Saturday, May 17, 8 a.m.

Staying Ahead of Your Notification Process: Find out how to get traction in notifying owners and lien holders when their vehicle is sitting on your lot. Tom Drake, Auto Data Direct

Preparing Vehicles for Sale Saturday, May 17, 9 a.m.

IImportant nuts and bolts of vehicle remarketing.

How one lists a vehicle: vehicle options, trim level, engine size, run & drives, starts & noticeable damage; how to take he right photos to sell online; having the necessary paperwork available at time of sale, and more. Mark Buffa, Alteso

Auctioning Thru IAA Saturday, May 17, 10 a.m.

Learn how to buy and sell lightly damaged, high mileage, repossessed and abandoned vehicles at auction with a combined live and live-online bidding auction platform. Ray Rodecker, Insurance Auto Auctions Unclaimed Vehicle Resolution Saturday, May 17, 11 a.m.

The dollar advantage of auction vs. salvage and how online auction systems help you properly process the lien. How to maximize impound profits and stay legal. John Borowski, Police Towers of America. Borowski will reference the TowLot.com system, which is used at Hampshire Towing in South Hadley, Mass., where he has a management position.

Recovery Conference

Heavy-Duty Recovery Friday, May 16, 9 a.m.

Classroom discussions on challenging, real-life HD recoveries conducted by Miller Industries Heavy Duty Specialist John Hawkins.

Light-Duty Recovery Friday, May 16, 11 a.m.

Terry Abejuela discusses challenging light duty recovery techniques. Abejuela is a trainer for AAA South and a field editor for American Towman Magazine.

Rotator Business Thursday, May 15, 2–4 p.m.

Bob Foquette talks the business side of owning and operating a heavy duty rotator and how to make the rotator your company's greatest equipment-asset. Fouquette owns Big Wheel Towing and Recovery in Freeport, Mass. and Recovery Billing Unlimited.

Work the Passenger Side–Stay Safe!

Rotator Training 1st Class - Thu. 5/15, 5 - 9 pm, Fri. 5/16, 8 am - 1 pm, Fri. 5/16, 5 - 9 pm 2nd Class - Fri. 5/16, 5 - 9 pm, Sat. 5/17, 8 am - 1 pm, Sat. 5/17, 5 - 9 pm WreckMaster Rotator Training includes 8 hours of classroom and 5 hours of hands-on instruction inside South Point Arena. Bruce Campbell

Fee: $595 when registering now or before April 30, $695 after. Class size limited.

Register now before class fills up. Fee includes Conference Passport and breakfast Friday and Saturday morning.

Recovery Billing Friday, May 16, 9am-1pm, & Saturday, May 17, 9am-1pm The famous 8 hour course presented by Bob and Eric Foquette, whose Big Wheel Towing and Recovery company spawned Recovery Billing Unlimited.

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 includes both individuals. Both may repeat the class twice at no additional fee.

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.

For more details on the course, you may call Recovery Billing Unlimited directly to speak with either Bob, Eric or Linda: 508-763-5927.

Fee includes Conference Passport and breakfast Friday and Saturday morning.

TOWMAN.COM - April 2014 • 43

REGISTER NOW BEFORE APRIL 30TH & $AVE!

2014 Attendee Registration

Las Vegas, NV • May 15-17,2014 Mail to: 7 West Street, Warwick, NY 10990 • Fax to 845-986-5181 Phone: 800-732-3869 ext. 214 By advance-registering, the company “Boss” and one guest are admitted free to Exhibit Hall.

A $5 fee applies to all others. Children under 14 free.

1st Registered Name: |

Produced by AT Expo Corp.

Title

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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Title 3rd Registered Name ($5): | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Title 4th Registered Name ($5): | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Title Company: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Address: State: Zip: City: 2nd Registered Name: |

Phone:

Fax:

2. PLEASE CHECK BOXES BELOW

Country:

E-mail:

How are you traveling to the show: ❏ Driving or ❏ Flying

1. Is your Primary Business Towing/Recovery: ❏ Yes or ❏ No

2. Secondary Business (check those that apply):

1a. If NO check your primary business: ❏ Towing/Recovery ❏ Service Station ❏ Auto Repair/Serv. Ctr. ❏ Auto/Truck Dealership ❏ Repossession ❏ Vehicle Leasing ❏ Transport/Trailer Serv. ❏ Distributor Equip ❏ Salv/Autoparts ❏ Lockout ❏ Truck Repair ❏ Other______________ ❏ Auto Body Shop

❏ Towing/Recovery ❏ Auto Repair/Serv. Ctr. ❏ Repossession ❏ Transport/Trailer Serv. ❏ Salv/Autoparts ❏ Truck Repair ❏ Auto Body Shop

❏ Service Station ❏ Auto/Truck Dealership ❏ Vehicle Leasing ❏ Distributor Equip ❏ Lockout ❏ Other______________

3. # Employees: ❏ 1-5 ❏ 6-10 ❏ 11-20 ❏ 21-50 ❏ 51-100 ❏ 100+ 4. Check one that best describes your purchasing authority: ❏ I authorize/approve purchases ❏ No authority ❏ I recommend 5. # tow trucks in fleet: ❏ 1-3 ❏ 4-7 ❏ 8-12 ❏ 13-16 ❏ 17+ 6. Types of trucks in fleet (check those that apply): ❏ Light Duty ❏ Medium Duty ❏ Heavy Duty ❏ Transport ❏ Class 7/8

❏ Service Vehicle ❏ Carriers ❏ Rotators ❏ Other 7. Number of unclaimed vehicles sold to salvage or auctioned each month: ❏ 10 ❏ 20 ❏ 30 ❏ 40 ❏ 50 ❏ 75 ❏ 100

3. EVENT REGISTRATION – Exhibit Hall Open Fri. & Sat. 12:00 Noon - 6:00 PM Accident Remediation • Impound Management Tow Operations • Rotator Business • Recovery

— RE QUIRE D INFORMAT ION —

1. REGISTER HERE

Quantity

$ Amount

Please Check the Events You Wish to Attend (All special events and conferences take place at South Point Hotel & Casino.)

EXHIBIT HALL • Fri. & Sat.: 12 Noon - 6 pm; 5/16-17. • 1st & 2nd registrants are free: each additional $5 per person. ❏ Yes, please advance register me for exhibit hall. Badge is good for both exhibit hall days! . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5 per person ______ ❏ AT Open (Golf) • Thurs., 5/15, 9 am; Tow Bosses & Industry Suppliers compete for AT Open Golf Tourney ❏ 1st registrant ❏ 2nd registrant ❏ 3rd registrant ❏ 4th registrant Sponsored by USAC/MD . . . . . . . . . . . .$125 per person ______ ❏ Conference Passport • Passport good for all Conferences starting Thurs. afternoon, and includes breakfast Fri. & Sat. $75 advance registration fee; $125 on site – Save $50 & register now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$75 per person ______ ❏ 1st registrant ❏ 2nd registrant ❏ 3rd registrant ❏ 4th registrant ❏ Recovery Billing Course • Fri. & Sat., 5/16-17, 9 am - 1 pm, 8-Hour Course by Recovery Billing Unlimited. . . . . . .$1,850 per company ______ Course fee covers two people. Owner & billing clerk should attend. ❏ 1st registrant ❏ 2nd registrant ❏ 3rd registrant ❏ 4th registrant ❏ WreckMaster Rotator Training 1st Class • Thurs. 5/15: 5-9 pm, Fri. 5/16: 8 am - 1 pm, 5-9 pm . . . . . .$595 per person before 4/30 ______ Includes 8-hrs. classroom & 5-hrs. hands-on instruction inside South Point. Fee also includes Conference Passport & breakfast Fri./Sat. Save now - after April 30th fee is $695 ❏ 1st registrant ❏ 2nd registrant ❏ 3rd registrant ❏ 4th registrant ❏ WreckMaster Rotator Training 2nd Class • Fri. 5/16: 5-9 pm, Sat. 5/17: 8 am - 1 pm, 5-9 pm . . . . . . .$595 per person before 4/30 ______ Same as 1st Class different dates/times. ❏ 1st registrant ❏ 2nd registrant ❏ 3rd registrant ❏ 4th registrant ❏ American Towman Cup • Wrecker Pageant. Check class you will compete in. One vehicle per class & up to four per company. $50/$75 ______ Trucks enter Thurs. pm, Fri. am and stay in Center until Sat., 7 pm • $50: ❏ Light (pre-2013) ❏ Light (2013-2014) ❏ Medium ❏ Vintage (Pre-1985) • $75: ❏ HD Single Axle ❏ HD Tandem ❏ Carrier ❏ Rotator ❏ AT’s Desert Smoke VIP Passport • Fri. 5/16, 9 pm; Poolside at South Point Hotel.

Includes (2) special cigars, drink ticket, food & special gift. Co-sponsor: Savatech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$20 per person: ______ ❏ AT’s Desert Smoke • Fri. 5/16, 9 pm; Poolside at South Point Hotel. FREE hand-rolled cigar, Co-sponsor: Savatech .# attending: _______ ❏ Bowling with Boomer • Fri. 5/16, 6:30 pm. Includes two matches and shoes. Trophies awarded. . . . . . . . . . . . .$25 per person: ______ ❏ Corbin Concert • Thurs. 5/15, 9 pm. Mike Corbin & The Boys perform live featuring Towman Ballads.

South Point Hotel & Casino Showroom. $20 per person advance registration ($40 on-site) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$20 per person: ______ ❏ AT Welcome Reception Thurs. 5/15, 6 pm; FREE buffet & bar hospitality. South Point Arena Concourse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .# attending: _______ ❏ Live Recovery Demo • Thurs. 5/15, 7 pm. John Hawkins demonstrates newest Rotator, Co-sponsor: Miller Ind. . . . . .# attending: ______ ❏ Saturday RIBS FEST Sat. 5/17, 6 pm; FREE to Advance Registrants only: BBQ Ribs & Live Music at South Point. . . . . . . . . . .# attending: _______ & Receive the Monument Medal ❏ 1 yr. $50 • ❏ 2 yrs. $95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _______ ❏ Subscribe to Total Fees: ________

4. PAYMENT

Credit Card Number: Name on Card:

❒

Expiration Date:

Signature:

Check Enclosed Payable to A.T. Expo. Corp.

HOTEL RESERVATION FORM: Make Your Reservation Today!

❒

CSV# (on back of card):

The hotel will email your reservation confirmation

South Point Hotel & Casino & Convention Ctr. • AT ShowPlace Headquarters Hotel • S/D Wed. Thurs. & Sun. $55 – Fri. & Sat. $95.

9777 Las Vegas Blvd., So. Las Vegas, NV. • Hotel, Casino and Convention Center-site of AT ShowPlace Exhibits. Complimentary items included: In-room Wi-Fi/Internet, Fitness Center, Airport Shuttle, Free local phone calls, Wi-Fi in Business Center, and parking and valet.

❏ Guarantee reservation to above credit card. Arrival Date:__________, 2014 - Depart Date: __________, 2014 # of Rooms ______ # of Guests per room _______ # of beds ______ List names for each room: Special Requests _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1st: ________________________________________________ 2nd: __________________________________________________ 3rd: _____________________________________________

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Insurance

by Anthony Dengel

Comparison Y

ou know it’s important to reevaluate your business needs on a regular basis, and one of those is commercial auto insurance. You might not know it yet, but there could be better insurance options for your tow operation out there.

There are seven things to co nsid er w hen analyzing yo ur insurance co verage and p ro vid er: 1. Do you have the right coverages to protect your customers’ cars?

Your customer trusts you with their car, so you should make sure that your insurance covers customer vehicles from the time you hook them up to the time you give them back.

Some tow truck insurance policies have gaps in coverage. For example, if you get into an accident when moving a vehicle between locations, the damage might not be covered. With specialized coverages, you can be confident that your customers’ vehicles—and their contents—are fully protected.

2. Find out if your insurer has claims reps who know the tow industry.

If you do have an accident, it’s important to find a company that has dedicated commercial auto claims representatives, not general reps who 48 • April 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

work for a third party. Specialized claims reps will help get you, and your customers, back on the road quicker … time is money.

3. Are all of your employees covered when they drive your trucks (even if you haven’t had a chance to list them on the policy yet)?

Ask about policies for covering new employees who drive your tow trucks. Some insurance companies only cover drivers who are named on the policy. So, if a new employee gets into an accident before you have a chance to add them to your policy, the damage might not be covered.

You should always list employees who regularly drive your vehicles, but ask your insurance company if it allows permissive use, which means that new drivers are covered as long as they have your permission to operate the vehicle.

4. How long does it take to resolve claims?

Try to find out how long, on average, it takes your insurer to resolve claims. The faster they take care of your claim, the faster you can get back to work.

5. Do you have the right amount of liability coverage?

If you contract through a national

roadside assistance company, you may be required to carry a certain amount of liability insurance, or coverage for roadside repairs. Find out how much coverage you need and make sure your policy meets or exceeds those limits.

6. Compare value.

Value doesn’t always mean price.

Make side-by-side comparisons and see who’s giving you the most for your money. Consider other factors like bundling packages, customer service and special offers. Then, once you’re comfortable with what your insurer is covering, ask about discounts.

7. Look at the discounts.

After you’ve taken the time to compare the value of what you’re getting, check what discounts you’re eligible to receive. There are many kinds of discounts, including discounts for having at least three years of business experience, paying your policy in full and showing proof of prior insurance coverage. Ask your insurer or independent agent plenty of questions to ensure you’re getting the most for your money.

About the Author Anthony Dengel is a commercial auto product manager at Progressive, www.progressivecommercial.com.

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Questions

Every BOSS Should ASK Are You Adequately Protecting Your Operation?

by Mike Harding and Skip Mulvey

Y

ou’ve worked hard to develop, fine-tune and grow your tow business. Endless hours of hard work and good employees have created a proud business.

In today’s economic environment, however, limited staffing may present many challenges to your tow business.

It’s often difficult to find enough time to think about the ways your tow business might be impacted by risks you overlooked or failed to consider.

There are many risks out there facing your business and their impact will depend on your level of preparedness and ability to respond, not just react.

50 • April 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

Are you adequately protecting your tow operation? Consider the following questions about your business: • Do your drivers often interact with customers on remote or isolated roadways?

• Does anyone drive their own vehicle on behalf of your business?

• Do you or your drivers ever change tires as part of a call?

• Do you have any contracts with other organizations?

Did you answer “yes” to any of these questions? Is so, do you: • Perform background checks all of your employees?

• Check the driving records of everyone that drives for you?

• Talk to your insurance agent to make sure your insurance policy includes damages or injuries that could occur as a result of changing a tire?

• Double-check and reread contracts to see what exactly you are agreeing to?

These are just a few of the many questions you can ask to help protect your tow business. When you engage in this kind of process, you’re utilizing risk management.

Risk management is much more than just buying insurance; it is actu-

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ally a forward-thinking process that allows you to manage the risks your tow business faces by helping you develop a practical plan to identify, manage and minimize the adverse effects of the unexpected.

You can start this process by asking these five questions: • What can go wrong?

• Why are you concerned about it?

• What will you do to prevent harm?

• What will you do to lessen the worry?

• How will you finance that?

These questions will help you start thinking about what might go wrong with your tow business. In order to systematically answer these “Top 5 Questions,” you will also need to ask yourself other questions about the many pieces of what often make up a comprehensive risk management plan.

Many of these components probably already apply to your tow business.

This is a great time for you to take a look at each of these areas and get an idea of how well you are protecting your tow business.

To help you examine each oval in this graphic (page 50), some additional questions can help. These are not all the questions you’ll probably ask, but it gives you a healthy place to start. Your answers may provide some insight into how well you’re managing your risks and protecting your tow business.

•Are you providing risk management leadership?

• Have you helped your employees understand risks in a general way?

• Do you have policies that evaluate your risk exposures?

• When a risk is identified, do you develop and implement plans to manage them?

• Are employees held accountable?

• Do employees know their role relative to risk?

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• Did you know that people (employees) are a common area of risk for tow business?

• Have you established clear, concise, and fair hiring practices?

• Are these practices in writing?

Are they in an employee handbook?

• How are they communicated?

• Are your policies consistently applied?

• Is your hiring done according to policies?

• Are background checks done on everyone? Screening?

• What are your termination policies? Are they uniformly applied?

• Have all of your policies and procedures been reviewed by HR/legal counsel?

• What backup staffing plans have you made for key positions?

• What positions are“red-flagged” as key to your tow business?

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• How will you back up these positions if key employees are suddenly unavailable?

• Is your staff cross-trained to handle emergencies?

• Has your insurance agent reviewed your plans to see if some policies are available to boost your protection?

• Have you determined safety risks faced by employees, customers and the community you serve?

• Do you know the frequency of past safety incidents?

• How has your tow business dealt with past incidents?

• What have been the costs (losses and mitigation) associated with these safety incidents?

• Do you know what legal regulations apply to your tow business?

•Do you have the right insurance coverage for your type of tow operation? (Jump-starts, tire changes, etc.)

Some of the quick (and less costly) solutions for towing insurance in today’s marketplace do not include the proper coverage for these types of exposures, and if a claim were to occur, your business would be responsible for the costs associated with the claim.

• Do you know what type of general liability insurance coverage you have? Do you know the difference between what is referred to as Lot coverage or Garagekeepers insurance and basic on-premises coverage? Not all policies provide both of these important coverages.

• What contracts are others asking you to sign?

• What are you agreeing to?

• If others are asking for “additional insured” status on your policies then these third parties have full rights to your policy—are you comfortable with this?

• Are you sending all contracts to your insurance agent for a review?

• When was the last time you assessed risks related to your facilities?

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54 • April 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

• Who is (will be) responsible for your facility-related issues?

• Are your facilities owned or rented?

•Are you leasing any properties to others?

• Do you have an inventory of all of your property assets, physical and intellectual?

• Should you have on- or off-site security? How is security provided?

• What facility-related issues have come up in the past related to financial, maintenance, legal, safety, or other matters? How were they handled?

• Are you managing your workers’ compensation program or have you deferred this to your insurance company?

• Have you implemented training and safety programs dealing with your key risks?

• Does your tow business have reporting procedures for all incidents?

• Do you have a return-to-work

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TOWMAN.COM - April 2014 • 55

program with light alternative duty?

Do es yo ur to w business have crisis and em ergency p lans?

To build this plan did you: • Make a list of (bad) things that could happen?

• Review past incidents that have occurred and considered other risk factors?

• Prioritize your list?

• Create a plan around each risk, and/or a backup plan?

• Have you defined responsibilities of your employees, including crisis responsibilities?

• Have you made provisions for managing the media?

Do you have a written plan to manage your driver safety and driving exposures?

Does it include: • A method to evaluate and select qualified drivers?

• Policies and procedures that define driver expectations?

• Training that includes initial orientation, defensive driving and on-going training?

• A process for incident reporting?

• Protocols for inspections and maintenance?

• A focus on managing driver safety?

Are you managing your tow business’s social media risks?

• Do you monitor the feedback you receive on your webpage, Facebook and other sites?

• Do your employees understand social etiquette?

• Do you have response procedures to address negative comments?

Evaluate your insurance company: • Are they helpful/knowledgeable?

• Are they tow insurance specialists?

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56 • April 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

• Do they really care, or do they just take your money?

• Is your insurance agent helpful in finding insurance companies for tow operations?

• Do you view your insurance company as a partner in risk?

The goal behind all of these questions is to help you create a culture of risk management where risks are routinely managed and integrated into your day-to-day operations. To help you better protect your tow business, include risk management as part of your business planning.

About the authors Mike Harding is a Senior Loss Control Specialist and Skip Mulvey is a Senior Insurance Specialist for Markel Corp.

Email them at mharding@markel.corp.com and smulvey@towinsurance.com.

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Storm Costs Tallied at $1.4B The severe winter weather that hit the U.S. caused more than $1.4 billion in insured losses in January alone, according to Impact Forecasting. An unusual shift in the polar vortex spread freezing temperatures across the nation and pushed winter storms into Southern cities.

Snows were even heavier in February and temperatures even lower, taxing already exhausted snowplow and tow truck drivers.

“It’s been a jacked-up winter,” said Jeremy Lewis, 37, a tower from Des Moines, Iowa. “I’ve been a tow truck driver for 17 years and I’ve never seen this many multi-car accidents in one winter in our area. I used to get eight hours of sleep—now I’m lucky to grab four.”

Lewis, who works for Hanifen Towing, said that he responded to four large multi-vehicle highway accidents so far this year, each involving more than 20 vehicles. The last one was a 30-vehicle pileup on Feb. 15, he said.

The period covered by the Impact Forecasting damage report does not include the harsh winter weather that pushed a blizzard through Iowa and the Midwest in mid-February that subsequently hit the Great Lakes and Northeast. Source: www.desmoinesregister.com.

DPW, Towers Clearing Streets In New Haven, Conn., a week-long special city operation paired towers and Department of Public Works employees to unclog some of the city’s least-passable small streets.

A traffic enforcement staffer tucked a $30 ticket under a Malibu’s windshield wiper. He sounded the alert siren on his city-issued car, and made an announcement through the car’s loudspeaker, looking for the owner to move the car.

No one emerged to claim the Malibu. A tow truck came in and pulled it away. This one was easy—unlike other cars that had to be pried from snow banks.

In all, 33 cars were towed during one day’s removal operations, said city traffic tsar Doug Hausladen. It was part of a complicated ticketing, towing and plowing operation that was underway for a whole week.

The special operation occurred in part because the city failed to enforce a parking ban in the first place to clear streets for snow plowing. Several storms’ worth of ice and snow built up along streets, and made some of them impassable.

As a crew worked on Henry Street, five tow trucks were parked nearby, waiting to tow cars parked on the odd side of targeted streets. On top of $30 tickets, owners of towed cars faced $88 towing fees, not including $5.84 in tax and a $4 fuel surcharge.

Source: www.newhavenindependent.org.

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Volunteer’s Truck Towed New Orleans, La., is known for its southern hospitality, but not when it comes to parking illegally. Recently, a nun who was delivering food for the homeless had her truck towed.

“Wednesday, St. Joseph’s Day, was a beautiful day. The sun was beaming down and we had to get [the food] inside quickly,” said St. Jude Community Center Director Sister Beth Mouch. “That’s what we were doing.”

As volunteers finished wheeling in the last cart of food, Mouch returned to move the truck to find a tow truck had beaten her to it.

A spokesperson for the city said, “In this instance, the vehicle was blocking a public right-of-way, which is a violation of the city’s parking rules. We will continue to work to both educate drivers on the city’s parking regulations and to provide positive customer service experiences to the public.”

Mouch is hoping her story will do some good. She does not want her fine waived. All she wants is the city to consider sensitivity training for all its tow truck drivers and meter maids.

Source: www.wwltv.com.

Landoll Marks 50 Years Landoll Corp. is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Don Landoll began his company as a small two-man welding shop repairing farm equipment and rebuilding radiators in 1963.

Landoll (www.landoll.com) has become one of the most recognized names in the trailer industry.

Landoll’s Trailer Division will offer a specially equipped anniversary series of trailers. The 400, 800 and 900 series are being offered with a highend option package that includes AirWeigh Scales, Grote lights and wiring harness, Kartech wireless remote controls and Diamond-Vogel powder paint coatings.

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Tower-Police Conspiracy Amid the sprawling fields and cavernous produce warehouses in King City, Calif., residents spoke in whispered Spanish about police lights in the rearview mirror.

The community of 13,000 rimmed by an agricultural region touted as the “Salad Bowl of the World,” farmworkers told of being pulled over as they headed home after exhausting days harvesting lettuce, peppers and onions. Working with a local towing company, police were regularly seizing cars, often from undocumented laborers who could not produce the driver’s licenses necessary to retrieve the vehicles from the storage yard.

Officers also were aggressively targeting parked cars, ordering vehicles towed from residential streets for infractions as slight as an expired license plate tag.

Often the owners were low-income residents who ultimately lost the cars to the tow yard because they could not pay the impound fees.

Now a scandal is enveloping King City, a town that is 87-percent Latino and centered on 4 square miles in the shadow of the Santa Lucia Range. A veteran police sergeant, Bobby Carrillo, and Brian Miller, owner of the local tow yard, are charged with conspiracy and bribery stemming from what prosecutors say was a kickback Number 111 on Reader Card

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scheme to impound and sell the cars of hundreds of low-income residents. Many of the victims, authorities say, were agricultural workers who were afraid to come forward because they were undocumented.

After an investigation that brought in the FBI, Salinas police and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department, the town’s acting police chief, Bruce Miller—the tow operator ’s brother—is charged with accepting one of the seized cars as a bribe.

Police also arrested a former King City police chief, Dominic “Nick” Baldiviez, and three other officers on unrelated charges including embezzlement involving a city car allegedly given to an officer for personal use, illegal weapons possession and threatening a resident.

Source: www.sacbee.com.

TDLR Named in Fee Increase Fees for city towing and other related wrecker services in Copperas Cove, Texas, were raised recently in a move that closely mirrors Killeen’s towing fee increases.

At a recent city council meeting, Mike Heintzelman, deputy chief of police, told council members the wrecker services on the city’s rotation list complained that increased fees from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations made doing business at current rates difficult.

The Copperas Cove Police Department uses seven wrecker businesses. The Code of Ordinances Sec. 19-66 controls the maximum fees wrecker services can charge, and that hasn’t changed for close to a decade. The additional costs to businesses come from having to cover costs related to increasing operational licenses, training costs, drug testing and other staff-related expenses.

“The wrecking tow service industry has undergone major changes,” Heitzelman said. “(The fee schedule) will look exactly like

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NEWS FLASH continued from page 61 what the city of Killeen approved two months ago. Some towing companies there, too, had to adjust rates to keep up.”

Phil Egbert, owner of Phil’s Paint and Body, said most people don’t understand what wrecker drivers have to face when on a service call.

“If a car is in a swimming pool we do it all — we drain, clean and pull it out,” he said. “Sometimes we face angry or drunk clients and we have to call the cops for help. It’s not always easy. And all those new fees, they add up. Even my office staff is now required to be licensed and they’re not even driving.”

The Copperas Cove council unanimously approved a schedule where towing services for collision and noncollisions are now $150. The hourly fee additional to other charges after the first hour of service is now $80; using a dolly or flatbed will cost $50, and for uprighting a vehicle, it will cost $50.

Mileage fees went from $2 to $3 per mile. Source: www.kdhnews.com.

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Repo’d Car Stolen Back Police in West Norriton, Pa., investigated a vehicle theft in which a man who had his car repossessed allegedly took the vehicle back.

Police arrived at Recovery Management Systems and spoke to the company’s owner, who informed them that the registered owner of a newly repossessed vehicle had shown up to retrieve some items from the car.

Employees at the car lot surmised that the car’s former owner used a spare key to start the vehicle before heading out of the parking lot.

Police made contact with the suspect by phone. He told them that the “tow truck people” had illegally stolen his car while he was sleeping.

The suspect did not seem to grasp the concept of repossession, and the police had to inform him that his car now belonged to Toyota Financial Services and he was required to immediately relinquish possession of the vehicle.

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Recovery Management Systems reclaimed the car without incident and declined to press charges. Source: www.timesherald.com.

Act Would Protect Towers New legislation in Ontario, Canada, that would punish drivers who fail to move over for tow trucks and utility vehicles the same as is required for emergency vehicles is being welcomed by friends and family of a local tow truck driver killed on the job two years ago.

Paul Rocheleau, 49, was in the process of attending to a disabled vehicle in a left-turn lane when he was struck and killed by a vehicle that veered to the left in January 2012.

Transportation Minister Glen Murray announced that the wide-ranging Keeping Ontario’s Roads Safe Act would include adding tow trucks and other roadwork vehicles to those that motorists must move to the next lane to avoid. Source: www.blogs.windsorstar.com.

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What The Users Say

*Product reviews of participating advertisers

Access Tools Works With Us “They are more than willing to work with me to put together ad hoc kits for jobs we do, prices are good and they give free shipping. The special kits they do for us are based on feedback we get from our road-service people; Access will take out a tool and substitute another in and still give competitive pricing on the kit.”

Laura C., Rescue Rangers; Va. See ad on page 53

Advantage Funding Is Easiest “My last truck purchase through Advantage Funding was the simplest and easiest. … Advantage Funding stepped in and went above and beyond to make sure I received the funding I needed, when I needed it. … I found the truck I wanted at a tow show, and talked to Pete for five minutes. Three days later, the truck was delivered to my driveway. The next month on another new purchase was the same thing. I called them up and the next day the paperwork was on my desk ready to be signed.”

Michael Montalbano; Five Star Towing, Saddle Brook, N.J. See ad on page 56

Agero Grows with Us “As our business has grown, Agero’s business with us has grown. They’ve given us more work as we’ve grown to 14 trucks; it’s like a partnership together in the marketplace—working with them on tech from dispatching to online bill pay to invoicing. They’re always pushing the envelope to use more technology and we work with them to become more efficient. We’ve done several test-pilot programs with them and we are glad to partner with them on that.”

Jason Ward, Safari Towing and Recovery; McKinney, Texas See ad on page 23

American Safety & Supply Works Great “We started about a year ago, and haven’t had any problems from American Safety & Supply. We get hoodies, shorts and jackets, basic uniforms from them. The pricing is great, service is great. And there’ve been no problems or issues.”

Mark Giblin, Mag Towing; Frankford, Del. See ad on page 29

Austin Insurance Takes Good Care “They gave us good rates and they’re very friendly and come down to your place to meet with you. I always get an answer. Austin works really hard to take care of their customers. I’ve been with them 10 years or better; I don’t even have a desire to look anywhere else. I depend on them and they’re there. Their whole staff is friendly and polite.”

Carrie Meeks, Bentonville Towing; Bentonville, Ark. See ad on page S 91

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TOWMAN.COM - April 2014 • 65

AW Direct Gives Awesome Service “I have never received customer service before that compared to AW Direct. … I was concerned about not having my receipts to do an exchange; not only was that not a problem, but I was advised to donate the gloves that I was going to return. Awesome customer service!”

Sandra Fifer, Danny’s Rollback Service; Hurt, Va. See ad on page 75

Industry Knowledge Is Key at B/A Products “B/A Products Co. has been the equipment manufacturer of choice for Somerset Hills Towing for many years. … Recently, we failed to find a specific strap accessory.

Howard Kritzer at B/A Products had an item that would exactly meet our needs and was able to get it to us quickly through Elizabeth Truck Center. … The staff at B/A have extensive knowledge and experience in the towing and recovery industry. ... Somerset Hills Towing is completely satisfied with the quality, performance and service we receive from B/A Products and their distributors.”

Mike Duplak, Somerset Hills Towing; Bridgewater, N.J. See ad on page 51

Beacon Software Handles Everything “We’ve used Beacon’s Dispatch Anywhere for several years, and like it really well. It covers all the bases and is very intuitive to handle everything for you. We take a call—it doesn’t matter if its retail, motor club or law enforcement—and we get all the parameters we need, get it on time and we know exactly who to send it to in a couple clicks and its sent to the driver and he’s on the call. That’s the beautiful thing: he punches in on his phone and clicks his ETA, integrates his time and it takes all the guesswork out. Billing is already created from the driver invoice, it figures mileages to do motor-club billing, saves a lot of office labor and processing time.

When you realize what processing time costs you, you’d jump on a system like this!”

Philip Julian, National Autow; Memphis, Tenn.

See ad on page 54

Century 1140 Is Versatile “Our Century 1140 has been great so far. The rotator makes a difference in doing the job and minimizing lane closure vs. using a conventional tow truck.

We felt like we needed to move on with changing technology and move forward with our business and the 1140 is a versatile piece to rotate, as well as light enough to tow with every day. … I feel like I have a personal relationship with Miller Industries and the customer service is impeccable. They really take care of you whether you’re buying a small truck or a rotator.”

Jason Neeley, Neeley’s Towing & Recovery; Texarkana.

See ad on page 16,17

Chevron Build Quality Is Tops “What I love most is not just the design, but the tow beds.

Chevron’s build integrity and longevity have no comparison. …

Their dependability is great. I have five Chevron carriers and five wreckers. … I like that the 1-ton comes with 12,000pound winches instead of 8,000 or 9,000. … I also like the design of the D-ring mount to pull off the side of the vehicle and the wheel-lift brackets use for D-rings or shackles.”

Joe Coram, Canton Towing; Canton, Ohio See ad on page 16, 17

66 • April 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

Coach-Net Is Professional “Coach-Net is a wonderful company that I thoroughly enjoy working with. They are very professional and their dispatchers are very knowledgeable, nice, friendly and courteous.”

Jeff Rackley, Jeff’s Wrecker Service; Rocky Mount, N.C. See ad on page 15

Daniel’s Gets What We Need “Daniel’s Wrecker Sales does all the purchasing of my heavy equipment and trucks; any time we need new equipment, we call Dan and he takes care of us. Never had an issue or complaint. He personally shows up. … He continually works until he gets what we need taken care of. We need equipment and financing and he takes care of all of it to get us the equipment that we need.”

Robert Burkhardt, Tri-Bur Corp.; Ronkonkoma, N.Y. See ad on page 74

DewEze Fits Most Motors “The DewEze clutch-pump kits have easy installations. We’ve done them on new and used trucks—the wide variety of applications are for virtually every motor that’s out there. For trucks without PTO, you can still use with a nice fit and finish and machine work that is nicely machined and fitted, not just welded together. … The warranty factor for us is next to nil now with serpentine-belt driven pumps vs. an added pulley.”

Roddy Pellow, Twin Cities Wrecker Sales; St. Paul, Minn.

See ad on page 37

Dynamic Is Solid, Well-Built “Dynamic Manufacturing’s equipment is solid, simple to use and well built. As far as service, it’s really good. The people are great and there for you. I can call Anthony on his cellphone anytime I need to. Its great to be able to talk to the owner of the company.”

Sasha Salerno, Campus Towing; Deland, Fla. See ad on page 57

Elizabeth Truck Center Is Smooth “I developed a relationship with Elizabeth Truck Center and it’s easy to make one phone call and talk with them and they get what I need and get it done smoothly. They’re very easy to deal with and that’s why I go back to them. If I need something fixed from the manufacturer, they step in the middle of it and handle everything and the service is great. Sometimes they even pickup the truck from the manufacturer and bring it back. It’s a great relationship.”

Adam Lach, Criger Service; Fairfield, N.J. See ad on page 29

Equipment Sales & Service Is There For You “I like the fact Equipment Sales & Service are a family-owned business; you can tell they care and are not just about the money. They’re always been there for us. We had three trucks in accidents in two days just before Thanksgiving, and he found a truck for us that night.”

Daniel Minett, MTS Towing; Irvington, N.J. See ad on page N 91

Work the Passenger Side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2014 • 67

FlowStop Stays Sealed “We use FlowTtop footballs and golfballs] on scene at accidents. We had a job right after we purchased them where a volunteer fire department responded and a fuel tank was sliced open. We got out of the truck and put three footballs and four golfballs in and sealed it right up. The firefighters had absorbent pads that were saturated and still leaking. We impressed the fire department by sealing it right up.”

Vaughn Gobel, Gobel’s Towing; North Lima, Ohio See ad on page 38

I Tow In Skates Are Must-Have “I gave the skates to my drivers and told them to use and abuse them for ball-joint towing. After unloading at the auto-repair facility, they would drive the cars 20 to 30 feet into the repair bay with the skates still in place. After a year’s worth of use, I was very pleased with the strength of the skates. … I would recommend these skates over wooden blocks for their dependability. Any towing company that has flatbed tow trucks and perform ball-joint towing should have at least one of these skates.”

Steve Brundidge, Gun Barrel Wrecker Service; Gun Barrel City, Texas See ad on page 61

Insurance Auto Auctions Guarantees Payment “IAA works well for what we do; I can put up to 60 cars a month in. The auctions net close to average in our area. … One of the great things they do is guarantee our money. When you sell at their auction, they guarantee payment in three days.

They help and make everything smooth. They have fantastic customer support and service with selling your vehicles there.”

Greg Greeson, South Metro Towing; Atlanta, Ga. See ad on page 11

Integrated Leasing Is Top Choice “I have been working with Integrated Leasing for many years and it’s always a pleasure to work with them. Particularly with Doreen Aragona, she has always gone above and beyond to get the deals finished. They are consistently our first-choice leasing company to work with.”

Daniel McGauley; Daniel’s Wrecker Sales; Nesconset, N.Y. See ad on page 61

Intek Is Flexible to Your Schedule “Gerard at Intek Leasing is phenomenal, always available, makes time, polite, personable, and knowledgeable. He goes out of his way to help, and is coming up next week to finance a new rotator. … They are very good to us. What works best in towing is timeframes—they’ve met us as late as 6 at night or as early as 6 or 7 am. They have availability and flexibility to work with us.”

Heidi Richcreek, HJ Towing & Recovery; Carlisle, Pa. See ad on page 20

Jerr-Dan Is Reliable “Jerr-Dan’s units are reliable, with great factory support, and easy to work on. The way everything is laid out makes for a very accessible design. I’ve run Jerr-Dan since I started in business 16 years ago. I’ve had some other products, and Jerr-Dan is just more reliable, the dealer and factory support for replacement parts or questions is great.”

Paul Best, East Coast Towing; Raleigh, N.C. See ad on page Cover 4 68 • April 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

Landoll Is Dependable “On the traveling axle, the biggest benefit is the quality of the trailer and dependability; it’s a bulletproof trailer. I’ve run them since the mid-’90s and kind of upgraded as the technology has changed and moved right along from the 317 to 660 to 435 and now the 440. The versatility of what they do was a catalyst that transitioned our company to add in other types of work like hauling equipment and ... become a low-bed company. That’s what we’ve done.

The 825 detachable-neck trailer gives us a very-low profile to haul taller pieces of ag equipment without needing over-height permits and still be legal.”

David Eppler, Eppler Towing; Fresno, Calif.

See ad on page 32

Lift and Tow Is Unbelievable “Lift and Tow equipment is good, and service is great. They’re really good people up there. … I’m in business 25 years, they are the best to work with. I’ve got about 6-7 years now with Z-series automatic on two of my trucks. Even better than the equipment, the service is unbelievable—they treat you like a human being and it’s not all about the money. …They’re wonderful.”

John Cessari, Payback Repo; Oceanside, N.Y. See ad on page 52

Loganville Ford Fair on Price “We do a lot of business with them; we only buy Dynamic and we get them from Loganville Ford. Chris will work with you on the prices and their quick to fix any issues. Any problems I’ve ever had they fix pretty quick. Very fair on price.”

Randy Garza, Gotcha Towing & Recovery; Milledgevile, Ga. See ad on page 34

Lynch Chicago Listens “I’ve pretty much been buying from Lynch since I’ve been in business, for over 18 years. They’re a good bunch of guys and go to bat with me if there is ever a warranty issue. They do listen to what you want built if you want something different or custom. … They work with you; they’ll ask, ‘What will you use this for, how can we make this work for you?’ … If you are looking for a bigger truck, they’ll hunt it down for you and get the piece for you, new or used. … They usually get service work knocked out pretty fast and stick to a timeframe. They take care of me quite well.”

Laurence McKay, Suburban Towing and Recovery; Elk Grove Village, Ill. See ad on page 39

Matheny Demo’d Rotator On-Site “When I contacted Matheny about the 1140 rotator, they brought one up to demo on-site and showed us everything and we decided to purchase it. They offered training to us twice for our guys to go get rotator training with Miller in Florida and again in Chattanooga. On the service side, after the sale has been awesome—everything gets taken care of right away. They’re a pretty awesome bunch of people.”

Jerry Sode, A-One Towing; Zanesville, Ohio

See ad on page 33

MatJack Cushions Build Confidence “Joe’s Towing & Recovery has invested in MatJack equipment from having highpressure bags on all of our heavy-duty units. By having the jumbo turbo lifting cushions, we have the confidence to be aggressive with the use of cushions on jobs we would have unloaded in the past. To be able to contact anyone from the company at any time of the day with a question is priceless. The landing bags made all of our upright recoveries a lot safer by slowly bringing the load back to the ground.”

Kurt Wilson, Joe’s Towing; Peoria, Ill. See ad on page 58 Work the Passenger Side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2014 • 69

New England Truckmaster Delivers “I purchased our first truck with New England Truckmaster in 2008; it was unbelievable. … They surprised us with a lot of extras on the truck. They always deliver on whatever they told me— no empty promises. They’re knowledge of the industry and market, what’s required on flatbeds and wreckers for police contracts and motor clubs is excellent. They are exactly what we need.”

Anthony Paniccia, Vincent Service Station; Mamaroneck, N.Y. See ad on page N 91

Next Generation Tools Are Tough “They have the best tools we know of; they’re built tough but not too thick that they ruin doors. Next Generation’s lockout tools are flexible without being flimsy … just the right strength to use with ease. We do a lot of lockouts at all the colleges around here and pretty much all the motor clubs and their lockouts. The company always listens when we have suggestions on tweaking a tool for better use.”

Rhonda Waldroup; A1 Towing, Valdosta, Ga. See ad on page 81

Nussbaum Service is No. 1 “Service is No. 1. They usually have everything in stock and quick turnarounds. We’ve been dealing with them for years. We buy our flatbeds, wreckers, parts, winches and more at fair prices.”

Jason Wotring, Atlas Towing; White Hall, Pa. See ad on page N 94

Quest Sends Complete Calls “Quest’s volume of calls in our area works well. Their dispatchers are very knowledgeable in the calls they give us with few follow-ups needed for more info. They pay as soon as we invoice, usually next day. … Quest is probably the easiest company we work with and help us do our job very well.”

Nora Petriches, All Automotive Repair; Burton, Mich.

See ad on page 20

Recovery Billing Improves Bottom Line “Recovery Billing Unlimited, for the bottom line of our company, its been tremendous. It’s great for our confidence in getting paid, that we’re able to go to court and feel justified in pricing and on bills. So many companies take a back seat to insurance companies and are intimidated. Having the ability to make a call and consult with Bob and Eric after the class and go against these companies and win is what we’ve gained from their seminars.”

Scott Eger, Eddie’s 24-hour Towing; Long Island, N.Y. See ad on page 59

Savatech Improved Our Standing “We bought a set of airbags and built a relationship last year, and now bought catch bags, chains and straps from Savatech. They impressed me with the quality of their bags. They came down and demo’d for us and for our local fire department. Even about nine months after the sale—at no charge—they trained a couple more of my guys. … They’ve improved our standing with local fire departments to show what we have and the departments are very impressed with the catch bags.”

Ricardo Fijor, Big Tows; Chestnut Ridge, N.Y. See ad on page 37 70 • April 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

Snappy Box Improves Business “For years I was doing my business by myself … now I can focus on selling and I stay out of the way and what Snappy Box are doing is just awesome. All categories are up: sales, phone calls, Internet marketing, and website hits are up from about four inquiries a month to 40-70 a month. I couldn’t believe it. …

I use rollbacks to haul our containers … I have two tow trucks and am running about 280 containers.”

Bo Dill, Mobile Attic-Nashville; Nashville, Tenn.

See ad on page 81

Specialty Vehicle Funding Is Painless “Ever since they started up, they’ve made things pretty simple to get immediate funding for you whenever you need to get your next truck, service vehicle or tow truck as you go. They make it pretty painless, tell them where you’re buying from, send a bill of sale and they take it from there and make it pretty cut and dry. For this industry, that’s about as easy as banking as I’ve dealt with and the people are all great to work with and keep us going.”

Doug Adams, Adams Towing; Burlington, N.C. See ad on page 73

TIS Helps Our Tracking “Transportation Information Systems is really easy to work with. Jose is my primary contact.

Whenever I have an issue or question, especially in startup phase, they’re always there and able to rectify any issue I have. Sometimes with a software update, they can let us know why it’s down and when it will be up. They helped us expand into specialized heavy trucking to track restricted loads … and know where equipment is and who is driving, who’s qualified and closest. … When we move military and they need tracking, TIS does that.”

Donald Gau, Don’s Makiki Service; Oahu, Hawaii See ad on page 26

Tow Ramps Impress Dealerships “We’ve had [Brute Industries’] Tow Ramps for a year and a half —the first set had some issues, but they honored the warranty no problem. They stand behind their product, and the second set works good. … We do high-end stuff like the Porsche North America dealership here, as well as Vipers, Corvettes and all that exotic stuff and they work tremendously and impress customers ... even in dealerships. Not one bit of slippage.”

Bobby Swanger, Superior Towing & Recovery; Lilburn, Ga. See ad on page 28

Towbook Is a Blessing “Towbook has been beneficial in a lot of ways since we switched a year ago. Accessibility for everyone is huge. …There’s not a lot of vacations in towing, so it’s great to pull up anywhere, see all the calls, info and immediately be on the same page and everyone can log in, access what they need because it’s cloud-based. Drivers can take pics at the scene, add them to the invoice, avoid damage issues and document before hooking up. We can also send the pics with the invoice right to customers and adjusters so they can see what the scene looked like. … As programmers, they’ve been responsive to what we need or features we’d like to have. … You sacrifice a lot as a family to towing, so any program like this that can help you be able to be away and keep a finger on the pulse is a blessing.”

Reva Benefiel, Benefiel Truck Repair & Towing; Hamburg, Iowa See ad on page 11

TowLot.com Saves Time “We’ve found the better way to liquidate lien sale and salvage cars was to partner with TowLot.com. We average about 50 cars monthly. They make listing vehicles easy. On their form, we input vehicle information including a description and provide maybe four to six pictures per car. … TowLot.com saves us lots of time and effort. Our averages hover around $580 and the highest per auction was $730. It seems that junk cars bring higher dollars due to lower buyer fees. For us, TowLot.com is a valuable resource in today’s marketplace.”

Brian Frederickson, Apache Sands Towing; Mesa, Ariz.

See ad on page 78, 79 Work the Passenger Side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2014 • 71

TowMate Innovates “I appreciate that they take care of customers after the sale. I have several of their products and one had an issue that it wasn’t working. I called them up, with the lifetime warranty they took care of it no questions asked. Service is a top feature. They’re innovation with wireless products is great and good simplicity on the wired products. They are an innovative company.”

Eric Gryszka, IBX Towing & Recovery; Athens, Ohio See ad on page 63

Twin Cities Stands Behind Its Work “We’ve been with Twin Cities Wrecker Sales since we bought our first wrecker from them in 1990. … I’ve got about 32 power units, bought them all through them. …

They supply me with anything from a rotator to a 1-ton to anything in between— flatbeds, rotators, 1-ton wreckers and a variety of items to outfit. They don’t just sell the truck, they give you customer service after the sale and supply you with everything for all the accessories you need from lightbars to straps and attachments. They help service if anything does happen and stand behind their work.”

Julie Hanifen; Hanifen Co. Inc.; Des Moines, Iowa See ad on page N 98, S 91

Whelen LEDs Brighter, Better “We’ve had Whelen lights on our trucks since we’ve had trucks—about 25 years. Probably the No. 1 leader in technology, they are very bright, helpful and the new line of LED worklights are a lot better and drawing fewer amps, have less wear and tear on the truck’s electrical system with no tradeoff in brightness. I think they are even brighter now and I’m very impressed with their product.”

Will Clemens, Mike’s Towing; Orange, Conn.

See ad on page 36

Worldwide Equipment Is Best Decision “Over the past couple of years, we have had to upgrade and add units to our fleet. When shopping around for the best deal, we found that Worldwide Equipment Sales was one of the best-priced vendors available in our area. We have purchased four units from them in the past year and found their sales and service team to be one of the best to deal with. … After being in this industry for over 15 years, I can honestly say that using Jerr-Dan equipment and purchasing it from Worldwide has been one of my best decisions."

Zacklift Holds Up

Jon Jendral, Done Rite Recovery; Lansing, Ill. See ad on page 52

“I love Zacklift; they’ve been good to me. I’m on the second one I’ve owned, and the first one I bought used. I bought my new one seven months ago and have 70,000 miles of longdistance tows in, half with something on the hook. For me that’s like the average tower putting 3-4 years on the same equipment. … I’ve got it on a sleeper tractor and we’re able to go long distances with it and bid on that kind of work. I do an unusual amount of long-distance heavy work and Zacklift held up very well. … I like that the forks are all cast, instead of stamped, for better clearance so I don’t have to ‘double pick.’ "

Dan Jake, Bethel Towing; Port Orchard, Wash.

See ad on page 81

Zip’s Is a Partner “I bought two towing companies in 2008. Zip’s financial side helped me with that purchase.

They’ve been a partner in my business since then. I bought a used tow truck, and they rebuilt an old heavy wrecker of mine with a new wrecker body on an old International. Tt came out amazing, is wonderful and was money well spent. My manager sent pics of their service truck from a regional show … when I saw the service truck with all the tools and equipment and how it was outfitted with everything we need to go out on the road, I bought one. It has everything on the outside of the truck and accessible, plus interior space for working when needed in bad weather. It’s safe and been a really good asset for our company. I can’t wait to get another one.”

John Brazofsky; JJ’s Pro Repair Clinic, Painesville, Ohio See ad on page 25 72 • April 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

Number 195 on Reader Card

Tower Charged with Road Rage

Number 189 on Reader Card

Number 163 on Reader Card

Number 128 on Reader Card

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A 40-year-old Youngstown, Ohio, man said he was tailgated by a tow driver who followed him into a parking lot and then threatened him with a hook and chain.

The tower was charged by Niagara County sheriff’s deputies with second-degree menacing. The tower admitted there was a road rage incident, but denied threatening the other driver with a hook and chain.

Security video at the scene was reviewed and showed the tower as the aggressor in the incident and he was charged.

The other driver said he was tailgated by the tower and followed into a public parking lot. He said the tower blocked him from getting out of his car, and then grabbed a length of chain and hook and threatened to kill him.

The victim said he refused to get out of his car and told the tower that if he did not move away, he would run him over. The tower then walked back to his truck, continued to yell at the victim, then drove off. Source: www.buffalonews.com.

Car Lot Owner Charged The owner of Tanos Auto Sales in Ocala, Fla., and the owner’s son have been arrested on charges related to the sale, repossession and duplicate title of a 2005 Ford Crown Victoria. Ismail Osman, 52, faces a felony charge of false statement in title transfer. For his son Hassan Osman, 27, the charge is grand theft of a motor vehicle.

A Marion County sheriff’s detective began investigating the case after Joseph Alvarez, the customer from whom the car was repossessed last month, reportedly got angry and bashed in car windows on the dealership lot.

According to a report, Alvarez gave the following account: He saw the car on Craigslist and contacted Hassan Osman to talk about buying it. Alvarez met Hassan Osman in a supermarket parking lot in Belleview and, after test driving the car, followed him to Tanos Auto Sales.

Alvarez told him he thought he was buying the car from him, not a dealership. And by Alvarez’s account, Hassan Osman told him the car’s title was in the name of the dealership but that he owned it.

Ismail Osman showed him the title and agreed to pay $2,350 for the car.

He gave Hassan Osman a $200 deposit and got a receipt. Alvarez said he told them he would return in a few days to pay the rest of the money.

Alvarez said he went back a few days later and because the car had minor mechanical problems he was able to reduce the sale amount to $2,200. By his account, he gave Hassan Osman $2,000.

Alvarez said he told the Osmans he would complete the transfer documents on his own, but Ismail Osman told him that if he did not do the transfer he could lose his license to sell vehicles.

Alvarez said Ismail Osman gave him the title to the vehicle, and he and his girlfriend left the business.

Two weeks later, Alvarez said, Hassan Osman repossessed the car.

Alvarez went to the dealership to confront Ismail Osman or his son. That’s when he got angry and damaged vehicles on the lot.

Work the Passenger Side–Stay Safe!

DMV officials said they were notified about the incident and checked the car’s title history. They found that Ismail Osman had gone to the DMV about a week before the car was repossessed and applied for a duplicate title, claiming the title was lost. He got a duplicate title, and the car was transferred into Hassan Osman’s name.

On the day it was repossessed, Hassan Osman called the Sheriff’s Office communications center and told a dispatcher he had repossessed a vehicle. He said he doesn’t work for a repo company; however, he was com-

pleting the repossession for himself because Alvarez did not make payment.

Hassan Osman told the dispatcher Alvarez had only paid him $200.

Hassan Osman said Alvarez did not pay the balance owed on the car so he repossessed it. He said he does not have a license to repossess vehicles and was unaware that he had violated any laws, according to the report.

Ismail Osman said Alvarez “stole the title” from his desk and that they didn’t know about the theft until days later. Source: www.ocala.com.

Number 209 on Reader Card

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Man Defies Repo, Takes Truck Camera A Conyers, Ga., man unhappy with having his car repossessed decided to take matters in his own hands and attempted to unhook his car from the tow truck and try to destroy the evidence by breaking the surveillance camera system, according to sheriff’s deputies.

A deputy was called to a location where he found a number of people yelling in the street near a tow truck and a red car in the middle of the road.

The tower told the deputy that he was there to repossess the red car and when he hooked it to the truck, the car ’s owner ran outside and demanded to see paperwork justifying the repossession. “(The driver) stated that he walked back to the cab of the truck to retrieve the paperwork and Mr. Robinson

76 • April 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

started to unhook the car from the truck,” the deputy reported.

The tower told him to leave the truck and car alone and that the camera in the truck recorded him tampering with the car. The man then reportedly went to the cab of the truck and tried to take the keys out of the ignition. The two men struggled and the man took the camera from the cab and gave it to a friend. It was recovered, and the man was charged on several counts.

Source: www.rockdalecitizen.com.

Indictment for Assault on Repo Agent An Erie County, Ohio, grand jury indicted a Sandusky woman for a 2013 incident in which she stole her vehicle back from a repo man, and then struck him with it as she drove away.

Deborah Lash, 50, was indicted on

charges of felonious assault, tampering with evidence, vandalism and grand theft.

In late September, a repo man located Lash’s 2011 Toyota and hoisted it onto his truck. Lash emerged from a home and entered her vehicle, damaging the truck by backing her Toyota off its wheel lift.

“Move your truck,” was all Lash said to the repo man before backing into his truck repeatedly, the report said. While the man tried to reach police, Lash hopped into his tow truck, moved it out of the way, then got back into her Toyota.

As she pulled out of the driveway, Lash allegedly backed into the man, knocking him to the ground. When police later made contact with Lash, she said she wanted to file charges against the man. Source: www.sanduskyregister.com.

The American Towman Medal is awarded every year at the American Towman Exposition to honor Towers who perform heroic rescues.

Official Winch

Official Tow Management System

American Towman Exposition, Baltimore MD, Nov. 21-23, 2014

!

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" Number 206 on Reader Card

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Number 159 on Reader Card

Seeking Out the Good Life

by Mark Lacek

T

he repossession industry has taken a beating over the last few years from those in the repossession-assignment-forwarding business.

Agents have been accepting assignments and are being told not to charge for many services, such as storage, keys and the cleaning out of the vehicle before delivering to the auction. These services used to be included as line items in the recovery invoice.

Lower fees from the assignment forwarders and reduced/free ancillary services have made a huge dent in the bottom line. Repossession agencies have taken enough abuse; working for less has taken its toll. Many companies have gone out of business because of lower fees.

Things are about to change. In March of this year more than 600 repossessors, repossession agency owners, and representatives from the Council of Repossession Professionals, (CORP) gathered in Dallas, Texas, for the largest repossession conference ever. Termed “The Summit” and hosted by the American Recovery Association and Time Finance Adjusters, industry movers and shakers have vowed to put an end to the abuse from industry middlemen.

The three-day event was a meeting of the minds where repossessors from across the nation discussed what to change and how to change it. This year’s theme, “Just Say No,” related to the demands of industry forwarders.

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We all want to find the ‘Good Life.’

Many are saying it is time for repossession agencies to set the bar on how business is conducted. Industry professionals are relying on the Council of Repossession Professionals to head them in the right direction.

The CORP is made up of two appointed representatives from the leading repossession organizations; members meet monthly to deal with the issues of getting better working conditions within the industry for all repossessors.

Representatives from American Towman attended and vowed to help the industry professionals pull together a united front against the unfair demands placed upon repo agents. With the help from the RepoTimes news (www.towindustryweek.com/repotimes), American Towman has invited industry professionals to write a monthly column to help spread the message and keep the industry professionals informed with

updates and progress reports.

Repossessors from all corners of the nation will have the ability to login to RepoTimes for the most updated Internet source for industry news.

RepoTimes will cover opinions and articles from the leading repossession industry professionals as well as updates on industry events and happenings.

RepoTimes welcomes repossessors from across the country to log on and share your opinions.

Resolution Pay Adequate compensation for your efforts is always a hot topic. Like many of you, I believe hard work and long hours deserve sizeable rewards. I like nice things, good food and enjoy the occasional vacation. I can remember visiting my father, after he retired to Florida, he would say, “Son, this is the Good Life.” I think to myself now as I write this, dad made it, he found what we all want … the Good Life.

Ron Brown is Senior Investigator at ConSec Investigations based in Oklahoma. Ron is possibly the most professional guy I know in the repossession and investigation industry. Ron sent a letter to his clients explaining why a resolution is the same as a repossession. It is important to everyone in the repossession industry to understand how there are ways you might be leaving money on the table when you could be invoicing more for the ser-

Number 121 on Reader Card

Number 196 on Reader Card

Number 161 on Reader Card

Number 206 on Reader Card Work the Passenger Side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2014 • 81

vices you provide. After reading his letter, I felt compelled to share it with you (with Ron’s permission): “I am often asked by clients and other recovery agents exactly what does the phrase, ‘Resolution … same as Repossession’ actually mean and what a ‘Resolution’ is.

“I would like to explain this statement by first stating that when a request is made by a lender for the repossession of mortgaged collateral and an assignment is placed with a professional recovery specialist, one of three things is going to take place.

“One, the mortgaged collateral is located and recovered, this is ‘Repossession.’

“Two, the mortgaged property either cannot be located or due to extenuating circumstances cannot be recovered without a possible ‘breach of peace’ and the client or recovery specialist decides to cease further attempts to recover the mortgaged property by self help. This is normally

referred to as a ‘Close.’

“Three, the recovery specialist is unable, for various reasons, to effect peaceable self-help repossession and contact with the consumer is warranted. This may be a case where the collateral is secured inside a garage, never present at the consumer’s verified address or it may be a case where the consumer insists on speaking with the lender prior to surrendering the collateral. At this point the lender has control of the outcome of situation and may decide to allow the consumer to ‘pay current’ and keep the collateral.

The recovery agent has no control over what the lender decides. In most cases a knowledgeable lender, knowledgeable of the conditions of the contractual obligations of the consumer, will insist the consumer pay the past due amount plus the recovery specialist’s charges. If the consumer complies in order to retain possession of the collateral there has been no cost whatsoever to the lender and their account has

now been brought current. In many cases the lender will add the recovery specialist’s cost to the balance of the consumer’s account and again there has been no actual cost to the lender.

This action is commonly recognized in the lending industry as a ‘Resolution.’

“A resolution is usually the most desirable of the three results if the consumer’s past pay record so warrants this action. It should be clearly understood that it is the lender’s decision for the consumer to be allowed to ‘pay current’ and retain possession of the collateral or demand that the consumer release the collateral to the recovery specialist.

“The question then becomes, why, in this win-win situation would not the recovery specialist be entitled to a full recovery fee? The recovery specialist has certainly earned his fee by making a direct face-to-face contact with the consumer, which in itself may be a very dangerous situation, made demand for the surrender of the mortgaged collateral and placed the lender in direct contact with the consumer. It is evident that the actions of the recovery specialist have been the catalyst which has brought the lender ’s account current, at no cost to the lender, and put the account back in an acceptable status.

“This is the meaning of ‘Resolution … same as Repossession’ and why the fee is the same for each.”

Thanks to Ron for letting me share his letter. I think his argument explains why a resolution should be billed, if not the same, but as much as a repossession.

The repossession industry will be back and as strong as it has ever been with help from pros like Ron Brown and those repossession professionals who attended this year’s ‘Summit’ in Dallas.

Let us all raise a glass to the Good Life.

Author Mark Lacek is a 30+ year recovery industry veteran and former editor of Professional Repossessor magazine.

Mark@commercialassetsolutions.com Number 104 on Reader Card

82 • April 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

Number 206 on Reader Card

Super 75-Ton

S

app’s Wrecker Service in Port Wentworth, Ga., is a family owned and operated business that has provided towing and recovery services in the Port Wentworth, Garden City, Pooler and Savannah areas for more than 60 years. The company has passed on from father to son through three generations and is now owned by Darel Sapp.

“My grandfather Clayton started the business in 1953,” Darel said. “Then my dad, Buddy, took over.

I grew up in this business. I went off to do the college thing, but I came back to towing. Now I run the company.

“My dad still comes in a few days a week. He can’t keep away either. Once you’ve got it in your blood, it never leaves you. It’s hard to explain that to

people outside of this industry. You have to be in it to get it.”

Sapp’s provides light-, mediumand heavy-duty service with a dedicated team of 21 employees with a great reputation for treating people like family.

Sapp’s 16 units feature attractive red, pink and yellow paint jobs and are highly visible when providing service for a number of law enforcement and many commercial accounts.

“The towing equipment is furnished by Miller Industries and maintained by our staff. We handle everything,” Darel said. “No job is too big or too small.”

The fleet includes seven heavies: a Vulcan V-50, three Century 7035s, a Century 9055, a Challenger 6807 Trav-

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

eler, and the most recent addition, a 2007 Century 1075S rotator that is featured here.

This beauty is on a 2007 Kenworth T800 and has dual 60,000-lbs. planetary winches and a 50,000-lbs. planetary two-speed drag winch. Power is supplied by a 565 Cummins mated to a Fuller 18-speed transmission. This rig is equipped with everything it needs for any heavy recovery situation, including two Miller spreader bars, Miller strap kits, chains, snatch blocks, hooks and shackles.

All of their award-winning trucks feature the Superman logo and the attention-getting bright red, pink and yellow paint scheme designed by Jeff Davis of The Body Shop.

“Jeff Davis does all of our trucks

and DF Graphics expertly crafted the lettering on this 75-ton,” Darel continued. “Both companies are based in Savannah.”

On this unit the Superman is painted on the boom pylon standing on a 60-ton.

“It’s a friendly dig at a competitor who has a 60-ton,” said Darel. “We are very proud of our equipment.

“One job that stands out was a tractor-trailer that went off a bridge on Route 95. … It went down about 40 feet.

We responded with the 75-ton and lifted up onto the road with no problem. It has power to spare.”

Like all of Sapp’s wreckers, this 75ton Superman wrecker stands out.

“There is no doubt that it is the flagship of our fleet,” Darel stated proudly.

Tech Highlights Chassis: 2007 Kenworth T800.

Wrecker: 2007 Century 1075S Rotator.

Engine: 565 Cummins.

Trans: Fuller 18-speed.

Winches: Dual 60,000-lbs. planetary and a 50,000-lbs. planetary two-speed drag.

Builder: Miller Industries.

Lettering: DF Graphics.

Paint/graphics: Jeff Davis, The Body Shop.

84 • April 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

Work the Passenger Side–Stay Safe!

TOWMAN.COM - April 2014 • 85

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86 • April 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

USED TRUCKS FOR SALE 2007 Ford F650, Jerr-Dan 21ft Carrier, 218,351 miles 2013 International Terra Star, Jerr-Dan 21ft Carrier, 6,330 miles 2014 Dodge 5500, Century 19ft Carrier, 5,030 miles 2014 Dodge 4500, Vulcan 810 Wrecker, 5,728 miles 2013 Dodge 5500, Champion 19ft Carrier, 14,912 miles 2012 Dodge D5500, Vulcan 19’ Carrier, 49,489 miles 1996 Ford 350, Dynamic 701B 2011 Hino 258, Vulcan 21’, 110,051 miles 2012 Dodge Selfloader, Vulcan 812, 16,608 miles 2009 Hino 258, Jerr-Dan 21ft Carrier

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TOWMAN.COM - April 2014 • 87

These Alone Are Worth The Trip

by Steve Calitri

P

rivate lot towers have been riddled with all kinds of municipal regulations over the past seven or eight years, a scene that reminds one of the old western outlaws in a saloon shooting at the feet of some poor soul to make him dance. Well, private lot towers have been dancing up a storm in response to the fusillade from the towns and cities across the U.S.

pany’s success invites a closer look at how it operates.

AutoReturn is doing what few towers have accomplished; sign up municipalities to five-year contracts.

At the AutoReturn seminar (Police Towers Conference), one will learn what the company offers municipalities that is attractive to them and how towers may want to adjust their own approach to town boards and police

Municipal tow rates across the nation range dramatically and are ever changing. News about rates is important for the ears and eyes all tow business owners and American Towman has been regularly covering such news since the Internet began to boom in 1996.

You’ll read such news every month in American Towman Magazine and every week at TowIndustryWeek.com, be it on the News Page or the Rates & Trade page where we highlight rates across the nation.

South Point Hotel & Casino, home of Tow Industry Week and AT ShowPlace-Las Vegas

Enter Parking Enforcer, the new service that promises to be a game changer. Tow business owners in Las Vegas for Tow Industry Week will learn why property owners love Parking Enforcer’s system and why it makes the whole ballgame more professional, less libelous and less hassled. Check out the Impound Conference at atshowplace.com.

Tow Industry Week, May 15-17, features other exclusive seminars.

AutoReturn, a third-party dispatch and rotation manager, has found towers both for and against the company’s entrance into the municipal towing scene. Either way, this com-

88 • April 2014 - TOWMAN.COM

departments. This seminar will also be an opportunity for towers who are interested in working with AutoReturn.

In another seminar of the Police Towers Conference, two accident remediation specialists, John Borowski and Daryl Birdsong, will team up to show tow business owners how to turn accident cleanup into a profit center.

Tow Industry Week is a treasure of resources and information and networking opportunities for the aggressive tow business owner.

Either one of these seminars is the worth the trip to Las Vegas.

We also keep you informed at Tow Industry Week on the American Towman TV page where Emily Oz often reports on Municipal goings on that everyone around the country should hear.

By the way, also on the Rates & Trade page is a new index called the Auction Bock, highlighting unclaimed vehicles that have sold at auction the past week.

Alas, RepoTimes.com has a new look and a new home. You’ll find it a stand-alone site still but part of the Tow Industry Week page lineup.

Copyright 2014 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 103 on Reader Card

Number 124 on Reader Card