American Towman Magazine - Nov. 2015 by dortiz-towman

220 EXHIBITORS & 200 TRUCKS WILL PACK BALTIMORE CONVENTION CENTER

17 CALL PROVIDERS IN BALTIMORE

towindustryweek.com

CINDERBLOCK HAULER RECOVERED ROLL-OVER WITH CONCRETE BEAM CLUB WORK-THE RIGHT MIX CHOOSING DISPATCHERS @ AT EXPO AT ADVENTURES: THE SEARCH IS ON

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FEATURE CONTENTS Inside: CTS Coxon’s Towing sent its NRC sliding rotators to a rolled tractor-trailer with 80,000-lbs. load.

Cover shot: Recovery scene painted on a Parke's Auto Repair wrecker (Elverson, Penn.) competing in the American Wrecker Pageant in Baltimore, Nov. 20–22.

Departments

AT Expo-The Real Deal AT Expo's founder writes about the world's largest tow show as the ultimate reality show.

Playing with Blocks Unique rigging on a construction site to unstick a truck delivering cinder blocks. by Jim “Buck“ Sorrenti

Walkaround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

News Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Concrete Beam Lift

On The Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Recovery needed three different lifts for the tractor, trailer then load after a roll-over. by Jim “Buck“ Sorrenti

Road Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Tow Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Tow Boss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22, 66 AD Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Beacons On! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Successful Rivals

Show & Tell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 Repo Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Towman’s Market . . . . . . . . . . . .78 My Baby. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 Low Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 Adventures of A.T. . . . . . . . . . . . .90 4 • November 2015 - TOWMAN.COM

Cooperation between two Iowa tow companies is a benefit to both. by Brendan Dooley

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We Take Over the Town by Dennie Ortiz

Baltimore’s Inner Harbor! There is no other place in the world where thousands upon thousands of towing professionals converge and take over the town. The city again is welcoming our industry with its famous hospitality, November 19-22. You’ll find welcoming smiles and “Tower” specials at almost all restaurants … in fact there are some great drinks dedicated to towers at the Inner Harbor bars, lounges and brewhouses. This generous reception extends to the hotels, including American Towman’s headquarters at the Renaissance Harborplace (towers staying here receive free internet and 10-percent discounts off food). Towers won’t find this special treatment anywhere else. Of course, the hospitality carries into the trade show with many events that offer free food, refreshments and entertainment. The exhibit floor provides its own hospitality with unique strolling entertainment, including jugglers, stilt walkers, wandering minstrels and the clown with balloon animals for the kiddies.

Most everyone loves pie, so this year we will be offering Sunday Pie to all attendees. One particular event that I look forward to is Festival Night where we award the Towman Medal to brave towers for their heroic acts in an effort to save the life of another. The heartrending and often heartwarming stories bring tears to my eyes each year. It is a very special occasion when we are able to recognize our unsung heroes of the road. This year’s Festival and Towman Medal Ceremony move into the Wrecker Pageant hall, amidst the brilliance and backdrop of some of the finest tow trucks that are part of every tower’s workday. American Towman Magazine will treat the first person of a company that advance registers to Festival Night’s International Feast. The food served here is equal to some of the finest restaurants in town. As the excitement grows, you won’t want to miss out on this first-ever Festival Night by the trucks! Look forward to seeing you in Baltimore, where I personally will greet you with a smile and probably even a hug!

First On The Scene! Dennie Ortiz Steve Calitri Brendan Dooley Charles Duke

Publisher Editor-In-Chief Editor Senior Editor

Randall Resch

Operations Editor

Terry Abejuela

Field Editor, West

Jim “Buck” Sorrenti David Kolman Bill Simmons

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 Miriam Ortiz Henri Calitri Toni Vanderhorst William Burwell Peggy Calabrese Ryan Oser Helen Gutfreund Emily Oz Steve Calitri

Page Layout Artist Advertising Sales Mgr. Senior Account Exec. VP of Accounts Subscription Manager Customer Service Publisher’s Assistant TIW Media Director Regional Advertising Sales iMarketing Manager Communications Mgr. ATTV Producer President

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

Hiring Millennials by Brendan Dooley

In talking with different tow bosses over the past few years, it seems like there’s a common problem in getting millennials interested in the 24/7/365 tow business, where the capricious nature of calls is at direct opposites for the work/life balance the generation seems to strive for. We will be looking into that topic in future issues; if you’ve solved the problem in your business, I’d love to hear about it for a story. Send me an email. On the topic of new employees, check out Terry Abejuela’s Tow Boss column on page 22 that details some policies and procedures in training new hires. And when you’re equipping your employees, new and old, should you include a Kevlar vest? Randy Resch dives into that subject on page 60. 6 • November 2015 - 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 ©2015 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.

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Luxury Vehicle Training-AT Expo Allstate Roadside Services will conduct luxury vehicle training on the show floor of the American Towman Exposition, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 21-22. BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volkswagen and Audi vehicles will be on the floor for the training sessions. While the training atmosphere is casual, the coverage will be comprehensive. Throughout the weekend, all attendees interested will be able to participate in any of the sessions taking place near the food court. Several towing and recovery topics will be discussed during the American Towman Academy by industry experts. For complete information on seminars, go to ATExposition.com.

Call Providers & HiTech Center Stage 17 Motor Clubs/Call Providers are exhibiting in Baltimore, Nov. 2022 at the 27th annual American Towman Exposition. Eight of the clubs are conducting seminars on how to get paid. Three new call providers are showing as well with a progressive message on key issues from rates to hi-tech. Indeed hi-tech plays a role with many of the clubs in how a service provider is paid, how a tow operator receives a dispatched call, and how one’s fleet is utilized efficiently. Call Providers exhibiting in Baltimore: AAA, Agero, Allstate Roadside Services, AutoReturn, Coach-Net, Copart Auto Auctions, FleetNet America, GEICO, Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA), Nation Safe Drivers (NSD), Penske Truck Leasing Services, Quest Towing Services, Road America, TTN Fleet Solutions, United Road Towing, Urgent.ly, USAC/MD.

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Have you seen this truck? Wanted: 1957 Mack/Holmes W-45. Bob Ratermann is hoping to find a wrecker he built in the late 1950s for his business at Latonia Springs Auto Parts in Covington, Ky.; a 1957 Mack LJ with an exU.S. Army Holmes W-45. Ratermann, 90, had three other s m a l l e r wreckers at the time, but built the Mack/W-45 because he also did a lot of towing for Greyhound Bus and lots of commercial trucks from around the Cincinatti, Ohio, region. He sold the wreckers with the business in 1968. “I still miss the business,” he said.

“At the time, that wrecker was one of the biggest in the Cincy area.” He outfitted the W-45 with a 30-ton drag winch. He’s been searching for the truck to see “how it’s held up to the years. … I never broke a cable on it, I never broke nothing; I used sense when I was towing.” He’s been unable to find any court reports or registration records, so imagines it’s “unused in a garage somewhere if it is even still around.” If you have any leads on this truck, call Ratermann at 859-240-1925.

United Road Towing

Steps Out in Baltimore Tom Tedford, SVP of business vides dispatch and rotation managedevelopment with United Road Tow- ment services to cities and Tedford ing (URT) is no stranger to AT Expo. will discuss the value that these serAn attendee vices offer to for many cities and towyears, Tedford ers. also conJim Hurst tributed semiwill discuss nars to the how towers American and can be To w m a n involved and A c a d e m y. benefit from This year URT being in a disis exhibiting aster-response The Captains Conference and legendary and URT’s Jim network. This Long Table kick off AT Expo on Nov. 19. Hurst is conis the first sesducting a semsion of the inar relative to its disaster-response Disaster Response Conference; sesnetwork. Tedford for the second time sions two and three, The Response will give the keynote address at the and the Aftermath, will be field panels Captains of Industry Conference, of towing professionals experienced in November 19th at the Renaissance disaster response, moderated by Harborplace Hotel. URT also pro- WreckMaster’s Don Cerovski.

. . . It feels good to know you saved somebody’s life. . . Hero Tower Pulls SUV Off Trapped Man A Natick, Mass., man is a hero after jumping into action when a car crashed into an auto auction in Framingham. Sam Cerulo was just feet away when a man lost control of a BMW SUV at the Adesa Auto Auction House in Framingham. “They thought the car was going to blow up at first,” said Cerulo. “That’s why everybody was running out the way.” A man ended up pinned under the SUV. Cerulo went to his truck, drove over as fast as he could and pulled the BMW off the man. The man was airlifted to the hospital, along with 10 others who were also injured. Cerulo’s quick thinking may have prevented a life from being lost. “It feels good to know you saved somebody’s life,” Cerulo said. Source: m.wcvb.com.

Man Sets Car Ablaze to Prevent Tow A Manchester, N.H., man is facing an arson charge after police say he lit his own vehicle on fire to prevent it from being towed. Police Sgt. Chris Biron said officers were sent to an apartment building to investigate a report of arson. Biron said the building’s owner had called Dan’s City Towing to have an illegally parked car removed. According to police, after the car had been placed on a tow truck and lifted, the owner of the vehicle, Shad Badeau, 40, arrived. Biron said Badeau set his vehicle on fire to prevent it from being towed. The tow truck driver unhitched and dropped the vehicle, at which time Badeau extinguished the car fire himself before fire and police personnel arrived. Badeau was arrested on a charge of arson; additional charges were possible. Source: unionleader.com. Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

‘Towing Industry Awareness Week’ in Wis. The Wisconsin Legislature recently gave its final approval to Senate Joint Resolution 51, establishing “Towing Industry Awareness” week during the second week in September each year. Currently, an effort is underway to create a National Tow Truck Operator Appreciation Week during the second week in September. Wisconsin’s Senate Bill and Kathy Sellner of Bill’s Towing and Repair in Joint Resolution 51 is Lodi, Wis., flank Wisconsin State Rep. Keith Ripp designed to serve as a in celebration of a new state resolution establishing reminder that tow opera“Tow Industry Awareness Week.” Photo courtesy of tors place themselves in Bill’s Towing. harm’s way each time they render aid to stranded motorists on roads and highways. In addition, it encourages all motorists to observe the Move Over law that’s been in effect in Wisconsin since 2001. Kathy Sellner, VP of Bill’s Towing and Repair in Lodi, worked closely with State Rep. Keith Ripp for the past two years to bring the resolution to fruition. It received unanimous, bi-partisan support in both houses of the state’s legislature. Ripp and Sen. Luther Olsen co-authored the resolution.

Tow Company Helps Save Moose The Idaho Fish and Game Department teamed up with a tow truck operator near Inkom to rescue a moose recently. The animal had been tranquilized by fish and game officers and then accidentally fell into the Portneuf River. Officers held the moose’s head above water until Solomon’s Wrecker Service arrived and lifted the moose to safety. The Bannock County Sheriff ’s Office said the moose was later safely Solomon’s Wrecker Service helped rescue a moose near Inkom, Idaho. Bannock County released outside of town. Sheriff’s photo. Source: localnews8.com.

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The Ultimate Reality Show by Steve Calitri

eems to me there are two kinds of reality shows on television: the kind that pretends to be reality (cameras in the homes of the people with uninteresting dialogue) and the vocational kind that follow a fishing boat crew as they work or a tow truck operator working a challenging incident. Either way, with camera crew and director at hand, the reality that is portrayed is warped or enhanced or given steroids. Not so the American Towman Exposition. Yes, there is of course staging that takes place. An event of this nature and magnitude just doesn’t come together on its own and in its own way (though the towers attending take part in their own way). There’s been a year-long preparation of signing exhibitors (220), planning events (50 in all), and registering attendees (12,000 will be there). But once it starts, it’s like a sporting event; the only aspect scripted is the lineup and the number of innings. The game itself is a spontaneous spectacle. So it is with the American Towman Exposition, now in its 27th year. The Exposition thrives because it is neither a directed reality show nor a virtual reality show on the Internet. It’s live! It’s all about the people there and what they bring to the show; the attendees bringing who they are and the experience behind them, the exhibitors bringing their products, equipment and services and their expertise. Who the attendee goes to engage with and the conversations that take place have that random element that makes life, like a sporting event, unpredictable. The spectacle of the Exposition lies in its many varied elements. Certainly the American Wrecker Pageant is spec-

The American Wrecker Pageant Hall. 10 • November 2015 - TOWMAN.COM

Pageant graphics in Baltimore often refect towing scenes.

tacular in its own right; the diversity of the trucks and their graphics with owners just as colorful, make the Pageant Hall alone worth the trip to Baltimore. The depictions in the graphics on the trucks are its own contained reality shows with scenes of towing and recovery, superheroes in action, animals at play, cityscapes representing the urban working environment the tower faces every day and rural scenes that most towers can only fantasize about. The seminars of the Academy may be scripted in that the presenter follows an outline, but exactly what is said and what questions are asked are not scripted. The mixing and partying that takes place at the Bull & Pig Roast (Miller Rocks) is so spontaneous, a genius movie director couldn’t create its authenticity. Likewise Calitri’s Cuba and the conversations that go on there. Smoke will rise from the cigars for sure but how the smoke blows is told by the moment. The most staged and scripted event is the American Towman Medal Ceremony, absolutely. But this year the Ceremony and Festival Night is a contrast in moments. Festival Night is taking place by the trucks of the Wrecker Pageant. The evening for the most part is one of feasting and camaraderie. The feelings and spirit of the evening cannot be scripted, or caught in a reality show format, just like the reactions of the Pageant winners cannot be acted. Call it the real deal or the ultimate reality show, either way, the American Towman Exposition is more than the sum of its parts or what you see. For four days it has that certain something that makes it great, a larger-than-life quality made so by all its participants.

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Check Out What’s NEW and HOT! Quilted, Reinforced Safety Bibs The new insulated, waterproof safety bibs from American Safety & Supply are quilt-lined for warmth and are reinforced with rip-stop nylon at the knees and rear end. The bibs feature chest and side pockets, leg snaps for snug fit and are available in sizes from medium to 6XL.

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SMART Rider Custer Products Limited and newly acquired lightbar manufacturer Lite-It Wireless (formerly Blades Tow Right) recently released its Tow Light SMART Rider tow light (Simple, Magnetic, Alerting, Radio-powered Tow light). The company said the light combines simplicity, functionality and quality. The SMART Rider LED lightbar features a magnetic base, wireless transmitter, and stop, tail and turn indicators.

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Triple Threat Lockout Kit Next Generation Tool Co.’s new streamlined lockout kit covers the basic to keep you moving without weighing you down. The Triple Threat kit includes a 58” basic Reach-It tool, Original Inflatable Wedge and the Rhino Pry Wedge all neatly housed in a durable 60” canvas case.

www.nextgentool.com Number 202 on Reader Card

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See It In Baltimore!

Kenworth T880 Adds 40” Sleeper Version

enworth introduced its new 40” sleeper edition for the Kenworth T880 that is designed for vocational applications, including the tow industry, and for tractors hauling flatbeds, low-boys or other trailers where length and weight may come into play. The 40” sleeper, which saves 260 lbs. over Kenworth’s 52” sleeper, features a 24” liftable bunk that tilts 90 degrees for easy access to under-bunk storage. There is more than 22 cubic feet of storage space to handle gear for occasional stays in the sleeper, plus storage shelves and a cellphone cubby. In 2016, the T880 is available with the recently announced PACCAR MX-11 engine rated from 355-hp to 430-hp and up to 1,550-lbs./ft. of torque. “The Kenworth T880 is all about providing vocational fleets and truck operators with the right truck for the right job,” said Jason Skoog, Kenworth assistant GM for sales and marketing. “The 40-inch sleeper is a perfect match for vocational applications where drivers need a small sleeper with a compact, yet comfortable sleeping environment and optimal storage.” There are three optional windows available on the

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

T880 40” Sleeper at AT Exposition Kenworth debuted its new T880 40” sleeper for dealers equipped with a Century 7035 (pictured). You can preview this truck for yourself in the Miller Industries booth during the AT Expo in Baltimore. www.millerind.com back of the sleeper to help provide maximum visibility for drivers operating in tight locations, plus two standard toolbox doors. Customers can mount a variety of components on the roof, including a sunvisor, LED marker lights, spot and strobe lights, air horns, plus Qualcomm, PeopleNet, and Kenworth TruckTech+ remote diagnostic antennas. The T880 40” sleeper was designed with a height—from the bottom of the frame rails to the sleeper rooftop—that is nearly 17” shorter than the T880’s 52” and 76” mid-roof sleepers. The T880 now offers vocational customers three sleepers to best meet their needs and applications.

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Maintaining Truck Hydraulic Systems

owers are usually too busy to care about themselves because they’re busy trying to run a business in a tough economic era in this country. We don’t go to the doctor as often as we should. Actually, we don’t go until we have a problem. Heart disease is a serious issue. Well, our trucks have something similar—the hydraulic system. The heart is the PTO or clutch pump and the arteries are the hydraulic lines. This is definitely a component forgotten until something breaks (much like us). Without a properly functioning hydraulic system on our towing equipment, we cannot run that truck; this means money. Do I have your attention now? According to the sixth edition of Muncie’s “Understanding Power Take Off Systems,” there are two families of PTO: mechanical shift and clutch shift. Mechanical PTOs engage when gears slide into mesh with each other. Since a PTO is essentially a non-synchronized gearbox, it is important that the operator make certain that the transmission gears stop turning before engaging the PTO. Engaging a mechanical PTO with the transmission gears turning will result in PTO and/or transmission damage. Mechanical PTOs are commonly engaged by means of a lever, cable, or air pressure. This type is the most popular mechanical shift PTO. The most common PTO found on an automatic transmission is the clutch-shift type. The clutch-shift PTO utilizes clutch disks and friction plates to engage. When hydraulic or air pressure is applied to an internal piston, the clutch disks and friction plates are forced together, engaging the PTO. Since there is no possibility of gear

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By John Borowski

At the heart of a properly functioning hydraulic system is the power take-off. Pictured are an 867 Series PTO from Parker Chelsea (red) and an 82 Series PTO from Muncie (blue).

clash, this type of PTO can even be engaged with the vehicle in motion (as long as the truck engine speed remains under 1,000 rpm. PTOs are either shiftable input or constant mesh. A shiftable-input PTO has an input gear that slides in and out of mesh with the transmission gear to engage. A constant-mesh PTO is always in mesh with the transmission gear and engagement is done internally within the PTO. Constant mesh PTOs are less likely to negatively affect the transmission if operators are

careless in their PTO shifting. Another important consideration is driveshaft angularity. Not only is it necessary to keep the angle shallow, generally less than 7 degrees, but also to keep the pump-input shaft parallel to the engine crankshaft (within 1.5 degrees). Likewise, the yokes on each end of the shaft must be “in phase,” or aligned with each other. Failure to address any of these requirements will result in driveshaft vibration and damage to the pump. Recent and planned engine changes on the part of

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truck manufacturers to comply with changing noise and emission regulations will likely affect the ability of equipment installers to offer this type of drive system in the future. Belt-driven pumps, or “clutch pumps,” are popular power sources for wreckers. They also represent an alternative to a power take-off system on vehicles without PTO apertures or where access to the transmission PTO aperture is obstructed. The clutch pump is belt-driven from the crankshaft pulley through an electric clutch similar to that found on an automobile’s A/C compressor. One important consideration in clutch-pump applications is the horsepower limitation of the engine belts. A typical 1/2” automotive-type belt can transmit only 71/2 hp. Most applications will utilize two V-belts or a poly-V-type belt to drive the pump. This belt limitation (and available space limitations) prohibits the use of large displacement pumps (greater than 2-1/2 cu. in.) in clutch pump applications. Serpentine belt drives can deliver slightly more

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horsepower than V-belts. Changes in truck design and cramped engine compartments present challenges to clutch-pump manufacturers. However, clutch pumps remain a popular option for hydraulic applications requiring flows of up to 15 gallons per minute.

The most common PTO found on an automatic transmission is the clutch-shift type. It has been estimated that between 70 percent and 90 percent of hydraulic system failures are the result of contamination. Filters, properly selected and maintained, will prevent contaminants from damaging hydraulic components and enable the system to run

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cooler, quieter and longer. Filters may be located in the pump’s inlet, pressure or return lines. Oil must serve several functions within the hydraulic system: deliver power, lubricate components, dissipate heat and carry away contaminants. To perform these functions, hydraulic oils contain specific additives to enhance their ability to stand up under the pressure, temperature extremes and other operating conditions to which they are subjected. To a large extent, the life of the hydraulic system is directly tied to the life of the oil. If oil is kept clean and below 140 degrees F, the entire system benefits. Oil has a higher viscosity at low temperatures, a lower viscosity at high temperatures. Do not attempt to thin oil with kerosene or diesel fuel for winter operation. Instead switch to a lower viscosity oil or add an approved thinning agent designed for that purpose. Lubricity refers to the ability of oil to maintain a protective film on metal surfaces. Without this oil film, metal-

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to-metal contact would create friction, resulting in excessive wear and heat generation. Film thickness is related to viscosity. High viscosity fluids are thicker, forming a thicker film on internal components. Although automatic transmission fluid is frequently used as hydraulic fluid, it is actually a poor choice because it loses film strength at high pressures and temperatures. On the positive side, ATF has excellent thermal stability. In truth, there is much more to oil than petroleum. Oils contain additive packages specific to their function. Motor oil, for example, contains high temperature and detergent additives. Quality hydraulic oils must contain high-pressure, anti-rust, anti-wear and anti-foaming agents. All are necessary for the oil to do its job. Base hydraulic

oil selection on frequency of use, maximum PSI, climate and how essential the piece of equipment is. It is important to remember that these additives are heat sensitive. The ideal operating temperature for hydraulic systems is 100 degrees F to 140 degrees F. Temperatures over 180 degrees F can contribute to oxidation, robbing the oil of its ability to perform. As additives “cook out,” they leave behind varnishes, which can cause valves to stick and degrade performance. These oils feel sticky to the touch rather than slick.

Typical Problems • Systems are not adequately protected from contamination, causing excessive wear, hydraulic inefficiency and premature fail-

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ure; this still is the most frequent cause of hydraulic system failure. • Systems often have the wrong oil, causing oil to be replaced more often. This creates heat from high-viscosity oils in sluggishness or from cavitation, or it creates heat from low-viscosity oils causing excessive slippage, poor efficiency and component wear. • System operators are not trained to recognize when the system requires servicing, and they are damaging the system by forcing flow-over relief. • Replacement pumps are often larger in displacement than they need to be. As a result, they require higher input torque than necessary and operate at less efficient speeds. This creates more heat and may cause transmission torque-converter slippage. • Hydraulic lines and hoses are too small, or are the wrong type. Because of this, they require additional horsepower to compensate for the pressure losses in the system. Created heat damages hoses and oil, requiring both to be replaced more often than should be necessary. They restrict the amount of oil that can flow without turbulence, causing cavitation, aeration and heat, and

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collapse or burst, making the system fail. • Systems are not calibrated, and are often set up improperly. Relief valves may be set either too high, not protecting components, or too low, cycling unnecessarily. The relief valve is isolated by quick disconnect, eliminating protection and incorrect circuit continuity. • Improperly installed drivelines cause vibration, noise, seal leakage, contamination, and pump shaft damage; it also allows dirt to invade seal area by distorting seal, and allows dirt to abrade the shaft seal area, requiring shaft replacement. • Systems are operated without any oil, or with the supply valve closed. • Systems are not disengaged after use, causing excessive heat. • System breathers become clogged or are inadequate, resulting in cavitation. Paying attention to your hydraulic system will save you money and John Borowski, Vice President of Tow Industry operating effiPrograms at AutoReturn, is a two time recipient of the American Towman Medal ciency. Now for heroism, an inductee in the Int'l Towwhat about ing & Recovery Hall of Fame, a past presthat checkup ident of the Statewide Towing Association of Massachusetts, a veteran at the doctow business owner and manager, and a tor’s office? former towing equipment sales specialist for

two wrecker manufacturers. John was Towman of the Year in 2005.

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Training New Employees By Terry Abejuela

Towers should be trained to do the job perfectly every time so that perfection becomes the norm.

uccessful towing companies long ago realized the importance of training their employees, yet there are still many tow operators on the road who lack proper training. Part of the problem comes when tow companies hire experienced operators and don’t provide adequate further training. Regardless of how much experience a tow operator has, there is always something they can learn. Tow companies cannot afford to assume that any new hire, even with years of experience, has been properly trained. The tow company has a responsibility to their customers, law enforcement and the motoring public to provide 22 • November 2015 - TOWMAN.COM

proper training (along with documentation) and conducting periodic evaluations of driver performance. For some tow companies sending new drivers to formal industry training is financially difficult. Classes may not be available on a regular basis in your local area, thus requiring travel and overnight expenses. Quality training can be expensive and there is no guarantee the employee will stay for the long term. There is no substitute for formal training, but you can get the new hire started before making the investment in formal training. New hires with no prior towing experience are sometimes easier to train because they don’t have bad

habits that need to be changed. You get to start with a clean slate and develop the right attitude and good habits you seek in your employees. If your current team is properly trained and setting the example you want, training for inexperienced operators is reinforced on a daily basis by you and your employees. Not everyone is cut out to be a tow operator. Long hours, inclement weather, time pressures, upset customers, law enforcement and rushing traffic aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. One benefit of hiring experienced drivers is they already know that they like doing the work. When looking at applications and resumes of applicants with

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no experience, look for individuals that have performed jobs that require similar skills (driving, working outdoors, helping people, working with cars).

Experience For a new hire that already has towing experience, they should be evaluated to determine their current knowledge and skill level. Evaluations can be done through written tests, practical assessments and on-thejob observation. If the evaluation uncovers gaps in their skills and abilities, a training program can be modified to meet their needs. All pertinent

information that would be covered with an inexperienced employee should also be covered with experienced employees, though likely with less time dedicated to practice and ride-alongs. Before developing your own inhouse training program, develop a new employee orientation checklist, job description, training checklist, and a Standard Operating Procedures manual. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t already have these documents, you should work on these first. From the job description you can make a list of all of the skills the driver needs to safely, effectively

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and efficiently perform their job duties. A new employee checklist should include all administrative tasks required by your state for employment as well as work hours and expected schedule, pay and pay periods, paid time off, employee benefits, passwords, codes, keys, sick and tardy policy, to name a few. Have them sign at the end that all was covered and that they accept responsibility for all keys and other company equipment. Include a statement of any items that must be returned upon voluntary or involuntary termination of employment. The job description should include all of the tasks required to be a successful tow operator at your company. Driving trucks, operating a service truck, tow sling, wheel lift and car carrier, customer service, troubleshooting, reading, writing, basic math, physical requirements and so on. When developing the training checklist, refer to the job description and the skills necessary to perform the tasks effectively, efficiently and safely. As an example, under the heading of driving skills you could list backing up in-tow, making turns in-tow, using mirrors, driving in snow and rain, and maintaining a safe following distance and speed. Under the service truck heading, you might include radio communication, tire changing, lockouts, battery jumpstarts and troubleshooting. For each job description area, list the skills and have a checkbox to be marked once the employee has been provided training and another box for the trainer to check off once the employee has demonstrated proficiency in that skill. The Standard Operating Procedures should be a living document that will probably never be completed. The SOP manual will require the most of your time. It will constantly be updated with changes, so make sure to include a revision date on each page of the document to make sure you are always working from the most current version. The SOP should spell out how employees are expected to perform all of their job duties. This is where you, in writing, provide step-by-step instruction on how you want each task performed.

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Practice is the best of all instructors. I believe all tow operators should frequently practice their skills so they will be proficient in the field. Tow operators should be trained to do the job perfect every time so that perfection becomes the normal and not the exception. Schedule periodic training and practice days, maybe even making it a competition and rewarding the top performers. Providing adequate training and written documentation of all training is critical to ensure you as the employer are taking all reasonable steps to ensure your employees are able to perform their jobs safely. The time it takes you to develop a good training program and documentation process will be time well spent in the long run.

Field Editor Terry Abejuela has 30-plus years of light-duty towing-and-recovery experience. He is also a light-duty Level 1 instructor for the California Tow Truck Association. Number 212 on Reader Card

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‘Sharpest Truck’ for Pope’s Visit According to Clarence Baugh, an ace tower with the New York Police Department’s motorcade “Sweep Team,” there are two kinds of towing. The first sort takes place when a vehicle is hauled to an impound lot. The second is the brisker and “down-anddirty” kind that happens during special events, like Pope Francis’ recent visit to New York. “We basically just take the car,” Baugh said, “and relocate as fast as we can a couple of blocks away.” Praised by police officials for having the “sharpest truck in the fleet,” Baugh, 50, reported to work early on the morning of the pope’s arrival to ensure that the pontiff’s route from the airport to the city was free of obstructions. A 27-year veteran of the Manhattan Tow Pound Unit, Baugh has plenty of experience making way for dignitaries. He helped clear a route when Pope Benedict XVI visited New York in 2008, and he has been on hand to remove obstructive vehicles from the path of every president since the first George Bush. “I don’t feel bad about towing cars,” he said. “Not at all — especially when drivers are in the wrong.” Source: nytimes.com.

than the one-hour class could address. So for the first time, American Towman will have Luciano and Hawkins in a two-hour session with new photos and content for the motor coach and passenger industry. “One common theme we hear from many towers,” said Hawkins, “is the challenges they encounter in trying to hook up to a wide variety of buses, coaches and RVs on the roadways that keep growing in popularity. During our seminar we will offer you a variety of techniques and procedures

including tire lifting, flat towing, frame forking, air connections, air fittings, automatic transmissions, bridge clearance and the new side of trailer towing.” The Bus & Coach Towing seminar will be presented as part of the American Towman Academy during the American Towman Exposition. The seminar takes place Saturday Nov. 21 from 9-11 a.m., and every year it is presented in front of a packed room. Make sure to register online and get to the classroom early.

Bus & Coach Towing Seminar Doubles The challenges of hooking up coaches and high-end buses will be discussed in an information-packed American Towman Exposition seminar, Bus & Coach Towing. Tom Luciano and John Hawkins of Miller Industries will head a session featuring examples of techniques, uncommon situations, rigging strategies and more in this special session. This year the Bus & Coach Towing seminar (ATExposition.com) will expand to a two-hour session. The last two years the seminar played to a packed house; and each year the audience wanted more features and facts Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

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Roadside Service Program Sets Record It was a hot summer for the Goodyear-Fleet HQ 24/7 Emergency Roadside Service program. In August, the program helped 15,375 trucks return to service, eclipsing the high set the previous month of 15,026 completed service calls. “June through August, our industry-leading Goodyear-Fleet HQ 24/7 Emergency Roadside Service program helped put more than 44,900 trucks back on the road,” said Jose Martinez, business solutions manager, Goodyear Commercial Tire Systems. Year-to-date, Goodyear-Fleet HQ 24/7 Emergency Roadside Service has helped more than 91,300 trucks return to service, with an average rolltime of two hours and 11 minutes, said Martinez. Since its creation in late 2007, the Goodyear-Fleet HQ 24/7 Emergency Roadside Service program has helped put more than 1.1 million trucks back on the road, the company said. Source: goodyeartrucktires.com.

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TOWMAN.COM - November 2015 • 29

Playing Blocks with

A Loaded Flatbed Stuck in the Dirt Takes Some Thought by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

d’s Auto Service and Towing in Mount Pocono, Pa., was started by Ed Cardiello and his wife, Yvonne, in 1995. Yvonne has been fighting cancer for the past year, so Cardiello has been committed to staying by her side. “I still go out on heavy calls like this one,” Cardiello said, “but my sons have stepped up and pretty much run the company these days. Eddie runs the office and manages the shop and Joe runs the towing.” On Aug. 22, 2015, Ed’s got called to recover a truck loaded with cinder blocks that had gotten stuck making a delivery. “The driver unloaded two stacks [at a building site] and went to move when the bank gave away and the truck was stuck in a hole and falling in the foundation.” Cardiello drove to the scene in his Jerr-Dan HDL 700/350 35-ton heavyduty wrecker. This is the company’s primary heavy unit. Cardiello purchased it at the 2000 American Towman Expo in Baltimore. His son Joe drove out to the scene to lend a hand. “I was fortunate that my son Joe could meet me there to help. I tore a tendon or something in my one foot and it was all I could do to get the truck there,” Cardiello said. “A job like this has a lot of rigging—pulling rope and climbing around. Too much for me to be doing it hobbling.” After surveying the scene, Cardiello’s first thought was to pull the block truck out backwards. “The ideal method would have been to pull him backwards out of the hole,” he said. “There was a big tree behind it that I thought might work, but it was obviously dead and I was afraid to take a 30 • November 2015 - TOWMAN.COM

chance putting a good pull on it.” The next option was to come out forward, but the truck needed to be held to keep from going over or doing anything unpredictable. There was a tree to block off from the side to secure to the frame. “The truck had Hendrickson walking beams, so I couldn’t wrap the frame where I needed with the big bogie between the axles,” Cardiello said. “Then I thought of hooking the sub frame with a foundry hook, but on closer inspection, you can see each gusset is cracked and the unit didn’t look too good. I didn’t want to take a chance with it. “Then we looked around and thought the best option was to hook to the crane unit [of the block truck] which was surely secured to the frame of the truck and would give us better leverage to control the lean.” Cardiello put a 12-ton clevis shackle pin in a web of the boom to attach. A second line was attached to a 5/8 chain wrapping the frame and ran under the axle with a pull ring on it. “I wasn’t trusting pull hooks on something like this. I pulled everything tight and then straightened the twist out of the rear of the body,” he said. “The drama of this situation was it was Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

The Jerr-Dan HDL 700/350

A nice tree to block from.

They rigged to the crane unit boom of the block truck. TOWMAN.COM - November 2015 • 31

The Jerr-Dan HDL 700/350’s lines are taut in stabilizing the block truck for off-loading.

The final pull.

Off-loading three bundles of block, each weighing about 3,000 lbs., to lessen the weight.

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leaning pretty hard. I wanted to get some weight off so we got the grapple in place and then removed the cargo strap. They immediately shifted but we were ready for it. Each bundle of block weighs about 3,000 pounds and three of them had to be up top where the truck was parked.” Once they got some weight off, Cardiello had the driver swing the boom around the right corner and get in the truck. Cardiello pulled it until the left tires came off the ground, to prevent the bank from giving out more, and pulled the front out. “It was a good job to show my son Joe where my mindset is and why I do things a certain way. You can talk all day long but there is no substitute to actually seeing and doing it. This went easy … like always when it’s successful. It’s when things go wrong that they become hard. “The driver was pretty concerned, but the contractor was on a job I did awhile back with a mixer falling in a foundation so he said he wasn’t worried.” With the job complete, Cardiello and Joe packed everything up and headed home. Instead of just throwing a hook on it and pulling, this was one that had to be thought out. Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

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. He writes weekly for TowIndustryWeek.com.

They couldn’t get around the frame where they needed because of the beams (middle); but they got around that with partial offloading of the materials (bottom).

TOWMAN.COM - November 2015 • 33

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AD INDEX

Page# AAA 61 Access Tools 43 Advantage Funding 28 Agero 91 AHT Automotive N 84 Akins Body & Carrier Sales 23 Allstate Roadside Services 51 American Safety & Supply 52 AT Expo 11 Atlanta Wrecker & Carrier Sales S 83 Austin Hinds Motors S 86 AutoReturn 73 AW Direct 44 B/A Products 37 B & Z Sales S 85 Bauer Built Tire M 83 Beacon Software 29 Benedict Company 57 Big Tow/Metro Tow Trucks N 85 Century 48, 49 Chase Insurance Agency S 85 Chevron Commercial 18 Come-Up USA 52 CPAAM 59 CRASHFILM 45 Crouch’s Wrecker & Equip. Sale 67 Custer Products 62, 63 Danco 29 Dangelo’s Wrecker Sales 44 Dan-Am/Sata Spray Equipment 46 Don Jackson Carrier & Wrecker 68 Dual-Tech Wreckers & Carriers 46 East Penn Truck Equipment 57 Elizabeth Truck Center 54 Equipment Sales & Services 74 Florida Wrecker Sales S 84

RS# 101 102 106 114 142 126 183 120 206 179 135 169 209 108 170 221 136 187 137 143 180 217 116 218 210 177 128 196 122 169 144 192 185 123 152 107

Fax to: 888-847-6035 Page# Ford Commercial Truck 2, 3 Freightliner 7 Ginn Carrier & Wrecker Sales 53 G Stone Motors N 88 Hale Trailer Brake & Wheel N 87 Hub International 44 IGTC 26 Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA) 36 Intek Truck Eq. Finance & Lease 45 Int’l Hall of Fame & Museum 65 Kavanaugh’s Towing Equipment M 87 Kalyn-Siebert 71 Landoll Corp. 69 Lift & Tow 64 Loganville Ford 37 Lynch Chicago 47 Maryland Carrier & Wrecker N 86 McMahon Trucks M 84 M2 Image Solutions 38 Manufacturer Express 35 Mobile Battery Solutions 69 Nation Safe Drivers (NSD) 64 New England Truckmaster N 86 North American BanCard 15 NRC Industries 55 Omadi 34 OMG National S, M 87, 77 Online Parking Pass 18 Pacific General Insurance Agency M 84 Performance Advantage N 88 PowerBilt Wrecker Mfg. 42 PWOF 25 Quest Towing Services N 83 Quick Cash for Keys 35 Quick Draw Tarpaulin Systems 59 Recovery Billing Unlimited 45

RS# 176 216 125 182 153 129 212 110 145 131 134 162 174 139 207 149 164 189 197 213 165 219 171 109 133 205 221 166 193 173 172 167 175 168 178 155

November 2015 Page# Renew Truck Body 72 Rick’s M 85 Ricky’s Sales & Services N 85 Road America 75 R.O.M. Corp. 19 Rush Towing Systems 17 Santander Bank 92 Santander Merchant Services 20 Savatech 20 SavaCOMM 56 Savatech 39 Sea Crest Insurance Agency W 87 Smyrna Truck Center S 83 Specialty Vehicle & Equip. Funding 5 Steck Mfg. 56 Sun Country Trailers S 87 The Light House W 85 The Tow Academy 68 TomTom Telematics 75 Tow Industries W 87 Towing.com 24 TowMate 16 Triple K Industries 28 Truck Body Sales W 84 Twin Cities Wrecker Sales M 83 Urgent.ly 27 USAC/MD 26 Utility Trailer Sales S.E.TX W 85 Vulcan 21 West End 72 Winches Inc. W 86 World Class Insurance Service W 84 Worldwide Equipment 38 Worldwide Equipment of Nevada W 83 Zacklift International 59 Zip’s Truck Equipment 58

RS# 146 181 154 111 188 115 103 147 118 158 118 156 113 195 132 117 104 130 150 220 214 191 100 198 138 194 190 208 143 141 148 184 151 157 121 140

For Advertiser product info go to www.towweek.com/products & click Or circle the corresponding reader service number on the Action Card to the right, and send it in. If number is not shown on the card, write on icon on the lower left-hand side. it in margin of card and circle it. 34 • November 2015 - TOWMAN.COM

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City Wants Towers to Take Cards The Tuscaloosa, Ala., City Council’s public safety committee recommended changes that will require tow truck operators to accept credit and debit cards. Right now, most do not accept that form of payment for a variety of reasons. The committee also recommended that the towing companies be allowed to charge an additional $5 fee to process the debit or credit card payments. The recommendations did not come without protest. “I understand that it’s probably best for the community to have a credit card machine,” said Dwayne Kizziah, who began Dwayne’s Towing and Recovery in 1989. “I just want something in there to make sure I get paid.” Kizziah and his colleague, Daniel “Ziggy” Spires, both described how protests from credit and debit card holders to their respective lending institutions usually result in the non-consensual towing fee not being processed. A warrant for theft of services can’t be

obtained, they said, because the vehicle owner didn’t summon the tow truck provider. And outside of obtaining a lawyer and suing the vehicle owner in court, the tow truck operators have little recourse to obtain their fee, especially if the owner lives out of state. Both men said that despite photocopies of the credit cards in question, documented signatures and other forms of proof that the cardholder did, in fact, intentionally pay to retrieve the vehicle, the banks usually denied the payment. “I just don’t understand how I can get paid when they cancel their credit card (payment),” Kizziah said. That was enough for one councilman who is a voting member of the public safety committee to oppose recommending the changes. “I just think there’s too many challenges on both sides,” the councilman said. Cpl. Brad Fanning of the Tuscaloosa Police Department’s Traffic Division, who brought the request for the credit card payments to the City Council after

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hearing complaints from motorists, said he would work with the towing operators to ensure they were paid. Source: tuscaloosanews.com.

WisDOT Launches Social Media Campaign The Wisconsin Department of Transportation launched a social media campaign in an effort to increase compliance with the state’s Move Over law. The new #MoveOver campaign will feature WisDOT Facebook videos of individuals who experienced first-hand the devastating effects of crashes involving Move Over Law violations. An animated video explains clearly and concisely what the Move Over law requires drivers to do in order to establish a safety zone for workers on the side of roadways. Facebook and Twitter users can take a short survey to help expand their awareness and understanding of the Move Over law. The new videos were posted during the week at WisDOT’s Facebook site. Source: fox6now.com.

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Advantage Funding Launches New Site Advantage Funding launched a new interactive website, www.advantagefund.com, equipped with payment calculators, an online application and automated customer account functionalities. The company said the site provides an enhanced experience for customers, prospects and anyone seeking information about financing commercial and vocational vehicles and equipment. “Advantage Funding is pleased to offer state-of-theart online services and information for users of mobile as well as traditional technology,” said Al Damiani, CEO. “It’s our goal to increase knowledge about our company and products while also providing new efficiencies for customers and prospects.” A drop-down menu under “Equipment for Sale” opens to show used equipment currently for sale at the company’s Brookhaven, N.Y., facility. The new website also includes: • Secure access to customer account information and options. • A newsroom blog. • Financing Information for dealerships and lease/loan customers. • Success stories and testimonials. Number 197 on Reader Card

GM, Navistar Reach Agreement General Motors Co. and Navistar reached a longterm agreement to develop and assemble future medium-duty, conventional cab Class 4/5 commercial vehicles, allowing Navistar to strengthen its product lineup and GM to expand its Chevrolet commercial truck portfolio. “Bringing medium-duty conventional cab trucks back into the portfolio strengthens Chevrolet’s commitment to providing commercial customers with more choices and one-stop shopping for a versatile lineup of trucks, vans and crossovers,” said Ed Peper, U.S. VP of GM Fleet and Commercial Sales. The future products will be jointly developed using Navistar’s (www.Navistar.com) expertise in rolling chassis configurations and manufacturing capabilities, and GM’s commercial components and engines (www.gm.com). The vehicles are slated for production in 2018 and will be manufactured at Navistar’s facility in Springfield, Ohio. Navistar plans to add 300 jobs and invest more than $12 million in facility upgrades and state-of-the-art equipment to produce the new vehicles. “Our collaboration with GM is another example of our customer-centric, open integration approach—providing our customers with the best technologies available,” said Bill Kozek, president, Truck and Parts, Navistar. Number 151 on Reader Card

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Number 118 on Reader Card

Concrete Beam ift

Load Lands Part on Road, Part in Ditch

by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

40 • November 2015 - TOWMAN.COM

ill Coxon started CTS Coxon’s Towing Service in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, when he purchased his first tow truck in 1961. Bill was passionate about towing and personally built the first wrecker to incorporate the use of hydraulics in North America. The International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum recognized his many contributions to the towing industry when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991. His son Brad took over the business in 1998 when Bill passed away. Since taking over control of the busi-

ness, Brad has focused on heavy recovery, heavy towing, specialized transportation, and environmental spill response and clean up. Eric Godard runs the towing and recovery end of the operation, as well as overseeing the shop and maintenance of their fleet. On Sept. 14, 2015, Coxon’s was called out to handle a rolled-over tanker. They responded with their 2003 Kenworth outfitted with an NRC 30/50 Sliding Rotator and their 2007 Kenworth with an NRC 40/50 Sliding Rotator. When Coxon’s crew arrived, they found it wasn’t for a tanker. Instead, it was a rolled-over trombone tractor-trailer transporting an 80,000-lbs. concrete beam for an overpass. The driver had taken the corner a little too tight … the rig came to rest with the tractor still on the roadway and the load still chained to the trailer, but mostly in the ditch. They first dealt with the tractor. “The fifth wheel was ripped off the tractor,” Godard said, “but the trailer was pinching down on the tractor frame. We had to lift the tractor on a slight angle with one rotator while the second winched it away from the trailer. We had to pull it forward a foot to clear the frame that was hung up. “The one rotator was standing it up and I had a control line on it that was already rigged to lift it a bit when we winched it forward. We then did a simple roll with a controlled landing and hooked it to our swap hoist and removed it from the scene.”

2003 Kenworth outfitted with an NRC 30/50 Sliding Rotator and their 2007 Kenworth with an NRC 40/50 Sliding Rotator at work. They did a small lift on the trailer to remove the chains from the load before they righted the trailer. Then they had to lift and barrel-roll the trailer before lifting the concrete beam.

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TOWMAN.COM - November 2015 • 41

They lifted the load by rigging to the lifting eyes on the beam.

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After the tractor was gone they did a small lift on the trailer to allow them to remove the chains from the load. Godard said, “We could undo most of them and remove them, but some had the hooks under the load so they were cut.” They next removed the trailer from the ditch, lifted and swung it between the rotators to barrel roll it, then hooked it up to one of their tractors for removal. Finally the beam was lifted to allow a second trailer to back under the load. “At this point,” Godard said, “we rigged to the lifting eyes on the beam. We pre-rigged them in case it shifted and we could not get to them afterward. We did need to do some digging to get to one of them, but three were clear. It needed to be rolled upright for lifting and loading, so we rolled it at the same time as we lifted it out of the ditch. “We did need to move the one rotator at this point because we

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needed more room for the second trailer to back in. I decided to just get at the back of the lift giving us lots of play to line it up onto his trailer. “The beam was chained onto a new trailer and headed out of town,” he said. “We spent about 4-1/2 hours on this site. I think separating the trailer and the load took the most time; but I felt it was too dangerous to be in a hurry. We did also have the one direction of the road closed for a good part of this job, but we left the other way open. “All said, the customer and the police seemed very happy and everyone went home safe, so life is good!” Editor’s note: This recovery first appeared on AT’s sister site, towindustryweek.com, which features industry news, training, recoveries, new products and more. Don’t miss out— make sure to check it out each week.

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Kenworth Adds Options for Vocational Trucks Kenworth (www.kenworth.com) announced three new options for its vocational lineup of trucks. Allison’s 4700 RDS seven-speed automatic transmission with optional second “deep reverse” can be ordered on Kenworth’s T880, T800, W900 and C500 models. The transmission is part of the Allison rugged duty series. For those operating Kenworth’s T880, the company is now offering a “box bumper” in either steel or aluminum that features a tapered design, which allows for hood pivot clearance and more protection for the grill and headlight area. It is available on both short and standard T880 hoods. The steel bumper can be painted in either the body or chassis paint color. For those running Kenworth’s W900S with the PACCAR PX-9 engine in a set-forward front-axle configuration, a fixed-grille option is available. *** In other Kenworth news, a specially-decaled T680 model will deliver the 51st U.S. Capitol Christmas tree following 3,000-mile journey. The Kenworth T680’s distinctive decal design was unveiled in advance of the Oct. 27 tree-cutting of the 2015 Capitol Christmas Tree near Seward, Alaska. The design features the Chugach Mountains and the U.S. Capitol beneath a northern starry sky with the words “From the Northern Lights to Capitol Lights.” It also includes the 2015 Capitol Christmas Tree official seal, a map of the tour route across the United States, and the Alaska state logo of Lynden Transport, based in Anchorage. The T680 was made available for the tour by PacLease, which provides customized full-service lease, rental and contract maintenance programs featuring Kenworth trucks. The 2015 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree is a 74’ Lutz spruce, which will be shipped from Anchorage by Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

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TOWMAN.COM - November 2015 • 45

Totem Ocean Express to the Port of Tacoma. The T680 will pull a trailer specially designed for the Capitol Christmas Tree. The tour will also include a stop at Kenworth’s Chillicothe, Ohio, plant, where the truck was built. *** Wisconsin Kenworth, held its official groundbreaking ceremony recently for its new facility in Windsor, Wis. The site is just north of the company’s current dealership. Wisconsin Kenworth is a subsidiary of CSM Cos. based in Madison and operates six commercial truck sales and service locations across Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The 75,700-sq.-ft. building will include bays specially designed to provide rapid-assessment diagnostic service and specially equipped areas to service environmentally friendly CNG-powered units. Other features include energy-efficient lighting and geothermal heating throughout the service bays and offices. “This new state-of-the-art facility will ensure that we are able to meet the technological demands of an everevolving industry and allow our dedicated employees to continue to deliver Kenworth quality service to new and existing customers,” said Jim Moeller, CEO of CSM. The new facility is expected to bring approximately 30 new jobs to the Madison area. Construction should be complete by summer 2016. Number 169 on Reader Card

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Successful Rivals

Towman Lends Staff to Help Competitor Through Chemo

Dustin Tapp (left) in front of his red 2015 Ford F-550 4x4/Vulcan 892 and Jon Mustaine with his black 2013 Ford F-550 4x4/Vulcan 894. by Brendan Dooley

ften (maybe too often), we hear of neighboring towers who go the businessis-war route rather than as friendly rivals. In business, competition usually means the success of one requires the failure of the other—winning at all costs in a survival of the fittest. Cooperation, however, can benefit both companies and, perhaps, the industry as a whole when it appears to be less cutthroat. Cooperation is exactly what’s happening with two companies in central Iowa between Mustaine’s Towing & Recovery in State Center and Central Iowa Towing & Recovery in Ames, to the benefit of both. Mustaine’s owner Jon Mustaine and Central Iowa owner Dustin Tapp worked together at Butch’s Amoco in Ames before Mustaine left to start his own towing company in 2007. 50 • November 2015 - TOWMAN.COM

“I was going home most nights with a tow truck anyways, and often doing little jobs here and there,” Mustaine said. “I figured why not start my own company?” He began a one-man/two-truck operation that today includes three part-time drivers who run a truck for him a few nights a week.

Without a second thought, he got the directions and was on the way. A few years later, Butch’s was sold to a new owner and Tapp left to start a custom hauling company in April 2014. Mustaine said their “paths crossed” a few times then, but it was

when Tapp started his own towing company in Ames that they started helping each other with some calls. “I had been called out by Jasper County for an underage drinking party that deputies had broke up and there were 13 cars to impound,” Mustaine said. “As I headed out for the call at two in the morning, I called Dustin to see if he was available and willing to help. Without a second thought, he got the directions and was on the way.” “I helped him haul two at a time to speed the process up,” Tapp said. “About a month after that, Dustin was assisting one of his customers and was having trouble recovering a semitrailer back to the roadway,” Mustaine said. “He called me and within 30 minutes the two of us had his customer back on the road.” “Since then, we work hand-inhand,” Tapp said. “I know I can call

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him 24 hours a day, just like he can with me.” “As his business grew and he added trucks and employees, we have bounced ideas and experiences off of each other,” Mustaine said. Following a leukemia diagnosis for Mustaine, the nature of their collaborative efforts changed. Originally diagnosed in October 2014, in April 2015 Mustaine was told he would need to undergo chemotherapy treatments. “As the reality of what was at hand hit me, I wondered about my business,” he said. “I am a one-man show with some part-timers that help out one night a week at times. They all have full-time jobs. If I had to go through normal chemo treatments, I was in trouble; my business and my family’s livelihood would be in jeopardy.” Mustaine was accepted into a trial study that would require two chemotherapy appointments the first month followed by five monthly appointments. “By the grace of God I was accepted into this study that meant I could have a better chance of maintaining my way of life and my family’s way of life,” Mustaine said. “It was like a knife in the back to hear about that [diagnosis],” Tapp said. He recalled that Mustaine originally thought he would just go out of service on his chemo days. “You can’t do that in this business for long before the phone stops ringing,” Tapp said. “I knew he needed someone to fill his shoes to keep his livelihood going and support his family.” “Dustin asked, ‘What can I do to help?’ ” Musatine said. He asked Tapp to loan out one of his drivers, Dan Boss, on the days he would go through chemo. “Dan worked with us at Butch’s and was one of my first hires,” Mustaine said. “He is now one of Dustin’s main guys. Without hesitation, Dustin said, “You got it! Just get me your schedule and I’ll make sure he’s there.’ ” “He just tossed it out there,” Tapp said. “We were a young company and growing, but I knew if I was in that position he’d do it for me.” “Even though I asked for Dan, I never expected it to happen because Dustin is in a much bigger market than I am and he had just landed two big contracts that would require four trucks for either one at a moment’s notice,” Mustaine said. “Giving me Dan on these days was shorting himself and his business.” “We ran with it and made it work,” Tapp said. At the time, Tapp said he was still several trucks and employees away from where he is now with 10 trucks, 12 drivers, two dispatchers and one remote location. With one treatment to go as of press time, Mustaine’s numbers appeared to be in check. “The gravity of this support is huge to me, in that [Tapp’s] friendship and kindness not only helped ease my worries, he helped to keep food on my family’s table,” Mustaine said. I am thankful for … this selfless act and our ability to work together and help each other out in times of need.”

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Urgent.ly Secures Strategic Funding

SelecTrucks Offers New Warranty Coverage

Urgent.ly announced that it has raised $7 million in Series A funding from Allianz Digital Corporate Ventures, Verizon Ventures and Forté Ventures. Urgent.ly will use this infusion of capital to rapidly scale the growth and expansion of its current nationwide operations in the emergency roadside assistance market. Describing itself as the “Uber for Roadside Assistance,” Urgent.ly (http://urgent.ly) is an on-demand roadside assistance service that combines ondemand technology with a network of service providers and connected car and mobile technology providers without a subscription or membership fee. “We are incredibly excited about our great strategic partners which will allow us to rapidly accelerate both the growth of our nationwide service and our lead in driving innovation,” said Urgent.ly CEO Chris Spanos.

Daimler Trucks North America announced an addition to the used truck in Select Limited Warranty coverage options to be available through SelecTrucks, its used truck retail network. The new warranty will cover the After-Treatment System on both Detroit and Cummins engines. The warranty is available on used Freightliner and Western Star trucks. Covered repairs can be completed at any Freightliner or Western Star authorized service center in the United States and Canada. The new ATS warranty covers major system components, including the Diesel Oxidation Catalyst, the Selective Catalyst Reduction, and both the Doser Injector and the Diesel Exhaust Fluid Injector. By introducing this new ATS warranty coverage option, SelecTrucks is providing an

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exclusive high level of support on used Freightliner and Western Star trucks and helping customers manage the increasing costs of maintaining today’s trucks that meet stricter EPA requirements. *** SelecTrucks recently launched its new website, selectrucks.com, featuring a search function, finance calculators, an enhanced content management system and visual product depictions to assist non-English speaking customers. The company said the site was developed to offer top user experience functions as well as being optimized for use via desktop, tablet or smartphone. Customers can now search and view current inventory for the entire retail network, which is updated daily. The search functions are designed to let the user search the current inventory of a specific dealership or specific geographic area. The search results

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display images of each vehicle, along with detailed specs, to enrich and simplify the selection process. The new site was designed for users both looking to determine the best truck to meet their needs and budget, as well as those looking to make an immediate purchase. SelecTrucks.com also includes finance calculators to help estimate monthly payments and purchasing power.

Magellan Integrates with KORE/Position Logic Magellan announced the integration of its RoadMate RC9496T-LMB fleet navigation device (www.magellangps.com) with Position Logic’s advanced GPS tracking software solution. This partnership allows Position Logic (www.koretelematics.com) service providers to leverage the RoadMate RC9496T-LMB devices. The RoadMate RC9496T-LMB, a 7” Android GPS fleet navigation device is available now to current and prospective

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Magellan and Position Logic customers. The Magellan and Position Logic integration delivers fleets real-time two-way communication between driver and dispatch and the ability to immediately identify driver status including route-receipt, in-route or on-scene, and deliver real-time messages to improve driver productivity. The RC9496T-LMB is also connected to Magellan’s SmartGPS Eco cloud, providing drivers and fleet managers with customizable time and money saving content such as: realtime fuel price information, weather and truck speed limit warnings.

AhernIT, Wyless Acquire Progressive Platforms Global-managed services provider Wyless and Ahern Information Technologies, a provider of fleet tracking solutions and applications, recently announced a new element of their partnership that will be offered by Ahern via the acquisition of Progressive Platforms

(formerly known as Wyless Telematics) from Wyless (www.wyless.com). Progressive Platforms offers cloudbased fleet management and telematics applications available on a global basis in more than 120 countries. Progressive is fully integrated with Agero dispatching and other roadside assistance platforms with full fleet tracking. The partnership aims to focus on new value-added products and services. According to a joint statement by both companies, Ahern is expected to have over 40,000 connected devices on Wyless’ network by the close of 2016. “We are excited by the strategic alliance we have formed with Wyless and look forward to building a longterm relationship that is of great benefit to our existing customers and our newly acquired customers via Progressive Platforms,” said Evan Ahern, CEO of AhernIT. ”We plan to make significant investment in the platform, and utilizing the Wyless global network offering, we can extend our reach very quickly.”

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TOWMAN.COM - November 2015 • 57

Peterbilt Red Oval Program Peterbilt Motors Co. announced its new Red Oval program (www.PeterbiltRedOval.com) that provides customers with exclusive certified pre-owned trucks from throughout its dealer network and PACCAR Financial Used Truck Centers. The site includes detailed vehicle specifications and photos from a searchable database. The company said all trucks certified in the Red Oval program have passed a comprehensive 150-point inspection that is reviewed by Peterbilt’s Red Oval Management Team. Only trucks four model years or newer and with less than 450,000 miles are eligible for Red Oval certification. Red Oval trucks include a comprehensive, factory-authorized engine warranty that also includes after-treatment coverage. The standard, complimentary coverage is up to one year or 125,000 miles. Optional extended cov-

erage can be added up to 60 months or 625,000 miles. Plans include free towing and a $0 deductible.

ITRHFM Board Positions Set The International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum in Chattanooga, Tenn., recently announced its new board of director members for 2015-’17. The nine positions were effective Nov. 1 and run through Oct. 31, 2017. The nine directors are: • George Connolly; Colo. • Kevin Fox; Fla. • Jeffrey Godwin; Texas. • Andy Hovanes; Minn. • Patrick Nahoum; Fla. • Mike Pool; Texas. • Lee Roberts; Ky. • James Williams; N.C. • Shannon Yates; Tenn. Source: ITRHFM.

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Holmes’ Heritage on Facebook In 2016, Holmes will celebrate its 100th anniversary since Ernest Holmes Sr. built his first wrecker. Follow the company on Facebook (www.facebook.com/millerind) throughout the year for Throwback Thursday updates as they share the rich heritage of Holmes equipment from past to present using #100YearsOfHolmes. FYI, Miller Industries will be exhibiting Holmes, Century, Chevron and Vulcan wreckers in Balitmore at AT Expo.

NSD Adds Beacon Software Dispatching Nation Safe Drivers (www.towingwithattitude.com) is now offering digital dispatching through Beacon Software. NSD contractors using Beacon

Software can receive dispatches electronically and avoid missed calls due to busy signals, no reception and voicemails. Calls can be dispatched directly to drivers’ cellphones—saving time on typing errors and manual dispatch.

Check out AT’s digital edition at itowman.com

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Body Armor for Towers?

he towing and repo environment is a dangerous place. Since 2002, more than 32 tow operators, repo agents or tow company personnel were shot or killed; all fired upon during acts of impound, repossession, robbery and road rage.

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Should these all be considered necessary equipment for towing and repossession work?

by Randall C. Resch

Should towers and repo agents, when working lawful towing capacities of their employment, be authorized to wear body armor? Has the industry come to this? History seems to show a need for this protection. (Law-abiding towers and repo agents

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can purchase body armor in most cases with little to no hassle, but be aware of any local restrictions.)

Set the Stage It seems there’s a new mass shooting or rampage every few months— often in a school or university setting—that garners huge media coverage. Buried in with the calls for gun restrictions are justifications to manufacture bulletproof vests and backpacks for students. So, why not body armor for towers? Consider a few examples: • On May 4, 2002, in Oceanside, Calif., Freeway Service Patrol tow operator Brian Naylor took six body shots unprovoked after he stopped to evaluate a broken-down motorist on Interstate 5. Without warning, the motorist attempted to steal Brian’s truck and then opened fire. Brian miracously survived; police killed the shooter. • On July 28, 2014, repossession

You Get What You Pay For Because body armor is manufactured in varying designs and threat levels, costs range from $100 basic vests to exotic types costing upwards of $1,000. Some body-protection garments advertise being bulletproof or bullet-resistant. Compare the likeness of buying a cheap motorcycle helmet vs. an expensive helmet, where the maxim goes, “If you’ve got a $10 head, buy a $10 helmet.” agent Steve Lawson was chased by a vehicle owner across Los Angeles County in the early morning. In agent Lawson’s escape attempt, he crashed his tow truck and at the moment he got out of his tow truck, the shooter assassinated him. • On June 10, 2015, in Columbus County, N.C., agent Jeffrey Lowe was repossessing a vehicle when the owner

shot him in the head; all while conducting a lawful repossession. • In July 2015, tow operator Anthony Alexander, of Detroit, Mich., stopped for a female motorist who flagged him down. Appearing suddenly, two males confronted Alexander and a struggle ensued with gunshots striking him in the stomach. Although he escaped his assailants, Alexander drove his carrier until crashing into a gas station wall. It’s presumed he was set-up for robbery; he later died of his wounds.

Are You Protected? Should tow companies be required to provide employees survival-specific safety gear in the same manner personal protection equipment is required? Ok, so, why not bodyarmor? Why shouldn’t towers (as lawabiding citizens) be allowed to wear body armor, especially if the wearer’s criminal history is proved clean by

If body armor is right for you … it’s a choice only you can make. background processes? At one time, anyone could walk into a neighborhood sporting goods store and purchase tactical vests. As street-side shootings increased and gangland drive-bys escalated, states changed laws to prohibit convicted felons from purchasing, possessing and wearing vests. The James Guelff and Chris McCurley Body Armor Act mandates that no person previously convicted of a violent crime, may purchase, own or possess body armor. There are state-level restrictions governing the purchase of body armor. It’s important to determine if body armor can legally be purchased and possessed in your city and state.

You’ll be accountable for ensuring that you’re legally authorized to own and wear body armor for work purposes. As tow operators serving law enforcement, background checks are required; the same considerations are viewed when tow operators apply to law enforcement rotation programs or repo agents getting state certified. Applying to the police won’t be an easy process. Reference letters from employers stating the need for body armor is important based on the work you do as is a copy of your criminal history or Live-Scan. Take this article along with you to demonstrate past examples and your reasoning for owning and wearing body armor while you work. I don’t know that an official application form exists, so it’s more a matter of taking your request before your local law enforcement agency. If I were a tower working in today’s violent world, I would make it my priority to legally obtain body armor and wear it judiciously. If

you’ve considered purchasing body armor, I strongly recommend you contact local law enforcement to determine whether or not you’re able to do so by law … not by their opinion. Providing lawful towing and repossession services turns deadly for towers and agents simply doing their jobs. And, if you’re able and choose to purchase body armor, it’s only as good as when it is worn. If body armor is right for you … it’s a choice only you can make. Author’s note The author and American Towman offer this article for educational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice or legal authorization to purchase and wear body armor in your state and local community. Towers are responsible to determine legality from local law enforcement.

Operations Editor Randall C. Resch is a retired California police officer and veteran tow business owner, manager, consultant and trainer. He writes for TowIndustryWeek.com and American Towman, is a member of the International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame. Email Randy at rreschran@gmail.com.

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TOWMAN.COM - November 2015 • 63

Towing Company Owners Guilty of Tax Fraud

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Owners of a Georgia towing company have each been sentenced to one year, six months in federal prison following a jury’s guilty verdict in February 2015, on tax fraud charges stemming from the defendants skimming money from their business. Kenneth Horner, 59, and Kimberly Horner, 54, both of Milledgville, Ga., have each been sentenced to one year, six months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $144,455 to the IRS. The Horners owned Topcat Towing and Recovery Inc. in Lithonia, Ga., according to U.S. Attorney John Horn. Between 2005 and 2008, Topcat Towing had an exclusive contract with DeKalb County, for all county car tows needed from the south precinct of the county. Between 2005 and 2008, the defendants skimmed more than $1.5 million in cash receipts from their towing business and deposited those cash receipts into their personal bank account without disclosing the income to their tax return preparer or on corporate and personal tax returns filed with the IRS. The defendants tried to conceal their cash deposits from the government by “structuring” their deposits, which is the act of splitting up cash deposits so that none of them exceed $10,000, for the purpose of evading a currency transaction report from being filed. Source: ajc.com.

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Special Requests by Law Enforcement

By Randall C. Resch

hen involved in accident and recovery operations, the manner that you accept special requests begins with total desire to serve at the highest level. Towers should have a mindset that towing for law enforcement is far different than running service calls or towing for body shops. Chances are if you’re situated near a big city there are plenty of responding assets available. This would include fire departments, heavy-rescue, extrication tools, advanced care ambulances or any number of trained first-responders to assist at critical incident scenes. But if you’re located somewhere in the rural outback, first-responder assets may not be as readily available and would demand towers think and react outside the box. When meeting with tow business owners to discuss growing their businesses, I spend much time discussing pros and cons of working with law enforcement. There are excellent benefits in being law enforcement providers; however, cops are a different breed that demands give-and-take. How would you respond to these two typical scenes, beyond the norm of routine towing operations? • An incident commander or traffic supervisor asks you to transport an accident vehicle that includes a body still inside. • You or a driver are told to drag a vehicle on its roof and onto your carrier. Answers to the above certainly brings to the surface all considerations concerning the laws of your state 66 • November 2015 - TOWMAN.COM

There are excellent benefits in being law enforcement providers; however, cops are a different breed that demands give-and-take. Thomas R. Machnitzki photo.

If you’re a law enforcement tower, the proper response is, ‘You betcha … we can do that.’ while at the same time questions if the officer’s requests are reasonable and lawful. Do they contradict the way you were trained or the manner you run your company? After considering either request or having a good head-scratch, there remains only two considerations as to

what incident command or the officer on scene is asking of you: Can you do it, or will you do it? While remembering the differences between the letter and spirit of the law, exigent circumstances generally dictate what direction law enforcement is requesting. In most cases where these requests typically occur, on-scene administrators are considering: • Transporting vehicle and/or body to another area to allow greater access for rescue personnel to remove victims, while providing greater safety to workers by decreasing the “curiosity” factor. • Transporting vehicles to other areas to provide some level of dignity to the deceased. • It takes time to extricate victims,

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and increases exposure danger to roadside workers and towers. • Loading casualties upside-down to clear the scene faster, providing increased safety to onscene workers by possibly avoiding dangerous secondary impact. • Loading casualties upside down because responding operators were unskilled in rollovers, making a simple rollover into “the car from hell” scenario. Unskilled towers are a liability to the safety of themselves and other on-scene workers. If you’re a law enforcement tower, the proper response is, “You betcha … we can do that.” That’s the response to best Operations Editor Randall C. Resch is a demonstrate retired California police officer and vetyour comeran tow business owner, manager, pany’s willconsultant and trainer. He writes for TowIndustryWeek.com and American ingness to Towman, is a member of the Internaserve and tional Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame. Email Randy at rreschran@gmail.com. think outside the box. Editor’s note: This topic first appeared on AT’s sister site, towindustryweek.com, which features industry news, training, recoveries, new products and more. Don’t miss out— make sure to check it out each week. Number 130 on Reader Card

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Dallas Will Boost USA Pageant by AT Staff

ow Expo Int’l is going big in 2015 Winners in San Antonio 2016, moving to the Arlington Convention Center in the DalBest of Show: las-Fort Worth, Texas, metro Isaac’s Wrecker Service; Tyler, Texas. 2015 Kenworth W900L/ area Aug. 4-6. Coming off its best year in NRC 40/50 Sliding Rotator. 2015 in San Antonio, the move north jumps to a metro area that promises three times the draw of tow business owners. “In the past 10 years we’ve been in the great city of San Antonio and two of those years in Houston,” said show founder Tommy Anderson. “We’ve cultivated a lot of fans among towers located in the southern half of this huge state. Dallas at this time gives Tow Expo the greatest opportunity for taking our attendance to another plateau.” The move to the larger centrally located metro area should help draw more competition into the USA Wrecker Pageant and increase the battle for coveted trophies, though this Best Heavy Duty Tandem: year’s competition was plenty strong Banis Towing; San Antonio, Texas. according to entrant Jason Banis of 2015 Peterbilt 579/Century 7035. Banis Towing in San Antonio. “We had a better turnout in the pageant this year,” Banis said, who won the Best Heavy Duty Tandem trophy with his 2015 Peterbilt 579/Century 7035. “We got different people to enter than in the past. It wasn’t just the same old trucks. I think it was a plus for the show to have different people showing trucks.” That benefit of new blood improving the pageant bodes well for the show’s new location outside Dallas. “Dallas is well known for high participation in the towing industry,” Banis said. “I think that it’ll be a great turnout and the crowd will be good.” He said the pageant at the Arlington Convention Center could draw as Best Light Duty, pre-2014: many as 50 trucks, and include more All City Towing; Kansas City, Kan. towers from the Lone Star State as well 2011 GMC 3500/Vulcan 810 Intruder. as Oklahoma, New Mexico and Louisiana. “We believe doubling, even tripling 70 • November 2015 - TOWMAN.COM

Best Working Class: S&B Towing & Storage; Magnolia, Texas 2012 Dodge Ram 5500/ Century 19’ flatbed.

Best Light Duty, 2014-’15: Crown Paint & Body 2014 Dodge Laramie 5500/ Century 811 self-loader.

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Best Vintage: Southside Wrecker; Austin, Texas. 1949 Chevy 3/4-ton/Holmes wrecker.

Best Rotator: Jerry’s Wrecker Service; Henderson, Texas. 2015 Peterbilt 389/Century 1150R. Best Medium Duty: Big Sky Towing; Odessa, Texas. 1998 International 4700/Vulcan 892.

Best Carrier: Galvan Towing; Robstown, Texas 2015 Ford F-650/Champion 24’ flatbed.

our attendance with Texas tow business owners is achievable, while the draw from surrounding states is also improved,” said Doc Calitri, president of AT Expo Corp. Besides the increased draw for drive-up attendees to the Arlington Convention Center, air travel is greatly improved; flights into DallasFort Worth are generally half the cost of flights into San Antonio. Dallas also offers many direct flights and low fares. “The better air access into Dallas will also help the show pull more attendees from around the nation,” Calitri said. Besides increasing the size of the pageant, that helps with networking opportunities. “All the American Towman shows are memorable, because every time I go I meet new people,” Banis said. “You meet new people and you can learn some new tricks. Everybody should go to a show to make friends and learn more about the industry. Tow Expo Int’l is produced by AT Expo Corp. with AT Magazine. It also produces the American Towman Exposition in Baltimore, Md., Nov. 19-21 and the American Towman ShowPlace—Las Vegas, Nev., May 11-13, 2016. The 2016 Tow Expo Int’l moves to Dallas-Fort Worth Aug. 4-6. Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

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Judge Orders Company to Pay Back Taxes A towing business once owned by Wichita Falls, Texas, contractor Jody Wade is liable for more than $70,000 in unpaid sales and use taxes, a court document indicates, and part of that money is owed to the City of Wichita Falls and other nearby municipalities. The business, Big Daddy’s Wrecker Inc., owes $84,529 in taxes including interest and court costs from 2007 to 2012, according to documents. Big Daddy’s Wrecker Inc. and Wade were sued by the state in 2012, and in September, a Travis County judge ordered the money be paid by Big Daddy’s. An abstract of judgment in the case was filed at the Wichita County Courthouse on Oct. 6 — only Big Daddy’s Wrecker Inc., and not Wade individually, is liable for the back taxes.

As of the time of filing, the business owed Wichita Falls $10,388 plus interest, court documents show. The city attorney’s office did not return a call for comment. Wade told the newspaper that Big Daddy’s Wrecker Inc. ceased to operate in 2009. The similarly-named Big Daddy’s Towing and Recovery, Wade’s current company, was formed the same year. The suit does not claim non-payment of taxes by Big Daddy’s Towing and Recovery. “I have been very fortunate to own and build up several businesses in my lifetime and as anyone knows that there are inherent risks associated with owning and operating a business,” Wade said. “We own and operate a very successful family business and I have had far more successes than failures. The financial aspects of a

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business that no longer exists has no significance in our current operational responsibilities associated with our city contract.” The businessman said he has worked “vigorously” with state attorneys to settle the tax suit. He said he hopes to see a “full release of judgment” in the matter soon. In the lawsuit, Wade’s attorney argued that neither Wade nor Big Daddy’s Wrecker Inc. was liable for the tax payment. His denial included the claim that a former bookkeeper had embezzled at least some of the outstanding tax money. Wade currently has a lucrative contract with the city in which he performs all non-consent tows, stores towed vehicles at his impound lot and sells them at auction. Source: timesrecordnews.com.

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Mind Your ‘D’s and ‘R’s

don’t like the “D” word, for deadbeat or “a person who tries to evade paying debts.” If you work in the repossession industry and use the “D” word, shame on you. Anyone can fall prey to an economic downturn and the loss of a job. Perhaps the customer’s place of work closed, or maybe there was a break in employment for health reasons. Since the Great Recession began with the collapse of the housing bubble, it’s estimated more than 8.5 million U.S. jobs vanished. People not only lost their homes and their jobs, they lost their dignity. Many Americans who worked for years building small businesses had to close their doors. Lines of credit and funding dried up as banks and other lending institutions simply stopped investing in America. The vast majority of people who fell behind on their payments were victims of the recession. Who among us had to put off a car or truck payment to make the mortgage payment or pay an expensive health insurance premium? (Now, with all this said, there are those individuals out there who seem to be repeat offenders. There will always be fraud and theft, but my years of experience have shown those deceptions leading to a repossession are few and far between.) Not only do I dislike the “D” word, I think the “R” word (repossession) is often misused. With such a negative vibe attached to it, using the word repossession never makes anyone smile. Embarrassment is an interesting emotion. In so many instances, embarrassment quickly becomes anger. When a person—especially one already down on his luck—becomes angry, people often get hurt. When the recovery agent says “repossession,” the customer is immediately reminded of the day he signed a promise to pay back the loan. 76 • November 2015 - TOWMAN.COM

Wearing a work uniform or neat attire and stepping back about 10 feet after knocking increases your chance for a good impression.

With more than 30 years of doing repossessions and plenty of knockedon-their-door meetings with customers, I have taught myself a valuable vocabulary lesson: I use the word “transport” instead of “repossession.” I tell the customer I am there to “transport” the car or truck to the remarketing yard. “Hey Mark, but it’s a repo!” I can hear you yelling at the page. I know it’s a repo, but why say it unless you absolutely must? Chances are, the customer knows why you’re there, but why say the word? Why add fuel to an embarrassing moment with the chance of turning this fragile emotion into anger? I can tell you that the safest repossession is when the customer smiles and shakes your hand right before you leave his driveway with your client’s car in tow. Sometimes confrontations with the debtor happen. When you’re standing there with nothing more than your conversational skills, choose your words wisely. The meeting with this customer could be a smooth transition from his driveway to the back of your tow truck.

by Mark Lacek

I was at a conference some years ago where the keynote speaker was Joe Navarro. Navarro had recently written, “Everybody Is Talking,” about body language from his experience as a body language expert with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Part of his presentation covered the perceptions people have when they answer the door to a stranger. Two important items covered how the stranger is dressed and distance from the door. Navarro said one study determined that a person would lie half as often to a person wearing a sports jacket or a suit. A person wearing a company uniform or neat and tidy attire also will cause the person in the house to be more truthful and acceptable to honest conversation. Another study recommended the person knocking on the door should back up about 10 feet after knocking for a best impression. (If you think about it, this makes a whole lot of sense. Who the heck wants to answer a door with a stranger’s face smashed up against the glass?) The person answering the door is going to make a preliminary judgment against whoever is on the porch. The best place to start, from the repossessor’s standpoint, is from a nonthreatening place—smartly attired and standing a short distance from the door. I share these tips with you so that you conduct your repossession efforts with a level of professionalism that adds integrity to our vocation. Be safe.

Repo Editor Mark Lacek has more than 30 years of recovery experience and is the former editor of “Professional Repossessor” magazine. Email him at Mark@commercialassetsolutions.com

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TowShow.com Work the non-traffic Side–Stay Safe!

Call 800-732-3869 E. Rosengart x 203 erosengart@towman.com D.Ortiz x 213 dortiz@towman.com TOWMAN.COM - November 2015 • 79

Mack Kicks ‘Azz’ by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

aul Lopes started Truck Management Tow Service in Newark, N.J., in 2013 and is a one man-one truck outfit. “I’ve been towing light- and medium-duty since I was 21 and I’m 37 now,” Lopes said. “I started doing heavy-duty in 2010.” His heavy wrecker certainly is a worker and not a show truck, but it is Lopes’ baby—a down-and-dirty beast that works the means streets of Newark and surrounding areas 24/7/365. He calls the Mack/Holmes setup “Azz Kikr.” Originally built by B&C in Newark, he bought the truck just before starting his company from Edgar Road Towing in Linden.

He left no stone unturned when he went to work on his baby; everything was rebuilt and updated in-house. This rig is an updated 1978 Mack with a rebuilt Holmes 750 on the business end. Its powered by a Mack 300 Turbo mated to an updated Rockwell ninespeed transmission. He put a 14-pack leaf-spring heavy suspension in back to handle the heavy loads. “I changed the gears from 488 to 370 in back and it does 85 mph with no problem,” Lopes said. The Holmes 750 25-ton twin boom has been the classic get-it-done wrecker for years. Its split booms allowed you to work off the side before there were any rotators. It is

Tech Highlights Chassis: 1978 Mack. Wrecker: Holmes 750. Engine: Mack 300 Turbo. Trans: Rockwell nine-speed. Builder: Rebuilt in-house. Extras: Zacklift Z30 underlift, chrome stacks. Paint: B&C in Newark, N.J.

equipped with two 25,000-lbs. winches. As special equipment on “Azz Kikr,” Paul added a Zacklift Z30 heavy-duty underlift. The Z30 has a retracted lift rating of 32,000-lbs. with an extended lift rating of 18,000 lbs., a tow rating of 85,000 lbs. and a reach of 86”. “I love the Zacklift,” Lopes said. “I can pick up everything from buses to loaded garbage trucks.” This unit has performed many 80 • November 2015 - TOWMAN.COM

Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

memorable jobs including getting a loaded garbage truck out of a ditch and pulling an excavator out of a hole in 20 minutes. “I do quite a bit of work for other owner/operators. Being an owner/operator, I identify with them and they identify with me,” Lopes said. “We understand each other. The most important attribute this unit brings to my business is recognition. Everybody loves it.” B&C did the paint job. Paul added

chrome stacks and some reflective graphics to dress it up a bit. “You’ve gotta be innovative in towing. Think out of the box,” Lopes said. “This old Mack is a workhorse for sure; my bread and butter. I updated it to perform and it does every day. That’s why I call it ‘Azz Kikr’!”

Mixing in Club Work 17 Call Providers Show in Baltimore by Steve Calitri

here will be 17 call providers exhibiting in Baltimore, Nov. 20-22. They represent motor clubs, municipal dispatchers, auto auction companies and others who build networks of tow-service providers. This makes the American Towman Exposition fertile ground for tow business owners looking to hook up with new call providers or shore up current relationships. The opportunities abound for tow bosses. Looking to call providers who are motor clubs, tow business owners face the challenge of how to make motor club rates work towards the company’s overall success. Clubs generally provide high call volume; a club with a timely pay-out schedule can be a regular shot in the arm for one’s cash flow. Some clubs also offer the benefit of strong name recognition. Being a primary tower for a well-known brand can help a tower build his business in commercial accounts and directly with the motorist. There is also collateral revenue to be had, such as by taking in repair work or steering such work to repair shops. Some clubs offer the benefits of purchasing power, leveraged by the numbers of providers in their service-networks. The young gung-ho tower will be excited by the prospect of high volume club work. . In that regard, looking for high volume work inside the Baltimore Convention Center is like looking for chocolate in a candy store. But one should approach motor club work with an overall game-plan that takes into account other segments of tow business that the company wants in the mix. Towing for many clubs has it challenges and can make it difficult to provide any one

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club with the reliability and ETAs expected. The experienced, savvy tower will become a primary tower for a chosen number of clubs, meanwhile focusing on building a commercial account base as well as his relationship with the town and police. Only each individual tower can determine the percentage of club calls that is right for his or her operation. There are also tow companies that only take club calls as a secondary tower. There are, of course, towers who are not proactive in looking for motor club work, but rather focus on other segments of business. These towers may be game to work with some of the call providers in Baltimore who are not motor clubs and have a business model that allows for a different rate scale. You’ll find them as well in Baltimore. Then there are the first-time exhibitors. AutoReturn, United Road Towing (URT), TTN Fleet Solutions and Urgent.ly are call providers new to AT Expo. AutoReturn and URT dispatches and manages city towing rotations. URT also fields a disaster-response service network. Urgent.ly is a new, hightech based service that claims to pay out some of the highest rates in the industry. So there’s quite a mix of call providers showing in Baltimore, and enough to pick from to formulate the right mix for your towing operation. Call Providers exhibiting in Baltimore: AAA, Agero, Allstate Roadside Services, AutoReturn, Coach-Net, Copart Auto Auctions, FleetNet America, GEICO, Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA), Nation Safe Drivers (NSD), Penske Truck Leasing Services, Quest Towing Services, Road America, TTN Fleet Solutions, United Road Towing, Urgent.ly, USAC/MD.

Media today is so multifaceted and accessible. American Towman Magazine still anchors the industry’s premier source for news and information that tow bosses need to progress in this challenging industry. But our readers are finding that Americantowman.com is a treasure of new information and features each and every week, including video and advertisements and stories (featured by Emily Oz of ATTV). Whether you key in towman.com, towindustryweek.com or towweek.com, all roads lead to the industry’s leading Internet source for all that’s happening, American Towman. You’ll find Randy Resch there and Don Archer, hitting on the many issues towmen face daily. You’ll find recovery articles by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti, rich with photos. Plus the Tow Illustrated Page by George Nitti. These writers bring you exclusive and creative articles each week, only found at TowIndustryWeek.com or towman.com. AmericanTowmanTV.com also directs to Tow Industry Week, where Emily Oz is bringing you exclusive video reporting, including many features on recovery jobs captured on video. Emily will be in Baltimore, talking to towers, exhibitors and wrecker pageant contestants, with cameraman in tow.

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Send your thoughts/suggestions on the Adventures to scalitri@towman.com or American Towman, 7 West St, Warwick NY 10990

Visit us at American Towman Expo Baltimore booth #918 "We have over 100 trucks in-stock and beds on the ground to fit your towing needs."

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TOWMAN.COM - November 2015 • SOUTH 83

Tow Truck Rescues Horse from Well

Sterry Street Towing’s Martins Passed Away

An 11-year-old horse that fell into an unmarked well escaped with minimal injuries thanks to an innovative rescue effort in Saskatchewan, Canada. Daisy, a 1,700-lbs. horse, fell into the covered hole, which was more than 16’ deep, on a farm in Saskatoon according to her owner, Russ Thiessen. The horse was only able to escape after a tow truck was called to lift her out. Thiessen said it was his wife’s idea to call a tow truck. He estimates Daisy was stuck for up to four hours before she was found. Towing crews, neighbors and a veterinarian all helped with the rescue. The crew needed three tries to successfully pull the horse from the well. She was able to get up on her own and walk around within 20 minutes of the rescue, Thiessen said. Source: saskatoon.ctvnews.ca.

John Martins, who owned Sterry Street Towing in Attleboro, Mass., was accompanied to his funeral and burial by family, friends and a contingent of colleagues from the industry he loved and gave him his start in the business world. Statewide Towing Association of Massachusetts organized the tow truck procession that accompanied Martins to his final resting place. Martins, 52, who owned several businesses including car dealerships, died Sept. 27 of injuries suffered when the heavy-duty tow truck he was driving on Interstate 95 in North Stonington, Conn., blew a tire and crashed on Sept. 4. A number of Good Samaritans pulled him from the burning wreckage and he was taken to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, but succumbed to injuries that included burns over much of his body.

Martins also owned East Coast Collision Center and Courtesy Auto Group that included Kia and Mitsubishi automobile dealerships in South Attleboro. But his first love in the automotive industry was towing. A statement from the towing association described Martins as “well known throughout the towing industry.” “John had an unbridled enthusiasm for towing and built a premier company which showcased his passion,” the statement said. “John leaves a lasting legacy on the entire towing community.” “I was very upset about it,” said Richard Zuercher, president of the Rhode Island Public Towing Association. “I knew John personally. I met with him on several occasions for some business we were taking care of. It really hit home.” Source: thesunchronicle.com.

Police Towing Conference Covering Many Facets

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From protecting your business to highway safety to winning contracts, the Police Towing Conference at the American Towman Exposition will cover a wide variety of topics designed to provide law enforcement towers with prudent information. Seminars led by American Towman Field Editor Randy Resch, John Borowski of AutoReturn, Les Cravens of Auto Data Direct and Dave Lambert of the North American Towing Academy will explain how to optimize your efforts and be successful in this segment of business. Instruction on highway safety, networking with law enforcement and handling special requests from law enforcement are just a few areas that will be covered. One of the new seminars to this year’s lineup will be Cravens’ Protecting Your Business/Law Enforcement Networking. In this seminar, towers will learn how to protect their businesses and comply with statutes and/or regulations. Additionally, the course will cover the advantages of

towers networking with law enforcement to create alliances and lay the groundwork for long-term relationships that will enable them to accomplish their goals of operating on a level playing field. The Conference will take place during the American Towman Exposition, Nov. 20-22 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Md. To register for this conference and for other events of this year’s Exposition, visit www.ATExposition.com.

Study: ADAS Could Avert Nearly 30% of Crashes If widely adopted, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems could generate tremendous benefits to society, sharply reducing the number, cost, and severity of automotive accidents, says a new study from The Boston Consulting Group. “Because the vast majority of crashes in the United States are caused by driver error, the lack of adoption of these technologies within the U.S. fleet is a significant missed opportunity,” said Xavier Mosquet, North America leader of BCG’s Automotive practice and a co-author of the study, which was commissioned by the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association. “This is especially true considering that ADAS technologies also pave the way for partially and fully autonomous vehicles, which could further reduce crashes— and their cost to society—by 90 percent or more.” Some 33,000 people are killed each year in automotive accidents in the United States. These crashes cause 3.9 million injuries and damage 24 million vehicles, according to U.S. government estimates. The cost to society totals about $910 billion annually, equivalent to roughly 6 percent of U.S. GDP, says BCG in the report, titled “A Roadmap to Safer Driving Through Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.” ADAS could prevent 28 percent of all crashes in the United States if newcar buyers invested in the most common currently available ADAS Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!

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features. The technologies could prevent approximately 9,900 fatalities and save about $251 billion to society each year, BCG found. Despite these potential safety benefits and cost savings, relatively few vehicles on the road today have these features, and their market penetration is growing at only 2 percent to 5 percent annually. Consumers have been slow to adopt ADAS features, partly because they are unwilling to pay as much for them as they cost to make and market. For example, according to a recent consumer survey, most car owners said they would be willing to pay $100 to $400 for blind spot detection. Its current cost to consumers, however, is $595 per vehicle. Other reasons for the sluggish uptake include buyers’ lack of awareness of the features, insufficient explanation of the features at the point of sale, and the fact that some features are not widely available. Source: mema.org.

Tow Truck Thief Destroys Greenhouse A thief stole a tow truck from a repair shop just outside of Hyattsville, Md., and then crashed into a greenhouse of a former florist shop, according to the Hyattsville City Police Department. While responding to a call on another matter, police said they saw the truck had crashed into the side of the building. The thief fled the scene of the crash, according to HCPD, and was apprehended a short distance later. The stolen tow truck belonged to G&A Auto Transport. According to the son of the truck’s owner, the truck was just dropped off that morning to have its brakes worked on when it was stolen. He said it was their only truck. The greenhouse was to be the future home of an arts non-profit, Art Works. Source: hyattsvillelife.com.

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Tower Robbed Outside Home Two suspects remain at large after a tow truck driver was robbed outside his south Nashville, Tenn., home Sept. 23. Officials with Metro police said the victim was robbed by two suspects just as he was walking up to his home. At least one of them was armed with a handgun. The suspects were able to get away with hundreds of dollars in cash. The victim was returning with his night’s wages. No shots were fired in the ordeal and the victim was not hurt. Officers remained on the scene and canvassed the area. Police said the armed man was about 6’ tall. He was wearing a black shirt, jeans and was unshaven. The other suspect was said to be cleanshaven and was wearing a red shirt and khakis. Source: scrippsmedia.com.

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Pulling Weeds by Don Archer

tarting a towing business is a lot like planting a garden. If you’re going to come away with anything of value, you need to have a plan. With a garden you need to choose the right site with proper amounts of sun and drainage. You need to decide how many rows and what kind of vegetables you want to grow. You need to properly prepare the soil and know how deep and when to plant each seed or seedling. And you’ll want a way to efficiently remove the weeds, keep it watered, and deter insects and other pests. Similarly, your towing business needs to be in the right location to thrive. You need to decide which customers to focus on, be it motor clubs, auto shops, law enforcement or other. You need to market your business effectively and hire employees when necessary. You’ll also want to develop an efficient method of ridding your business of time-wasting customers and bad employees while nurturing the good ones. But too many times we forget the importance of weeding. If you allow weeds to take hold in your garden, it will eventually produce nothing. Your business is no different. I have a friend who runs a very successful body shop who’s taught me lots. One day, while I was moaning about some difficulty I was having with an employee, he gave me a nugget of wisdom his father once gave him: “Don’t let the bad behavior of others cause you to behave badly.” It wasn’t until many years later that I finally understood the deeper meaning of those words. More than just a suggestion to “be nice in the moment,” I realized his father meant

You are your business. How you see yourself is directly dependent on the vitality of your business. Brandingforresults. com image.

that, no matter how hard it is, you need to cut nasty people out of your life as soon as possible. Allowing bad customers, bad employees or bad friends to stay in your life will have a negative impact on you—and change you into something you don’t want to be. We all experience envy, greed, anger and fear. We all have needs, wants and desires. Some of us use notso-nice methods to get what we want. You can excuse those methods, believing you’ve got to take the good with the bad in order to get what you want. But you’ve got to count the costs. For example, I tend to give more attention to the bad things that happen than I do the good. When someone attempts to cheat me or change the terms of an agreement, I give it my full attention and tend to complain way too long—even after it’s all cleared up. This tendency to focus on the negative causes me to have less appreciation for the good things. However, it impacts how I treat good customers and employees. I see everything through a cloud of negativity. Instead of seeing opportunities to build valuable relationships, I mistakenly see each transaction as a winlose scenario. You are your business. How you

SOUTH 88 • November 2015 - TOWMAN.COM

see yourself is directly dependent on the vitality of your business. When something goes wrong, you internalize it and it detracts from your value as a person. When something goes right, you’re “full-up” inside just for a minute … then it’s back on the lookout for all that might go wrong. To say that the towing business is unpredictable is an understatement. There’s no rhyme or reason to any of it. You’re going to have difficulties; and it’s sometimes hard to recognize the weeds, especially when you’re looking through a lens of negativity. But because you are your business, it’s vitally important that you recognize and remove what’s not working as soon as possible. If that happens to be your negative attitude and limiting beliefs, then you’ve got some work to do. Editor’s note: This column first appeared on AT’s sister site, towindustryweek.com, which features industry news, training, recoveries, new products and more. Don’t miss out—make sure to check it out each week.

Don Archer lives and works in Jefferson City, Mo., where he and his wife, Brenda, own and operate Broadway Wrecker, a 12-truck operation that’s been in business since the 1950s. He writes a weekly column for TowIndustryWeek.com. Email him at don@broadwaywrecker.com..

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Tower Robbed Outside Home

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Two suspects remain at large after a tow truck driver was robbed outside his south Nashville, Tenn., home Sept. 23. Officials with Metro police said the victim was robbed by two suspects just as he was walking up to his home. At least one of them was armed with a handgun. The suspects were able to get away with hundreds of dollars in cash. The victim was returning with his night’s wages. No shots were fired in the ordeal and the victim was not hurt. Officers remained on the scene and canvassed the area. Police said the armed man was about 6’ tall. He was wearing a black shirt, jeans and was unshaven. The other suspect was said to be cleanshaven and was wearing a red shirt and khakis. Source: scrippsmedia.com.

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Police Towing Conference Covering Many Facets From protecting your business to highway safety to winning contracts, the Police Towing Conference at the American Towman Exposition will cover a wide variety of topics designed to provide law enforcement towers with prudent information. Seminars led by American Towman Field Editor Randy Resch, John Borowski of AutoReturn, Les Cravens of Auto Data Direct and Dave Lambert of the North American Towing Academy will explain how to optimize your efforts and be successful in this segment of business. Instruction on highway safety, networking with law enforcement and handling special requests from law enforcement are just a few areas that will be covered. One of the new seminars to this year’s lineup will be Cravens’ Protecting Your Business/Law Enforcement Networking. In this seminar, towers will learn how to protect their businesses and comply with statutes

and/or regulations. Additionally, the course will cover the advantages of towers networking with law enforcement to create alliances and lay the groundwork for long-term relationships that will enable them to accomplish their goals of operating on a level playing field. The Conference will take place during the American Towman Exposition, Nov. 20-22 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Md. To register for this conference and for other events of this year’s Exposition, visit www.ATExposition.com.

MIDWEST 86 • November 2015 - TOWMAN.COM

the truck had crashed into the side of the building. The thief fled the scene of the crash, according to HCPD, and was apprehended a short distance later. The stolen tow truck belonged to G&A Auto Transport. According to the son of the truck’s owner, the truck was just dropped off that morning to have its brakes worked on when it was stolen. He said it was their only truck. The greenhouse was to be the future home of an arts non-profit, Art Works. Source: hyattsvillelife.com.

Study: ADAS Could Avert Nearly 30% of Crashes If widely adopted, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems could generate tremendous benefits to society, sharply reducing the number, cost, and severity of automotive accidents, says a new study from The Boston Consulting Group. “Because the vast majority of crashes in the United States are caused by driver error, the lack of adoption of these technologies within the U.S. fleet is a significant missed opportunity,” said Xavier Mosquet, North America leader of BCG’s Automotive practice and a co-author of the study, which was commissioned by the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association. “This is especially true considering that ADAS technologies also pave the way for partially and fully autonomous vehicles, which could further reduce crashes—and their cost to society—by 90 percent or more.” Some 33,000 people are killed each year in automotive accidents in the United States. These crashes cause 3.9 million injuries and damage 24 million vehicles, according to U.S. government estimates. The cost to society totals about $910 billion annually, equivalent to roughly 6 percent of U.S. GDP, says BCG in the report, titled “A Roadmap to Safer Driving Through Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.” ADAS could prevent 28 percent of all crashes in the United States if newcar buyers invested in the most common currently available ADAS

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TOWMAN.COM - November 2015 • MIDWEST 87

Pulling Weeds by Don Archer

You are your business. How you see yourself is directly dependent on the vitality of your business. Brandingforresults. com image.

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Tower Robbed Outside Home

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their cost to society—by 90 percent or more.” Some 33,000 people are killed each year in automotive accidents in the United States. These crashes cause 3.9 million injuries and damage 24 million vehicles, according to U.S. government estimates. The cost to society totals about $910 billion annually, equivalent to roughly 6 percent of U.S. GDP, says BCG in the report, titled “A Roadmap to Safer Driving Through Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.” ADAS could prevent 28 percent of all crashes in the United States if newcar buyers invested in the most common currently available ADAS features. The technologies could prevent approximately 9,900 fatalities and save about $251 billion to society each year, BCG found. Despite these potential safety benefits and cost savings, relatively few vehicles on the road today have these

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WEST 86 • November 2015 - TOWMAN.COM

features, and their market penetration is growing at only 2 percent to 5 percent annually. Consumers have been slow to adopt ADAS features, partly because they are unwilling to pay as much for them as they cost to make and market. For example, according to a recent consumer survey, most car owners said they would be willing to pay $100 to $400 for blind spot detection. Its current cost to consumers, however, is $595 per vehicle. Other reasons for the sluggish uptake include buyers’ lack of awareness of the features, insufficient explanation of the features at the point of sale, and the fact that some features are not widely available. Source: mema.org.

TowWeek.com

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Pulling Weeds by Don Archer

You are your business. How you see yourself is directly dependent on the vitality of your business. Brandingforresults. com image.

moment,” I realized his father meant that, no matter how hard it is, you need to cut nasty people out of your life as soon as possible. Allowing bad customers, bad employees or bad friends to stay in your life will have a negative impact on you—and change you into something you don’t want to be. We all experience envy, greed, anger and fear. We all have needs, wants and desires. Some of us use notso-nice methods to get what we want. You can excuse those methods, believing you’ve got to take the good with the bad in order to get what you want. But you’ve got to count the costs. For example, I tend to give more attention to the bad things that happen than I do the good. When someone attempts to cheat me or change the terms of an agreement, I give it my full attention and tend to complain way too long—even after it’s all cleared up. This tendency to focus on the negative causes me to have less appreciation for the good things. However, it impacts how I treat good customers and employees. I see everything through a cloud of negativity. Instead of seeing opportunities to build valuable relationships, I mistakenly see each transaction as a win-

WEST 88 • November 2015 - TOWMAN.COM

lose scenario. You are your business. How you see yourself is directly dependent on the vitality of your business. When something goes wrong, you internalize it and it detracts from your value as a person. When something goes right, you’re “full-up” inside just for a minute … then it’s back on the lookout for all that might go wrong. To say that the towing business is unpredictable is an understatement. There’s no rhyme or reason to any of it. You’re going to have difficulties; and it’s sometimes hard to recognize the weeds, especially when you’re looking through a lens of negativity. But because you are your business, it’s vitally important that you recognize and remove what’s not working as soon as possible. If that happens to be your negative attitude and limiting beliefs, then you’ve got some work to do. Editor’s note: This column first appeared on AT’s sister site, towindustryweek.com, which features industry news, training, recover-

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