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Buyers Report page 65
On the cover: Rodney Sellers has figured out a way to live a vacation lifestyle in Oregon and still manage his SoCal towing business. Photos by Jack Liu.
What products and services do your peers use, and why?
Imposing may best describe RoadMasters Towing’s ex-Army 1999 Oshkosh M1070 HET wrecker.
FEATURE CONTENTS
28
Living the Dream Tow Boss Rodney Sellers is remote managing Bob & Dave’s Towing. by George L. Nitti
46
Christening the Spirit Ride
Departments Walkaround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 News Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Road Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Beacons On! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Tow Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Tow Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Tow Boss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 AD Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Repo Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90 Towman’s Market . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 My Baby. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Low Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Adventures of A.T. . . . . . . . . . . . 105 4 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
The Spirit Ride prepares a christening ceremony for the ages in Las Vegas. by John Cardinal
50
Collapsed Landing Gear Gets a Splint Air cushions help raise a plane to be dollied back to hangar. by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti
62
Proper Maintenance Vehicle uptime, repair costs need evaluation in scheduling upkeep. by David A. Kolman
84
Donnie Cruse Recovery Space was tight around this rolled tanker in a wash bay. by Kyle Hodges
Awareness Week Includes Towmen by Dennie Ortiz
Some very exciting news has recently come in from the Federal Highway Administration. The FHA has begun the countdown to the first National Traffic Incident Response week, scheduled Nov. 13-17, 2017. This enterprise seeks to include not only first responders, but also Driver’s Ed instructors along with larger agencies such as state DOTs. By bringing in all these different players, the FHA hopes to raise awareness to the motoring public of the dangers first responders face on our roadways. In good timing, the American Towman Spirit Ride promoting public awareness of the MoveOver laws, will be entering Baltimore on Friday, November 17th, the first day of AT Expo XXIX. It is encouraging to know that towing operators (as first responders) are included in this critical endeavor
First On The Scene! with which we as an industry are all too familiar. For many years, towing professionals have worked hard to be included or recognized as first responders; this latest awareness campaign by FHA helps to strengthen that hardearned recognition. We cannot overstate the importance of raising awareness of laws, like Move Over, that were enacted to help prevent the fatalities faced by first responders. Through the varied efforts to reduce fatalities on our nation’s roads, including the AT Sprit Ride, we can optimistically hope that lives will be saved. The TIM Network’s website has more information on the Traffic Incident response and helpful resources that you can share with your own local first responders at timnetwork. org/about-the-network/. Be safe out there.
Get Peers’ Lowdown on Suppliers by Brendan Dooley
In the April issue each year, American Towman staff contact dozens of readers to discuss the products advertised in our pages. Myself, Senior Editor Charles Duke and Publisher’s Assistant Toni Vanderhorst spent a few weeks reaching out to get the best word-of-mouth information on products and services in the industry to share with readers. In this year’s Buyers Report section, you’ll see how your fellow towers feel about everything from insurers to motor clubs, to manufacturers and distributors. Take that to heart, just like you would if you were talking with them at a show or after a seminar. (Speaking of, AT ShowPlace-Las Vegas is right around the corner.) Take a look through the section and see what businesses you might consider using that you haven’t before. 6 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
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 Don Archer David Kolman Bill Simmons Emily Oz Mark Lacek
Field Editor, Northeast Field Editor, Midwest Chassis Editor Safety Editor On Screen Editor Repo Run Editor
Editorial Board Tommy Anderson Roy Carlson Debbie Collins Belinda Harris Bill Johnson Ron Mislan Kurt Wilson
Dallas, Texas Saint 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 Jimmy Santos 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 General Manager 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 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: americantowman.com AT’S Weekly: towindustryweek.com ATTV: americantowmantv.com Copyright ©2017 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.
Bill Would Reduce Fees Florida State Rep. Bob Cortes, a former towman, recently helped advance a bill to eliminate some local fees imposed on tow companies in the state. The bill would nullify local governments’ fees, fines and penalties imposed on vehicle owners when tow truck companies haul away vehicles due to various infractions. Cortes thinks the fines of some municipalities are too high for what can often be minor offenses or a simple breakdown. The bill passed through a House panel and a Senate version will get a later hearing. Source: orlandosentinel.com.
Lawsuit over Storage Fees
A man in Wood River, Ill., has filed a class-action lawsuit against a towing company that he alleged had charged him excessive fees to retrieve his vehicle after it had been stolen. Michael Ledbetter filed a complaint in Madison County Circuit Court against Trickey’s Service and Jean P. Kainz, alleging they unlawfully charged a full day’s storage rate even though the actual storage time was only a few hours. Ledbetter alleges the defendants charged him substantially in excess of similar charges for voluntary tows and that they forced payment by threatening to charge increasing storage fees. Ledbetter sought a trial by jury in looking for an award of more than $50,000, plus the costs and fees of the lawsuit. Source: madisonrecord.com.
Check out AT’s digital edition at itowman.com 8 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
San Diego Procession Honored Griffith A procession of tow trucks and emergency vehicles on March 11 honored Fred Griffith of RoadOne Towing in San Diego, Calif. Griffith, 55, was killed when struck by a suspected DUI motorist while assisting at a breakdown on Feb. 23. “Fred Griffith operated one of San Diego’s largest big-rig wreckers and was a familiar face and outstanding talent when working heavy-duty and semi-related tows and recoveries,” said Randall Resch, AT operations editor. “Fred was known throughout Southern California as a safety instructor who taught tow truck safety to his fellow towers at San Diego’s RoadOne Towing. His death underlines the dangers that tow operators face every day.” Griffith was a single father; a GoFundMe page has been set-up
Towers and first responders honored a fallen towman in Southern California. Nbcsandiego.com image.
to support his sons at gofundme.com/griffith-familyemergency-fund. Resch said hopes are that the procession can increase awareness to California’s “Slow Down/Move Over” law that’s been on the books since 2007. Sources: AT staff; nbcsandiego. com; cbs8.com.
Truck Promotes
Cancer Awareness A family-owned auto repair shop is helping spread lung cancer awareness with a new tow truck. The Rempfer family, who owns DeFalco’s Automotive and Towing in Surfside Beach, S.C., unveiled a new truck that’s branded with the logo of the Lung Cancer Foundation of America on March 4. The DeFalco’s Towing in Surfside Beach, S.C., unveiled a new truck featuring the logo of the Lung Cancer truck is a memorial to Foundation of America. wbtw.com image. William Rempfer Sr., who died of lung cancer in the pain of this disease. … I know November. Rempfer ’s youngest daughter, he’d be proud that it’s on there and April, said she hopes the new truck helping other daughters and children around the world,” she said. will raise awareness. Source: wbtw.com. “I hope that no one has to endure
...There is no set margin of speed reduction... National Traffic Incident Response Week
46 ‘Move Over’ Violators Stopped
The Federal Highway Administration has designated the week of Nov. 13-17 for its inaugural National Traffic Incident Response Week. It will be the culmination of efforts undertaken by FHWA this year to alert motorists to the Move Over laws and others similar in purpose. Towmen and other first responders will address communities about dangers that kill motorists, pedestrians and those who rush to their help. “Ideally, by this time next year,” a statement released by FHWA read, “responders, community leaders and preparedness organizations will have used the week to prepare drivers and their local public safety professionals to take safe actions and prevent responder, driver or passenger deaths.” Source: timnetwork.org.
Colorado State Patrol and Larimer County Sheriff’s officers pulled over 46 vehicles on U.S. 287 that failed to move over for a stopped emergency vehicle flashing its lights, according to LCSO Deputy Travis Martin. The actions were part of a planned operation meant to educate drivers on the state’s Move Over law. Colorado officers recently pulled over 46 Judging whether a driver vehicles that failed to move over for a stopped reduces speed substantially emergency vehicle flashing its lights. enough for a stopped emergency vehicle is up to the individual officer, Martin said. There is no set margin of speed reduction guaranteed to protect drivers from a citation. "For me, slowing to 40 miles per hour in a 55 is enough, but if someone is still going 60 in a 75, that's not safe enough," Martin said. Similar operations were planned for later times as well. Source: reporterherald.com.
Towing Ordinance Passed
The Albany (Ore.) City Council recently voted unanimously to pass an ordinance that curbs predatory towing practices, setting a $165 fee limit for Class A impounds (private vehicles not meant for commercial use) and prohibiting companies from taking towed vehicles more than three miles outside of city limits. The council was open to and accepted some recommendations from towing company owners who spoke at the meeting. Chief among their concerns were the after-hours recovery fee and a provision that would let customers with involuntarily towed vehicles pay by credit card. Stealth Recovery & Towing owner Richard Clink said that the proposed $25 after-hours recovery fee was too low; another sticking issue, he said, was the provision to allow credit-card payments for involuntary impounds. He said those kinds of payments "always go into dispute." Source: democratherald.com. Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
Bill Would Ease RV Disposals A bill proposed in the Washington State Senate would assist local governments and towing companies in the disposal of abandoned RVs. Senate Bill 5735 seeks to create a fund to reimburse towing companies for expenses incurred while setting up a program for counties and cities to dispose of abandoned RVs. Washington State may begin assisting Many times towing companies tow companies in the disposal of end up footing the bill for the disabandoned RVs. WCNDD image. posal of abandoned RVs, said Paul Bressi, owner of Nisqually Automotive and Towing. “This definitely isn’t a money-making bill for us to make money off of; it’s just a bill that helps reduce some of our end cost to get rid of these motorhomes,” Bressi said. To partially reimburse towing companies, counties and cities for expenses they incur dealing with abandoned vehicles, a $4 fee would be levied on RV registration applications. Source: chronline.com.
TOWMAN.COM - April 2017 • 9
Check Out What’s NEW and HOT! TowMate Lights Up Oversize Loads For hauling oversize loads, TowMate introduced its TMBN8S “Oversize Load” light-up banner that is 8’ wide and includes wireless turn signals, brakes and running lights. Each light is riveted to a backing on the rear of the banner to keep them securely fastened. Powered by TowMate’s lithium-ion power supply, the company said the lights will run 24 hours straight. Grommets in each corner ensure that any strap will have a secure place to fasten. Rolls up for easy storage. The system includes a charging station and transmitter of your choosing (standard is 7-pin round).
Towmate.com
Stertil-Koni 116,000-lbs. Lift Set Stertil-Koni introduced its ST 1130 mobile column lifts that feature a lifting capacity of 29,000 lbs. per column and 116,000 lbs. for a set of four. The ST 1130, without any reduction sleeves, is designed for tires with an outside diameter from 79” to 88”, and 67” to 80” with one reduction sleeve. The lifts are wireless, with no interconnecting communication cables required and are easily relocated within a facility by a single operator. The ST 1130 model also features overload protection; a dedicated mechanical locking system; and a fully automatic synchronization system for level lifting.
Stertil-koni.com
Cooper Tire for Drop-Deck Trailers Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. added two new sizes to its Roadmaster RM272 commercial tire line, which is specifically engineered for drop-deck trailers. The RM272 is now available in 11R22.5 and 295/75R22.5 sizes. Designed to ward off irregular wear and damage due to curbing, the RM272 features a four-belt steel casing and has a slightly rounded tread footprint, along with a reinforced shoulder to help withstand extreme side forces.
Coopertire.com 10 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
Class 6 Chevy Low Cab Forward
C
hevrolet recently announced an expansion to its Low Cab Forward trucks with a new dock-height Class 6 model in the 6500XD. The vehicles are expected to be available by the end of the year. The company said its 2018 Chevrolet Low Cab Forward 6500XD is in the same vein of its Class 3, 4 and 5 models with “a highly flexible platform designed for driver comfort, superior visibility and serviceability and ease of upfit.” Features of the 6500XD include: • Standard equipment includes a 5.2L four-cylinder turbo-diesel that delivers 520-ft./lbs. of torque, an Allison 2500 Series six-speed automatic transmission (with PTO), Dana axles and a straight-rail frame. • Front axle rated 12,000 lbs. • Rear axle rated 19,000 lbs. • Maximum GVWR is 25,950 lbs. • Eight wheelbases are available and bodies up to 30’ long. GM’s Upfitter Integration Group provides technical assistance to upfitters and serves as a liaison between Special Vehicle Manufacturers, end customers and several of GM’s engineering, marketing and service teams. They also maintain a website that includes detailed body builder manuals, technical bulletins and best practice manuals. “New products like the City Express small van, the Low Cab Forward range and the all-new mediumduty conventional cab truck coming in 2018 make it possible for fleets to consolidate more of their business with us, which simplifies vehicle ordering, financing, maintenance, technical support and turn-in,” said Ed Peper, U.S. VP, GM Fleet and Commercial Operations. GM is expanding its suite of driver connectivity and fleet management solutions for small businesses and fleet managers. At the beginning of March, the company announced that it would add Spireon to its roster of telematics service providers, joining Telogis and GM’s own Commercial Link tool. These turnkey, scalable solutions can help with
Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
efficiency, idle time, labor, fleet mileage and maintenancerelated downtime. They can also help provide insights into driver behavior. Because they are compatible GM’s OnStar technology, no after-market hardware installations required.
GMFleet.com; chevrolet.com
TOWMAN.COM - April 2017 • 11
Developing Professional Driving Skills
by Terry Abejuela
Whenever you take a hand off of the wheel to do something, you increase the potential of losing control—especially if something unexpected happens just then.
P
rofessional driving skills are essential for towers to safely perform their job duties on a daily basis. In addition to towing and servicing customers, tow operators spend a significant amount of time driving the tow truck in all types of traffic and conditions. According to the Association for Safe International Road Travel, more than 13 million people die and another 20 million to 50 million are injured or disabled in traffic collisions globally every year. It is the ninth leading cause of death of healthy people; if action is not taken it is estimated that it will become No. 5 by 2030. In the United States, 37,000 people die and 2.3 million are injured or disabled every year in traffic accidents.
Honestly? As professional towers, we are held to a higher standard of care and must develop driving skills that reflect a commitment to safety. Most of us were driving already before we 12 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
became tow operators and had already developed some of our driving behaviors. You should consider doing an honest evaluation of your current driving skills and attitudes to identify areas for improvement. An honest assessment of your driving habits might find that you are not as safe a driver as you think. (I have to admit that after an honest self-assessment, I found a few areas where I could improve.)
Driving requires constant focus and attention to the task at hand. Driving requires constant focus and attention to the task at hand. There are many things you can do to develop professional driving skills. Two areas that affect all drivers are drowsy and distracted driving. Professional drivers must do
everything they can to eliminate these drowsy and distracted behaviors. When taking an honest look at your own driving habits, you may find that even though you know what is right you don’t always practice it. We rely too much on our experience and become complacent in our driving skills.
Getting Sleepy Drowsiness is a very serious problem that puts all motorists at risk. According to a 2013 AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study, 16.5 percent of fatal crashes on the nation’s roadways involve a drowsy driver. If you are honest with yourself, you would probably have to admit to falling asleep at the wheel before. Being that towing and recovery is a 24-hour-per-day business, drowsiness can easily creep into our daily operations. Hours of Service rules attempt to reduce the potential for drowsy drivers, but it is up to the driver to get the required amount of sleep before driving. You and your employer may
abide by all of the HOS rules, but if you as the driver choose to report to work when you have not had enough sleep you are still putting yourself and others at risk. You must ensure that you are wellrested before reporting to work. You must plan your personal activities around your work schedule to ensure you have the required time off and get the rest you need to report to work refreshed and alert. Reporting to work drowsy and getting behind the wheel of the tow truck is careless. Some of us think that we are able to tell when we are about to fall asleep. In a AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety survey of drivers who fell asleep and crashed, almost half said they did not feel drowsy or only slightly drowsy before the crash. Some of us think that we don’t need much sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, most people ages 26 to 64 need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night to perform at their best. Most experts agree that less than 6 hours per night is risky. When you are busy or excited you might feel wide awake and alert and then when you are behind the wheel you start to doze. Watch for the telltale signs of drowsiness. If you find yourself daydreaming, yawning frequently, drifting from your lane, tailgating, missing your exit or you don’t remember how far you have traveled or what you have recently passed, you may be too drowsy to drive safely. While drinking coffee or other energy drinks may be a temporary remedy, they do not take the place of sleep. They can make you feel more alert but the effects are short term.
Befuddled Distracted driving is another serious problem that seems to be getting worse. Distractions can be put into three main categories: visual, manual and cognitive. Visual distractions cause you to take your eyes off of the road. If you are traveling at 65 mph and you take your eyes off of the road for just two seconds, you will have traveled about two thirds of a football field before your eyes are back on the road. That is 14 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
There is plenty to keep track of in your tow truck without being drowsy behind the wheel too.
plenty of time and distance to get into a serious collision. Manual distractions cause you to take your hands off of the steering wheel. Whenever you take a hand off of the wheel to do something, you increase the potential of losing control—especially if something unexpected happens just then. Cognitive distractions take your mind off of the task of driving. Even with your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel, mental distractions can lead to slowed reaction time, tunnel vision and missed visual cues. Talking on a cellphone (even handsfree), conversations with passengers, or thinking about personal problems while driving will distract you from the task at hand. Many of us pride ourselves in our ability to multi-task, but it is dangerous while driving a motor vehicle. Driving safely requires plenty of multi-tasking already: Operating your vehicle safely, negotiating traffic, navigating the road system, scanning your mirrors, watching for pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcyclists, responding to traffic incidents and more. On top of this, if we add talking on a cellphone, making adjustments, conversations with passengers and reaching for things, it makes it difficult
to operate a moving vehicle safely and a collision waiting to happen. Any activity that takes away from your full attention to driving should be avoided while you are driving. Make all vehicles adjustments prior to putting the vehicle in motion. Seat, mirror, radio, and temperature adjustments can be made before putting the vehicle in drive. Secure all objects in the cab so nothing will move or roll around on the floor while the vehicle is in motion tempting you to reach for it. Eating food while driving is another common practice that is dangerous. Developing professional driving skills include myriad skills that are important to the safe operation of a motor vehicle. Defensive driving, safe lane changing, maintaining safe following distance, freeway driving skills, inclement weather driving, night driving are also very important skills to work on. Eliminating drowsy and distracted driving are only two of the pieces in becoming a professional driver.
Field Editor Terry Abejuela has 30plus years of light-duty towing-andrecovery experience. He is also a light-duty Level 1 instructor for the California Tow Truck Association.
Creative Four-Point Tie-Downs by Randall C. Resch
A proper four-point tie-down threading straps through the rims.
A
tow company owner and I had a moderately heated discussion about a damage claim he recently lost in court. In order to comply with tie-down laws requiring a four-point tie-down, the tower in this case chose to thread ratchet straps through a Porsche Carrera’s front and rear wheels. Two weeks after being delivered to the Porsche dealership, the owner claimed the tow company damaged his vehicle’s rims. Towers have successfully threaded ratchet straps like this for years, but there’s always one customer who’ll make a stink. This Porsche owner was relentless in his pursuit to sue over what he deemed was a seemingly careless practice for easy money. When it comes to small claims and vehicle owners, it’s their burden to prove the tow company damaged the vehicle. That’s not a difficult process when it comes to high-end vehicles. In most cases, and even though this high-end vehicle was two years old, all this owner had to do was take his luxury ride to his good pal and high16 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
end mechanic, then have him agree that the tower caused damage. Being a repeat customer, and because the shop’s in business to make money, it’s an easy way for this kind of claim to go forward. With an ability to get a vehicle fixed to better or new standards, a damage claim is initiated, the vehicle gets repaired and paid for, and the owner or insurance goes after the tow company through small claims. There’s also subrogation where the insurance companies pay their insured for damages, and then sue the company that the insured contends caused the harm. It’s easy to file a shady claim and basically gain ill-gotten pocket money at a tow company’s expense. When there’s no solid counter to a vehicle owner’s claim, judges oftentimes are sympathetic to the owner’s claim. There are car manufacturers who mandate that vehicle transmissions should not be in park during transport; the important question is: What does your state law require regarding
safe transport? In most vehicle codes, laws aren’t written for the purpose of damage-free towing or transport, laws are written with public safety in mind. Carrier operations require the following: • An appropriate four-point tiedown is applied according to law. • During transport, the vehicle’s E-brake and or transmission shall be in park or in gear according to law (not manufacturer’s recommendations). • The transported vehicle shall be loaded squarely onto the carrier’s deck (front end/engine end forward is preferred). A common practice amongst unmotivated and/or unprofessional tow operators is using mini-J ratchet straps and hooking a vehicle’s rim or spokes. When speed and convenience are primary in the tower’s mind, attaching mini-J’s to a vehicle’s rim is a short cut that isn’t considered solid retention—the rim easily could rotate with a harsh deck movement and
cause the attachment to drop from the wheel.
Through the Rim There are many wheels/rims common to today’s vehicles that don’t have openings large enough for threading straps. Obviously, the smaller the rim opening and wider the strap, there’s more potential for cutting the strap and the edge rubbing the rim’s finish. If threaded through the rim, does tightening the ratchet pull the vehicle’s front end out of whack? No, it doesn’t. (Think about it: How much impact damage is caused when motorists unavoidably strike small potholes at speed?) In order to maintain an effective tie-down that doesn’t mar the rim’s finish, a ratchet strap should be placed in position allowing it to lie flat on the rim or spoke’s surface. To be an effective tie-down, doesn’t it require sufficient forward pull by the securing ratchet? Threading straps through spokes and rim spaces tend to (negatively) mess with whatever dirt and brake dust is commonly found on daily drivers. Not all vehicle owners are fastidious when it comes to cleaning their rims … especially the front ones. Where there’s plenty of brake dust on the rims, threading straps through rim spaces is visually obvious when a vehicle is off-loaded at the owner’s home, dealership or destination. If threading straps is a technique your company authorizes, know that some vehicle owners look for an easy way to pick your company’s pocket by suing you for front-end tire damage, marred finish, bent rims or claim their vehicle’s alignment is out because of your rim securement.
A Better Way? Product innovations have come a long way since Ernest Holmes invented the first wrecker 100 years ago. In those years there have been great advances in training standards, application, best practices, and lessons learned. Is there a better way to provide service, tow, or recovery activities to prevent tow-company liability 18 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
when caused by tow operators (vicarious liability)? Although there are many techniques to secure vehicles on carrier decks, choosing equipment is a tow owner’s preference. In many scenarios, considering purchase costs oftentimes outweighs selecting and purchasing better-suited equipment. For example, we as towers have been loading motorcycles since their inception. Hanging motorcycles from a sling truck was a common technique towers practiced until the inception of carriers. As the carrier became commonplace in the industry, towing motorcycles became just get the cycle on the carrier’s deck (however possible) and tie it down.
There are some typical options for securing vehicles on carrier decks. Following years of damage claims and slip-and-fall injuries, motorcycle dollies were invented to securely and efficiently load motorcycles on level ground to reduce tip-overs and damage. Purchase and use of the motorcycle dolly assured cycle owners their “baby” would be well cared for.
Options There are some typical options for securing vehicles on carrier decks. With today’s lighter components and thin-gauge metals, change is necessary when considering attachment strengths relating to damage-free transport. • OK: J-hook and chain have been the forever standard in vehicle transport; originally designed on vehicles made of real metal to withstand application and securement techniques. • Good: A single ratchet with hook cluster is great for multi-vehicle transport, but not necessarily considered best for high-end vehicles. • Better: Looped straps applied to both left and right lower suspension does not make marks or
chain dings in aluminum suspension components. Position straps left and right (in V-bridle fashion) bringing looped ends to the forward center and into tow hook. • Best: Available to today’s towers is a tie-down system long known as a Texas Tie-Down or EightPoint Strapping, where ratchet straps and basket straps are combined to make an efficient system allowing for no rim or vehicle body contact. Designed to fit all vehicles (not necessarily wrecks), when properly installed, the system allows for a transported vehicle to ride on its own suspension. The Eight-Point system proves to be the best equipment available for transport and in training new drivers, making their use important in decreasing the potential of operator-inflicted damages caused by other applications. Some will protest the Eight-Point Tie-Down systems as too expensive and too slow, but consider that vs. the cost of reoccurring incidents of customer damage claims. Their overall ability to decrease incidents of damage claims should be the deciding factor considering use over cost. Sure, overthe-wheel systems aren’t designed for wrecks where sharp edges are present, while J-hooks, chains and straight-line straps and ratchets prove best when speed of application is necessary. The idea here is to outfit your carriers with all the right equipment for varying scenarios. Wouldn’t having all of the tie-down accessories prove most valuable to all conditions? When considering total liability in response to damage claims against you, demonstrating best practices guarantees the greatest chance of prevailing. That only happens when employing the right equipment, techniques and methods.
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.
Do You Need an Employee or a Partner? I wanted someone who would keep their truck clean inside and out.
by Don Archer
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hen I started out as an employer, I looked for employees who had the ability to understand the needs of my business and be superstars. During the interview process I would detail the intricacies and challenges that come with the job. I would spell out exactly the type of trustworthy, loyal superstar I was looking for. To a man, each applicant, eager to please, would nod their head and say that they understood, intimating that I could stop my search because they were the right man for the job. After the training period, though, many would fail to live up to my standards. They weren’t bad guys; they were clocking-in/clocking-out and doing what they were supposed to do … but they weren’t the superstars I was after. Then one day I hired “Paul.” It didn’t take long after he came onboard that I saw something in him I’d rarely seen. He caught on quickly, had a good attitude, and was great with everyone from law enforcement to customers and even the other drivers. 20 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
Paul was interested in the business and he looked for ways to help the company make more money. He asked questions the others never asked. He wanted to know how the company could profit responding to accidents if a vehicle owner failed to pick up their car. When I told him that we sold those cars for scrap, he then offered to work on them, so we could sell them for more. Over time I trusted Paul more and more; he moved up the ranks and we became friends. As he earned more money and authority in my company, my expectations for him increased. It was a great working relationship. He became my go-to guy and I even created a new position for him as shop foreman. On many occasions we would talk about the business in depth, about the competition, challenges with motor clubs, customer complaints and a whole litany of other issues. Due to these detailed discussions, I began to think Paul cared as much about my business as I did. Then one day Paul called in sick. I was already short two men that morning, due to them being out after-hours.
It was a rough day but we eventually made it through. When Paul came in the next day, I immediately started talking shop. I told him how backed up we were and that we really needed his help, but that I understood he was out sick. But there was something wrong. Paul seemed distant and withdrawn. When I asked him about it he refused to talk about it. Over the next two weeks, Paul missed three more days and his attitude took a dive. I made many attempts to get him to talk, but nothing improved. Monday of the following week Paul walked into my office and gave his two-weeks notice. When I asked him why, he told me that I was asking too much of him; he didn’t want all the added responsibility. I told him that I thought he wanted the responsibility and authority. He was doing such a great job and deserved the promotions. That’s when Paul said something that really opened my eyes: “I was hired for the job of tow truck operator, but I feel like I own the
business. It’s like you and I are business partners, but we’re not.” I didn’t know what to say and Paul walked out of my office. Months later, after replaying what had happened over and over in my head, I concluded that Paul was right. I was asking too much of him. I expected him to care as much as a business partner would, but he wasn’t rewarded as such. I wasn’t prepared to go that far. It was ridiculous really. He was one of the best employees I ever had, he would rise to any occasion and do everything I asked of him—but I kept piling it on. Of course, it wasn’t my intention to cause any harm. At the time, the only way I knew how to reward an employee was with more money, more responsibility or both. That experience taught me that instead of looking for superstars and expecting employees to care about the challenges I face, I should create positions with defined job duties and hire for those specific positions. Doing this would allow me to develop cer-
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tain performance guidelines to measure performance. So I took the time to figure out exactly what I was looking for in a tow truck operator, and I came up with this list: • Punctual. I wanted someone who was always on time (afterhours work being an exception). • Absenteeism. I wanted someone who would always show up. • Training participant. I wanted someone who was willing to keep learning. • Positive customer reviews. I wanted someone who was willing to ask for reviews. • Productive. I wanted someone who was highly productive. • Motivated. I wanted someone who was eager to jump in the truck when a call came in. • Alert. I wanted someone who was detail-oriented and would avoid damages. • Appearance. I wanted someone who took pride in their appearance.
• Clean truck. I wanted someone who would keep their truck clean inside and out. • Team player. I wanted someone who would participate in monthly meetings. I then created a want ad based on these guidelines. During each interview, I would discuss what was required and that regular performance reviews would be conducted using these same guidelines. Using this method of hiring and reviewing employees on a regular basis did two things: it stopped me from looking for superstars, and cultivated improved employees who knew what was needed to surpass expectations.
Don G. Archer is a multi-published author, educator and speaker helping others to build and start successful towing businesses around the country at TheTowAcademy.com. Don and his wife, Brenda, formerly owned and operated Broadway Wrecker in Jefferson City, Mo. He is the Tow Business Editor for Tow Industry Week; email him direct at don@thetowacademy.com.
Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
TOWMAN.COM - April 2017 • 23
Hours of Service, ELD Compliance by Brian J. Riker
L
og books and electronic logging devices are only for the big companies right? Wrong. It could cost you big time if you are not prepared by Dec. 18, 2017. This is perhaps one of the least understood of the Federal regulations affecting the towing industry today, yet it could be the most important one enacted in the last few years. Many tow bosses incorrectly assume they are exempt from Hours of Service, and many other trucking industry regulations, because of the emergency and unscheduled nature of the business. The feds, as well as many states, make exceptions for emergency towing, but those exceptions do not give you free rein to run the same drivers 24/7. In fact, the exemption from HOS compliance for policeordered towing does not even pause your clock … meaning that if you were eight hours into your required 10-consecutive-hour rest period and you answered a police call, you are legal to complete that call, but then your 10-hour rest period starts over again from the time you complete the police call. Several states have exemptions for tow trucks, but those are only for state-regulated activities. As soon as you enter the realm of interstate commerce, you become federally regulated and all your state exemptions are null. A basic summary of the HOS requirements for drivers that are required to complete a log book are: • You can only drive 11 hours in any 14 consecutive hour period; then you must have 10 consecutive hours off-duty before driving again. • Once your day starts, your 14-hour clock also starts and nothing will pause that clock, even going offduty for meal or rest breaks. • You may not drive after being on-duty for more than eight hours without showing a 30-minute break. • You can’t drive after exceeding a total of 60 hours in any seven consecutive days or 70 hours in eight consecutive days. To reset this 60/70-hour clock, you must take 34 consecutive hours off-duty. In a nutshell, if you operate trucks model year 2000 and newer in interstate commerce, and are currently required to complete a logbook more than eight out of any 30 consecutive days, you are required to install, maintain and use an automatic electronic logging device on or
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Find more information about the Electronic Logging Devices Rule at fmcsa.dot.gov.
before December 18. Currently there are no exemptions for tow trucks regarding use of a compliant ELD. Since many states mirror federal regulations pertaining to HOS, or adopt the federal rules by default, you also may be required to install and use an ELD even if you do not engage in interstate commerce.
GVWR Compliance This only affects the heavy-duty companies; my light-duty trucks are exempt, right? Wrong. The definition of interstate commerce involves any truck with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,001-lbs. used in the movement of goods for-hire across state lines, international borders or between two places within the same state when the goods originated or are destined for a place out of the state or country. This can include an out-of-state registered car that broke down, was towed in but not fixed, and now you are towing it to another shop or back to the customer’s home state. This could also include a medium- or heavy-duty tow of a delivery truck where you finish the route for the company. It also includes, without question, any transportation work such as moving construction equipment, containers or even cars to/from an auction facility. (It can be argued that towing a wreck to the local salvage auction is interstate commerce since that vehicle could have come from out of state or be sold to an outof-state buyer.) The only way you do not have to complete a logbook in interstate commerce is if you can claim the local exemption. This allows local drivers to not complete a log page if they start and finish their tour of duty at the same exact location each day, record their time on a time sheet or time clock, are on-duty no more than 12 consecutive hours, and stay within a 100-air-mile radius of their work reporting location (150-mile radius if in a non-CDL vehicle). This is the rule many tow companies should be operating under. It will allow you to avoid ELD use since the regulation allows for up to eight days in any 30-day period where you can use a paper log entry if you fail to comply with the local exemption on any given day.
Management Seminars Brian Riker will be presenting a seminar on Electronic Logging Device Compliance during Tow Industry Week at the AT ShowPlaceLas Vegas, May 10-12. press time, President Donald Trump had issued a series of executive orders directing the heads of many federal departments, including the Department of Transportation, to reassess regulations with a 60-day hold on any new regulations.) As I understand it, the regulation requiring ELDs will still go into effect as scheduled because it was published and in effect in 2015 with a two-year “soft compliance” period, making December 18 the “hard compliance” date. There are several options on the market today to bring your company into full compliance, yet still allow the flexibility required to operate a successful towing company. The key
things to look for in an ELD solution include determining if the device is listed on the FMCSA registry, if it allows for multiple drivers, multiple rule sets (to accommodate the towingspecific state exemptions), and any recurring monthly fees. There are simple devices on the market today that have no monthly fee and meet all the basic legal requirements as well as devices that can integrate with your dispatch software, vehicle telematics, automated vehicle inspections, etc. If you do not currently have a GPS-tracking solution or a computer-dispatch solution, now may be the time to consider implementing both along with the ELD to ensure full compliance with the regulations while improving your office efficiency. About the author Brian J. Riker is a third-generation towman—with 25 years of experience in the ditch as a tower—and sales specialist with Worldwide Equipment Sales of California. He can be reached at briker@newtowtrucks.com or 562-332-4309.
Implementation If you need to install ELDs, you only have a few months to come into compliance or risk fines of up to $11,000 per occurrence, per day. (As of Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
TOWMAN.COM - April 2017 • 25
Jerr-Dan Launches Online Store Jerr-Dan Corp., an Oshkosh Corp. Company, launched its new online store, jerrdanshop.com, with clothes and accessories “for the everyday tower.” The company said the site “is leading the way on how the towing industry shops for wearables by providing merchandise and products that resonate with a tower,” featuring modern designs on apparel created for various climates and seasons. Apparel categories include men’s, ladies and youth T-shirts, a signature hoodie, headwear and accessories relevant to the everyday life of a tow operator. The store currently features the brand’s most popular item, Jerr-Dan socks, now available online for purchase. More product categories, including a clearance section, are planned. Purchases through April 20, 2017, will include free shipping.
Superwinch Moves HQ West Superwinch opened a researchand-design center in Tualatin, Ore., (just outside Portland) in 2015. Now it’s signed a lease for 38,812-sq.-ft. in a new building that’s currently under construction there. In addition to hosting manufacturing and distribution, the new building will serve as corporate headquarters; Superwinch will continue operations in Connecticut and the U.K. The transition is expected to be complete in May. “Adding a new facility on the West Coast will provide faster service and delivery, allowing Superwinch to be even more competitive,” said David Burns, CEO, in a press release. The company also plans to add new jobs in the region. Source: Portland Business Journal.
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Living the Dream by George L. Nitti
W
e should all be so lucky to live our dreams. Many tow owners may dream of such a future, with the hope that everything eventually will fall into place. For some, it does. For others, it remains elusive. For those who are willing to chance it, sometimes taking the risk is worth the rewards. Rodney Sellers is president/CEO of Bob & Dave’s Towing in Whittier, Calif. He recently took the leap to live 28 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
Tow boss Rodney Sellers has left the pavement behind in living his dream of managing his Southern California-based towing business off-site form his vacation home in Oregon.
Running the Business from Afar
I get up in the morning around 7 a.m., grab some coffee, stare at the lake for an hour or so, and then listen to a morning briefing.
his dream in Oregon while still keeping his hands on the wheel of the company he owns and staying involved in the towing industry overall as vice president of the California Tow Truck Association. Since June 2016, he and his wife have been living full time at what was once their vacation home in Eugene, Ore. Some 900 miles from his tow business in Southern California, they have embarked on working and living a remote lifestyle.
The turning point occurred one day when he was driving to the grocery store from his vacation home, about an eight-mile rural drive. “I felt it was a lot less stressful. There were more animals and open country. On the way, I passed about a 1,000 sheep, 500 cows and only two cars,” he said. “Whereas in Whittier, you see a whole lot of pavement. I never had that experience. I just ended up liking it a whole lot more than I thought I would.” Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
Before Sellers headed to Oregon to live his dream, he paid his dues, starting at age 15 as an employee of his father’s business and then eventually buying it in 2000. So how does he do it? “It’s really not that hard,” he said. “Just like I had in my office in Whittier, you have an audio and video recorder and listen to what’s happening on the monitor. I listen to the dispatchers and the drivers from my home.” In Eugene he has a 50” TV screen
set up in a dedicated office that includes 16 cameras and an audio outlet to keep an eye and ear on the business, even if it is just running in the background while he is doing house chores. “If somebody gets loud and a commotion starts to happen, I can hear what’s going on. When you hear something odd going on, you do pick that up. A guy might be having an issue or a complaint against an employee,” Sellers said. “Having the TOWMAN.COM - April 2017 • 29
At his vacation home, Sellers is able to keep an eye on the business as if he just had to step out of his office door (above; Jack Liu photo). He stays active in business activities, like the recent decoration of a truck (below) for a processional in honor of a slain police officer in Whittier, Calif.
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technology in my home makes a lot of things more clear. So I might weigh in, pick up the phone, call dispatch, talk to a manager and give some ideas of how to handle the situation.” That skill, fusing technology with good communication, has evolved over the 30 years he has worked for the company. “Originally, when my father owned the company, our desks were in the middle of the dispatch office,” he said. “Ten years ago I moved into a private office and set up audio and video cameras and talked to people over the phone.” So in spending time in his office using the technology and the telephone, it wasn’t such a leap to set up the same conditions a bit further away.
“Your tow business can run without you … with the right team,” he said. When Sellers settled into Oregon, he started by decompressing. “I went a little period where I didn’t do much. I built a five-hole golf course on my property and started a taqueria called Dam Mexican Food because it’s near a dam.”
CTTA Meanwhile, Sellers is active as VP and educational coordinator of the CTTA, where responsibilities include putting on a tow show, providing
weekly training programs for towers in southern California and promoting towing legislation. “I think I put more time into [CTTA] than my business,” Sellers said. “Since the year has started, I’ve been negotiating on tow show stuff and probably putting 20 to 30 hours a week in conference calls.” For 40 years, CTTA traditionally held its own tow show with its convention. Their decision to join Tow Industry Week at the American Towman ShowPlace-Las Vegas forgoes its own show. Sellers said he thought CTTA was
Good Help Communication with his managers as well has been a big factor for the continued success of the company. “I trust my managers to run the show. For the most part it requires a couple of really good managers and talking to them regularly.” In his case there are three managers, who were all in place before he left and been at the company for 10plus years. There is the general manager who oversees the organization, a manager that runs the auctions and a manager that works the office, supervising the drivers. How does a typical day begin for Sellers in his dreamscape? “I get up in the morning around 7 a.m., grab some coffee, stare at the lake for an hour or so, and then listen to a morning briefing.” These are the news briefings received through his lexi unit, which provide tips to his managers. “I don’t do them every day but they love them. It teaches them a lot on how to solve problems,” Sellers said. He also reaches out to his managers on a regular basis. “I’m mainly on the phone with them. I’m pretty much talking with someone every day. The phone calls and communication is important.” He said being able to relinquish control is even more important than being directly involved. Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
TOWMAN.COM - April 2017 • 31
It’s given at cost. We teach them how to do the job the right way,” Sellers said.
Not Too Far
Being away from the business doesn’t lessen Sellers’ input; he’s still managing things there as well as board responsibilities with CTTA.
putting too much time into its show for too little return. He said bringing the convention to Tow Industry Week means CTTA “could derive some revenue for the association, would have a better show, assets would go towards the industry and all of our employees wouldn’t be putting our time into running a show.” From time to time, Sellers goes to educational events in southern California to teach heavy-duty training workshops.
“Recently, I was training the crew for the fire department,” he said. “Our light-duty department does a training class every weekend, sometimes two simultaneously. We do six heavy-duty [trainings] per year. We would like to boost that to 12 classes a year.” Part of his job as an education coordinator also requires reworking the curriculum. “Education programs provide revenue for the association—it’s the name benefit. We don’t charge a whole lot.
Ski-doos were transported to the Oregon house via company flatbed.
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To get back to the office in Whittier, Sellers has found it convenient to live near an airport in Oregon that will transport him to L.A. within two hours. Otherwise, the drive would take at least half a day. “I was real nervous at the beginning,” he said. “I knew the airport was close to me and I can get on a flight to L.A. pretty quickly if I need to.” Back at home in Oregon, Sellers is still involved in payroll, accounting and deposits, and on top of making sure that all of the paperwork is in order. “I have 35 drivers that have licenses that need to be checked regularly, training certificates that expire, a fleet of registrations that also expire, filing fees to keep up with and a lot of other stuff to maintain,” he said “You have to be organized. “I like the way the business is running,” Sellers said. “Someday, I plan on giving it to my kids.” Two of his boys are already involved, while his daughter works with the company in billing. She also lives in Oregon, working from her home while her husband now owns the taqueria. Sellers admits he enjoys not working nights and that he doesn’t have to run his business every day. “I would recommend this for other towers,” he said. “Too many are spending too much time working day and night until they are 70 or 80 years old. They think they can’t get out of their shops. But over time it will tear apart your body.” If you’re on the verge of living your dream, think about taking the leap to do it like Sellers has.
George L. Nitti has written for American Towman since 2009. He started out as a news writer and now writes a weekly feature on TowIndustryWeek.com, Tow Illustrated, which spotlights the tow truck graphics.
See us at The Florida Tow Show Booth #235
Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
TOWMAN.COM - April 2017 • 33
AD INDEX April 2017
Page# 4 State Trucks (Bawer Tool Boxes) 26 AAA 43 Access Tools 57 Advantage Funding 33 Agero 3 Akins Body & Carrier Sales 49 Allstate Roadside Services 45 American Wrecker Sales N 104 Anchor Graphics 53 Atlanta Wrecker Sales S 103 Atlantic Emergency Solutions N 102 AT ShowPlace Las Vegas 40, 41, 42 AT ShowPlace Training 91 Austin Hinds Motors S 102 AutoReturn 31 AW Direct 57 B/A Products 19 B & Z Sales S 99 Beacon Software 23 C3LS S 99 Casanova Towing Equipment W 104 Chase Insurance Agency S 103 Chevron Commercial 53 Crouch’s Wrecker Equip. & Sales 55 CTECH Manufacturing N 103, M 101 CTTA W 99 Danco Products 83 Deep South Wrecker Sales 89 Deweze Mfg. 45 Don Jackson Carrier & Wrecker 38 Donnie Cruse Award 60 Driveline Buddy S 101
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Page# Dual-Tech Wreckers & Carriers 78 Dynamic Towing Equipment & Mfg. 56 Elizabeth Truck Center 79 ESTRA Tow Show N 103 Evolution Insurance Brokers 23 Florida Wrecker Sales S 101 Ford Commercial Trucks 7 G. Stone Motors N 101 Ginn Carrier & Wrecker Sales 34 In The Ditch 15 Integrated Vehicle Equipment 25 Intek Truck Eq. Finance & Lease 39 Jerr-Dan Corp. 108 Kenworth of South Florida 64 Landoll Corp. 52 Lien Enforcement W 100 Lift & Tow 53 Lodar USA 26 Manufacturer Express 22 Matheny Motor Truck Co. 61 Matjack Jumbo Safelift 21 McMahon Truck Center M 99 Miller Industries 17, 51 New England TruckMaster N 102 Nitro Motor Sports 39 North American BanCard 27 NorthEast Wrecker Sales N 100 Nussbaum Equipment 36 OMG National 83 Pacific General Insurance Agency M 103 Performance Advantage Company N 99 Prime Industries S 100
Page# Quest Towing Services 82 Recovery Billing 26 Renew Truck Body N 101 Rick’s Auto Sales 48 Road America 54 Santander Bank 107 Sanderson Truck Equipment W 102 Savatech 35 Sea Crest Insurance Agency W 103 Select Truck & Equipment M 103 Smyrna Truck Center 93 Specialty Vehicle & Equip. Funding 13 Spill Tackle S 100 Steck Mfg. 58 Tow Academy N,M 104, S 102 Towbook Management Software 5 Tow Expo Dallas 80, 81 Tow Industries W 100 Towman Hero Award 92 TowMate 44 Triple K Industries 79 Truck Body Sales W 101 Urgent.ly 93 USAC/MD 89 Utility Trailer Sales S.E.TX W 103 VTS Systems 60 Warn Industries 33 West End Service N 100 WorldClass Insurance Service W 101 Worldwide Equipment Sales 59 Zacklift International 2
Many Insurers Exiting Towing The tow truck market is in a state of emergency due to a crumbling insurance market with fewer and fewer carriers willing to write the business, says one broker specializing in this class. Chip Thompson, president and CEO of American Transportation Insurance Group, has never seen the insurance market for tow trucks this bad since opening the doors of his specialty agency in 2001. “Right now, we are working three times as hard just to keep the risks that we have on the books.” The property and casualty industry’s competitive environment is not the problem, Thompson adds. The insurance market is so difficult for tow trucks some are forced to close shop. “We are losing one out of every four customers and we are not losing them to other agents. They are shutting down,” he said. Mike House, vice president, pro-
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ducer, broker for USG Insurance Services in Canonsburg, Pa., agrees. “Towing is a very difficult market right now,” House said. “None of my markets will write a towing operation and schedule a tow truck for auto liability or physical damage.” House said his markets will write the garage liability but won’t touch the scheduled auto for the tow truck. The tow truck insurance market has been hit with myriad factors leading to its current state of disrepair, according to Thompson. From reinsurance drying up to the commercial auto market exploding, combined with the ever-increasing costs of litigation and health care, tow truck firms are facing heavy obstacles and it’s only just begun. The biggest shock wave hit the industry in September 2016 when Progressive pulled the plug on the towing sector nationwide, Thompson said. “That was the bellwether for everything else that followed after that,” he said. “In the last 18 months,
“None of my markets will write a towing operation and schedule a tow truck for auto liability or physical damage.” we’ve lost eight to nine carriers in this space and it’s a small field anyway.” Progressive’s exit shut down any hope of new carriers coming into the space as well. “When Progressive shut it down that shut everybody else down,” Johnson said. Progressive hasn’t gone so far as to leave current policyholders emptyhanded, but will not be taking on new accounts. “We’re not currently taking on new towing business, however, we continue to insure our existing customers,” Brett Stalnaker, Progressive’s commercial auto product manager told Insurance Journal. Stalnaker says the insurer will return to the towing segment in the future. “In order to be more accurately priced, we’re making some small changes to our program, including introducing new segmentation and fully expect to continue insuring new tow truck business at some point in the near future,” he said. For tow trucks, it’s rear-end collisions that are “bringing insurance companies to their knees,” Johnson said. “Drivers are going too fast and are distracted,” Johnson said. “When you are driving a heavy commercial vehicle, like a tow truck, and you hit a car with three or four people in it, all of those people have neck and back injuries, you total their car, you will have $30,000 worth of damage to your tow truck, and it’s just a rear-end collision, which theoretically is preventable.” Right now, Johnson and ATIG are doing damage control and just trying to keep their current clients insured.
Continued; Many Insurers “We are working three times as hard to keep the risks that we have but there’s a lot of angry people right now. We are catching it from all sides.” ‘None of my markets will write a towing operation and schedule a tow truck for auto liability or physical damage.’ The only thing towing companies can do is to manage their risk, Johnson said. He doesn’t expect the insurance market for towing to bounce back anytime soon either. “It will be a long time before insurers react to improved risk management in firms.” For now, focus on driver training, he said. “I can’t specify that enough. And settle more claims out of pocket if you can legally. And if you have insurance right now, and it’s semi affordable, then protect it with your life.” Source: insurancejournal.com.
Propane Autogas Sales Rising Propane autogas vehicle sales increased by almost 8 percent in 2016 compared with 2015 sales figures, according to data from the Propane Education & Research Council (propane.com/on-road-fleets). The more than 14,000 vehicles sold in 2016, comprising light-, medium-, and heavy-duty propane autogas trucks (OEM dedicated or aftermarket conversions), constitutes the most vehicles sold in a single year since 2012.
Over the past four years, the total number of propane autogas vehicles on the road has grown by more than 35 percent. As of 2016, there are nearly 200,000 vehicles now being used in U.S. private and public fleets. Forecasts from PERC show continued growth for propane autogas in the public and private fleet markets. By 2020, another 79,900 propane autogas vehicles are expected to be added to U.S. roadways, according to PERC.
Palmetto Ford Adds Dynamic Equipment Dynamic Towing Equipment Manufacturing (dynamicmfg.com) recently added Palmetto Ford of southern Florida (miamipalmettoford.com) as a new dealer of its products. Palmetto Ford is family owned and operated, and just celebrated 50 years in business. As a member of Ford’s Business Preferred Network, the dealership specializes in all size commercial truck sales, leasing and servicing. They now proudly offer Dynamic towing equipment, service and parts for the southern Florida region.
ETC Tow Sales Adds Buckalew At Elizabeth Truck Center (elizabethtruckcenter.com), the Tow Sales Department recently added Bobby Buckalew. Buckalew owned his own towing company and has been an operator since he had his driver’s license. He specializes in light-duty tow trucks and is covering all of South Jersey for ETC Tow Sales. Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
TOWMAN.COM - April 2017 • 37
AutoReturn Continues Expansion AutoReturn, the municipal towing logistics company (autoreturn. com), has added new auto towing, retrieval and impound systems in Las Vegas, Nev., Austin, Texas, and Denver, Colo. To date, more than 1.2 million municipal tows have been performed using the AutoReturn digitized platform, representing over 200,000 tows per year. “2016 marked the first time in our company’s history that we added on three major metropolitan areas in the same year,” said AutoReturn CEO John Wicker. “We’re proud of our achievements in making the towing experience simpler and easier for everyone.” In Denver, AutoReturn’s solution platform is being used to optimize the city’s impound operation at the Vehicle Impound Facility. Using its management and logistics
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program, AutoReturn has significantly decreased officer and citizen wait times in Austin and Las Vegas by using smartphones and GPS to make intelligent dispatch decisions. In Austin, for instance, the average response time for towing following a crash dropped from 30 minutes to below eight minutes using AutoReturn’s digitized platform. Besides Austin, Denver and Las Vegas, AutoReturn’s platform is used in Baltimore County, Md., Concord, Calif., Indianapolis, Ind., Kansas City, Kan., San Diego, Calif., and San Francisco, Calif.
Tire Prices Increasing in 2017 Truckers and drivers of all types of vehicles can expect to pay more for tires this year. Michelin and Yokohama were the latest tire companies to announce price increases, following other big names such as Bridgestone, Cooper and Goodyear. Michelin and Yokohama announced
prices increases recently of 8 percent and 7 percent, respecively. Goodyear, Cooper and Bridgestone all announced price increases of up to 8 percent earlier this year, according to Modern Tire Dealer, a trade publication covering the tire industry. The increase in tire prices is because of an expected rise in natural rubber prices. On Jan. 13, the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries released its “Natural Rubber Trends & Statistics” for December 2016. In the report, ANRPC noted a rebound in natural rubber prices as a result of increasing oil prices, supply concerns after flooding in South Thailand, renewed expectation of a U.S.led faster global economic recovery, and the resultant improved demand outlook. ANRPC’s analysis expects “a substantial rise in rubber prices during 2017.” Source: landlinemag.com.
Isuzu B10 Rating Hits 375,000 Miles
Isuzu Commercial Truck of America (isuzucv.com) announced that the B10 durability rating of its 4HK1-TC diesel engine has been increased to 375,000 miles. The company made the announcement recently at the 2017 Work Truck Show in Indianapolis.
Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
A “B10-life” rating is an industrystandard gauge provided by engine makers to help consumers determine the long-term durability of an engine. The number following the “B” indicates the percentage of an engine’s population that will require an overhaul before the indicated mileage. That means that 90 percent of Isuzu 4HK1-TC engines are expected to last 375,000 miles before they require a major repair or rebuild. Previously, the 4HK1-TC engine carried a B10 durability rating of 310,000 miles. The turbocharged, intercooled 4HK1-TC four-cylinder diesel engine displaces 5.2 liters and generates 215 horsepower. Torque ratings vary depending on model. The engine is fitted to Isuzu NPRHD, NPR-XD, NQR and NRR models, as well as the all-new 2018 Isuzu FTR Class 6 truck.
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Unsecured Car Rolls Off Truck Police in Uhrichsville, Ohio, cited a tower for not securing his load after a car he was moving rolled off the truck and across a parking lot before sideswiping a tree. The 2002 Oldsmobile Aurora that had broken down was being removed from a parking lot. The passenger side of the car sustained moderate damage, according to police. The tower later secured the vehicle on his truck and took it to a garage for repair. Source: timesreporter.com.
Poem for ‘Unsung Hero’ Towmen Jenelle Hansen has gained a deeper respect for the towing profession in the past three years, getting to know several drivers through her job selling auto parts in Tucumcari, N.M. “They’re so confident about what they do. It’s kind of easy to forget they work on the side of the road,” she said. One of those tow-truck drivers Hansen came to know was Tucumcari’s Bobby Unruh. Unruh, 37, was fatally struck earlier this year while attempting to tow a vehicle on I-40. Hansen was moved to memorialize him, and others like him,
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with a poem she calls, “Tribute to a Tow Truck Driver.” One excerpt says: “The yellow lights flickering ahead of you on the flat-bed tow truck are a sign of warmth and safety/The driver is calm and self-assured./Just a few more minutes, and you will be safe, and the driver will be off to another call. “The tow truck drivers are on call for you/Risking their lives every day to bring stranded motorists from the brink of despair and chaos/To the calm, peaceful state of mind called hope.” Source: qcsunonline.com.
Towman Fights ‘Felon’ Ban Pulaski County (Ark.) Circuit Judge Chris Piazza urged a tower and Arkansas State Police to try to work out their differences on how the agency chooses wrecker services, while he decides as of press time whether to throw out the driver’s lawsuit against the agency. At issue is the legality of the state police practice of refusing to use wrecker drivers who have felony convictions. The agency maintains that the prohibition is necessary to ensure the public’s confidence in towers that troopers call to assist them. Piazza questioned whether state police have imposed a regulation on wrecker drivers that’s beyond what the law allows.
Police attorney Mary Claire McClaurin told the judge that state police are entitled to set standards for towers that troopers call to wreck sites. She said the lawsuit should be thrown out because the police are protected by sovereign immunity. Attorney Bob Newcomb, representing Steven James Gafner of Steve’s Auto Center of Conway, said his client is entitled to sue because he’s been harmed by the agency’s rule. Gafner sued the state police after the agency refused to put him on its rotation list for Faulkner County. Gafner is asking the judge to order the state police to end the felon ban, to put Gafner on the rotation and to develop a procedure for considering driver applications on a case-by-case basis. The prohibition of all felons, no matter how long ago they were convicted, violates Gafner’s constitutional right to due process and contradicts Arkansas’ policy on reforming felons, Newcomb said. Steve’s Auto meets all of the requirements set by the state Towing and Recovery Board, which regulates the industry. Gafner, 47, has been a towman for 20 years and has worked for other police departments during that time, Newcomb said. His parole ended in 2005, the attorney said. Source: arkansasonline.com.
Wreck’s Memorial
A memorial was created for Wreck, the beloved shop dog at Patterson’s Wrecker Service. Submitted photos.
At Patterson’s Wrecker Service in Blacksburg, S.C., their shop dog died last October. Wreck, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, held a special place in owner Scott Patterson’s heart. “She was a unique, one-of-a-kind dog,” he said. “She loved to meet customers and was very good with special needs children.” A friend, Charles Neelands, created a memorial spot for Wreck at the shop (pictured). Source: Karen Patterson.
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Christening Spirit Ride the
AT Addresses the Issue of Safety in Las Vegas
by John Cardinal
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The two-sided Spirit Ride coin is a gift to Spirit Concert goers. The Concert will also feature the Spirit Ride entrance with the Spirit Casket, a ceremony honoring towing's fallen, and the first viewing of the casket, hand-painted by artist Cecil Burrowes who will be on hand for the occasion.
The custom-built casket was crafted by singer Mike Corbin (graphics digitally superimposed). Actual hand-painting by wrecker artist Cecil Burrowes commenced at press time. Loyal Towing (Monroe, N.Y.) transported the casket for American Towman to Vintage Auto Body in Westbury, N.Y., where the artist began work on it. Thank you Loyal Towing! The Spirit Ride was co-founded by American Towman Magazine and B/A Products. There are now over 24 sponsors. The Ride is a project of American Spirit Inc., a non-profit corporation.
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he towing industry will make history May 11-12 during Towing Industry Week at the American Towman ShowPlace-Las Vegas, when the Spirit Casket honoring towing’s fallen will be unveiled and the Spirit Ride will launch its cross-country journey. The somber ceremony around the unveiling will be accompanied by industry leaders, Highway Patrol representatives, Cecil Burrowes (who custom-painted the casket), American Towman editors and staff and Mike Corbin and his Band performing “Booms in the Sky.” The evening will be replete with a Corbin Concert featuring Mike’s greatest hits, Towman Ballads and other American pop favorites. “In honoring our fallen,” said event creator Steve Calitri, “this momentous evening will celebrate who towmen are. For many it will be a time of remembrance. It will also be a moment that lifts the spirit and unites us for a great cause.” The Spirit Ride was conceived to promote public awareness of the Move Over laws, as well as safety education within the towing industry. Safety is very much a part of Tow Industry Week with seminars on creating Safety Meetings, Towing
Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
Safely, and Working the Roadside Safely. Safety is also a key component of the training being conducted inside the South Point Arena, right there at the Convention Center of the South Point Hotel & Casino. American Towman has created a two-sided coin that captures the Spirit Ride while promoting safe towing. Acting as a talisman for good luck, the coin urges the bearer to “Respect the Peril” of working the roadway and “Make it Home Tonight.” The Spirit Ride Coin is a gift to all who purchase Spirit Concert Tickets. All proceeds go the Ride, a project of American Towman Spirit Inc., a nonprofit corporation. All funds are used to support the coordination, logistics and media promotion. Some 250 towing companies have signed up to participate in the ride to carry the Spirit Casket making its journey in zigzag fashion around the nation. The intended route of the Ride will be posted online at ATSpritRide.com by the third week in April. One can view who has signed up on the Spirit Map, a feature of the site, where towers may sign up to be part of it in one way or another. Those wishing to sponsor the Ride may also sign up online.
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Towing Contracts Redone after Bribery Lake County (Ill.) Commissioners said they are setting high standards for towing firms to work with the sheriff’s department in the future. They recently voted to invite all towing firms in the county to apply for a contract and set rules for which ones would be eligible for serious consideration. It comes three months after the U.S. Attorney filed bribery and fraud charges alleging Sheriff John Buncich chose towing firms to work with county police based on how much money they paid him in campaign contributions. Buncich is pleading not guilty and awaiting trial. The Lake County Council recently passed an ordinance taking towing contracts away from the sheriff and restoring them to commissioners to award in the future. Eligible towing firms “shall be reputable and in good standing with any and all regulatory agencies,” open 24 hours per day and seven days a week, have been in been in business for at least five years, must have a business address in Lake County. Eligible towing firms must make it their goal to respond to towing calls
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within 30 minutes, have enough marked towing trucks to be able to respond to three calls simultaneously, must have a secured storage lot and employees available to release towed or stored vehicles any day of the week. Source: nwitimes.com.
Ind. Councilman Proposed Towing Changes Officials in Gary and East Chicago, Ind., may soon begin new programs governing towing of vehicles within those communities. Gary would start a pilot program that Councilman Herb Smith Jr. hopes will bring more consistency to how towing is handled in the city. Smith said he hopes the City Council can vote on instituting the program later. Smith said he wants to bring the city’s towing policies “into the 21st century” and make sure that consistent information is provided to residents. He said he wants a system in which residents who believe their vehicles are towed can go to their computer or smart phone and determine if their vehicle was towed, the location where it was towed and the fees to recover it. In addition, Smith said he wants
to require all towing companies operating in the city to display the fees on signs posted at their business. The councilman also wants to make sure the fees being charged fall somewhere in the middle of what is being charged elsewhere in the county. Smith said a management firm would be hired to direct the program and establish the website that residents can visit if their vehicle is towed. If the pilot program is successful, officials would then solicit bids for a management company to run the program on a long-term basis, he said. Source: nwitimes.com.
Criminal Background Checks Debated Utah lawmakers recently debated a bill to require criminal background checks for tow operators. HB393, sponsored by Rep. Cory Maloy, also would establish a towing advisory board to work with the Utah Tax Commission and the departments of transportation and public safety to recommend towing rules. Maloy said the background check would be part of a statewide certification for tow operators. “When you step into a background check on the basis of public safety, not all of the tow truck motor carriers are involved,” said Lynn Christiansen, Davis County Towing Association president. Christiansen listed towing for body shops, repair shops, wrecking yards and transport companies as operators that should not need background checks, saying they’re different from companies that are used to repossess and impound vehicles. Neil Schultz, president of the Ogden Weber Towing Association, spoke in general support of the bill after a recent 7-1 vote among towing associations. The House Transportation Committee voted unanimously to send the bill to the House floor for further debate. Source: ksl.com.
Busted landing gear grounded this King Air airplane. Setting the cushions. Jim “Buck” Sorrenti
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uddy’s Wrecker Service in Union City, Tenn., was founded by John Morgan “Buddy” Sedberry Jr. and June Sedberry in 1963. Their son Steve encouraged them to purchase their first wrecker and has continued to grow the company. In May 2016, they received a call to lift a King Air airplane with collapsed landing gear. The customer
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COLLAPSED LANDING GEAR continued from page 50
With the plane lifted up Team Buddy’s makes a crutch for the busted landing gear.
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COLLAPSED LANDING GEAR continued from page 52 was requesting airbags to lift the plane so it could be moved to its hangar. “A local aircraft maintenance customer we had worked with in the past on an airplane job had recommended us,” Steve said. Steve responded with their 2015 International/Vulcan V-30, air-cushion trailer and operators Kenneth Walker and Matt Chappell. “Matt is my service manager, but he wanted to come along on this job to help and take photos.” Steve said. The 1978 King Air plane, worth $800,000, is owned by N.B. Harty, a legendary explosives expert that pioneered, perfected and innovated the method of explosive cleaning. After surveying the scene, Team Buddy’s got to work and positioned the V-30 for the lift. First they placed their starter cushions under the wings, along with rigging the V-30 to the plane’s With everything in place they start to inflate the cushions.
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COLLAPSED LANDING GEAR continued from page 54
Cushions inflated.
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COLLAPSED LANDING GEAR continued from page 56 engine cradle using two short straps and two lines. Steve was operating the V-30 controls and Kenneth was at the air controls.
We placed airplane jacks under the wings as an added safety measure. “As Kenneth aired up on the cushions, I lifted with the V-30 until we could gain enough room to put our high-lift cushions underneath,” Steve said. “We placed airplane jacks under the wings as an added safety measure.” Once the plane was up, they made a crutch for the busted landing gear using two pieces of metal like a splint. The plane had about $300,000 worth of damage. Besides the busted landing gear, the engine needs an overhaul. The plane owner used a plane tow dolly hooked to a pickup to tow it to the hangar.
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.
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Cushions inflated.
Building, Vehicles Burned A building at Larson’s Towing in Ellendale, Minn., was destroyed in a fire recently. The fire was first reported at 11:15 a.m. and believed to have started in one of two vehicles parked in the building. “The one [vehicle] caught fire, and then caught the building and the other vehicle on fire as well,” Ellendale Fire Chief Mark Lee said. Both vehicles and the building are total losses, Lee said. Firefighters were on the scene until 3:15 p.m. Source: southernminn.com.
Toddler Still Inside Towed Car Authorities say an Arizona repossession agent responsible for reclaiming a car drove away with a toddler in the vehicle. Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dwight D’Evelyn said that a mother put her 20-month-old child in the car and left the engine running while she ran back in her house. In that time, the agent hooked up the car and began to tow it away. D’Evelyn said the driver didn’t get far before realizing the child was there and stopped by the end of the block, called sheriff’s deputies and brought the car back. The child was not hurt and the mother worked out a deal with the bank over the phone. Source: azfamily.com.
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Proper Maintenance The wrong strategy can cost time and money
by David A. Kolman
Much can go wrong with towing and recovery vehicle and equipment. The best way to reduce the number of truck breakdowns, as well as more expensive repairs later, is to select an appropriate maintenance strategy. Photo courtesy of Shackleford Enterprises.
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ehicle and equipment availability and productivity is essential for any towing and recovery company’s fleet. It is crucial that effective maintenance be performed to keep vehicles and equipment in proper condition. Nevertheless, some operations don’t devote the necessary resources to do this. Or, too little or too much maintenance work is being done. Each of these situations can be costly in terms of both time and money. Having the appropriate mainte62 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
nance strategy helps achieve improved operating performance, better maintenance cost-effectiveness and greater safety. The use of an inappropriate strategy can increase maintenance costs, as well as vehicle and equipment downtime. The challenge is to select the appropriate maintenance approach. To help with decision-making, following is a rundown of the basic types of maintenance strategies for vehicles and equipment.
Breakdown Maintenance Also referred to as run-to-failure maintenance or reactive maintenance, this approach is to intentionally operate a vehicle or piece of equipment until in fails. When this occurs, maintenance and repairs are carried out to restore the vehicle/equipment to its normal operating condition. A disadvantage to this strategy is that the costs associated with it may likely be more than normal. The rea-
son being that a failure typically requires more extensive work than would have been necessary if the vehicle/equipment had not been run to exhaustion. Moreover, as any towing and recovery fleet knows, breakdowns tend to occur at the most inopportune times.
Corrective Maintenance This involves performing maintenance tasks to identify and resolve a particular vehicle/equipment failure and get the vehicle/equipment back to an operational condition. Any necessary corrective maintenance also can be performed at any time to increase uptime and ensure a high availability of a vehicle/equipment. The purpose of the following strategies is to improve equipment life, plus prevent vehicle/equipment downtime and avoid expensive repair costs.
Preventive Maintenance This type of maintenance activity is intended to detect and prevent issues before something breaks or fails. The objective is to increase vehicle/equipment efficiency and reliability by conducting the scheduled, routine maintenance activities recommended by the vehicle/equipment OEM.
Predictive Maintenance In this type of maintenance strategy, maintenance need is based on the actual condition of the vehicle/equipment rather than on some preset schedule. Specific information about a vehicle/equipment is used to detect conditions and problems that will lead to failure, allowing maintenance to be conveniently planned before it occurs. Early elimination of vehicle/equipment defects helps avoid costly downtime.
Condition Maintenance This is the process of determining the condition of a vehicle/equipment while it is in operation, using real-time data gathered from sensors and other devices that measure specific conditions. This allows maintenance to be proactively scheduled and done only when indicators show signs of decreasing performance or upcoming component failure. An advantage of Condition-based Maintenance is that it can optimize the frequency of maintenance activities. Rather than scheduling maintenance based on miles or time-based intervals, fleets can send vehicles and equipment for maintenance on an as-needed basis.
Reliability Maintenance This maintenance strategy has a much broader scope. It is a mix of maintenance practices, integrated to take Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
Too much or too little maintenance each can be costly in terns of money and time. Photo courtesy of Mack Trucks.
advantage of their respective strengths to maximize vehicle/equipment reliability and cost-effectiveness. Reliability-centered Maintenance is an in-depth process that seeks to analyze all the possible failure modes for each vehicle and piece of equipment and then develops a customized maintenance strategy for each individual vehicle/equipment. Clearly, there are many choices when it comes to vehicle and equipment maintenance strategies. To decide upon one that is most suitable for your operation, consider the pros and cons of each.
Having the appropriate maintenance strategy will provide higher vehicle/equipment reliability and availability. Also, take into consideration that each maintenance strategy has different costs with regard to labor, time in the shop, maintenance materials and supplies, etc. In the world of towing and recovery, the enemy is downtime. Having the appropriate maintenance strategy will provide higher vehiAT Chassis Editor David Kolman is a multi-faceted trucking trade cle/equipment reliabiljournalist with experience in ity and availability, as print, online and broadcasting. well as help reduce He has hosted trucker television and radio programs and helped breakdowns and write trucking industry documenunplanned expenses. taries and video programs.
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The BUYERS REPORT What Users Say *Products reviews of participating advertisers
Advantage Funding “We’ve financed a large truck (for us) with Advantage, and the service was fantastic. It was literally one phone call and one small financial form and we were up and approved. It was … a lot easier than I thought it would be; scary easy. The process was smooth and seamless from application to approval with great rates, payment schedule and we couldn't ask for a better partner.”
Rudy Castro, Great Lakes Auto Rescue; Wyoming, Mich. See ad page 33
Agero Portal Is Fast, Easy to Use “Like any other motor club, Agero can be up and down. … I work lots of complicated calls for them; in getting payments they are excellent. We submit everything online through Agero’s website portal. When we get a priority accident call—if we’re diligent and submit for payment that night or the next morning—we get paid the next day in our account. That’s faster than the others in my experience. The portal is easy to use for purchase orders. Regular assistance and non-accident tows are usually paid within a week. … Their ease of use in working with the tower—they’re the best club I’ve personally experienced in my area.”
Colby Vining, CJV Automotive & Towing; Marshfield, Mass. See ad page 3
American Wrecker Sales Keeps Trucks Going “I’ve bought three trucks from American Wrecker Sales, starting with a used JerrDan 25-ton. We work with the owner Paul. … I have his cellphone number and whenever I need anything I call him. I feel free to call him anytime. I called at 8 or 9 p.m. once when we needed cable, and I was back up in a couple days. He was a big help. … They refurbished a Jerr-Dan flatbed that we didn’t buy from them. I like to run my stuff like its brand new all the time, so it’s important to me that they’re ready with the right parts to keep my trucks going.”
Ken Lauzon; Lauzon’s Auto Tech Towing; Malone, N.Y. See ad page N 104
Anchor Graphics Always Comes Through “I’ve been using Anchor Graphics for probably 15 years. They’re a good company and always attentive to my needs, follow up on my orders and seem to care more than the average company. … They always come through for me on everything from business cards to tow-away signs to flyers and parking permits. … One time I forgot to order specialty signs for a customer, and I called them last minute and they had the signs done quick and [bailed me out]. … Knowing they are part of the towing industry, their knowledgebase is very wide.”
Tim Ward, Safari Towing; Mckinney, Texas See ad page 53 Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
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BUYERS REPORT
Atlanta Wrecker Sales Gets You Answers, Anytime I’ve bought quite a few [Jerr-Dan light and heavy wreckers] from Atlanta Wrecker Sales over four years—probably 22 trucks. Their service and customer relations are very good; Rob Reeves is very knowledgeable and will get an answer for you if he doesn’t have it. They are timely on warranty work, when there is any. … You can call Rob anytime with a question, anytime, even 10 o’clock at night. … He jumped in a truck on a Friday morning, picked me up and took me to the plant to see the truck I wanted to buy being built.
David Ward, TCB Automotive & Towing; Spartanburg, S.C. See ad page S 103
Austin Hinds Motors Is Good, Honest, Helpful “They’re good honest folks at Austin Hinds Motors; I’ve been dealing with them since 2001. I buy all our trucks from them because they stand behind what they say and help when I need it … truck, parts or whatever. … When I needed a pump for one of my rollbacks, they had me just come get it and I picked it up after hours—they set it outside for me and sent a bill later. There’ve been other occasions like that they’ve helped me too.”
Billy Kilgore, Kilgore Wrecker Service; Jasper, Ala. See ad page S 102
AutoReturn Is Consistent “Everything that AutoReturn told me before we started towing for them and what we’re doing now for them has always been with open and honest communication. They’ve never misled us, they’ve never told us anything that wasn’t true. And the consistency you get from AutoReturn is just what normal business is like for us. … It’s been a pleasant experience. We hope to continue future business with AutoReturn as long as we can.”
Christie Wheeler, Wheeler’s Towing Service; Indianapolis, Ind. See ad page 31
B/A Products Understands the Towing Life “Whether its an eight-point tie-down kit for a small rollback or larger recovery straps or snatch blocks, you get the same service on everything through B/A Products. I’ve been using them for five years or longer. Their equipment variety covers everything you need for towing. The quality of their products is in the longevity of the chains and straps that withholds against everything you put them to. … Customer service is above and beyond – they understand the life of a tower; when we call, we’ve got to have it now, we can’t wait.”
Jon Kupchin, Santa Fe Tow Service; Lenexa, Kan. See ad page 19
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B&Z Sales Takes Care of You “I’ve bought six flatbeds in 18 months from B&Z. I’ve been told by others in the industry to check every nut, bolt and fitting to check assembly. I’ve never had to do that with B&Z trucks—they’re assembled right the first time. … They’ll take care of you. Mike Ainsworth has personally mentored me as a novice in the business and helped look out for me. He’s a straight-forward honest guy.”
Doug Watters, Watters Towing; Flowood, Miss. See ad page S 99
Beacon Software Standardizes Everything “DispatchAnywhere lets me really micromanage the money; who’s paying and who’s not. Shows me where drivers are, what they are doing and not doing. I’m busy; I run towing and repair and am a law student. I can dispatch a call from my cellphone or look at my company from anywhere from any device—that’s invaluable to me. …I like the organization that’s in Beacon Software as it auto-selects the right pricing so nothing gets misquoted no matter who takes the call. It standardizes everything from how much a call will cost to dispatching the proper equipment from heavy to light.”
Marty DiMichele, Red Carpet Towing; Brook Park, Ohio See ad page 23
C3LS GPS Trackers Defend Reputation “We’ve got C3LS GPS in our trucks to monitor PTO, speed, location, and more. We’ve used them for a little more than two years; it’s a great product. Super happy, no issues. They are 100 percent easier for monitoring and very reliable. We had a police officer ticket a driver for going over 35 mph, but he was going 30 mph and a printout from the GPS proved it and the ticket was thrown out. Another time, a mechanic said our PTO wasn’t being shut off, but we were able to show every call when the PTO was turned on and off by the driver, and they fixed the PTO under warranty because of it.”
Larry Saravi, Alpine Towing; Miami, Fla. See ad page S 99
Century Lifts Everything You Could Ask “Our new Century 1075 rotator has been awesome; it’s our second rotator. It lifts everything you could ask for. We did training with Tom Luciano in Fort Worth with it and 64,000-lbs. mixers are a piece of cake … it moves the 64,000-lbs. mixer and you don’t even know it’s back there. … We have one customer that does transformers and we were lifting 40,000-lbs. transformers; the day we got back with this truck, they had a 50,000-lbs. unit and we swung it from one side around onto a trailer and didn’t know it was there.”
Don Ward, Ward’s Towing; Waco, Texas See ad pages 17, 51
Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
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BUYERS REPORT
Chevron Commercial Takes Time with You “Bill and Keith and the whole crew went out of their way for us on several options for us and took their time. Chevron Commercial built us a new carrier and we bought a Vulcan V-100 from them. They let us know what was going on weekly and worked with us on rolling changes and were very accommodating. … Whenever we were building a carrier, they priced it out a few different ways to help us figure out what we wanted. … They spent a lot of time with us and wouldn’t just make suggestions for improvements, but they’d explain why.”
Gordon Curtis, Curtis Garage & Wrecker Service; Little Point, Ind. See ad page 53
Crouch’s Is Top of the Line “I’ve been buying Miller trucks from Crouch’s Wrecker Sales for almost 30 years. They’re courteous, always honest, take care of problems with anything, and always make sure to only give me top of the line equipment, used or new. Best they could possibly give. Great bunch of people to work with. They’re very trusting—they’ve bought me trucks without even asking if I had the money. They’ve come through in a moment’s notice for me whenever I’ve needed. That’s hard to do with this kind of equipment.
Matt Wilson, Independent Towing & Recovery; Mount Juliet, Tenn. See ad page 55
CTech Manufacturing Boxes Are Customized “The fit and finish of CTech’s tool drawers and boxes are really good. The product works and is made to order. It’s custom-built-to-fit. The boxes are custom-ordered to the dimensions you need. There are numerous drawers, and options in the drawers; it’s a very versatile box.”
Dave DeGrave, Lynch Truck Center; Waterford, Wis. See ad page N 103, M 101
Deep South Wrecker Sales Fit and Finish Is Good “Everything works fine with Loganville Ford. The first Ford F-650 wrecker I bought from them is close to140,000 miles and has only had one day in the shop—it’s a year old and exceptionally reliable. Everything’s good from the fit and finish on all the wreckers.”
Tom Osborne, Safetow; Montgomery, Ala. See ad page 89
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Driveline Buddy Saves Money Every Month “Driveline Buddy works very well. I’ve got one in each of my three heavies. … Everything is excellent and I can’t believe we haven’t had something like this in the industry before. It’s absolutely simple and not anything that can go wrong with them that I can see. I’d recommend them to anybody; it saves me a few hundred dollars a month in buying roll after roll of wire. It makes it so the driveline is held far from the pinion on the rear and no chance of hitting it when turning and totally eliminates those potential damages.
Larry Pederson, Larry’s Towing; Orem, Utah See ad page S 101
Dual-Tech Beds Are Tough “I’ve had great success with Dual-Tech’s beds to be honest. I think I’m on my 14th bed with them. … The quality of the bed is unbelievable, a true recovery bed. We do things with these beds we couldn’t do with anyone else’s. If you need service, they’re great. We had a hydraulic problem with one bed that wasn’t Dual-Tech’s fault (it was in the cylinder); they sent two guys up from Tennessee who were here the next day. … The beds are tougher than any other bed I’ve used. … They don’t get the recognition they deserve for how well-built these trucks are. As long as he keeps building trucks, I’m going to keep buying them.”
Dennis Hatter, Hatter’s Auto Body Shop & Towing; Pine Grove, Pa.
See ad page 78
Dynamic Slide-in Is Indestructible “I own the Dynamic Manufacturing’s Slide-in unit with the extendable recovery boom and winch. All of my recoveries and repos have been awesome and I’ve had no issues with the unit at all. The Dynamic equipment is virtually indestructible and the Dynamic team is always responsive and helpful when I need to reach them. I am now discussing my next wrecker with Dynamic. I highly recommend the Dynamic product. … The reason I bought this unit is because I wanted a slide-in; they designed it for us and built it and its been phenomenal.”
Robert Ventura, R Line Towing & Recovery; Canonsburg, Pa. See ad page 56
Elizabeth Truck Center Makes You Top Priority “I’ve been dealing with Jim Powers at Elizabeth Truck Center for three years now. I’ve got six trucks from them, and another finishing up there now for delivery. … The trucks always look the way you want, and he goes over everything with you and does whatever he says he will do. If we have any issue any time, he’ll always make an effort to get us in and take care of it. … He makes me top priority.
Ron Ketch, Ron & Sons Towing; Kenvil, N.J. See ad page 79
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BUYERS REPORT
Evolution Insurance Helps Any Way They Can “Cindy Anderson is our insurance agent at Evolution Insurance Brokers and has, from day one, been very attentive, quick and honest with us as first-time applicants with them. She was helpful and walked me through every step from the application process to insurance certificates. Every email I send or phone call I make, Cindy is always cheerful and ready to help us in any way she can. She has gone out of her way to help us from making phone calls to the Federal Motor Carrier, to emailing a corrected insurance certificate to Title Max corporate office to help expedite the process of getting us on as a repossession agent. We have the utmost faith in her and know that she truly has a heart for what she does, and it shows in the way the cares and helps her customers.”
John Warner, Warner Recovery Agency; Moultrie, Ga. See ad page 23
Florida Wrecker Sales Is Respectful “Mermaid Towing and Transport Inc. is a relatively new company that started two years ago and as a result we have built a relationship with Florida Wrecker Sales, more specifically Jason Babb, because of their honesty and dedication to providing a quality product. I’ve had numerous encounters and several purchases to include two tow trucks and a great deal of equipment and supplies. We have always been treated with respect and decency. Their prices are excellent and they’re always willing to go the extra mile to keep their customers satisfied. It’s a pleasure to deal with such honest and accommodating people. They will have our business for years to come.”
Peter Ciuccii, Mermaid Towing and Transport; Spring Hill, Fla. See ad page S 101
G. Stone Commercial Leaves No Worries “This was our first time using G. Stone Commercial, and probably would never go anywhere else. We've never been treated so well. The salesman was extremely knowledgeable; no running out to get questions answered. No question from us that he knew what he was doing. … Everything, from front to back, couldn’t have been better in the purchase. Everything was the best. … They made sure the trucks were outfitted and ready to go: Full detail, equipped, full fuel. Didn’t have to worry about anything at all.”
Erik Johnson, Johnson Towing; Canton, N.Y. See ad page N 101
Integrated Leasing Makes You No. 1 We have been using Doreen since April 2009 because of her prompt service; anything we need, she makes sure she takes care of right away. … We always recommend Doreen to anyone looking to purchase commercial equipment/trucks. We let them know she is the ‘Go To’ woman and will treat them as her No. 1 customer. … We were purchasing an SUV for our company and she found out her company doesn’t do leases on SUVs and referred us to another company who could. She could have easily just said, ‘Sorry can’t help.’ Instead, she made sure she put us in contact with another company that could write the lease. … Doreen makes herself available at any time and she always makes you feel that your interests are her No. 1 concern.”
Tony Willette, Midnight Express Auto Recovery; Stafford, Va. See ad page 25 70 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
Intek Truck/Equipment Leasing Rates a ‘15’ “We’ve been with Intek Leasing for 10 years now. On a 1-10 scale, I’d say they are at least a 15. They are very family oriented, with great customer service. They are very flexible as well. ... Their response time is 30 minutes versus a regular bank’s 24 hours. They give exceptional interest rates, and they understand the towing industry. What attracted us to them is they were first to offer a 10-year loan on a rotator. We’ve probably financed 30 pieces of equipment with them. … Most importantly, they treat you as a customer, not just as a number.”
Jay Trgo, Interstate Towing & Transport Specialists; Twinsburg, Ohio See ad page 39
In the Ditch Boxes Have a Spot for Everything “I love their toolboxes; I have them on four of my carriers now and every new truck gets one. In the Ditch boxes have a spot for everything in them and makes our life so much easier so we can fit everything we need on the truck for anything, from a bobcat to a Ferrari, that we need to do every day. The ITD Side-Puller is on my personal truck, and I’ve done calls on the side of the interstate that would have needed lanes closed without it, and dragged the car up without closing a lane.”
Mike Stahnten, Certified Auto Mall; Howell, N.J. See ad page 15
Jerr-Dan JFB 50/60 Holds Its Ground “So far, our new Jerr-Dan JFB 50/60 rotator has been great. I love the truck. The extension on the boom, the way it stands and picks at a recovery. The rollup doors on the side are better instead of opening a door into traffic. The storage capacity is pretty good. It tows beautifully, turns beautifully. It’s a twin-steer and turns better than my single-steer rotator. Set it up and it holds its ground. It’s a good tool for this business.”
Joe Clavagno, All County Towing & Recovery; Freeport, N.Y. See ad page 108
Lien Enforcement Solves Problems “Keith Baker at Lien Enforcement always takes care of us, working with us through problems and issues with clients. He’s very flexible in his ability to resolve problems. Call any time and let him know what’s going on—we are a 24-hour service and he can work availability to be there and solve the problems. … He doesn’t question me on reversals. … I’ve never had to battle a customer personally; he handles it and any legalities involved. Never been to court on a case with him. … He handles clients professionally so we don’t have to.”
Scott Lee, Jim’s Garage & Towing; Bakersfield, Calif. See ad page W 100
Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
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BUYERS REPORT
Matheny Motors Is One-Stop Shop “We traded in another truck for the Centruy 1150R twin-steer that debuted at the AT Expo in Baltimore. … Matheny has a good working relationship with us, and their upfits of accessories makes it a one-stop shop. They source out what they can’t do. Dave Hargrove is the whole shebang. We’ve bought multiple car carriers from them, medium-duty wreckers and another 9055 last weekend. They’re good on getting back with you. Dave is very good with customers. Ozzie in parts is excellent. Thomas and Sean in the shop are good and excellent at getting us chrome, stainless, wraps.”
Doug Robinson, Robinson’s Towing & Recovery; Mechanicsville, Va. See ad page 61
MatJack Cushions Are the Right Equipment “We’ve used MatJack cushions for about five years now. They've always worked exactly as they said. They are tough enough and the right equipment to do the job. The extra lift height on the jumbo bags really is an advantage in lift height when a trailer is over—beyond 90 degrees, wheels over the roof. That extra lift height comes in handy and the grip on top of the cushions makes a good bit of difference. The high-pressure bags are always tough and seem to withstand anything.”
Tony Carr, Arrow Towing; Omaha, Neb. See ad page 21
McMahon Truck Center Gets Trucks Today “I like the reliability of the Hino trucks. I bought my first one about 2006 or 2007. They don’t go down much, and the less down time the better when you’re in this business. McMahon’s sales staff is great; Paul Blackston is the salesman I’ve been dealing with. If I say to him, ‘I need a truck to put on the road today,’ he’ll get me one. Three times in the past I’ve had to immediately have a truck going to a disaster relief scene; all three times he’s been able to hook me up with a truck. They’ve had trucks ready for me in an hour. I go pick it up, get a letter, get inspected and it’s on the road the next day. Regarding financing, they’re easy to deal with. They also have a complete line of parts and a repair service.”
Jim Shriner, Broad & James Towing; Columbus, Ohio See ad page M 99
New England TruckMaster Is at the Forefront “New England TruckMaster is fantastic … they spec great, they’re innovative, they hold their value. What they do seems to become the norm for other dealers. Whatever they do to their trucks, like instead of drums when they started to do discs, now all of a sudden others are doing the same; they're at the forefront of what’s the best. We tell Chris what we want, he does what he does and we’re always happy with his products.”
Bruce Hussey, Northeast Towing & Transport; Norwich, Conn. See ad page N 102
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Northeast Wrecker Sales: No Complaints “They’re good folks. I’ve been buying from Northeast Wrecker Sales since 2006. They’ve always taken care of things. I bought a V-100, a Model 20 Chevron, 16’ LCG, and a V-70. … If I have any issues with anything, they step up to the plate and take care of them. I had a couple issues on one of the carriers and they stepped up to care for. My V-100 is 11 years old now, and was just factory refurbished for me which is something they normally wouldn’t do. As far as I’m concerned, you couldn’t ask for better—absolutely no complaints.”
Rick Patterson, LTS Enterprises; North Syracuse, N.Y.
See ad page N 100
Nussbaum Equipment Are Stand-Up Guys “Nussbaum Equipment stands behind everything it sells. If there’s ever a problem Barry (Nussbaum) deals with it right away; he doesn’t give me the runaround, and he shows up himself. I bought my 60-ton wrecker with a Kenworth T-800 in 2003, and a 16-ton wrecker in 2016. They all have the Cummins engines, which has a lot of power. There’s not too much maintenance. I’d recommend Nussbaum’s to anyone. Barry’s a stand-up guy. My father dealt with his father, so we’ve been dealing with them a long time.”
Dave Mammano, Easton Auto Body & Towing; Easton, Pa. See ad page 36
Performance Advantage Co. Box Won’t Break “Performance Advantage Co. is easy to deal with. Tom had guys draw some ideas for toolbox configurations, and the parts and pieces were as nice as you could get. … I bought a new rotator in summer and it’s the first I’ve used PAC. I helped design the layout of my boxes. … It’s easy to deal with them on ideas for the tunnel box on where to place. It’s well-built. You won’t break it. ... I even recommended them to another friend with a new rotator.”
Dave Betts, Betts Garage; Newark, Del. See ad page N 99
Prime Industries Delivered Right to the Scene “I’ve been using Prime Industries since they added towing supplies. … Any time I need something, it’s usually in stock and ready to go. Or it’s a simple phone call and they get stuff ordered on the way. … We do some heavy-duty work and I’ve been in the middle of a recovery and needed a snatch block; I called then and they delivered it to the scene. You can’t ask for more than that. … They’ve done that on two occasions—once for a snatch block, once for some chains. You just don’t hear about that any more.”
Matt Cilento, Hickory Towing; Chesapeake, Va. See ad page S 100
Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
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BUYERS REPORT
Quest Towing Services Understands Towing They are wonderful, the best account with us. We are happy with Quest Towing Services and we do our job for them here in the valley. Because of our account, now we are eight trucks and one medium-duty and growing. … Everything I say, they understand. If we need to tow, we explain and they understand. They pay on time. They really know us and the meaning of towing, not just how to dispatch the call. They really understand what we need and what the situations are.”
Khaled Al Baroudi, Professional Towing; Tempe, Ariz. See ad page 82
Rick’s Truck & Equipment Makes It Right “I have been purchasing Jerr-Dan rollbacks and wreckers from Rick’s Truck & Equipment for about three years. … Jerr-Dan is a stand-up piece of equipment. They don’t give a lot of trouble, no down time, no repairs. They keep employees working. Rick is reliable, dependable. If Rick tells you something, he does it. If you have a deadline, he makes it. If he doesn’t know the answer to a question, he will get the answer. If something is not right, whether it is his fault or not, he will make it right whatever it takes.”
Doug Adams, Doug Adams Towing & Recovery; Burlington, N.C. See ad page 48
Santander Never Says ‘No’ “I’m a tow truck operator doing business in Burbank, Calif., for over 50 years. … Regardless if I’m buying one truck, or buying a fleet of eight, Santander provides a dependable and high level of service each time. … I won some contracts with L.A. Metro Transit Authority that required purchase of eight new trucks at over $700,000, and we also had other equipment financed prior. We had to get approval to buy these eight new trucks, and all of that was approved. Then came the opportunity of a lifetime to buy a 30-ton rotator. The timing couldn’t have been worse for this rotator to be available. … Santander never says no. They somehow put their heads together and show what they can do for me and what I can do for them to approve, and with minimal paperwork. They always make it work.”
David Girard, Girard & Peterson; Burbank, Calif. See ad page 107
Savatech Is Hands-On, Available “Savatech’s lifting and catch bags give the ability to upright a loaded semi-trailer in limited space. … Not all jobs are an unload job, but by utilizing this product it saves time in unloading loaded semis. … The MS 210 is larger in diameter and has more contact surface and is taller, therefore creating more lift—especially on the ditch side where inches count. … Hands-on training was provided and we expected the product to be delivered via normal shipping methods, but received the product from Savatech personally and the salesperson made himself available for all questions we had upon delivery.”
Joey Moran, Old Capitol Wrecker Service; Milledgeville, Ga. See ad page 35
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Spill Tackle Doesn’t Have an Equal “Spill Tackle’s absorbents have worked very well. I’ve been using their products for probably about 3 or 4 years since we began trying to start an environmental company with our tow service. … They contacted us, showed up at our shop, and we’ve been doing business ever since. … I haven’t tried anything else that even compares to it. I highly recommend their kits.”
Brise Blackwell, S&H Towing & Recovery; Mobile, Ala. See ad page S 100
Towbook Charges Per Call, Not User “Towbook is very receptive to ideas and suggestions I have, whether they pan out or not. They take time to listen. Support is second to none. I don’t have to plan any software support. … I bounce [ideas] off them all the time. They have ability to have an account with a URL for its own call and set it up so it puts the call right into the dispatch screen. Since dispatch may not notice it, it will show up in red as an alert to draw attention and highlight the call. I like the pricing structure as it’s based on how many calls, not how many users since we might have up to 13 users at any time (including accounting and dispatch, not just drivers).”
R. Blair, Blair’s Towing; Falls Church, Va. See ad page 5
Tow Industries Is Like a ‘Pit Crew' “Tow Industries’ service is impeccable. We are warrantied on the back ends of our truck as long as the front end is paid up. Tow Industries warranties everything on the back for me. They never argue; they just take care of the situation with factory parts. They have a passion not only for the business, but for the industry. … We’re the official tower for NASCAR, for the Auto Club 400 out here; so they’ve helped to make some special attachments for some of our trucks to lift some of these vehicles. They put us first as far as customer service because they understand we need our trucks on the road, and we’re a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week service. I can even take a picture of what broke or the problem I’m having, send them that picture. In a matter of a few minutes, they’re able to come up with a resolution. So as we’re heading down there, they’re preparing to do the repair. Tow Industries is like my ‘pit crew,’ and I have a high grade of respect for them.”
Jan Qualkenbush; Jan’s Towing; Azusa, Calif. See ad page W 100
TowMate Makes Reliable Products “Currently two of the most valuable products we get from TowMate are the TM36LI Lithium 36” Wireless Tow Light and the TM36 Wireless Tow light. We have been using the TM36 for close to 10 years and the Lithium-powered wireless unit for 3-4 months. … The Lithium TM36LI unit has been a huge game-changer in minimizing how often our drivers have to recharge. We are more confident in the unit lasting throughout a long run, which minimizes the chance of any type of DOT violation. … Reliability is the first word that comes to mind when I think of the TM36LI. With TowMate we know we are not only getting a great product, but also the best customer service in the business.”
Eric Honeycutt, Hunter Wrecker Service; Charlotte, N.C. See ad page 44 Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
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BUYERS REPORT
Triple K Has No Comparison “The Triple K unit works great. I’ve had a couple heavy wreckers and done a lot of research. This outlifts, outreaches and outperforms competitors I’ve seen. I’ve not found anything I couldn’t lift with it, from dump trucks, cement tri-axle dumps, twinsteer concrete pump trucks. Hands down the strongest unit I’ve had. … There’s no comparison with what it lifts.”
Joe Notarianni, Pro-Tech Industries; Philadelphia, Pa. See ad page 79
Truck Body Sales Delivers on Promises “I’ve been dealing with Truck Body Sales for almost 20 years. They take care of you. Jason and the other sales guys they have there now are really on top of their game in really making sure you’re happy and trying to do their best at delivering product at the time they say. In this industry, that’s what most salespeople lack: delivering the product in the time frame that they promised. Jason and Brandon follow-through, and the product that’s delivered is what was ordered. They’re excellent as far as the service end. They’re good at knowing that I need my trucks in-and-out; it’s not just sitting there.”
Arron Fountain, All Star Heavy Haul; Tracy, Calif. See ad page W 101
VTS Systems Software Reduces Mistakes “I absolutely believe in VTS Systems. The software is smooth and timely to submit info; enter customers, then vehicles, and the software basically tells me everything I need to do. … Any letters that need to go out, you can print and take to the Post Office, or they are hooked in with the postal service and you can click to have them submit letters. … They helped me set up the system and they are fantastic, really nice people. I would definitely recommend that all tow companies use VTS—they really cut down on mistakes, and we have no margin for error on foreclosure vehicles.”
Darlene Garrett, Valentin Towing & Repair Center; Porter, Texas See ad page 60
Vulcan Is Versatile, Capable, Stable “Vulcan equipment is all we own as far as wreckers, since 1995. Vulcan’s done the job for us that we needed with minimal problems—I don't think we’ve had any problems. That’s pretty much a plus in our industry, because downtime costs us a lot of money. … Vulcan is the best thing going, the best equipment out there that I’ve looked at. It’s the most versatile for weight and lift capacity and stability and pulling power. They have no issues. Over the years, Brent at Miller Industries, Gary at MHCChattanooga and Jeff at Ingram Wrecker Sales have been a great help.”
Billy Peden, Marion Towing; Memphis, Tenn. See ad pages 17, 51
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Warn Maintenance Is Minimal “Actually, we went heavily with Warn Industries’ winches over the last couple years and the applications we use them on work very well. Maintenance is very minimal; there are very few problems. Any that do, the service group is right on top of it and proactive in getting our customers back on the road again. On a 1-10 scale, they are 9.5 and doing a superb job in aftermarket support. Our heavy-haul units in conjunction with Warn work hand-in-hand very well together.
Ted Martin, Landoll Corp.; Marysville, Kan. See ad page 33
West End Service Makes You Part of Family “West End Service is the one and only distributor of Miller equipment that I use. … What don’t they do? The whole team there is a big family and they make you feel part of it. You know everybody and they know you; they’re great people—the entire team from parts to service to sales to the truck shop. They are all friendly as can be and know your name. It’s one of the best business I’ve ever dealt with.”
Chris King, Custom Towing; Silver Spring, Md. See ad page N 100
WorldClass Insurance Is World Class “I couldn’t say enough good things about WorldClass Insurance. They provide a level of service second to none. Over the years, I’ve had relationships with various agencies. At the end of the day, the agent’s role is to connect you with the best dollar value. But you can’t put a dollar value on service. Their name says it all. … Whatever needs to be handled, is handled immediately; that’s what sets them apart. What amazes me is it doesn't matter who answers the phone, anyone can handle what you need. They know who you are and they take care of business. In today’s world, we’re not used to that.”
David Eppler, Eppler Towing & Recovery; Fresno, Calif. See ad page W 101
Zacklift Is Impressive “I got a Zacklift Z353 fifth-wheel unit three months ago. It’s not a bad little thing; it takes some stress off of our heavies. I hate to wear out the bigger wreckers just to pick up a tractor. … The Zacklift has done everything we’ve asked, so we’re happy with it. … We went out in the snow last month and pulled a tractor-trailer out of the snow with it—we were impressed.”
Rudy Gallegos, Southwest Auto Towing; Farmington, N.M. See ad page 2
Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
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Officer Hit-and-Run of Towman A Melvindale, Mich., police officer is accused of hitting a tower and then leaving the scene. “I can’t go out on the road. I can’t drive,” John Kosmides said. While on a service call, Kosmides tried to get two lanes of traffic to stop. “As I turned around, this vehicle starts moving and strikes my leg, which caused me to spin. My back hit his mirror,” Kosmides said. But the man driving the SUV was forced to stop at a red light. “I take a picture of his plate. While I’m doing that, the other vehicle, who also stopped next to him, is yelling at him, saying, ‘Hey, you just hit that kid. You need to stop,’ ” Kosmides said. By the time Kosmides got to the window, Kosmides said, “He proceeded to say, ‘F you,’ and drove off.” “Our concern is that we have
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someone leaving the scene,” Taylor police Chief Mary Sclabassi said. Local news teams reported that the driver is a sergeant with the Melvindale Police Department. He was not on duty at the time and denies what Kosmides and witnesses told Taylor police. “His account was that he did not initially know that he struck someone,” Sclabassi said. The investigation was ongoing as of press time. Source: clickondetroit.com.
Asphalt Hurled at Tow Truck Someone threw a large chunk of asphalt through the rear window of a tow truck recently in Joplin, Mo. The tower, Robert Gooch, told police that he was stopped when someone on a bike passed by and his truck’s rear window shattered. Joplin police Capt. Rusty Rives said a chunk of asphalt was thrown
through the window either in an attempt to assault the driver or as an act of vandalism. Source: joplinglobe.com.
Tower Dies After Crash A towman died one day after his truck crashed into a tree in Rockwell, N.C., recently. Troopers say 70-year-old Terry Childers ran off the road to the right, overcorrected to get back on track, ran off the road to left, and went into a ditch before slamming head-on into the tree. A neighbor said the sound of the impact was unlike anything she had ever heard, describing it as sounding like a “bomb had gone off.” Childers was pinned in the cab of the truck for more than 45 minutes before being rescued and airlifted to the hospital. Firefighters from the Rockwell Rural Fire Department worked alongside members of the
Rowan Rescue Squad in the effort to free Childers from the truck. Source: wbtv.com.
Towing Fees May Increase Fee increases for wrecker zone providers are being proposed by the Cobb County (Ga.) Department of Public Safety. A public hearing was scheduled as of press time. Commissioners were expected to vote on changes including: • $20 more from $135 to $155 for light vehicle tow. • $110 more per hour from $30 to $140 for light tow waiting/excess time. • $75 more from $350 to $425 for heavy vehicle tow. • $50 more per hour from $300 to $350 for heavy tow waiting/excess time. • $200 more from $450 to $650 for rotator wrecker recovery. • $10 more from $20 to $30 daily
Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
for light vehicle storage after the end of the first 24 hours. • $10 more from $40 to $50 daily for heavy vehicle storage after the end of the first 24 hours. • $75 one-time administrative fee
after the vehicle has been in possession for 48 hours. • Fuel surcharges to be capped at 5 percent regardless of the fuel cost. Source: ajc.com.
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Morton’s Assists in Rescue
Morton’s Towing assisted firefighters in rescuing a trapped truck driver. Morton’s Towing photo.
Morton's Towing and Recovery of Rockville, Md., county firefighters and a University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center team, rescued a man
from an overturned cement truck in Pasadena recently. The cement truck had overturned and collided with a utility pole. Police said the driver, Thomas George Buettner, was pinned in the wreckage. His rescue was further complicated by the power implications from the pole, the Anne Arundel County Fire Department said. Morton's used two 50-ton tow trucks to move and stabilize the cement truck. From there, it took firefighters, working closely with the shock trauma team monitoring the patient, more than two hours to free Buettner. Buettner was flown to shock trauma in Baltimore with what appeared to be serious but not lifethreatening injuries. Traffic was tied up for hours, and about 15 homes were without power. Source: capitalgazette.com.
Thomas Forgione Passed
Thomas Forgione
Thomas L. Forgione, 49, passed away Dec. 22, 2016, in Florida. Known as “Fudgie” by his close family and friends, the Long Island, N.Y., native was a lifelong entrepreneur who started his first towing business, Speedy Towing, there at 17. He started Tokay Towing & Recovery upon moving to Florida. Most recently, he was owner of A-1 Recovery, Pasco Towing and Wards Towing & Recovery that served the Tampa region and surrounding counties. His life did not revolve around the business, as he was an inspirational mentor to children, family and friends. Tom dedicated himself to helping people find their hidden potential and exceed their own expectations. He would gladly give the shirt off his back to those that he loved and could fill a room with laughter and humor. Tom was happiest when those around him were having fun. He will forever be cherished by the Forgione, Watkins, Faulk, Gonzalez, Hughes, Joline, McIntyre, Tenety and Scott families. Source: Aaron Watkins.
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Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
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Tight Space arou nd Rolled Tanker 2016 Donnie Cruse Recovery Award
The landing gear of the trailer collapsed the grate beneath it.
A tanker overturned inside of a wash bay making for a tight recovery area for Hodges Garage in Clover, S.C.
inside the wash bay to prevent freezing of the sludge inside of tanker. After driving the tractor out from under the trailer, the landing gear was accidentally parked on a drainage grate. The weight of the tanker collapsed the grate, causing the tanker to roll over. The tanker collided with the dividing wall, breaking through a section of the load-bearing cinderblock wall. Upon inspecting the condition of the tanker, the rear of the tank was suspended 3’ above ground level and resting against the load-bearing wall. The front of the tanker was collapsed to the ground against the dividing wall. We decided to call Hunter Auto & Wrecker in Charlotte, N.C., to send their Peterbilt/Jerr-Dan 85-ton rotator to assist in rolling the tanker, due
The front of the tanker was collapsed to the ground against the dividing wall.
*The Donnie Cruse Recovery Award is presented by American Towman Magazine and WreckMaster.
The rear of the tank was suspended about 3’ off the ground and resting against the wall.
The Donnie* is co-sponsored by B/A Products and AW Direct.
by Kyle Hodges Hodges Garage; Clover, S.C.
O
n Jan. 30, 2014, Hodges was called to assess a tanker that had overturned inside of a wash bay and we sent a scene supervisor out in a service truck to assess the situation. Upon arrival at the scene, the plant safety managers informed us that the 48’ stainless steel tanker weighing 60,000 lbs. was placed
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WreckMaster President Justin Cruse presents Kyle Hodges with a 2016 Donnie Cruse Recovery Award during the American Towman Expo last November. Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
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The tanker broke through a section of the dividing wall.
The rotator was needed to reach over and lift the tank and rotate to prevent the landing gears from touching the ground.
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to the narrow room on the front and the company’s persistence to save the landing gears and tank. The rotator was needed to reach over and lift the tank and rotate to prevent the landing gears from touching the ground. We returned to gather the required equipment and came back to the accident site with our Peterbilt/Jerr-Dan 35-ton independent boom wrecker and service truck. After discussing the plan and determining the approach, we began rigging for the recovery. The weight inside the tanker was 60,000 lbs. and some of the load had already escaped through a damaged manhole on top of the tank. The 35-ton was backed up to the rear of the tanker to utilize one line to lift the tank and one line to spike the rear of the tank chassis. The estimated weight on each line of the 35-ton wrecker was figured to be 5,625 lbs. Using a 1/2” Grade 100 chain, a low line was attached to the frame of the tanker just behind the tandems down to an 8-ton snatch block. A 12’ round sling with a vertical working load limit of 13,200 lbs. was
The Jerr-Dan 85-ton rotator was needed to reach over and lift the tank.
The Jerr-Dan 35-ton was backed up to the rear of the tanker to lift.
Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
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A WreckMaster Wrinkle was used to attach straps to the kingpin of the tanker to lift and rotate the front of the tank.
The recovery crew began the rotation by first lifting with the front truck to level out the trailer.
threaded between the tanker and damaged wall to lift the top side of the tank and was attached to the frame with another 1/2” Grade 100 chain. All rigging on rear was attached to 5/8” steel-core wire rope with a working load limit of 11,600 lbs. After stabilizing the rear to prevent the tank from slipping down the wall, the next objective was to rig the front of the tanker. Knowing that the weight on the front was around 30,000 lbs., a WreckMaster Wrinkle with a working load limit of 50,000 lbs. was used to attach straps to the kingpin of the tanker to lift and rotate the front of the tank to try and save the landing gears. Attached to the Wrinkle were two 10’ blue round slings each with a vertical working load limit of 21,200 lbs. attached to two independent 3/4” steel-core wire rope each with a working load limit of 16,560 lbs. After all the lines were tightened, all three operators walked around the tank inspecting all rigging to ensure nothing was hooked improperly or had become unhooked during rigging. The building was then cleared of all unauthorized personnel except the three towing operators. We began the rotation by first lifting with the front truck to level out the trailer; the roll was operated smoothly and with great control. After the tank was held for about 15 minutes to ensure the sludge had settled back at the bottom of the tank, the landing gear was cranked down to allow another tractor to back under the tank and remove it from the building. WreckMaster said this recovery was selected because the recovery team worked efficiently together, communicated effectively and executed the recovery in a professional manner. Editor’s note
After the tank was set on its landing gear, another tractor removed it from the building. 88 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
Starting with the 2016 Donnie Cruse Recovery awards, WreckMaster President Justin Cruse announced that there would no longer be a light-, medium- and heavy-duty award winner, but rather three awards would be given out regardless of weight class.
Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
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Will the Defendant Please Rise? by Mark Lacek
I
f it sounds like I’m preaching to the choir, then so be it. If my columns make it sound like I don’t think you understand the business of repossessions, that’s because most don’t. In your defense, I would say that most of the American Towman Magazine readers of this column do understand the business. I’ve been writing this column for about four years (48 monthly installments of my knowledge of the repossession industry planted directly into your brain). For you followers of my often less-than-journalistic rants, I say, my friends, thank you for taking the time to educate yourself. What about those who do not have the luxury of reading this column, where do you suppose they gain the knowledge? It scares me to think the lessons are from some “reality TV” repo show. These shows sensationalize an industry already loaded with misunderstandings of the rules of law and total disregard for public safety. Even those airplane repo folks are misleading: an airplane repossession doesn’t involve stepping into the cockpit and flying it away. (The truth is, repossessing an airplane involves renting the nearest hanger, pulling the plane into said hanger and locking the door. It would be a complete folly to enter the cockpit of a plane without a study of the maintenance records and/or the flight history and take to the air.) If these shows were really real, most of the subjects’ antics would result in hospital visits, arrests or death.
Witness Stand In the last 30 days, I have been hired as an expert witness by five law firms from across the country. All of 90 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
If the “reality” TV repo shows were really real, there would be quite a few arrests for breach of the peace in violation of Universal Commercial Code 9-609 to 9-628.
these new assignments are about the repossessor failing to retreat after an obvious breach of the peace. The responsibility of a repossessor is to complete the task sent to him by his client without breaching the peace. The definition of breach of the peace is not precise, so it is open to interpretation in many court cases. With this said, there are loads of case law that cover just about any variant of breach of the peace.
A repossessor must retreat immediately when a breach of the peace occurs.
The Universal Commercial Code is not a law, but a model of recommendations for state laws. Sections 9-609 to 9-628 of the UCC, Secured Parties Right To Take Possession After Default, states, “In taking possession of collateral, a secured party or its agents or assigns may proceed without judicial process (self-help repossession), if this process can be accomplished without breach of the peace.” Understand, retain and comply with this simple fact: A repossessor must retreat immediately when a breach of the peace occurs. It does not matter who initiates the breach. For instance: • If a neighbor comes out and objects to your repossession efforts and begins yelling and screaming and demands you stop … you must retreat. • If the debtor walks out of the
front door, smiles and asks you politely to stop … you must stop and retreat. • If the debtor ties himself to the bumper and you have the collateral lifted and ready to go … you must stop and retreat. As of late, repossessors find themselves a bit confused because of the implementation of new language in state law regarding when a repossession is complete and when the repossessor has custody and control of the collateral. California, Illinois and Florida have re-written existing language which defies existing UCC language. Some will tell you that a repossession is complete when the repossessor’s butt is in the seat. Wrong. Some will say a repossession is complete when the tow truck is hooked to the collateral. Wrong. If your tow truck is hooked to the car and the debtor, or a third party, is demanding you drop the vehicle, you must retreat. Unhook the car and leave; you won’t win this battle in
court. I can provide you with plenty of cases where the courts ruled against the repossessor and the finance intuition when the repossessor failed to retreat. Across the country, repossession companies who claim to follow California, Illinois and Florida language of the law are losing in court because the repossessor has failed to retreat. These repossessors are claiming custody and control of the asset because they have their “butt in the seat” or a chain hooked to the axle while in the debtor’s driveway.
Law Enforcement Law enforcement’s presence during a repossession itself is a breach of the peace, and courts have ruled this way time and time again. Courts also ruled that the threat of engaging law enforcement is a violation and can be considered a breach of the peace. Understand that if a debtor feels intimidated or is in fear by the threat of police presence during a repossession, you will lose in a court proceeding.
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92 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
In many of my expert witness testimony and depositions, I find myself arguing on behalf of the debtors’ attorneys. Because of the repossessors’ continual violations of the UCC and breach of the peace, attorneys are filing wrongful repossession cases in local courts across the land. The truth is that people are getting injured and sometimes killed because of the reckless acts of the unprofessional, non-certified repossessor who learns his job duties watching “nonreality TV.” There are certification programs to help educate those who have a desire to perform a quality service. A certified professional repossessor is trained to choose the time and moment of recovery carefully. A trained repossessor must abide by not only the rules of retreat, but also the moral code of protecting the public. Be safe.
Repo Editor Mark Lacek authored the Certified Commercial Recovery Agent certification program and has more than 30 years of recovery experience. He is the former editor of “Professional Repossessor” magazine. Email him at Mark@commercialassetsolutions.com.
Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
TOWMAN.COM - April 2017 • 93
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‘Da Beast’ of Burden
by Jim “Buck” Sorrenti
Tech Highlights
Y
ou hear the term working end or business end when describing wreckers, well this entire unit is the business end. This is a no-nonsense machine purpose-built from front to back for recovery work. Chris Savoury started RoadMasters Towing & Recovery in Hampstead, N.C., in 2014. RoadMasters’ operators are highly trained in disaster and incident management, as well as in salvage and heavy recovery from land, off-road, water and wherever else the situation calls them. They have earned DHS, FEMA, OSHA, Homeland Security, National Highway Institute, and Environmental training and certifications and have a fleet of unique equipment to handle it all. Perhaps most unique is this wrecker, “Da Beast,” a 1999 Oshkosh M1070 Heavy Equipment Transporter that Chris recently added. “This unit is American-made and built by Oshkosh,” Chris 96 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
Builder: Oshkosh. Chassis: 1999 Oshkosh M1070 HET. Wrecker: Fifth-wheel tri-axle winch truck. Engine: 12L Detroit Diesel Model 8V92TA DDEC II. Trans: Allison CLT-754 five-speed automatic. Winches: Two 55,000-lbs. DP winches, one 4,000-lbs. auxiliary. Extras: Grote TRILLIANT Route Clearance light kit, Whelen amber rotating beacons, rear-mounted spotlights. Equipment: Rear seating converts into bunk beds, huge snatch blocks, Central Tire Inflation System. Paint: Original U.S. Army paint. Design: Additional camo added by Chris.
said. “It was originally used to move M-1 Abrams tanks and more recently it was used by a company that I traded my 5-ton for. They used the Oshkosh for building and house moving, but it was too big to maneuver where he was working.” When the Abrams was put into service, the U.S. Army’s existing tank transporters were unable to carry the load. Oshkosh Truck Corp. was awarded the contract to develop and manufacture a new heavy-duty tank transporter and the M1070 was the result. The M1070 replaced the M911. The M1070 HET is an 8x8 tractor truck. It is eight-wheel drive and has rear-wheel steering. It has a heavyduty, full oscillating fifth wheel built to Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
accommodate the M1000 trailer or any other trailer with a 3-1/2” kingpin. An electronic engine control system to ensure maximum efficiency at all times, and an air-ride rear suspension to ensure all axles remain in contact with the ground at all times. To assist traction across rough terrain, it has the ability to air the tires for mud, sand, snow and highway with its Central Tire Inflation System. To carry both the tank and its crew, the truck has rear seating that converts into bunk beds. “We installed a Grote Trilliant Route Clearance light kit, and added Whelen amber rotating beacons and rear-mounted spotlights,” Chris said. To handle the pulls, it is equipped with two 55,000-lbs. DP winches and one 4,000-lbs. auxiliary winch to pull main cables out to casualties. The huge snatch blocks hanging off the front of Da Beast make for an imposing profile. “Da Beast gets a lot of attention,” Chris said. “It has the original U.S. Army paint job, with some different camo added by myself. We are debating on whether or not to pretty it up and paint it our company colors of
lime green and white and add some chrome touches. I think we will when finances allow.” A 12-liter Detroit Diesel DDEC II, developing 500 hp at 2,100 rpm, powers Da Beast. It has an Allison CLT-754 five-speed automatic transmission, with a TC-496 torque converter and Oshkosh 55000 two-speed transfer case. “Da Beast is the largest privately owned off-road recovery vehicle, that I know of, in North Carolina. We have a ton of people that get stuck on the beach, and in the game lands, and also in very soft ground,” Chris said. “We used this truck on the first day we got it, a few months ago. Every job it has performed is memorable. “We had a call for a tractor-trailer stuck in a ditch and we actually just used our 70-ton chains to hook to it’s tow hooks, put Da Beast in low range and walked it out. No problem. “This truck is a beast!”
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. TOWMAN.COM - April 2017 • 97
‘Respect the Peril’
by Steve Calitri
R
espect the Peril. Make it Home Tonight. Those are the words on the rim of the commemorative Spirit Ride coin, designed to be a talisman for its bearer. In those words is the reason for the Spirit Ride and the grave challenge facing the towing industry today. The challenge is not only to reduce the number of needless deaths and injuries to towers and first responders working the roadway. The states’ Move-Over laws that the Spirit Ride was created to promote is not the end-all to the problem of roadside safety nor the only cause we should get behind. At the heart of the issue is the industry’s confidence to be able to safely go about its work. This confidence affects the business owner who must recruit qualified people to be tow operators and also affects the mind-set of the job candidate and then the new recruit facing highway perils for the first time. Everyone in this industry knows someone who was killed or someone who lost a driver. Last month, New Mexico tow boss Linda Unruh lost her son, Robert, who was training a new person on the job when an 80 year old motorist struck him. I have talked to Linda on a few occasions at tow show events and AT profiled her company. I feel her pain. Each time this tragedy occurs every tow boss must ask him or herself, is this the fate of my driver, son or daughter? Making the motorist aware of the young Move-Over laws is but one of the unresolved issues involving the safety of first responders. At the bottom of American Towman pages are the words, Work the non-traffic side. This practice alone, when followed, will reduce the number of times a tower is struck. This and other safety measures can limit the carnage. The precautions that towers must take must be drilled into them during company safety meetings. But the biggest change must be a collective shift in the industry’s realization of what it faces and who we are. We are emergency service operatives who work in peril on the road. Neither the industry nor the job should be sugarcoated. The attempt to do so when recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and maintaining a professional driver-force only results in pulling in the wrong people and creating high turnover. The Sprit Ride has had a strong response in its early signup stage, tow bosses who understand that promoting safety awareness and the Move-Over laws will not only save lives but make a statement to company drivers: Your lives are precious to this company as they are to your
98 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
Spirit Casket loads. Loyal Towing (Monroe, NY) winched the casket onto its carrier and transported it to Vintage Auto Body (Westbury, NY) where wrecker artist Cecil Burrowes went to work on the Spirit Casket's custom design. The casket and platform are connected to a custom-built dolly with attachment points for easy winching and tie-down.
family so we need to take all safety precautions. But I imagine there are many tow bosses who are afraid to look at the issue head-on, thinking that drawing attention to the dangers of the job will only make it more difficult to find tow operators. In that narrow perspective they’re right. After all, who with any sense would do such work with risks being so high. That’s why the industry must raise its game on the recruitment front and on how it portrays itself. The military recruits hundreds of thousands into its ranks each year by portraying what one will learn and how one will grow alongside the risks one will face. On average, a soldier is paid less than a tower. We at American Towman look to be instrumental in helping to portray our industry in the manner that will effectively help recruitment. In the meanwhile, you can make a statement to your drivers that you’re being proactive about their safety by joining the Spirit Ride. Editor’s note: Towers may sign up for the Spirit Ride at www.ATSpiritRide.com. The Ride is a project of American Towman Spirit Inc., a non-profit corporation. The Spirit Ride was founded by American Towman Magazine and B/A Products. Companies and individuals may also sign up to sponsor the Spirit Ride at the website.
NORTH 100 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
TOWMAN.COM - April 2017 • NORTH 101
NORTH 102 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
Philly Tower Stealing Again f hc I'hiladcl phia (1'a.) Police D e p a r t m e n t arrested 37-year-old Philadel p hia tower Louis Am a r o , accusing him of using his tow truck to steal cars and then sell them, usually for parts or scrap. T h e cars were alleged l y stolen between Dec. 1(- -J an. 25. "there were three Honda Civics, one Honda Accord, one Chevy Tracker and a Mazda MZ -6 , all older models with the oldest d a t i n g back to 1994, according to police. Pro secutors say t h a t another tower paid A m a r o $60 for one of the cars in question, unaware that the car had been stolen. That tower then allegedl y scrapped the car for $128, and police were able to nab Amaro throug h those sales records. The tower who scrapped the car posi-
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A New Jersey man faces several drug-related charged after sheriff's officers responded to a property damage hit-and-run call in Chester, N.Y. Officers arriving at the scene were told a vehicle struck a tow truck and then left the scene. They located the suspect and suspect vehicle in the parking lot of the Word of Life. Investi gation showed that tow operator Roger Peet was southbound on Route 9 in his 2015 Dodge tow
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NORTH 104 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
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the double-solid line and struck the driver 's side rear of the tow truck. Officers say the operator of the Honda made no attempt to stop, and left the scene with considerable damage. Officers arrested Josep h A. Masi, 23, of Hazlet , N .J., and determined that his ability to operate the vehicle was impaired b y drugs; they also found several controlled substances on him. Officers said neither driver was injured . Source: cbs6alb any.com .
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considering changes to it s Move Over law to add utilit y workers to the list of peop le drivers have to g ive space to safely work on the side of the road . GT Tow- Service owner James Gresham wonders how much safer the bill will re ally make workers . His 18-y ear-old son Blake was a tower who was killed in 2012 while hel p ing it stranded motorist on 1-35. At the time , Kansas City police weren ' t even sure whether towers were included in Missouri' s Move Over law. It tur ns out tha t they are , but Gresham says his son ' s death has done little to change police or driver behavior. He says he ' s worked thousands of highways scenes since, and nearly every time someone goes flying by unaware. He says he' s never seen law enforcement he was working with ticket anyone. Since he doesn ' t believe drivers have to worry about what violating the law will cost them, instead he asks drivers to consider "what it will cost the families of who you mi g ht hit. " "Just every body needs to slow down , put the cell p hones down ," Gresham said.
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III , 34, was killed in March by an impaired driver who hit him while he assisted a disabled vehicle on I55. Around 20 tow trucks participated in the procession. Alv e v was a driver for ROM ' s T o wi ng & R e c o v e r v a n d w a s regarded as someone who wou ld " g ive you the shirt off his back. " Source: wwlhv .com. Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
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A Modesto (Calif.) City Council committee forwarded a contr act governing police impounds for drivingrelated offenses to the full council for adoption. Councilman Doug Ridenour said committee members unanimously accepted the proposed contract and recommended the council adopt it. He said Police Chief Galen Ca rroll will meet with towing companies that have concerns about imp lementing the contract , and the committee is recommending a new system that will dispatch the tow trucks be p hased in over 90 days to give the towing companies more time to make the transition. Drivers pay an administrative fee to the police to get their cars back. The fee now is $160 for all tows but increases under the new contract for certain offenses. For instance , the fee would be $250 for driving on a suspended or revoked license and $450 for a DUI. The cost of the tow and storage also will go up. The cost of a tow is now $215 and storage is $39 a day. But under the new contract, the tow is $220 in the contract' s first year ,
$225 in its second and $230 in the third. Dail y storage rates start at $50 and increase by $1 each in the second and third year. Source: modbee.com.
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The Philadel phia (Pa.) Police D e p a r t m e n t arrested 37-year-old Philadel phia tower Louis Amaro , accusing him of using his tow truck to steal cars and then sell them, usually for parts or scrap. The cars were allegedl y stolen between Dec. 16-Jan. 25. There were three Honda Civics , one Honda Accord, one Chevy Tracker and a Mazda MZ-6, all older models with the oldest dating back to 1994 , according to police. Prosecutors say that a n o t h e r
tower paid Amaro $60 for one of the cars in question , unaware that the car had been stolen. That tower then allegedl y scrapped the car for $128, and police were able to nab Amaro throug h those sales records. The tower who scrapped the car positivel y identified Amaro and is willing to testif y against him , according to police. Amaro has been charged with six counts each of theft and receiving stolen property; court records indicate that he has 13 prior arrests,
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Continued: Hawaii Tragedy
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A New Jersey man faces several drug-related charged after sheriff' s officers responded to a property damage hit-and-run call in Chester, N.Y. Officers arriving at the scene were told a vehicle struck a tow truck and then left the scene. They located the suspect and suspect vehicle in the parking lot of the Word of Life. Investigation showed that tow
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operator Roger Peet was southbound on Route 9 in his 2015 Dod ge tow t r u c k when a 1999 Honda crossed the double-solid line and struck the driver 's side rear of the tow truck. Officers say the operator of the Honda made no attempt to stop, and left the scene with considerable damage.
Officers said neither driver was injured. Officers arrested Josep h A. Masi , 23, of Ilazlet , N.J., and determined that his ability to operate the vehicle was impaired b y drugs; they also found several controlled substances on him. Officers said neither driver was injured. Source: cbs6albany.com.
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TOWMAN.COM - April 2017 • SOUTH 103
Laboring in the Field by Jim "Buck " Sorrenti
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teve Sedberry is the president and d r i v i n g force behind B u d d y ' s Wrecker Service located in Union City, Tenn. Steve 's parents, John Morgan "Buddy " Sedberry Jr. and June Sedberry, founded the famil y owned and operated cornpans' in 1963. In 2015, Sedberry purchased and restored a I lolmes 1601 22-ton twinline h y draulic wrecker and mounted the unit on an International 4800 4x4. Ile calls this workhorse "Brutus" and recovery specialist operator Michael "Coletrain " Cole has been running it ever since it was put in service in December 2015. Last September, Budd y ' s received a call to recover a rolled-over tractor and grain trailer from a field. "We were called out on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend," Cole said. "The farmer contacted us directly to do the recovery. We were told that the driver was crossing a drainage
SOUTH 104 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
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ditch coming out of the field and when he turned towards the road he dropped the trailer tandems off in the ditch. The majority of the load of corn was emptied as it turn ed over. " Sedberry responded with his 2010 International Lonestar/Century 9055. The 9055 has a 50-ton boom with a Coach LowRider underlift. Cole took Brutus out to the field. The farmer had provided men and equi pment to finish the offload of the corn so Sedb erry and Cole could do the recovery. They positioned both wreckers backed to the underside of the trailer. The 9055 was at the back of the trailer and "Brutus " was at the front b y the tractor . "I ran one line from 'Brutus ' to the front axle of the truck with a snatch block on my tailboard to put down ward pressure, " Cole said. "With the 9055, we used a dog-b one sling throug h the trailer wheels attached to
a round sling, and a snatch block also ran to the tailboard. " Working in tandem, Sedberry and Cole brought the truck and grain trailer combo back onto its wheels. They secured the unit to the Coach LowRider underlift on the 9055 and Sedberry towed the truck and trailer to the farmer 's shop. "It 's always nice when the custour er tells you 'I can tell you ' ve done this before !,' " Sedberry said with a smile. Editor's note: This story ori ginall y ran on AT's sister site , towindustryweek .com, which features industry news, training, recoveries, new products, events and more. Don 't miss out-make sure to read it each week. Ji m "Buck" Sorrenti , a
longtime editor of American
Towman, has been our field editor for the past few years . He is a freelance writer and p hotograp her with more than 40 years of experience covering motorcyho t rod , tr uck a ndd t wing c u l t u r e . He writes cle, o
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Mobile Dolly to the Rescue by Jim "Buck" Sorrenti
ill' s Towing & Auto Service of St . Clairsville, Ohio, has been
;
in business since 1981. They Mhave grown to become one of the largest towing companies in the Ohio Valley. Owner Bill Coulson runs the business with his sons , Chad and Ty. Chad and Ty are co-owners of Bill' s Towing and BTR Environmental , an emergency Hazmat sp ill-response com
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On Jan. 9, 2017, Bill' s was called by the Brid geport Police Department for a semi that struck a pole. The police said that the trailer axles were ri pped out from under the trailer and it was loaded with 44 ,000 lbs. of cargo. Bill' s dispatched their 50-ton JerrDan rotator, a road tractor , a service truck , and a Jerr-Dan industrial flatbed hauling a forklift and a mobile flattop tandem-axle doll y. Ty responded in their 2012 Pete 388/J err-Dan HDR 1000 50-ton rotator . Chad drove the road tractor, a 2015
The Ford serv ice tru ck was moved in and torches were used to cut the broken axles out from u n d e r the trailer. Once they were free , operator Tony Albri g ht used the Bobcat 'lclehandler forklift to pull them out from under the trailer while the rotator
flat-top doll y was unloaded from the Jerr-Dan flatbed and Albri ght used the forklift to place the doll y into position under the trailer. "We chained the doll y under the trailer using chain and binders and cross chaining it in place, " said Chad.
Kenworth '1880, to the scene. Opera-
held the t r a i l e r in the air. The mobile
"The broken axles ori g i n a l l y un d e r
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tors Bill y Myers and Greg Reline were in a 20 16 lord F-550 service truck.
Operator Jake Black d rove their 2016 Jerr-Dan Industrial carrier h a u l i n g the Bobcat le leh andler forklift and mobile dolly to the scene.
The crew did a walk-around of the scene and found the loaded trailer impaled on a concrete-filled steel pole that had broken right through th e wooden floor of the trailer . The trailer axles were mang led and torn from the frame. The rotator was put into position and ri gged to the back of the trailer with chains so they could first lift the trailer up and off of the pole. Using two 5/8 chains, the trailer was lifted and swung out from the poles and curb and back onto the road. MIDWEST 100 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
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We chained the dolly under the trailer using chain and binders and cross chaining it in place the trailer were loaded onto our flatbed along with our forklift and transported back to our shop. " "We received the call at 6:55 a.m. and arrived on scene at 7:30 a.m., " Tv said. "We cleared the scene at 8:45 a.m. and our 2015 Kenworth T880 tractor transported
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the u n i t back to our shop for a load swap. The following
day we transferred the load from the broken trailer to a replacement trailer and sent it on its way. " ?
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Etitor 's note :
This story originally ran onA Ts sister site, towindustr Yw eek.com which features industry
news, training, recoveries, new products, events and more. Don 't miss out-make sure
to read it each week
Jim "Buck' Sorrenti , a longtime editor of American Towman, has been our field editor fo r the past few years . He is a freelance writer and photogra pher with more than 40 years of experience covering motorcycle , hot rod , truc k and towing culture. He writes weekl y for Towlndustry Week.com .
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TOWMAN.COM - April 2017 • MIDWEST 101
Ins
p ired by NASCAR
by George L. Nitti
• '?IIN G
one tow trucks are harder to replace than others, especiall y as they get older and the make and models disappear from the marketplace. Fox City Towing of A pp leS ton , Wis ., has a 1999 Ford F-550/Vulcan 892 that falls into this category.
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"It would be h a d to find aiiothei one like it ,"
said owner Nicholas Van. "After 18 years , they rust out and become harder to find. " This beautiful electric-blue unit was pur chased in the south where the paint job was cus tomized, and then brought back to Wiscon sin where its clean and elegant appearance now turns heads. "It' s a workhorse and my oldest truck and that' s wh y we keep it up pretty well," Van said. The uni que flames on the hood turn gold , purp le or blue depending on the sun . Coated with a specia l DuPont p aint called Chrome Illusion , the colors change in the li ght. "i' m a huge Jeff Gordon NASCAR fan ," Van related. "He had a race car and it was done up in a Chronic Illusion paint. I call this unit the 'Jeff Gordon I d i t i o n Tow 'lr u c k . ' "
MIDWEST 102 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
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"Most tow trucks are not painted like that because it is absolutely expensive," said Van. "It ' s about 250 bucks for a quart of paint. " As a result , it catches most eves.
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"It ' s a pretty s h a r p looking truck, " he said. As for Fox City 's logo and the quarter-like moon that sits just under it, that insp iration stemmed from Van ' s stock-car racing hobb y.
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pretty well. "1 race stock cars in Wisconsin," Van said. "I sponsor m y s e l f . I wanted something to fit under the corner panel and I used that logo desi gn, which has carried over onto this truck. " Van has his MBA , and decided he enjoyed towing for a living and has stuck with it since he boug ht his father 's company in 2015.
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As a result of Van 's business
back ground and other factors, the company is growing beyond expec-
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tations. He said that the American
Towman Sh owPlace-Las Vegas in May will be one of the targets in growing his company. "A lot is happening in a short period of time," Van said. "I'm reinvesting and buy ing more equi pment. Now I'm looking for our first purchase of a heavy-duty truck. "
•
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This story originally ran on AT's sister site, towindustryweek.com, which features industry news, training, recoveries, new products, events and more. Don't miss out-make sure to read it each week.
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Work the non-traffic side–Stay Safe!
TOWMAN.COM - April 2017 • MIDWEST 103
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Move Over
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Missouri state l a w m a k e r s are considering changes to its Move Over law to add utility workers to the list of peop le drivers have to g ive space to safely work on the side of the road. GT Tow Service owner James Gresham wonders how much safer the bill will really make workers. His 18-year-old on Blake was a tower who was killed in 2012 while hel p ing a stranded motorist on 1-35. At the time, Kansas City police weren't even sure whether towers were included in Missouri' s Move Over law. It turns out that they are , but Gresham says his son ' s death has done little to change police or driver behavior. He says he's worked thousands of hi ghways scenes since, and nearl y every time someone goes fl y ing b y unaware. He says he's never seen law enforcement he was working with ticket anyone. Since he doesn 't believe drivers have to worry about what violating the law will cost them, instead he asks drivers to consider "what it will cost the families of who you mi ght hit." "Just every bod y needs to slow down, put the cell p hones down ," Gresham said. Source: fox4kc.com .
Memorial Procession in New Orleans
A New Orleans , La., tower was remembered b y his friends and fellow truck drivers with a memorial procession recently. Macy Lee Alvey III, 34, was killed in March by an impaired driver who hit him while he assisted a disabled vehicle on I55. Around 20 tow trucks participated in the procession. Alvey was a driver for Rony ' s Towing
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Fri ends and colleagues of a towman in Oahu , Hawaii, who was struck while hooking up a vehicle hope the case underscores the importance of being aware of emergency vehicles on the road. The victim ' s employer, Matthew Barros , said the incident has "shaken the entire industry. "I think it' s woken up a lot of tow truck drivers in other companies, " said Barros , who owns Empire Towing & Recovering. "This is a hui. It 's a brotherhood and a sisterhood and really we have to watch each other 's backs when nobody else can." Val Tua was hooking up a car when the 25-year-ol d towman was struck by a speeding car. He was still fi ghting for his life as of press time. Family members said Tua is a newl ywed , with a young daug hter. The coup le are expecting a son soon. Tua was rushed to the hospital with severe leg injuries after the crash. In 2012, Hawaii enacted its Move Over law. "What happened is an accident that could have been prevented, " Barros said. Barros allowed Hawaii News N o v to s h a d o w him on a call recently to expose how dangerous the job can be. Most motorists didn ' t move over or even appear to slow down. Barros warned the Hawaii News Now photographer several times of oncoming vehicles coming dangerously close. Source: hawaiinew snow.com.
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WEST 100 • April 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
A New Orleans , La., tower was remembered by his friends and fellow truck drivers with a memorial procession recentl y. Macy Lee Alvey III, 34, was killed in March b y an impaired driver who hit him while he assisted a disabled vehicle on I-
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Continued.- Memiorial Procession 55. Around 20 tow trucks partici pated in the procession. Alvev was a driver for Rony ' s Towing & Recovery and was regarded as someone who would "g ive you the shirt off his back. " Source: wwltv.com.
Philly Tower Stealing Again The P h i l a d e l p hia (Pa.) Police D e p a r t m e n t a r r e s t e d 37-year-old Philadel p hia tower Louis Amaro , accusing him of using his tow truck to steal cars and then sell them , usually for parts or scrap. The cars were allegedl y stolen between Dec . 16-Jan. 25. There were
three H o n d a Civics , one H o n d a Accord , one Chevy Tracker and a Mazda MZ-6, all older models with the oldest dating back to 1994, according to police. Prosecutors say that another tower paid Amaro $60 for one of the cars in question, unaware that the car had been stolen. That tower then allegedl y
scrapped the car for $128, and police were able to nab Amaro through those sales records. The tower who scrapped the car positivel y identified Amaro and is willing to testif y against him, according to police. Amaro has been charged with six counts each of theft and receiving stolen property; court records indicate that he has 13 prior arrests, seven for theft. In 2011, he was charged with illegall y towing and scrapping a car. He p leaded guilty to one count of felony theft and was sentenced to up to 23 months in prison. Source: phill ymag. com.
accepted the proposed contract and recommended the council adopt it. He said Police Chief Galen Carroll will meet with towing companies that have concern s about imp lementing the contract, and the committee is reconr mending a new system that will dispatch the tow trucks be phased in over 90 days to give the towing companies more time to make the transition. Drivers pay an administrative fee to the police to get their cars back. The fee now is $160 for all tows but increases under the new contract for certain offenses. For instance, the fee would be $250 for driving on a suspended or revoked license and $450 for a DUI .
Panel Endorses Towing Contract
The cost of the tow and storage
also wi l l go up. The cost of a tow is now $215 and storage is $39 a day. But under the new contract, the tow is $220 in the contract' s first year, $225 in its second and $230 in the third. Dail y storage rates start at $50 and increase by $1 each in the second and third year. Source: modbee.com.
A Modesto (Calif.) City Council committee forwarded a contract governing police impounds for drivingrelated offenses to the full council for adoption. Councilman Doug Ridenour said committee members u n a n i m o u s l y
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