Tow Professional - Volume: 8 Issue: 7 by Over the Mountain Media, Inc

Professional Your Resource for Towing & Recovery

Volume 8 • Issue 7 • 2019

www.towprofessional.com

TOWING SOFTWARE

&GPS ISSUE

TOW PROFESSIONAL

CONTENTS

INDUSTRY NEWS TOWING & RECOVERY

6| 6| 8| 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 |

Jerr-Dan Hino Trucks

Volume 8 • Issue 7 WWW.TOWPROFESSIONAL.COM

FEATURES:

TOWING SOFTWARE/GPS 24 |

TOPS & Budget GPS

28 |

Towbook

41 |

VTS Systems

50 |

Auto Data Direct

Webfleet Solutions Dynamic SDMO Gear, LLC TLC Trucks & Equipment GPS Fleet Management Solutions

34 |

Ranger SST

Worldwide Equipment Sales, LLC TRAA

INSIGHTFUL TALK BY DAN MESSINA ///

16 |

What Do We Face in the Future?

44 |

54 |

an expert Witness BY JAMES E. LEWIS ///

20 |

Trifecta

IN EVERY ISSUE 4 | Editor’s Letter 58 | Dealers Place 62 | Market Place 64 | Ad Index 2

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Beacon

sureEcosystem

EDITOR’S

LETTER Volume 8 • Issue 7 WWW.TOWPROFESSIONAL.COM

Professional Your Resource for Towing & Recovery

PUBLISHER

GREAT TOW SHOWS AND TOWING SOFTWARE The Tow Professional (TP) guys just got back from Mason, OH having had a great time at the Midwest Regional Tow Show which has been described as the largest tow show in the Midwest! Shout out goes to Bruce Bender and his team who did an outstanding job as usual putting together a show which has also been called the “Family Towing Affair” offering something to everyone. Gearing up for another great show (which will be over by the time you read this), our guys are getting ready for the Tennessee Tow Show which hosts the “Wall of the Fallen” ceremony honoring towers who have lost their lives in the line of public service. TP has been committed to honoring their lives and memory also from the first year of the magazine’s inception by providing a two-page spread for the museum in every issue to help expand membership and to help increase donations to the Survivor Fund which goes to the grieving families of the towers lost in the line of duty. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families. In this issue, TP is highlighting top towing software and GPS companies and their cutting-edge products. With our litigious society, it is imperative to protect your business through documentation and surveillance which also has the potential to increase bottom lines while reducing legal liabilities. Use this issue as a guide when making your next-level business decisions.

Darian Weaver President & Publisher darian@towprofessional.com Butch Cole National Sales butch@towprofessional.com

PRODUCTION Gene Eudy Editor gene@towprofessional.com Clint Cabiness Creative Director clint@dialedinmediagroup.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Brittany Barrett-Auto Data Direct Elizabeth Martineau-Dupuis-TRAA Jeff Holland-sureEcosystem Jim Lewis Laura Mastronardi-Beacon Dan Messina Jeff Pesnell-TOPS Nigel Pestell-VTS Jim Shellhaas-Ranger SST Kendall Smith-Towbook

Stay Safe and Keep Reading, Executive and Advertising Offices 2007 Old Montgomery Hwy, Suite B Birmingham, AL 35244 Toll free: 888-802-8544 Fax: 205-978-1550 www.towprofessional.com Tow Professional is published nine times a year by Over The Mountain Media, Inc., 2007 Old Montgomery Hwy., Suite B, Birmingham, Alabama, 35244, USA. Tow Professional is distributed free to qualified subscribers. Non-qualified subscription rates are $57.00 per year in the U.S. and Canada and $84.00 per year for foreign subscribers (surface mail). U.S. Postage paid at Birmingham, Alabama and additional mailing offices. Tow Professional is distributed to qualified Towing & Recovery’s Top Decision Makers. Publisher is not liable for all content (including editorial and illustrations provided by advertisers) of advertisements published and does not accept responsibility for any claims made against the publisher. It is the advertiser’s or agency’s responsibility to obtain appropriate releases on any item or individuals pictured in an advertisement. Reproduction of this magazine in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written permission from the publisher.

Gene Eudy Editor, Tow Professional

For a new free subscription, address changes or corrections, please visit www.towprofessional.com and click on the “subscribe” tab.

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INDUSTRY NEWS TOWING & RECOVERY

LIMITED TIME OFFER ON IN-STOCK 25-TON WRECKERS Don’t miss this limited time offer on in-stock 25-ton wreckers and kits. • • • •

Available for immediate delivery Flexible lending options 100% financing with zero down up to $330,000* Simple application process

This offer is only available while supplies last!

Contact Todd Chase for more information. E: jdfs@jerrdan.com P: 281-883-0112 C: 978-992-8001

HINO TRUCKS COMMEMORATES MILESTONE TRUCK DELIVERY TO PENSKE TRUCK LEASING Novi, MI – Just one day after Hino Trucks held the grand opening of their new manufacturing facility in Mineral Wells, WV, they celebrated another milestone – the 20,000th truck delivery to Penske Truck Leasing (PTL). In a ceremony held at the plant to commemorate the delivery, members of Hino Trucks, including President and CEO Shigehiro Matsuoka were on hand as Hino Motors Ltd. President Mr. Yoshio Shimo presented the key to the 20,000th truck to Roger Penske. “Hino is an important supplier of trucks to our leasing and rental business”, said Penske Truck leasing Chairman Roger Penske. “I am honored to accept delivery of the 20,000th truck produced by Hino in the United States on behalf of Penske Truck Leasing and would like to congratulate the entire team at Hino on the achievement of this significant milestone.” The 20,000th truck is a 2020 model 268A a part of Hino’s line-up of Class 6 & 7 conventional trucks that have garnered an industry reputation for providing the lowest 6

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cost of ownership in its class. Hino’s 268 model is specifically well suited for the lease and rental market segment where Hino has grown to 10 percent of the market. The 20,000th truck will be a part of Penske Truck Leasing’s commercial rental fleet. “This has been a landmark week in the history of Hino Trucks. We have officially opened the doors of our new 1 million sq. ft. manufacturing plant and are commemorating a milestone delivery to our longstanding partner Penske Truck Leasing. They continue to guide and support our growth in North America, and we look forward to continuing to provide them with best in class trucks,” said Shigehiro Matsuoka, President & CEO for Hino Trucks. “We’re honored to receive the 20,000th Hino truck into our fleet. We congratulate the entire Hino and Toyota organizations on achieving this milestone,” said Brian Hard, President and CEO of Penske Truck Leasing. “Hino is a valued and trusted supplier, and we appreciate their ongoing support and collaboration in our work together.” Learn more about HMM at http://hmmusa.com. Learn more about Hino Trucks at http://www.hino.com.

• • • • •

Towing (LD, HD) Lot Management Recovery HD Repair Transport / Heavy Hauling • Relocation/ Private Property

SIMPLER: Easier to Use • Streamlined data entry (and easy reuse) • Pre-set account pricing or “on-the-fly” • Integrated Credit Card processing, with pre-authorization

SMARTER: More Effective • Visual Dispatch - ALL open jobs, ALL available trucks, on ONE screen: drag, drop >> assigned = better deployment • Pinpointing of incidents by Dispatch = shorter driver ETA’s • Locating “lost” customers using their cell phone

TEAMWORK: Faster • Drivers input Extras, customer email, and signatures for damage and charges • Mobile app calculates correct pricing for on-scene payments • Streamlined accounting with link to QB

PER DR CALLS MORE

IVER

INDUSTRY NEWS TOWING & RECOVERY

TomTom Telematics Officially Renamed Webfleet Solutions 20 years after the launch of the WEBFLEET solution, Europe’s #1 fleet management provider changes its company name. Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 1 October 2019 – From today, the company previously known as TomTom Telematics is operating under the new name Webfleet Solutions. Webfleet Solutions will continue to provide exactly the same market-leading products and services TomTom Telematics was known for, including WEBFLEET, NEXTFLEET, LINK devices and the range of PRO Driver Terminals. While no longer a business unit of the TomTom Group, having been acquired by Bridgestone Europe in April 2019, Webfleet Solutions will remain a key business partner of TomTom and continue to utilize its award-winning “Traffic and Maps” in its services. “20 years ago, we launched our WEBFLEET fleet management solution from our original office in Leipzig, Germany”, said Thomas Schmidt, CEO and Managing Director, Webfleet Solutions. “We were forerunners in using cloud and internet technologies to help fleets and companies with commercially used trucks, vans and cars to boost productivity, increase safety and sustainability, enhance customer satisfaction, and increase the overall efficiency of their fleet operations.” “Today, we serve more than 50,000 customers with vehicles driving in 100 countries. As Webfleet Solutions, we will go further than just providing telematics solutions. Bridgestone gives us the perfect platform from which to do so, supporting us to create a wider scope of services for more customers across the world. With us, Bridgestone EMEA now manages 1.2 million mobility and fleet management subscriptions.”

MORE ON WEBFLEET SOLUTIONS Webfleet Solutions, known as TomTom Telematics until October 1st 2019, is one of the world’s leading telematics solution providers, dedicated to fleet management, vehicle telematics and connected car services. Its main

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Software-as-a-Service solution WEBFLEET is used by businesses of all sizes to improve vehicle performance, save fuel, support drivers, and increase overall fleet efficiency. In addition, Webfleet Solutions provides services for the insurance, rental and leasing industries, car importers and companies that address the needs of businesses as well as consumers. Webfleet Solutions has over 50,000 customers worldwide and services drivers in more than 100 countries, giving them the industry’s strongest local support network and widest range of sectorspecific third-party applications and integrations. Our customers benefit every day from the high standards of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certified service, re-audited in November 2018. Webfleet Solutions was formerly known as TomTom Telematics and was part of the TomTom group until 1st of April 2019 when it was acquired by Bridgestone Europe NV/SA (“Bridgestone”), a subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, the world’s largest tire and rubber company. Bridgestone operates in 38 countries across the EMEA region, with some of Europe’s most advanced factories, world-beating technology and leading R&D investments. For further information, please visit webfleet.com. Follow us on Twitter @ WebfleetNews. For more information about Bridgestone in EMEA, please visit www.bridgestone.eu and Bridgestone newsroom.

Modern developments in mobile video technology have made it easier than ever to enhance safety and protect drivers against collisions, bad weather, and false claims.The cost of a camera system continues to pay for itself long after it is installed. Safety Vision aims to help and protect the lives of those who are dedicated to serving the community. • MAXIMIZE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY • REDUCE FINANCIAL THREATS • PROTECT VEHICLE ASSETS • CAPTURE INDISPUTABLE EVIDENCE

GET HOOKED UP TODAY! 800.544.6714

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INDUSTRY NEWS TOWING & RECOVERY

Dynamic Python 4 YEAR WARRANTY 5000LB FULLY EXTEND WHEEL LIFT 8000LB TOW RATING 82 INCHES OF REACH 25 DEGREES OF POWER AND NEG TILT

OUR Customers have been asking for a unit that would:

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Lift faster & higher Provide better weight transfer A product that would have the sleek appearance of the Lightning Body design Large tool boxes, and easy access to hydraulics.

For more info visit: www.dynamicmfg.com or anthonydynamic@mac.com

SDMO Gear Launches New Site for Products Haslet TX, September 12, 2019 - SDMO Gear, LLC announced today the initial launch of its new online store offering fresh designs in Slow Down Move Over branded items to consumers. The business is about raising awareness of the issue from the inside of a for-profit business model while being tasteful and respectful of those professionals in the industries most impacted by the public’s lack of awareness or concern for those in harm’s way. SDMO Gear also plans to help the families of those who tragedy befalls by supporting the non-profits who are dedicated to specific groups whose constituency is on the roadside taking the risks every day as they pursue their careers. The company has chosen to focus on numerous public safety disciplines and to identify some specific groups who are highly impacted by the lack of compliance with the existing Slow Down Move Over laws in all 50 states. Primary responders like police, fire, towing, and EMS were the most obvious choices due to the on-demand nature of their response and the additional dangers of being on the

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roadside in situations where your presence is unplanned. Additionally, SDMO Gear has specifically called out the mobile mechanic role, road construction workers, and Flaggers, all of whom face many different types of situations and deal with the same driving public as the others. There are certainly more to be recognized, but SDMO Gear is also working to setup the relationships with the best organizations offering support to the various groups. Simply put, SDMO Gear aims to raise awareness, save lives, make money, and support those left behind when tragedy strikes. Learn more at www.sdmogear.com.

INDUSTRY NEWS TOWING & RECOVERY

vice means greater customer satisfaction. h complete visibility of your fleet, you can and quickly. Geotab’s fleet management u meet and exceed customer expectations.

usage

TLC Truck & Equipment I purchased my first TLC truck at the 2019 Orlando Tow Expandability show. When I saw the truck, I was in awe. I was so impressed with the workmanship and the detail that was put into the truck. So, I spoke with Lisa and the staff at TLC, and we made a deal on it. The customer service has been amazing from the day we purchased it till today. I absolutely love the StepSide Classic: the truck is built solid, and I have never had an issue with truck or the fiberglass fenders. This truck has also increased my business by landing accounts with exotic car dealers. People request

GPS Fleet Management Solutions, which is headquartered in Raleigh, NC, has been distributing and supporting fleet telematics since 2000. Their full-featured solutions help businesses better manage their drivers and assets by extracting accurate and actionable intelligence from realtime and historical data. The Geotab GO9 allows you to lead your fleet into the future with expanded capacity for further native vehicle support, improved fuel usage support, electric vehicles, and global expansion. GPS Fleet Management Solutions serves and supports hundreds of fleets of all sizes and thousands of assets of all types and makes world-wide. They are a turn-key solutions provider, offering onsite installation services, company account development, personnel training, and unrestricted access to all available support services. GPS Fleet Management Solutions provides business owners with unfiltered data, provides absolute awareness, ensures efficiency and cuts waste from its source, increases profits and promotes driver safety. 12

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to have their cars delivered to them on this truck. I recently just purchased another new truck from Lisa at TLC. This will be our second truck in 5 months from them, and I wouldn’t buy anywhere else. I would for sure recommend TLC for anyone’s new or used truck needs. They have really exceeded our expectations on every level. Thank you TLC! TJ Fletcher | A Super Car Towing | Tampa, FL To find your next truck visit: www.tlctruckandequipment.com

GPS Fleet Management Solutions’ relationships are centered upon a handshake agreement. They do not have contracts or term limits to define a relationship, and they work hard to ensure flawless product performance while providing the support to make certain that your solution is utilized to its capacity. Simply put, this is the way they have always done it, and the way it should be. GPS FMS’ Free Demo Unit program, which they reference as “Proof before Purchase,” allows customers to try a device for 14 days, and they state, “If you’re not convinced that this is the most efficient solution to ensure employee accountability and live asset management, we will send a call tag to pick up the unit.” NO QUESTIONS ASKED! For More Info Contact;Renee Depuydt, Director of Sales GPS Fleet Management Solutions 616-550-2812 renee@gpsfms.com | www.gpsfms.com

INDUSTRY NEWS TOWING & RECOVERY

Worldwide Equipment Sales, LLC Selects Jeffrey Irr as New CEO Rockdale, IL – (September 13, 2019) – Pritchard Companies, parent company of Worldwide Equipment Sales, LLC, announced Jeffrey Irr as the company’s Chief Executive Officer. The selection of Irr compliments the goals and core values of Worldwide Equipment Sales, LLC, a nationwide tow truck and recovery business delivering first class customer service for sales, parts, and service. Irr has been in the transportation industry for 31 years. Prior to his new role with Worldwide Equipment Sales, LLC, Irr spent 5 years with Jerr-Dan Corporation, a Division of Oshkosh, where he managed sales, marketing, and day-to-day operations. Among his career achievements at Jerr-Dan, Irr grew sales and developed the current

JDFS Financial Solutions Program. His leadership and knowledge of the Class 6-8 truck and towing markets ensured Jerr-Dan’s position as one of the top manufacturers in the towing industry. The addition of Irr will ensure the successful future of Worldwide Equipment Sales, LLC. “We are fortunate to have someone of Jeff Irr’s caliber and experience leading us into the next era of growth,” said Pat Winer, Founder of Worldwide Equipment Sales, LLC. Irr graduated from Eastern Nazarene College in 2003, with an MSM and B.S. in Business Management. He lives in Greencastle, Pennsylvania with his wife, Amy, and their three sons, Ben, Sam, and Zach. They enjoy staying involved in their community and in youth sports.

TRAA Coordinating Move Over Law Awareness Among States By Elizabeth Martineau-Dupuis, TRAA’s Director of Education The Midwest Regional Tow Show 2019 in Mason, OH hosted the TRAA’s most recent State Association Forum Breakfast. This was the third forum for affiliate state associations TRAA has held this year, and it was just as well attended as the other two with leaders from 15 individual state associations participating. The primary goal of the Ohio forum was for state associations to share their initiatives and ideas for promoting Move Over Law awareness with the motoring public. TRAA is asking all state associations to join our incident management partners in supporting FHWA’s National Traffic Incident Responder Awareness Week (NTIRAW) from November 10-16, 2019. Whenever possible, states are asked to coordinate their Move Over Awareness initiatives during or leading up to FHWA’s annual week in November for maximum exposure and impact outside of the towing community. By synchronizing our efforts, we’ll also be sending a clear message of inclusion with and support for our IM partners. 14

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TRAA also mentioned their backing for the Move Over Law Day Resolution (H. Res. 373). Since the resolution does not include a date, if passed, we’re hopeful that the legislators will select a November date to coincide with FHWA’s established National Traffic Incident Responder Awareness Week (NTIRAW). Of course, one of the best ways to gauge the effectiveness of these Move Over events is to review the struck-by and near-miss data for tow operators. The Towing Traffic Incident Reporting System (TTIRS) is the only reporting system for the towing industry. TTIRS is recognized by FHWA, the National Academy of Sciences’ Transportation Research Board (TRB), and many of our incident management partners. The collection of this data is essential for pushing the enforcement of Move Over Laws. To learn more, visit: http://www.ttirs.com/. What is your state association doing to promote Move Over Law awareness to the motoring public? We challenge you to get involved!

INSIGHTFUL TALK BY DAN MESSINA ///

WHAT DO WE FACE IN THE

FUTURE? Two weeks ago, I was invited to the Montana State Association tow show. They paid my expenses, and I was a guest speaker at their dinner and held a 3-hour seminar on towing business in general. Some of the topics were:

1. 16

The Owner – As an owner, you wear many hats, and you better be prepared to fit in each one of them.

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2. 3. 4.

Leadership – Some people were not meant to be leaders, yet, as the owner, you are expected to lead. Business Plans – It is important to have a business plan, so what does it take to create one? The Budget – Following a good business plan, we created a budget and discussed at length

where you are, there is always something.

When to Sell – This is a topic they wanted to talk at length on. It was not that they were ready to sell but knowing how to sell would make their business better. Here are a few things we discussed: a. Know when to sell the business. Timing is everything. b. Don’t be afraid to ask someone to help you put together the sales package. It was the best $500 I spent when I sold my business.

the importance of knowing your business.

Avoiding Burnout – How many times have you woken up and said, “I do not want to go to work today” especially in an area where the climate might be below zero or over 100 degrees. I guess no matter

c. Don’t have high expectations. You can get what you think it’s worth, but you must work to get there. d. Tell your employees what you are planning and make sure they are happy. e. Make sure your customers are happy and let them know you may be selling. www.towprofessional.com

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Tow Professional

INSIGHTFUL TALK BY DAN MESSINA ///

f. Pay off as much debt as possible. The first time someone wanted to buy my company I was disappointed because they offered me almost nothing. They showed me how they evaluated my company. For the next 6 months, I prepared to sell based on what I was told. When I sold, I got more than I was asking. g. Have a good list of assets. Even though the tow companies were not ready to sell, our discussions gave them things to work on to improve their business. I got the feeling towers are in it for the long haul. I’ll say one thing about the tow

companies in Montana--they all were like family. Their show was small with maybe 500 towers, but they covered a lot of information. They held several classes besides mine and made valuable information available. It seemed like we were always eating or drinking. Their hospitality was 2nd to none, and I can’t say enough about the state of Montana. I had all day Sunday to explore, and we did. My wife and I put over 800 miles on the car just on Sunday. What a beautiful state even if they just got 40 inches of snow! Let’s get back on track. The major part of our class was our discussion about employees, especially drivers. I learned over the years how tow companies are constantly complaining about their drivers. I never understood that

because that’s the biggest asset you have. I tell everyone in my classes that we all have the same trucks, dispatch software, and we can go after the same accounts. The only difference between you and your competition is your employees. I talked to a lot of tow companies and for some reason, they don’t like their drivers or get along with their drivers. When I ran my company, I would hug my drivers every chance I got. They made me money, and I treated them like gold. One of the main topics we discussed for over an hour was “Where do we find the driver of the future?” We had 40 tow companies in the room, and the discussion was awesome. It seems like all the associations worry about training, and not the next generation of towers. Just about every tow company needs drivers. We talked about things like:

Starting some type of classes in high school like mechanics or anything relating to mechanics will help students transition into tow-related jobs. When I ran my business, I went to a high school in Dallas and took 2 students twice a week for a half a day and let them work at my storage yard. I ran my own auctions, so they started cars for me. They got school credit, made a little money, and were happy to be at my storage yard. My company got recognition for helping the Dallas school district. Keep in mind that not every student is meant for college. I recently paid a plumber $145 for an hr. to fix my toilet. There were two tow company owners in the class that had college degrees, but they were not using them. There are no degrees in towing.

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The second topic of discussion was a trade school for towing. If 40 tow companies in Montana came up with an idea for a trade school for towing, think what a few associations could put together if they tried. Take three retired towers, pay them a small salary, and let them work with high schools and trade schools to create drivers for the future. If the national association backed a program that created drivers, it would get the support of all the associations nationwide.

work with truck manufactures and let the government help buy trucks. Now you have an educated driver with his own truck ready to make you money. As an industry, these are the things we should be discussing rather than more testing. I’m ready to take this to the next level if anyone is with me.

The president just initiated a program to take ex-convicts and find them a good job in society. Since they all have tattoos anyways, let’s make them tow truck drivers. If we worked at it, we could probably get some government assistance to pay for their education. We could www.towprofessional.com

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Tow Professional

an expert Witness BY JAMES E. LEWIS ///

trifecta is usually a good thing. In the gambling world, it means that you’ve hit progressively three times in a row. Trifecta is a recent addition to the English language. It first appeared in the early 1970s as a term for a horse-racing bet in which the first, second, and third place finishers are chosen in the correct order. The word has since broadened in meaning: it can now also refer to a group of three (usually desirable) things. It is found in everything from advertisements to media company names to casual speech. Trifecta combines the prefix “tri-“ (meaning “three”) with the last element in

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“perfecta,” a word of American Spanish origin that refers to a horseracing bet in which the first- and second-place finishers are chosen correctly. In towing, I have found a “trifecta” which are three of the most common issues I come across in our industry: The first two issues are summarized in common statements I hear: “If it fits, it ships.” and “I haven’t lost one yet.” The third are the poor choices on using social media. The irony of it all is that those who use the phrases or unwisely post on social media are proud of it when the opposite should be true as they are putting everything www.towprofessional.com

they own at risk! Let’s take a look at all three:

“If it fits, it ships” The accompanying photo makes me cringe. If it doesn’t make you cringe, it probably should, or should at least get your attention. If you’re not bothered by it, you may not have all the facts (Just read on, and you will.). It may be that when you know the facts you still may not care, and if so, you’re directly contributing to a lazy and uncaring attitude toward the industry, and you don’t care how much you pay for insurance. We have a Freightliner M2

James E. Lewis is a driver, trainer, and manager in his third decade of experience in the towing industry. He is a published author with works in fiction, self-help, and technical guidance. Originally from Lake Jackson, Texas, he now calls Missoula, Montana home.

extended cab flatbed towing a Dodge 5500 flatbed. Let’s look at how many things we can count that are wrong: Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) on the Freightliner is 26,000 lbs. The maximum the truck is allowed to carry, including the weight of the truck, fuel, driver and passengers, and cargo, is 26,000 lbs. It isn’t a suggestion; it’s Federal statute! There’s a decal on the door frame displaying the GVWR for anyone to see, including the driver, company owner, and of course, law enforcement. The “tare” weight on the Freightliner M2 is 16,800 lbs. Tare references all weights involved as discussed in the last paragraph, but without cargo. 26,000 minus 16,800 equals 9,200. So, Federal law and the vehicle’s manufacturer says that the MOST weight you can carry is 9,200 lbs. The deck is rated for 10,000 lbs. just for information. The Dodge 5500 with a steel flatbed weighs 14,600 lbs. Hmm. No matter what, no matter what circumstances, or what anyone says, you’re 5,400 lbs. over manufacturer’s stated GVWR and at least 4,600 lbs. over the deck

rating. But wait – there’s more! The rear axle of the Freightliner M2 is rated at 18,000 lbs. I promise you on a stack of Monopoly money that the rear axle of that setup in the photo weighs more than 18,000 – there’s the tare weight of close to 11,000 lbs. (rear axle, Freightliner) and a large portion of the 14,600 lb. weight of the Dodge hanging on the rear tires. Look at several things with me: the very rear edge of the bed on the Freightliner is flexing and bending from too much weight. The rear tires are squatting hard, and the front end has very little weight on it, so you may need to stab the brakes to get the steer tires to stick while you try to brake or turn. That may sound funny, but it’s incredibly dangerous. In a nutshell, this is a very unsafe and illegal load. An elder member of my family and I have gone ‘round and ‘round about towing and capacity. He has a 1982 Chevrolet S-10 4x4 (2.8 V6 with 5-speed manual), and he’s towed a 28-foot Terry travel trailer with it. I told him that the 8,500 lb. trailer was way over the capacity for that truck. He argued that it could move it just fine! I explained that just because you can move something, doesn’t mean you can control it. Heck, any one of us could pull a truck with a rope on level ground and get it moving – now, try to control it with your hands and body when it takes off down a hill or around a corner. Again, just because you can move something doesn’t mean you can control it. And that’s exactly what these capacity numbers are there for – the manufacturer takes into account the braking system, steering system, body sway mechanisms, and engine power. The attitude of “if it fits, it ships” is not only insanely ignorant, it’s downright dangerous and can www.towprofessional.com

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Tow Professional

an expert Witness BY JAMES E. LEWIS ///

cost you your entire business due to your negligence when you knowingly abuse your equipment. Talk about lawyers having a field day! You’ve gift-wrapped a great case for them.

“I haven’t lost one yet!”

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And yes, there’s even more! “I haven’t lost one yet!” That phrase scares the life out of me. It’s usually uttered by people who have been doing dangerous, unprofessional things in the name of saving a couple of minutes or being lazy, and karma

www.towprofessional.com

hasn’t caught up to them yet. Is over-using your equipment, using only one chain on a flatbed, or using no wheel straps on a wheel-lift truck really saving you that much time and effort? When you have an accident, and you will – it’ll cost you everything you own. That statement is also used in conjunction with the notion that “I’m only going across town.” Let me ask you this: If you loaded a car on a flatbed while right off a highway exit, got on the freeway, set the cruise control, took an exit 50 miles down the road and unloaded it right there, how much stress would be placed on your securement during that trip? Now, hook the same car, roll across town, slowing down for school zones, slamming on the brakes because someone squealed

out of a parking lot and cut you off, and you hit 47 stop lights. How much stress is on your securement? “I’m only going across town” is a hundred times more dangerous to you and your equipment than a 50mile freeway ride, yet “across town” is where I see the most securement shortcuts.

Poor Social Media Choices Last, but not least, tell him what he’s won! This photo was posted on social media--Facebook, to be exact. We can share the photo and original post with a single click and drop it onto Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or several other sites, as well as copy and paste it into a text message or email. You’d better bet that all kinds of people in the industry will see it – both for good and bad reasons,

for laughter and for training. Also, when that company is involved in an accident, law enforcement, insurance adjusters, attorneys, and expert witnesses like me can dig it up with ease – and hang the company out in the breeze.

www.towprofessional.com

“If it fits, it ships” – please stop saying and doing that! “I haven’t lost one yet” – please stop being lazy and unsafe! Concerning social media, watch what you post because I assure you – everyone else is!

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Tow Professional

Take Control of Your Business with

Software You can Trust!

By Jeff Pesnell, Chief Operating Officer-TOPS

owing operations across the country are enjoying the stability, accountability, efficiency, and transparency the suite of products TOPS has delivered since its release to the market in the year 2000. Nineteen years and fortyfour million tow requests later, operators nationwide continue managing successful operations using TOPS (sold by towXchange, a division of TXI Systems, Inc.). To date, six TOPS customers have taken over one million tow requests each in the software, and two have taken over two million. This is a testament to the stability and 24

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usability of the TOPS software, and the quality of the products that TXI Systems delivers. Customer Spotlight: Merl’s Towing / Grand Rapids Towing of Grand Rapids, Michigan is the most recent of TOPS customers to achieve one million tow requests processed through the TOPS software. Merl’s Towing / Grand Rapids Towing is consistently recognized as an industry leader in the region and provides towing services for public, commercial, motor club, privateproperty, and municipal customers. Congratulations to

Merl’s Towing / Grand Rapids Towing and thank you for your confidence and commitment to TXI and to the TOPS software systems. TOPS, which is short for Towing OPerations Software, is designed to manage all aspects of a towing operation from the initial tow request to the vehicle’s final disposition. The TOPS system provides a unified and sophisticated platform for call-taking, dispatching, inventory management, lien processing, and auction administration. Used by some of the most successful towing operations nationwide, TOPS supports single and multi-location businesses as well as multi-company operations and provides individual company and roll-up accounting and management reports.

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Tow Professional

Take Control of Your Business with

Software You can Trust!

TOPS will enable your staff to work smarter with advanced tools that include powerful mobile applications for drivers and lot managers, all designed for the iPhone, iPad, Android mobile phones and tablets. With TOPS Driver, drivers can acknowledge tow requests, update call status times, navigate to pickup and drop-off locations, upload and store call-related photos, and even create new calls in the field – all from their smart phone. In addition, with the optional Square payments integration, drivers can accept creditcard payments in the field. To complete the paperless process, drivers can email call receipts to customers directly from their web-enabled mobile device. The TOPS Inventory application is designed to be used by impound lot personnel to enter and update vehicle information, take photos, and scan barcodes for simple and fast physical lot inventory management. Within the TOPS application, users enjoy enhanced data accuracy and improved employee productivity through drop-down menus, short code or type-ahead field entry, pre-population of call information and integrated swipe devices (where applicable) for quick data entry. Workflow is improved and employee accountability is enhanced with features such as automated pricing, tow ticket management, and driver and release clerk payment management systems. In addition, TOPS integrates with GPS, motor club, insurance, police and municipality systems to simplify call creation and increase your business profile. 26

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The TOPS system protects your interests by offering screen and field level security that is built around rolebased access rights. These access rights and restrictions keep employees focused on their specific tasks, limiting their visibility into systems that are outside of their area of responsibility. The TOPS role-based user access provides sophisticated security that is customizable to your company’s needs. With TOPS, you gain a better understanding of the big picture of your business with detailed management, customer activity, and driver and truck productivity reports. To close the loop on the financial aspects of your operations, TOPS imports directly to QuickBooks to take advantage of the accounting tools within that product. If QuickBooks is too much to take on for your operation, TOPS provides a simple billing system that allows you to send invoices and statements and get standard accounting reports such as aging and sales. Big or small, the TOPS suite of software products will make your operation work smarter and more efficiently, and with more management controls than ever before. towXchange also offers supplementary products which complement the TOPS experience:

Motor Club Digital Dispatch Options towXchange offers two digital dispatch platforms for Motor Club service requests. TOPS Motor Club receives digital tow request from ADS, Agero, Allstate, GEICO, NSD, Quest, Road America, Roadside Protect, Tesla, USAC, and FleetNet. As tow and service requests are received and negotiated, calls are pushed directly into TOPS as an unassigned call offering an efficient transfer of information into TOPS for dispatch to the best driver/truck resource for the job. Digital Dispatch by towXchange is a standalone application geared to those operators who simply need a way to receive a digital dispatch from a motor club without the need for a full-service towing management application. TOPS Link - With TOPS Link, your customers can use the Internet to request service, check status of calls in progress, inquire about vehicles in inventory, and more. This tool offers a one-to-one relationship between the requesting company or municipality (your customer) and you, the tow operator. TOPS link users can request services, monitor dispatch status, and view inventory lists for stored vehicles, all from a secure internet portal.

TOPS offers a fully integrated fleet tracking application marketed under the name BudgetGPS. BudgetGPS is a vehicle and fleet tracking solution geared for any industry but specifically tuned to support fleet management within the towing industry. BudgetGPS integrates with TOPS to offer a true visual dispatching tool where users can view current vehicle locations as well as unassigned pickup locations and drop-off information on the same map. Icons are color coded allowing for a visual picture of calls which are in-process and those which are about to clear. Knowing when and where drivers will clear from their current call enables dispatchers to send the best / closest resource to the next job. This saves time and money. Additionally, users can monitor ETA’s based on mapping calculations of drive time between the truck and pickup locations. BudgetGPS delivers a full set of features for a single low price. Features include: Live Map with 20-second vehicle updates to the map with live Google traffic and map or satellite views, Historical breadcrumb view with 6 months of history; Alerts and Monitoring for PTO,

GeoFence, Ignition, and Speeding. Reports include Driver Distance, State Mileage, Stops, Speeding and more. BudgetGPS uses industry- leading hardware which is mounted discreetly inside the cab of the vehicle. We offer several models of hardware including OBD pluggable devices (for vehicles equipped with an OBD II port) as well as asset tracking devices. BudgetGPS recently converted to a new refreshed website offering a new user interface experience which scales seamlessly to any internet-connected device from PC to tablet to phone. BudgetGPS offers a month-to-month service with low upfront and monthly cost. BudgetGPS is developed and supported in-house by BudgetGPS! For more information or to schedule a demonstration, please call 866-800-8677 Opt 2 or visit our websites – TOPS - www.towxchange.net BudgetGPS – www.budgetgps.com.

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Tow Professional

Modernizing Your Towing or Roadside Assistance Business with towbook

By Kendall Smith, Marketing-Towbook

any towing and recovery operators count on towing software to manage their business, and software is a key tool that companies use to succeed in today’s competitive business world. If your company works with motor clubs, police, manages private properties, or does transport work, chances are that software will help you to run a more efficient company. Towbook Management Software is built for the cloud, so that you and your team can work from just about anywhere. With important features like digital dispatching, mobile apps for iPhone and Android, QuickBooks integration, and GPS tracking, Towbook supports companies of all shapes and sizes. It’s quick and easy to set up, and the software can be operational in only a few hours. Here are a few highlights of the features available with Towbook Management Software: 28

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Digital Dispatching: Towbook offers digital integration with most major motor clubs, and you can receive digital requests to your iPhone or Android device—no phone call required. Sticker App: One of Towbook’s fastest-growing features is our Sticker app. With the Sticker app, you can create a virtual sticker in Towbook and “tag” those vehicles that you might be able to tow after a few hours or a few days. When the sticker expires, you receive a notification that the vehicle can be towed if it is still in the same location. Mobile Apps: Mobile apps for iPhone and Android have become so powerful that managers and dispatchers can do most of their work right from their phones. With the Towbook app, you can receive dispatch requests, create calls, and dispatch calls to drivers from your iPhone or Android phone in seconds.

GPS Integration: With integrated GPS, Towbook makes it simple to view the location and status of all active jobs, drivers, and trucks. Towbook offers integration with leading GPS companies such as TomTom, allowing you to send calls directly to the GPS unit in your truck. Drivers can use their GPS unit to navigate easily to the service location while updating the status of the call on the GPS unit automatically updates the driver’s status in Towbook. Replay: Replay helps you to analyze the routes that your team travels over a period and allows you to take a deeper look at events that occurred on certain calls. The Replay tool can also be used as a training aid for drivers, helping them to choose better routes and to avoid certain areas. Automatic Mileage Calculation: Towbook can automatically calculate the estimated mileage of each call using Google Maps, saving you time and preventing driver mistakes. Direct Billing: Towbook allows you to submit invoices directly to many motor clubs, which will save you a

tremendous amount of time. Towbook also makes it easy for you to track and manage all calls with an open balance. Roadside.io: Towbook’s Roadside.io feature delivers the latest customer experience capabilities to your fingertips, allowing you to provide an “Uber-like” experience to your customers. With Roadside.io, you have the option to share service information with customers while the service is in progress, which helps customers to understand the details of their service without calling for an update. You even have the option to send the customer a satisfaction survey once the job is complete. Roadside.io makes it simple for a customer or family member located far from the serviced vehicle to monitor the service progress from wherever they may be. QuickBooks Integration: If your company uses QuickBooks to manage its finances, you can sync your towing invoices directly with the QuickBooks desktop or QuickBooks online platform.

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Modernizing Your Towing or Roadside Assistance Business with towbook

Letters and Forms: In Towbook, you can generate the necessary letters and forms for each impound with the click of a button. Pre-Trip and Equipment Inspections: Your driver can complete a pre-trip equipment inspection using the Towbook mobile app. Each inspection can be customized for your business to include the inspection checklist your drivers should use each shift. These inspections are available in a report that can be printed or e-mailed. Online Tow Requests: You can create a web request form for any account, your website, and your Facebook page with just a few clicks. This makes it easy for your local accounts and cash/private calls to send new tow requests. Impound/Storage Management: You can track impounded/stored vehicles from start to finish with ease using Towbook; generate state letters, property release forms, release vehicles from the mobile or web

application, track the history, and keep all pertinent information all in one place for future reference. Sticker App: One of Towbook’s fastest-growing features is our Sticker app. With the Sticker app, you can create a virtual sticker in Towbook and “tag” those vehicles that you might be able to tow after a few hours or a few days. When the sticker expires, you receive a notification that the vehicle can be towed if it is still in the same location. Damage Forms: Using Towbook’s mobile apps, you can complete a vehicle damage report for any call, which protects you against damage claims. Add photos to the damage form, and ask the customer to sign off on the damage in the app. You can even e-mail the forms to your customer from the side of the road! Accident Reports: To facilitate insurance claims, we’ve made it simple to create professional accident reports in Towbook. Accident Reports can include notes, photos,

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and detailed charges for each job. We help you to generate a great report in minutes so that you can collect as much information as possible for each job. Plate to VIN: No VIN—no problem. Towbook’s plate-toVIN feature saves time and eliminates mistakes. Simply enter the plate number and the state in which the vehicle is licensed, and Towbook will return the full VIN with the make, model, and year of the vehicle. Request Customer Location: Today’s consumers expect you to find them quickly—even if they have no idea where they are. Towbook’s “ping” feature makes it easy to send a text to your customer, and if they approve the location tracking request, their phone will send the location of your vehicle to your dispatch screen. Driver Commissions: Tired of answering questions about the commission that your driver earned on a call? Towbook shows drivers the estimated commission of each call on the mobile app.

About Towbook Towbook is the unquestioned leader in cloud-based towing software. We provide tools made possible by the latest technology, and we help companies to raise their level of service while lowering their operating costs.

Free Trial, Free Setup, Free Support Towbook offers a 30-day free trial with free setup and support, and there are no contracts. Plus, you don’t need a separate Towbook license for each employee—your subscription includes unlimited user accounts! Towbook Management Software is headquartered in Michigan and has provided cloud-based towing software for over eleven years. Integrating the industry’s most advanced and flexible software, Towbook supports all types of towing and recovery operations. At Towbook, we take great pride in having the industry’s best customer support. Support is free and available 24/7/365—even on holidays. http://www.towbook.com sales@towbook.com 810-320-5063

www.towprofessional.com

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Tow Professional

Why

Ranger SST? By Jim Shellhaas-Founder/President-SST

o, why should I switch to the Ranger tow management solution? This is the most frequent question we field in calls from tow companies who are dissatisfied with and/or have outgrown their current software. The answer from our customers would be: “You’ll make more money!” Our customers have experienced the promise of value that has guided the development of the Ranger solution over the last 15 years — more calls per driver while using less fuel! However, for potential customers, it seems to come across as too simplistic and is generally greeted with skepticism. They are looking for more tangible specifics – in the words of an old Wendy’s ad: “Where’s the beef?”

The capabilities of most tow management systems have improved over the last 15 years, so the distinctions that make a difference in bottom-line performance require more than a superficial review of just dispatching—so—Why Ranger?

Revenue-Focused Innovation Beyond delivering the operational basics of assigning trucks and providing accuracy in accounting (which may not be so “basic” in other software), Ranger provides capabilities to improve bottom-line performance, but also to grow the top line, assisting customers in:

•

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Building direct (B2C) relationships with residents in their local market - diversifying their “channels” to these customers to include more than insurance companies and/or motor clubs. Residents can support both towing businesses in their community and local charities. Tow companies receive geolocated requests for help through Ranger, “cut out the middleman,” provide responsive service, and set fair pricing for the value delivered. Providing “Self-Service” options for their (B2B) key business customers, including the on-line entry of service requests, and access to reporting (e.g., property managers can review activity in Ranger’s PatrolWorksTM) Assessing sales/marketing opportunities using Ranger’s Heat Maps which highlight underserved locales

Specialized Capabilities: Lot Management Ranger’s LotMasterTM provides all the functionality expected in a storage lot solution and much more. In addition to the integration with Auto Data Direct, and lien letter preparation: • A purpose-specific mobile application for those attending the lot that enables picture-taking (the scope then extends from the tow through to discharge) for added protection against litigation. • Easy physical inventory management of vehicles - placing inexpensive “QR Codes” (bar codes) on vehicles at Admit, that creates an electronic tag that can be scanned for periodic comparisons to the list in the Ranger solution • Workflow Management to track the progress of a vehicle against process milestones - e.g., Lien Letter Sent

No matter what you’re towing, we’re always behind you.

Stay protected with insurance from Progressive. With policies customized for tow truck drivers, we offer Primary Liability limits up to $2 million and specialized coverages like On-Hook and Garagekeepers Liability.

Call your local agent or visit ProgressiveCommercial.com.

Progressive Casualty Ins. Co. & affiliates. Specialized coverages may not be available in all states or situations. In Texas and Virginia, Garagekeepers Legal Liability coverage is called Storage Location insurance. In these two states only, On-Hook Towing insurance is then called Garagekeepers Legal Liability coverage.

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Specialized Capabilities: Commercial / Heavy Hauling Ranger’s TransportOpsTM is aimed at three market applications: transporting construction equipment (e.g., between a rental location and a building site), moving containers (e.g., to/from multi-modal shipping points), and relocating automobiles for auction (e.g., from a towing company storage lot to a regional auction facility). The process capabilities enable dispatchers to: • Plan/schedule their loads for the next day (or “next week”) by truck and driver

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• • • •

In late afternoon, send advance notices to drivers. Text messages are sent by Ranger to each driver on their personal smart phone (and updates as needed). Automatically dispatch assignments to the driver’s Ranger mobile device the next morning at login, eliminating the morning congestion in Dispatch Empower drivers to enter and track mult-task jobs on the mobile app (load, pick-up, drop-off), that are recorded with the job record and printed on the invoice Identify emerging issues before they become a major problem (e.g., a driver that has overslept)

Pricing Made Easy Pricing in Ranger has two distinctive pillars - first and foremost is ease of use. In response to customer suggestions: “we don’t want to work for the technology; the technology needs to work for us,” Ranger developed the “Pricing Factory.” The Pricing factory makes it easy for dispatchers to handle the complexity of diverse requirements in towing and recovery:

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From consistent pricing that has been negotiated with Key Accounts, to “pricing on the fly” in special situations such as snowstorms or hurricanes • From split invoices for motor club calls (isolating the amount to be paid by the customer) to quotes that can be saved and emailed to a customer • From pricing all SKU’s of AAA batteries (Retail, Pro-Rated, Member, Warranty), to complex recoveries (or HD repair) with as many extras (or parts) as needed The second pillar is that pricing is fully integrated with the Ranger mobile app. Account-specific pricing goes to the mobile app with the call. Dispatchers don’t need to figure it out and send messages to the driver. The driver doesn’t need to figure it out. The device has all the needed formulas and calculates the correct pricing - including the customer-pay portion of an invoice. And, drivers can pre-authorize and process credit card payments in the field.

dispatch from the map. Dispatchers can see ALL open jobs, and ALL available trucks, on ONE screen to make better deployment decisions — shortening ETA’ s and lowering fuel costs. Perhaps less transparent, there is a significant benefit in shifting how dispatchers spend their time — from

Easy and Effective Dispatching With Ranger’s SmartDispatchTM, dispatchers are equipped to excel - with capabilities that aid both seasoned dispatchers, and recent hires. SmartDispatchTM enables visual, drag & drop

Mobile surveillance allows you to protect your driver while staying updated on details of the recovery process. Utilize live look-in to instantly check in on the route, time, and pick-up location of a recovery. The cost of a camera system continues to pay for itself long after it’s installed by encouraging safe driving, improving efficiency, and providing evidence to ensure the pick-up was made.

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talking to drivers, to talking to customers (pinpointing locations so that drivers arrive sooner while providing updates to achieve higher levels of customer satisfaction). In addition, GPS tracking and mapping (built on Google maps) is fully integrated into the Ranger solution - No separate bolt-on product for GPS is needed.

Specialized Capabilities: Relocation/PrivateProperty Enforcement Ranger’s PatrolWorksTM for private-property enforcement supports an existing core business line or provides an opportunity for diversification and growth. Distinctive capabilities include: • Incorporating parent/child account structures corporations to properties to lots • Configuring specific requirements by lot by violation (e.g., grace periods, tagging, approval requirements)

•

A special app to record/update violations that can easily be used by company spotters in a personal vehicle, a company driver in a tow truck, a thirdparty enforcement agency patrolling in their own vehicles, or even self-service by property managers A built-in “rules engine” that determines the readiness to tow a vehicle with one or more violations, including: − Tracking policies so that tows comply with property requirements − Automatic sending of approval requests to the designated Property Manager on their mobile device

Mobile-Enabled Functionality As noted above, Ranger has three robust mobile apps - for Towing (Android and Apple), Lot Management (Android) and Private-Property Enforcement (Android). The purpose of the

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mobile apps is not only convenience. Ranger’s guiding principle for mobile app design is to extend the processes in the office to work seamlessly with resources in the field to: • Shorten the time to cash - collect call/customer information needed for invoicing • Reduce legal liability - e.g., customer signatures that authorize service and include

•

damage waivers, signatures to acknowledge pre-existing damage Improve customer service drivers can create a new call themselves when needed, and with permission, send invoices when clearing a call

The Numbers Are Right “Easy” seems like an overarching goal until the accounting reports

are wrong. Ranger is more than a spreadsheet that allows changes to any number by anyone whenever it suits. Ranger is easy-to-use, but with the requirements for accounting accuracy in mind: • Process “guardrails” to prevent errors - including well-intended actions that seem expeditious in the moment, but that jeopardize accounting integrity • User permission structures to align allowed actions with responsibilities/skills • Audit Trails to track what went wrong and training needs

Reliability Functionality without reliability (e.g., high uptime, no app “crashes”) is of little value. Reliability is often an afterthought until the system is not working. Ranger has more experience in successfully operating a completely “cloud-based” tow management solution (SaaS Software as a Service) than anyone else. Ranger has 15 years of “lessons learned” - eliminating the “glitches” that others are still discovering. Also, Ranger has invested heavily for reliability/uptime. The solution is hosted in a commercial data center with redundant internet, power, and cooling — with the latest in physical and logical security. All data is backed up nightly. There is redundancy built into each component of the Ranger infrastructure architecture. And in a “worst case” scenario, Ranger even has a disaster recovery solution in place to fail-over to a different data center location. Ranger functionality comes with reliability. Why Ranger SST? — advanced technology for superior performance. If you are looking to grow your top and bottom lines, give us a call and let us put Ranger Service Solutions Technology to work for you!

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FACING THE CHALLENGES OF

TOMORROW By Nigel Pestell, Senior Partner-VTS

acing the Challenges of Tomorrow- “Hell,” you say, “I’m happy if I can get through today’s challenges and keep my customers happy.” I hear that kind of comment every week from towing and VSF owners, and yet many are light years ahead of their competitors. “Why are they ahead?” you ask. Because they have learned the important rules of business: “Pay Attention to your Customer Needs and Follow the Money.” To achieve the simple goal of understanding your customers historical needs and your company’s financial situation, many have invested in effective management software. If you haven’t yet licensed towing management software (TMS), then you should consider it a priority.

The onslaught of technology is changing everyone’s future, and the towing, recovery, and vehicle storage industry is no exception. Our recovery vehicles have become more sophisticated, but technology is also making them easier and safer to use. Yet it’s the unseen advancements in software that is really changing the way in which we operate, and without doubt, it is a major part of our future! What used to be a hard division of duties between the office and tow truck is now becoming a blur due to web-based TMS programs and the mobile app. The benefits of CLOUD computing and the use of mobile apps or remote browser-based tablet access are

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FACING THE CHALLENGES OF

TOMORROW not only beneficial to small companies but offer efficiency and cost reduction benefits to any business regardless of size. Connectivity to your CLOUD-based TMS program via the Internet, can be from ANY DEVICE, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE; this would include a desktop PC, a laptop, Android or iPad tablet, or a smart phone. As the end user of any product or service, it is not necessary to understand the in-depth nuances of how it works, only that it does what you need. Investing in management software should achieve three primary goals: • Simplify the operation of your business by creating standard operating procedures (SOP), which provide common sense, step-by-step actions. • SOP will provide statistical reporting, track your customers historical needs, follow the money, and track your cash flow, allowing you to make better, more informed business decisions. • Informed business decisions will ultimately reduce the number of people required to effectively operate your business without impairing customer satisfaction and thereby improving your profit margin. The benefits of CLOUD-based TMS - If you are a small owner-operated company, it makes business sense to be able to manage your entire operation from the cab of your tow truck. VTS Systems offers both webbased CLOUD and PC/server based TMS programs. Why offer both? If your business location does not enjoy reliable high-speed Internet, then a PC/server TMS program may be better choice, as it does not require constant Internet access to provide full-time operability. Even in the largest US cities, there are areas zoned for industrial use that do not enjoy reliable high-speed Internet. Moreover, whatever Internet problems city towing companies face, their country cousins usually 42

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•

operate in a more challenging environment. Although hardwired or fiber-optic broadband services are the most efficient, cellular and wireless data often provide a viable fallback alternative. We suggest that you talk to a knowledgeable expert, not just a product salesperson to define your Internet options. If you are considering new TMS software, invest time in defining your needs and researching various options. There are TMS software vendors who specialize in towing, whereas others provide full-service packaging which include: • Unlimited towing, • Variable driver commission/bonuses, • Accounting A/R, invoices, and statements, • State compliant Storage Lot Management and vehicle processing, • Integrated, multi-state DMV owner and lienholder access and retrieval, • Automated, on time notification/lien letter processing via electronic certified mail, return receipt requested,

M O B I L I T Y

•

F L E X I B I L I T Y

Integrated Public Auctions/Sales Processing and Title Documentation.

Considered by many to be a leader in TMS, VTS Systems has served the towing and vehicle storage facility industry for more than twenty years, and nobody does storage lot management better than we do, PERIOD. We offer full-service, comprehensive basic TMS packaging with optional feature/expansion modules. Included in the monthly licensing fee, VTS Systems provides full product support and software upgrades along with end user training. Since no two companies’ needs are exactly alike, we suggest you only license what you need! Should you have questions regarding the information in this article, please contact VTS Systems at 877.374.7225, Ext. 2 and ask to speak to Lisa Perez. Lisa Perez is a state-licensed tow-truck operator with more than twenty years of experience in operating and managing state licensed storage facilities.

•

S I M P L I C I T Y

•

S E C U R I T Y

Nobody does Storage Lot Management like we do...

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Don’t lose your mind and profits paying endless regulatory fines for storage lot errors. Invest in your peace of mind! Call today for more details. 877.374.7225 Ext. 2 Or visit vts-systems.com

VTS Systems is a leading North American software company, dedicated to providing products and everyday support for the towing, recovery and vehicle impound industry. www.towprofessional.com

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Tow Professional

BEACON

Dispatch Anywhere Your Next Employee of the year

It’s Better with Beacon “Follow the Leader” is an Invitation to Succeed

hat is “Follow the Leader?” For Beacon, it’s an invitation to towing and roadside assistance companies to step ahead of their competitors and take advantage of the number one dispatch software on the market. For businesses that require dispatch software, it’s a reminder that finding the right system takes work. There are lots of companies popping out of the woodwork, and it can be difficult to sort through the multitude of advertisements and flashy slogans.

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That’s why Beacon keeps it simple. In August of 2019, Beacon Software began the “Follow the Leader” campaign in order to connect with towers and showcase 19 strong years in the towing and roadside assistance industry. It’s no wonder roadside assistance professionals around the world depend on Beacon to provide easyto-use tools that help them efficiently dispatch their drivers and manage their businesses.

Beacon Goes the Distance Customer expectations change with shifting technology and industry standards, which is why Beacon Software employees go the distance to keep their customers informed about product updates and training opportunities. When you’re on the road and you run into a question, you need an answer fast. In addition to regular email updates, Beacon Software delivers the friendliest support staff in the industry. What makes Beacon Software different? Beacon was designed for towing and roadside professionals by industry veterans. Rudy Smith is the CEO of Beacon Software, and coowner of Rudy Smith Towing and Recovery. This New Orleans-based towing operation is celebrating its 100th year in business. He cites the importance of using tow management software, “Without accountability, it’s difficult to discern the best ways to improve your business and offer more efficient roadside assistance,” says Smith. “Things like map view, instant access to driver locations and payment processing changed the game completely.” Having spent years on the road himself, Smith recognizes how critical a robust software solution is to his business. Companies consistently recognize Beacon for their flagship product, Dispatch Anywhere, the program that took the towing and roadside assistance industry into the future, but Beacon’s suite of software offers a solution for everyone. Most recently, Beacon Software introduced the GPS Map View feature to Dispatch Anywhere’s sister product, TowMagic. Now, companies of all sizes can track drivers and get ETAs for faster, more efficient dispatching.

First in Show Beacon Software is known for its firsts, but most people don’t know just how many features it introduced to the towing and roadside assistance industry. The following are just the top ten features that Beacon made possible with Dispatch Anywhere. • 1st Cloud Based • 1st Digital Dispatch • 1st Computer Aided Dispatch • 1st GPS Integration www.towprofessional.com

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It’s Better with Beacon • • • • • •

1st Smart Phone Manager/Driver App 1st in Data Security 1st Multi-Division Management System 1st Mobile Credit Card Integration 1st Automated Motor Club Billing 1st Drag and Drop Dispatch

The best part about being first in the industry is that Beacon had the most time to develop and modernize its software. Today, Beacon Software looks a lot different than it did in the beginning--same great ideas with cleaner, modernized applications.

Your Next Employee of the Year If you ask any Beacon customer, they’ll tell you one of their favorite employees is their Dispatch Anywhere system. That’s because owning a software that saves time and enforces accountability is priceless. Your software can never replace your dedicated, hardworking drivers and dispatchers. Rather, your software exists to support your team and help

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you connect with motor clubs, your staff and your customers. One of the most important things a software company can do is listen to its customers. Beacon Software takes customer feedback and uses it to improve their platform. Most recently, Dispatch Anywhere updated to include automatic job import for IAA and Copart, enhanced its job tracking history and introduced more benefits for Square credit card users. Additionally, Dispatch Anywhere provides the following, integral features. • A/R Accounting- As well as the ability to export to Quickbooks™. • Smart Assign-Lightning fast recommendations to minimize time finding the best driver for the call. • Track Assets- Know where your drivers and vehicles are in relation to their jobs on a map. • Autocomplete- Minimize data entry with address autosuggest and pricing templates for quick and accurate call entry. • Anywhere Mobile- Dispatchers are not chained to

• •

a desk. They can be mobile and manage every call. Dispatch Motor Club JobsAssign jobs that are sent from motor clubs. Continuous FREE TrainingNever get left in the dark on new features. Faster ramp up for new employees.

Live Weekly Training with Matt President of Beacon Software, Todd Althouse, realized that, as Beacon evolved, it would need to develop modern ways to communicate with its customers. “One of our proudest achievements is our ability to connect with our customers. Matt’s regular training and

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It’s Better with Beacon Taking the Leap into Towing and Roadside Management Software

demo updates allow our customers to communicate directly with and learn even more about their software investment,” says Althouse. Keeping your employees fully trained and up-todate on new features is one of the best ways to stay ahead of your competition. In order to better share updates and tutorials with Beacon Customers, Training and Support Manager, Matt Tortorici, hosts demos, training sessions, and informational assemblies live on YouTube every Friday at 1 pm EST.

Making the switch to use dispatch software can be daunting, especially because the towing and roadside assistance industry is built on the back of tried and true methods. No one knows these methods better than Ronnie Smith, co-owner of Beacon Software and Rudy Smith Towing and Recovery. Smith assisted in the recovery management efforts of one of the worst natural disasters to date, Hurricane Katrina. “We could have never managed 17 towing companies, hundreds of tow trucks and recovered tens of thousands of boats and vehicles after Katrina if we had not developed Dispatch Anywhere. It’s just a necessity and has made life so much easier,” says Smith. “No one likes change, but once you make the switch to Dispatch Anywhere, you will wonder why you didn’t years ago. It just makes your operation run so much more efficiently, relieves stress, and saves money.”

JOIN THE NETWORK THAT POWERS LEADING BRANDS

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9/27/19 2:02 PM

Towing & Recovery Photos Courtesy of Mike’s Towing and Recovery: 643 E. Main Street, Bridgewater, New Jersey 08807 (908) 722-2122 | mikestowing.com

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Auto Data Direct Helps GA and FL Tower Compliance with New State Regulations By Brittany Barrett, Marketing - AutoDataDirect

he 2019 Legislative sessions in Florida and Georgia brought substantial change to tow and wrecker operators in those states. But Auto Data Direct has the industry covered when it comes to meeting new state regulations!

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Florida Change Requires Third Party for Notification In Florida, the notification process is changing. Effective January 1, 2020, all towing companies, title companies who process tow liens, mechanic shops, and body shops are required to send their notification letters for sale or lien through an approved third-party service. Additionally, the third party will be required to set up and maintain a publicly available website that allows owners, registrants, lienholders, and insurance companies to search for notices. If your company is an Auto Data Direct (ADD) customer and already processes letters through its DirectPost-Office (DPO) product, your business is all set. ADD has provided a high-quality, third-party notification system recognized by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) since 2003!

Overhaul of Georgia’s Tow Statute Georgia’s new law, which became effective

September 1, 2019, resulted in a major overhaul to the towing statute. Tow companies must send the notification letter developed by the Council of Magistrate Court Judges by certified mail or hand delivery. There are also changes in the timeframe during which letters must be sent. Georgia tow and wrecker operators currently using ADD’s DPO service are ahead of the game! ADD modifies its system and letters to meet new requirements as they are implemented by the state, and its Georgia letter tools are ready and available to the industry. Another big benefit for Georgia tow/wrecker companies utilizing ADD’s suite of tools comes with the recognition of its DMV123 owner/lienholder records and ADD as the department’s authorized vendor for motor vehicle records. For details on Georgia’s statute changes and information on ADD’s designation as an agent for records, visit dor.georgia.gov/abandonedvehicles.

The First Choice in Third-Party Mailing! Skip the trip to the post office and save time finding owner / lienholder information. ADD offers web-based certified letter tools and access to more state databases than any other company of its kind.

For more information, contact: info @ add123.com | 866.923.3123

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ADD’s Suite of Tools Is a Tow Operator’s Best Friend! For those who aren’t familiar with ADD’s DirectPost-Office (DPO) certified mail product, it was launched in 2003 to provide Florida towing companies an easier way to send notification letters to owners, lienholders and insurers by creating certified mail and inserting the letters into the USPS mail stream electronically. Since then, DPO has expanded its letter services for towing operators in Texas, Alabama, Connecticut, Indiana, Georgia, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Tennessee. DPO is a tow operator’s best friend. It combines letter creation with state record searches to complete forms and send certified letters through the United States Postal Service without an aggravating trip to the post office! As notification requirements change, as has occurred in Florida and Georgia, ADD modifies it letters and processes specific to a state to meet the needs of its customers. As a compliment to DPO, ADD’s multi-state real-time motor vehicle records save time, money, and frustration when it comes to getting notification letters out in a timely manner. Coined DMV123, ADD’s most sought after service allows its customers who qualify under the Drivers Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) to search through its secure system using a VIN and immediately retrieve the most current record available from a jurisdiction, in real time. As already mentioned, Georgia has designated 52

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ADD’s records as the official agent for records. Using ADD’s National Title Pointer helps narrow down the search when the state of origin isn’t easily identified. The Title Pointer uses data available in the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) to find the most recent state of title. Once identified, ADD’s customers can search the real-time database if that state is available or send a good faith letter directly from their ADD account to the appropriate jurisdiction. Once a vehicle is towed, and the record is accessed, DPO allows the data to be merged into the appropriate form, saving keystrokes and ensuring accuracy. Once the letter is electronically submitted to the mail stream, DPO allows for tracking the certified letter every step of the way providing details on when the letter(s) was received, or if it was undeliverable. The DPO archive provided in an ADD account gives tow operators documented proof that notification requirements were followed if a question arises about whether the appropriate actions were taken to find the owner/lienholder prior to holding an auction. For tow/wrecker operators who need to report junk or salvage vehicles to NMVTIS, ADD provides a solution from the same web-based account. Any entity that deals in more than five junk and salvage vehicles per year must provide specific vehicle information to the national database on at least a monthly basis. NMVTIS reporting applies to any vehicle a company parts out or crushes, or any vehicle for which a salvage certificate, a certificate of destruction, or similar document is obtained. If a business has the right to sell or re-title,

rebuild, restore or crush the vehicle, and it is a junk or salvage vehicle under the federal definition, it must be reported to NMVTIS. ADD’s NMVTIS upload tools are designed to help businesses fulfill the reporting requirement quickly and easily. Two account types are available to suit any size business or upload volume. Full-service accounts include individual vehicle entry, batch vehicle entry using a spreadsheet and business-to-business processing which can be arranged with the customer’s IT staff, all for a low perreport fee. Basic-service accounts include no-cost individual entry and emailed confirmation receipts.

Learn More About ADD and Get Started Today! ADD provides innovative tools every

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step of the way for tow operators focused on ensuring their business processes are efficient, accurate, and cost-effective, all backed by the friendliest, most knowledgeable customer service in the industry. If your company already has an ADD account but is not using DPO, just click the orange DirectPostOffice icon in My Apps to begin processing your notification letters. If you are new to ADD, click on the sign-up button on its home page to take advantage of these valuable business tools. For more information on scheduled training classes and webinars, or to speak with one of our friendly and knowledgeable customer service representatives, call 850-877- 8804 or email info@add123.com.

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DON’T LET IT HAPPEN TO YOU—

Protect Your Trucks It’s

Monday morning, 8:21 am—it’s always Monday! The shop smells like metal and oil—burned oil. Somewhere, the all familiar drip-drip of leaking fluids reminds you of another problem yet to be fixed. The clipboard in your hands contains work orders and vehicle inspections, all illegible, torn, and smeared. A call from a driver says they have been rear ended in an accident. Wasn’t there a note about a broken taillight? When did it break? When was the last time the truck was inspected? Forms get ignored for being illegible. Inspections are delayed or insufficient from mismanaged schedules. Where are the inspections? They are at the bottom of a stack of smeared and illegible forms somewhere in a pile in the office. In short, your 54

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fleet maintenance has suffered a breakdown of key elements, and it’s gonna cost you—time, customers, and money! SureEcosystems Fleet helps to protect your trucks and assets with an easy-to-use, web-based maintenance software, keeping you aware of day-to-day vehicle operations.

TELL ME MORE Fleet creates a direct line of communication between you and your drivers, eliminating paper forms, allowing you to stay on top of your fleet maintenance. The software will alert you immediately when any issue is reported, so it can be properly addressed. Fleet offers complete work-order management, so you can create

template to work from with many questions already available for you to use in building your inspection. You can add other questions as well. In addition to checking the oil or the tire pressure, your drivers can also check to make sure that specific items are on the vehicle (or in the vehicle) that are needed to perform their work like insurance cards, for example. Deficiencies can be tracked, drivers can restock vehicles, alerts can be set, or work orders generated into your maintenance tracking system. “Work Orders” can be set as well based on your preferences tied to the specific questions you use in your company. Many other types of inspections can also be performed including vehicle end-of-shift check in and appearance inspections. All these inspections are used in building reports that let you know what’s going on with your fleet and your business. It also lets you know which employees are performing the work you would like them to do in accordance with company policy. and assign work orders, track current status staying on top of hours of labor, total cost, and downtime.

WOULDN’T IT BE NICE Wouldn’t it be nice to have your drivers or technicians, who operate your vehicles, check out the vehicle and their tools prior to each shift? Obviously, we all hope our drivers do a walk around inspection, and we hope that they leave the shop or start their day with the tools required to perform their jobs. Using sureEcosystem Fleet, you can accomplish this and much more, as well as have a daily record and accountability. When a driver begins their shift, they perform an inspection completely customized by you. The site provides a

TRACK THE MAINTENANCE PERFORMED ON YOUR VEHICLES SureEcosystem also tracks all the maintenance performed on your vehicles. Whether it is in your own shop or outside shops. The site allows you to keep track of the costs of maintaining each vehicle individually. Work being performed on vehicles is tracked using work orders in sureEcosystem that can be assigned to internal technicians, external shops, or others. Customizable thresholds allow you to maintain, inspect, and replace vehicle components on a regular schedule that you define. This may mean that you want to perform preventative maintenance on different schedules for different vehicles or to check brakes, tires, or other www.towprofessional.com

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one to manage permits, licensing, registration, and other time-sensitive documents.

ACCIDENTS HAPPEN

items at defined intervals. SureEcosystem even lets you track maintenance thresholds for the ancillary equipment attached to your truck or specific vocational bodies. Equipment such as tankers, tool bodies, ambulances, tow trucks, tree service equipment, and specialized vehicle components for many other industries.

WAIT, THERE ARE MORE COOL FEATURES, There is a way to create alerts and proactively address preventive maintenance and service requirements. That way is through “Vehicle Records,” a feature that allows

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Drivers can report accidents directly from the mobile app. The app ensures that all the proper information is collected, including photos and audio recordings. SureEcosystem also utilizes “Driver Qualification,” a feature that saves time managing and organizing your drivers with features including groups, attached documents, reminders on actionable items, and intelligent pre-populated driver information.

OH, ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT WORK ORDERS, This feature assigns and manages tasks performed on your vehicles. “Work Orders” track useful data points including multiple service types, technician, parts required, costs, labor, and total downtime. So, whether you are dealing with proactive vehicle maintenance, driver and work order management, or accident prevention and management, sureEcosystem

Fleet keeps you aware of day-to-day vehicle operations and empowers you to effectively manage your staff and their daily work orders with this user-friendly, web-based maintenance software. The best way to see what sureEcosystem Fleet can do for your business is to simply start a free trial. All you do is go to sureEcosystem.com/ fleet, click the free trial tab, and you’re up and running! You can also take the time to do a demo with one of our specialists and learn more about how to use all these tools in your specific business operations. Everyday does not have to be a Monday!

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DEALERS PLACE

Tow Professional | Volume 8 â&#x20AC;¢ Issue 7

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DEALERS PLACE

Tow Professional | Volume 8 â&#x20AC;¢ Issue 7

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DEALERS PLACE

Tow Professional | Volume 8 â&#x20AC;¢ Issue 7

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Market PLACE

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Nobody does Storage Lot Management like we do...

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Don’t lose your mind and profits paying endless regulatory fines for storage lot errors. Invest in your peace of mind! VTS Systems is a leading North American software company, dedicated to providing products and everyday support for the towing, recovery and vehicle impound industry.

Call today for more details. 877.374.7225 Ext. 2 Or visit vts-systems.com

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Advertiser Index COMPANY

COMPANY

Access Tools ....................................... 11

Hino .....................................................BC

RV Wheel ............................................. 63

American Safety & Supply .............. 29

Holly’s Towing Dispatch .................... 57

Safety Vision.................................... 9, 38

Austin Hinds ........................................ 62

INA Towing Network ......................... 23

Steck Mfg............................................. 31

Auto Data Direct ................................. 51

Insurance Hub .................................... 37

sureEcosystem ................................... 15

Beacon Software ............................... 47

Jerr-Dan ............................................. IFC

TLC Truck & Equipment ..................... 58

Best Tools............................................. 31

Lodar ..................................................... 46

TOPS ..................................................... 27

Budget GPS ......................................... 27

Mach 1.................................................. 53

Towbook ................................................. 3

Custer Products .................................. 25

Marking Pen Depot ............................ 63

Towing Museum ............................32-33

Custom Built ........................................ 40

Matjack ................................................ 13

TowMate ................................................ 1

Don Jackson ....................................... 62

McMahon Truck Centers .................. 60

United Plastic Fabricating .................. 5

Dynamic ............................................... 61

Midwest Keyless ................................ 57

Urgent.ly ............................................... 48

ECM Performance.............................. 29

Mike Keith Insurance ........................ 62

VTS Systems ................................. 43, 63

Flow Stop ............................................. 64

Mobile Create USA ........................... 52

Waters Truck ....................................... 59

G.N. Novelties, LLC................................63

Progressive Insurance ...................... 35

Webfleet Solutions................. 17, 19, 21

GPS Fleet Management Solutions ....18

Ranger SST ............................................ 7

Weiss Ins.............................................. 63

Guni Wheel .......................................... 30

Recovery Billing.................................. 22

Winches, Inc ....................................... 36

Hal Kresser .......................................... 63

Ricks Truck .......................................... 60

Wrecker Rentals................................. 58

Hardmode Gear .................................. 30

Robert Young ....................................... 62

XINSURANCE ....................................IBC

Hide-a-Lift ............................................ 63

RP Consulting ...................................... 56

Zellner Insurance ............................... 56

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THE TRUCK IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

When you start up your new Hino Truck, our journey with you is just beginning. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because every Hino comes standard with a 5-Year Warranty, 24/7 HinoWatch, and Hino Insight Connected Vehicle Solution. Why? Because taking care of you and your truck is what we call the ULTIMATE OWNERSHIP EXPERIENCE.