Tow Professional - Volume: 11 Issue: 7

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Midwest Regional Candlelight Vigil for the Fallen

It’s October and where has 2022 gone? It has been a year of less masks, more shows, and opportunities to catch back up with friends in our industry! That is why I can say it’s been a good year!

I have just traveled back from the International World Congress show in support of First Responder Day. There were many companies on hand giving demonstrations: Axon, City of Los Angeles Fire Department, Ten West Towing, Inc., HAAS Alert, Caltrans, J-Tech LaneBlade®, LA Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and pi-lit®: Sequential Electronic Flares. This was a great event used to introduce new technology and educate the public on the importance of safety for our first responders.

I then traveled to Mason, Ohio for The Midwest Tow show, the greatest family-friendly show of the year! This show is fantastic all the way from the Survivor Fund auction, exhibits, candlelight vigil honoring our fallen, to its free seminars with key industry leaders, and 70+ trucks that came from all over for the beauty contest. This is a show that uses funds for training, lobbying, and increasing safety for our first responders. If you weren’t able to make it this year, come next year and show your support!

In this issue, our “Expert Witness” Jim Lewis talks with Michelle Sukkow about proper planning. In his installment of “Fuel for Thought,” D. J. Harrington discusses the three must-reads for towers. Then Dan Messina gives “Insightful Talk” when he discusses his path from tow trucks to new beginnings in technology.

This issue also has a feature on Towing Software & GPS Systems. Take some time and see what some of the providers recommend for your business. We thank everyone of our readers, and until next issue we pray a blessing over your families!

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

D. J. Harrington CSP

James E . Lewis

Dan Messina

Jeff Pesnell – Traxero

Matt Wesley – TowBook

Darian

Executive and Advertising Offices

1005 Mountain Trace

Birmingham, AL 35242

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., 1005 Mountain Trace, Birmingham, Alabama, 35242, 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.

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

Copart New Initiative Called “Truck in a Box”

Copart recently launched a new initiative called “Truck in a Box” to help aspiring entrepreneurs start or expand their own towing companies with Copart as the first & best customer.

“We’re always looking for great partners to help us transport the more than three million vehicles we move every year, so in honor of our entrepreneurial values we’re helping to create those new partners, which includes helping them get great trucks,” said Simon Smock, senior director of operations at Copart. “That’s why we named this program `Truck in a Box.’ It is everything anyone needs to start and operate a successful towing company.”

Under the program, Copart negotiates special prices and financing for top-of-the-line rollback tow trucks on behalf of participants. For new entrepreneurs, Copart educates them on how to run a business and provides one-on-one mentoring to help them succeed. The program helps Copart transport and ship more than 3 million vehicles annually as the company continues to grow rapidly.

Participants commit to towing a certain number of vehicles per weekday for Copart. During the rest of the time, they can use the truck and other equipment to service additional clients as they see fit.

Interested entrepreneurs can get more information and start the process at Copart.com/TruckInABox or TruckInABox.com.

• Evoke the public conscious to understand they are the most powerful source to define life and death on our Nation’s highways.

• To educate and make them aware they need to make a life change so first responders can live theirs!

• To unite all common industry first responders to train, educate and motivate the public we serve to just

is to:

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rates, insurance coverage, contact numbers, hours of operation, and more. Service providers are not charged for jobs they receive through ServiCase and there is no bidding for higher positions in the results listings. ServiCase does not charge variable fees for large markets and does not dictate rates. Nothing is marked up by ServiCase because payment is made directly to the service provider by the carrier user.

your company perform any of these services?

Recovery

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Dynamic® Introduces 28-Piece Insulated Tool Set

BRAMPTON, Ont. — The Dynamic® tool brand has introduced a 28-piece insulated tool set to meet the growing needs of commercial and residential electricians, industrial maintenance professionals, mobile/field service technicians, and electric vehicle (EV) mechanics. Each tool within the set has been tested to 10,000 AC and is VDE certified to 1,000 VAC in compliance with IEC 60900.

Dynamic’s new insulated tool set includes a 1/2” drive ratchet with a selection of extensions and six-point metric sockets. It also contains open-ended metric wrenches, slotted screwdrivers, Phillips screwdrivers, side-cutting pliers, lineman’s pliers and long-nose pliers. All pieces are precision machined to meet the needs of the most demanding professionals.

For secure storage, the set comes with a lockable case. The case has two foam organizers with labeled cutouts, which allows for easy tool identification, compliance with 5S work environments and added safeguarding against foreign object damage (FOD).

“This set is the latest addition to one of the broadest insulated tool assortments on the market,” said Dragos Baicoianu, Brand Manager for Dynamic. “Our company prides itself on environmental responsibility, and we’re excited for this product to help support the transition of various industries to clean energy, manufacturing and transportation. The tool set fills the need for industrial-quality insulated tools at budget-sensitive pricing, and we stand behind it by offering a limited lifetime warranty through our parent company, Gray Tools.”

Introduced in 2009, the Dynamic® tool brand was created by Gray Tools, a renowned North American manufacturer and distributor of premium hand tools founded in 1912, to meet the need for high quality tools at a budget-friendly price. Today, the Dynamic line consists of more than 2,500 products, including sockets, wrenches, pliers, hammers, chisels, locking tools and clamps, which are fully serviced and warrantied by Gray Tools. For more information, visit ShopDynamicTools.com.

Michelle Sukow of HDM Trucking recently presented at the Women of the Towing and Recovery Association of America (WTRAA) Driven Conference.

As a headliner, she gave an incredible presentation on work/life balance – a subject many of us in the towing industry certainly struggle with.

She drew rave reviews from all present. She explained how she essentially started her life over at 50 years old despite being inside our industry for many years. She pioneered and pulled through personal hardships and challenges, somehow finding that magical work/life balance along the way.

One of the most substantial takeaways I had from her presentation was something we may realize internally, but haven’t verbalized or acknowledged:

Michelle announced, “I know you cannot balance equal amounts of work and equal amounts of personal life and keep that sustainable for any length of time. You can’t always give your all to all areas equally. That is a recipe for complete burnout.”

Her learned wisdom continued: “You know, just because I’m up here speaking does not mean that I have ALL my stuff together ALL the time. I don’t and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I’m a progress over perfection kind of girl! There are days where I literally still fall apart. I mean, it’s the towing business, it changes with every phone call. That is a lot to deal with day in and day out. It can be relentless some days. But I’ve learned and figured out what works for me to pull myself out of it and put all the pieces back together.”

Michelle made four primary points: Know what season you are in - you’re going to find yourself overwhelmed at times, you’re going to find yourself a little frustrated, you’re going to find yourself burning out if you don’t learn to let some things go and live in the season you are in. You must accept the fact that

no matter what, life is going to demand things from you, especially in the towing industry because it never stops, BUT you get to choose how you are going to react and how you’re going to prioritize all that.

Show up, and do your best, no matter what.

Find what works for you – plan your time for thinking and relaxing.

Set or blend boundaries –

Boundaries allow you to be your true self; they are a form of self-care, and they create realistic expectations.

Trust yourself more – You know what works for you. You know what season you are in. You know what boundaries you need and which ones you can blend. If you are trying to put your life in an equal balance of work & life, you will constantly be running from one thing to the next in an exhausting pace in hopes to keep things even. Quit focusing on the balance and instead let’s focus on making all the areas of our life work together. Be present and set priorities to live your best and probably unbalanced life. Be true to you. Please know that life isn’t about keeping score to keep it balanced.

INA Towing supporting their valued providers across the nation!

By Darian Weaver (Publisher/ Tow Professional)

Gaynell Rochester, CEO of INA Towing, along with TRAA board members Linda Unruh, Michael Wald, and Darian Weaver, publisher of Tow Professional Magazine, attended the IWC 2022 event in support of first responder day! This was an opportunity to speak with key industry leaders who relate to infrastructure and mitigating liability for all travelers of our road systems.

Top tech companies along with industry experts were on hand giving demonstrations and highlighting the latest technology created to increase safety for our first responders. I have included a brief list of standout companies featured this year at the International World Congress Show (IWC).

Demonstrations by:

• Axon: Tethered Drone Scene Monitoring

• City of Los Angeles Fire Department: Electric Fire Engine

• Ten West Towing, Inc.: Heavy Wrecker

• HAAS Alert: Connected Vehicle/V2V Digital Alerts

• CalTrans District 2: Responder System

• J-Tech LaneBlade®: Debris Clearance System

• LA Metropolitan Transportation Authority: Freeway Service Patrol Vehicle

• pi-lit®: Sequential Electronic Flares

• 360ns Network Solutions: 360 Remote CCTV

• GEWI: Data harmonization of device and incident data

IWC was a terrific show paying homage to our first responders and taking a deep dive in to innovative technology for increasing safety and awareness! As the publisher of Tow Professional, I then made a visit to the greatest family show, the Midwest Regional Tow Show in Mason, Ohio.

This was the 44th year of the show, and it did not disappoint. INA Towing Team members were on hand supporting their providers, and making sure attendees had a ride to and from the hotel and convention hall with golf carts sponsored by the good people at INA Towing!

Thanks again INA for your investment in the industry!

TEN-West Towing

Ten-West Towing started in the 1960’s by Jim Cady. Jim has been building, fixing, painting, customizing, driving, and towing big rigs since the early 1960’s. In 1963 he opened Cady’s Customs in Bakersfield, specializing in body and paint. Later, it became Cady’s Truck Repair as Jim expanded his scope of operation. For the sake of convenience, he bought a wrecker for the sole purpose of transporting his customers’ trucks to the shop. Not long after that, C & J Towing was formed as a separate company.

J. R. Cady is a second-generation tower that stands at 6’9 with the same look and stature as his Custom Western Star. J. R. heads up Ten-West Towing and has grown the fleet to 23 heavy wreckers and nine rotators that serve out of eight locations in a 150 to 170 square mile area. For its commercial accounts, Ten-West Towing covers a total of 10 western states.

J. R. also has a passion for hotrods with a custom built 2018 Jeep Trackhawk. This beast sports a 426 stroker motor, 3.1L Whipple charger, built trans, etc. - a terror for the competition at the dragstrip and a vehicle that looks like it’s breaking the speed limit sitting still!

BY JAMES E.

LIMITINGEXPOSURE

Irecently had the great pleasure of speaking with Michelle Sukow, the owner of HDM Towing in Lake Mills, Wisconsin. Michelle and I are connected on LinkedIn and talk occasionally. She has also been highlighted as a “woman in tow ing” by other publications. I had a completely different idea, and ran it by Darian Weaver, the owner of Over

the Mountain Media and Tow Profes sional Magazine, and ended up in a great discussion with Michelle.

At risk of bothering a few peo ple, I take exception to highlighting women in our industry or any other. These articles tend to draw attention to the notion that perhaps a woman shouldn’t be in a man’s career field, especially as a company owner. I

think that concept and attitude is exceptionally antiquated and down right insulting to the female compa ny owners and operators out there. I’m not going to brazenly chastise men for thinking that women don’t belong, but I’ll challenge you by saying that most of the women, and especially Michelle Sukow, have set the bar high – and after observing

her facilities, overall operation, and the way she works with her employ ees – if you’re one of her compet itors, you’re going to be outrun, outgunned, and out-maneuvered while you’re holding onto your chau vinistic attitudes.

She said it best – “Anyone with the motivation and desire to be in the industry should be in the industry.”

Enough about attitudes, at least for now. The primary reason I reached out to Michelle at HDM was that I wanted to see what she was doing to avoid litigation expo sure – a subject I write about and talk about often. At first, she said she really didn’t have a formal plan. Once we discussed everything, though, we both felt that not only did she have a plan, and a good

one, it would be easy for just about any company to follow her lead… although many companies have no real plan, and that factor usually bites them hard.

Michelle’s primary attitude cen ters around three things, according to her principles. First, she stated that “it isn’t IF, but WHEN something goes wrong” and she’d “need to defend herself.” Next, she told me she “cares about each one of her employees,” while maintaining the third element that her “employ ees are relying on me (her) to take responsibility in case one employee makes a negligent decision, and that it doesn’t take out the rest of the company.”

It was exceptionally clear to me that she has a great devotion to her crew, but also thinks realistically

about what happens in a worst-case scenario.

Let’s start at the beginning. I asked her how her operation works and how she’s maintained a great safety rating, combined with happy employees. She told me the hiring and training process “starts on day one. We actively look at driver records, make sure people don’t have tickets for speeding or ag gressive driving, and chose only good quality candidates.” It was clear that she didn’t just fill a seat to fill a seat. She continued, “Even if you have the best drivers, it’s the other people out there who cause the most risk.” She and I agreed on that one, but by starting with hiring the best you can get, versus settling for someone, stacks the cards in your favor.

AN EXPERT WITNESS

BY JAMES E. LEWIS ///

Michelle prefers to hire someone with a great deal of safe driving experience, and not necessari ly towing experience. She also explained that her company has heavy tow units only, so she can’t bring someone in with light duty experience and work them up through the ranks. She depends

on trucking experience and a good deal of mechanical knowledge. Her best candidate is someone who “understands trucks, how they work, and how air systems affect vehicle movement.” She added that she has the people and resources to train someone on towing, but the foundation of them being a good,

safe driver must come first.

I asked her about her application and interview process and came up with something I hadn’t considered before. We agreed that there is a lot of ego in our industry. When men interview other men, it can easily turn into a chest-thumping contest with one side trying to brag over the other side, telling of their accomplishments and conquests. Michelle felt that because she is fe male, a potential driver will be frank and honest with her and get the point of explaining why they’d be a good fit in her company. Perhaps she is just easier to talk with – that’s a lesson many of us can learn from, especially in the hiring process.

to

We Teach You

Proper way of writing invoices

Are you still writing your RECOVERY invoice on a TOW slip? That’s a thing of the past.

Accident scene clean up

Are you leaving car debris and oil behind at the accident scene? You can be liable for this even YEARS later. We show you how to make site remediation profitable not an expense.

Keeping the paper trail

Learn how to properly document the scene from start to finish so you will have all the info you need back at the office.

Billing on property damage liability insurance only

Have you heard that your customer is not covered?

We show you different avenues to get paid.

Communicating with insurance/ private companies

We show you how to work WITH insurance/private companies NOT AGAINST them.

Laws that are on your side

Overview of federal and state laws to help you get paid!

Obtaining payment for proper billing

There are many steps that go into collecting a check for your hard work. We teach you how to go about the process from start to finish.

Guest speakers

Lawyer and Insurance Executive

She feels the need to and knows that she provides “a good environ ment, good equipment, and good training.” She trains in-house, but also is strongly supportive of formal training courses. She feels that with proper training, with an emphasis on safety, her people will go home at the end of the day in the same condition they arrived. And we know that doesn’t always happen in our industry for several reasons. She also explained that training instills confidence, and that is priceless.

I personally want to say that it is well worth the time and money. I made the money back for

class from a job that we did before the class for

back yard that I was not sure how

this

gave me the

Michelle explained that with a smaller company, she feels there is an advantage over larger compa nies – we agreed that larger com panies want to keep seats filled, not necessarily place the best driver in the best possible scenario. When an owner or manager is under the gun to fill a truck, steps in the hiring process are often missed, and they don’t end up with the best candi dates. It’s just a matter of fact that people with poor driving records and poor training end up making the most mistakes – causing damage to their bodies, your equipment, and

Michelle about her “plan”

was modest and said

didn’t have a plan, but once we talked about her process, I figure she’s got one of the best plans in the

She told me it’s about making a “good hire, with great documentation, documentation for meet ings and training, documenting maintenance, never interrupting maintenance, like taking a unit in the shop out of the shop to run a call; and cross-training with fire and police folks.” She told me she documents everything, and she emphasized everything. “Even if it seems small, put it on paper – you never know when you might need it,” she announced.

As our conversation closed, she left me with one of the most profound statements I’ve ever heard –something she’s developed in her public speaking and writing roles:

“I’d rather fail many times and continue to learn, than to think I’m always right and never grow at all.” –Michelle Sukow.

Ma’am, you rock. Keep it up.

ANewBeginning

Inthe last article I talked about the difficulty of selling my tow company. It seems like every tow company owner I talk to wants to sell their company and retire.

Several years ago I thought I wanted to sell my company so I brought in a group that was buying up tow companies and they evaluated my company.

As an owner you have a lot of sweat and tears in the company and you think it’s worth a lot of money; then a group comes in and offers you very little for the

company. I was in a state of shock at the value of my company. The price they offered was no where near what I had in mind. I realized it was not time to sell and I had to fix a few things before I even thought of selling again. I hired a consultant who came in and showed us how to clean up our business and come up with the value of our business. Now I had a document that showed the value of the company. My wife and I worked about a year to get the right employees we needed to run our business.

We paid off all our trucks and other miscellaneous debt we had. I had a good customer base and I made sure they were all happy. The state of Texas had a lot of regulations to follow and we made sure we were in compliance with all the regulations.

Things were going great. We had good employees that ran the business and we increased our revenue by doing a few things different and cleaning up our debt.

One day a stranger walked into my office and offered to buy my company. He knew everything about me, he knew what church I went to, what topping I put on my ice cream and he definitely knew about how good the company was doing. I was impressed. What every tow company

owner dreams about.

I had a friend who decided we should do some business together. I had an 8 acre lot in Dallas and he wanted to have a location in Dallas so we decided to work together and share the lot. Now I had to tell him someone wanted to buy my

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company and the deal was off. When I told him about my buyer he said he would buy my company. Wow,

now I had two people that wanted to buy me out. He asked what I wanted for the company so I picked

a number out of the air that was higher than the consultant came up with, but I thought if two guys want my company they would pay.I told both buyers the price and they did not hesitate and accepted my price. Now I had to decide which buyer I would sell it to. I told my friend the price and he said he would pay what I was asking but I had to sell it to him within a month.

Just like that I was out of the towing business. I thought retirement would be fun so I gave it a try. I learned quickly that retirement was not for me. I didn’t like any of the soap operas and my wife and I fought more in retirement than we did when we ran a business together. Some advice to you before you sell your business, know what the next step is. If you sit on the couch,

you will die. I was 70 when I sold by company and now it was time to start over. I loved the towing industry and I knew I wanted to do something relating to towing.

I did a lot of trade shows and taught classes at them. In doing so, a new idea developed. It was obvious tow companies did not like motor clubs, and motor clubs were not crazy about working with towers, so I had to come up with a business that made both parties happy and gave the customer a good experience. While talking with my neighbor who worked for Dale computers, he said you know towing and I know computers so let’s start a business like Uber. No matter where you are if you ever need a tow truck you call us and we send the closest truck to you.

He brought on a few computer geeks he knew and over the next year we developed a phone app that worked like Uber and would find the closest tow truck available for the consumer. We tested the app and were ready for our first customer. Geico liked the idea; we tested with them and failed. They went away and we went back to the drawing board. We tested with USAC; they liked the product but for some reason they would not commit to using TowTrax. After one year Quest finally agreed to use our product.

I went back to my business partners and told them the good news; they told me it was over. They did not want to sink more money or time into TowTrax and they would shelf it, or I could buy them out. At 72 I had to decide if I want to use my retirement money to buy them out, or go set on the couch and watch movies every day. Been there and done that and it was not for me. My wife and I both agreed to take our

retirement money and buy them out. I knew we had a good product and the industry needed it so the decision was easy. We found a tech company to work with us and for the next 8 months we tried to incorporate their product with ours but it never worked so I ended my

contract with them and had to start over.

I found a great Tech person who helped me with TowTrax and after a few months we had a product ready to go. In the next article, I’ll tell you how I came up with a new business. Be safe and we will talk soon.

INGENUITY

AMERICAN CRAFTSMANSHIP

3Must-ReadsforTowers

From observations of how our country has declined over past years, I can’t stress enough the importance of reading three books. They need to be read by everyone within the towing and recovery industry as well as all our families. I’ll list the third book first.

I don’t think anybody should be allowed to graduate from high school until they’ve read one of the most important literary classics of all time… The Little Red Hen . In the story, the little red hen finds a grain of wheat and asks the other barnyard animals “Who will help me plant the wheat?” The response “Not I,” said the cat, “Not I,” said the dog, “Not I,” said the pig. So, the Little Red Hen said, “Then I will

plant the seed myself,” and she did.

At each stage of her work (the harvest, threshing, milling, and baking the flour to make the bread) the hen asks the three animals for help in the process again, and at each stage she receives the same reply from each of them. “Not I,” said the cat, “Not I,” said the dog, “Not I,” said the pig. So, they hadn’t changed at all.

At the final stage, when the hen has finished baking the bread, she asks “Now, who will help me eat the bread?” If you’ve heard the story before you know the ending. It’s a priceless answer when they want to help eat the bread. I’m almost positive that educators aren’t teaching the plot or result of this story in school anymore. What was the hen’s

response? “ No, you did not help me plant, nor help me harvest, nor help me mill, nor help me bake the bread,” so the Little Red Hen ate the bread and gave it to her chicks.

Surely, like you, I grew up with this story. It’s such a simple lesson on being a responsible individual and helping others. Modern society no longer embraces this kind of thinking. They say that it doesn’t matter that you did not contribute to any of the work or preparation in making something successful because you still get to eat from the fruit of other people’s labor. Huge mistake! This kind of thinking is wrong. It promotes laziness and slothfulness and the ultimate feeling of entitlement that we see in our world today.

So, you see, this story should be resurrected and taught to our

children at an early age, like it once was, like it was in the days when people were more responsible and understood “cause and effect” relationships. Yes, let’s revive this “Literary Classic” before it is too late!

The second book that I want to mention is Green Eggs and Ham , written by Dr. Seuss. I love this book because of its down-to-earth, elementary techniques. In this book there are 12 closes and 12 customer service tips that are much needed in this industry today. The book’s important but simplistic premise is this. All I want you to do is “try it…YOU will like it.” With these two books, we can start a new culture in our business, but now the #1 book. Including it as a MUST-READ shouldn’t surprise us. It’s the Bible . The word BIBLE stands for B est Information Before Leaving Earth

As all of you know, at least, I hope you know that I stand for the flag and kneel

THOUGHT

BY D.J. HARRINGTON CSP

for the cross. Directly from the Bible 3:10 reads, “Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”

Many people think what’s written in the mostly refers to getting right with God. However, if you’ll turn to the book of Proverbs and use those chapters to run your towing business, I can guarantee you will be successful. Here’s why I feel that way. The Book of Proverbs is filled with every day, practical advice, really the do’s and don’ts for running your life as well as dealing with others. From the special version, The Message , Proverbs 3:28 and 4:16 validate that wise living gets rewarded with honor, while stupid living gets the booby prize.

So do yourself a favor today, find your old and dusty copies of the Little Red Hen and and Ham along with your favorite version of the Read, study, and apply them to your daily living. I can’t wait to hear about the changes you’ll see in yourself, family, and your business.

See you on the next podcast.

PODCAST

The direction Traxero is moving by adding additional products to support its customer base is outstanding! We recently added online auctions and had a very positive experience. Thanks to the TOPS and Traxero Team for the support!

~ Brad A Z Towing

Bene ting for the families of our fallen

If each company in the industry gave just $5 when a tragedy occurs, we could generously support the families of our fallen in so many new ways.

Can you give $5 when a tower dies?

Help us support those left behind by the dangers of our profession.

The Survivor Fund

The “Survivor Fund” was created in 2006 to complement the International Towing and Recovery Museum’s Wall of the Fallen. This fund was established to help those families who have lost a loved one in the line of service.

A Survivor Fund committee was formed of people from all over the United States from the towing industry. The committee is given the information regarding the fallen and the application is processed within 24 hours of receipt. Once the decision is made, a check is sent right away to the family to assist with immediate nancial issues during this tragic time in their lives.

Company owners, family members, or friends can submit the application for bene ts on behalf of the family of the deceased. The application can be found on the website at www.thesurvivorfund.com and can be submitted by mail, fax, or e-mail.

Fourteen years of service to the towing and recovery industry worldwide

Managed by industry professionals

Pledges replenish funds and allow payout growth

$7,500 bene t, $9,500 for museum members

Immediate funds to help at the time of tragedy

Funded by donations only

Hundreds of families supported

Tiered system allows payout increases based on reserves

Hundreds of thousands of dollars paid out to date

Survivor Fund Continuing Support

To ensure the longevity of these bene ts as we work to build a perpetual fund, we are asking each person, company and organization in the industry to participate in supporting the Survivor Fund and these families when a tragedy occurs. Your pledge to become a Survivor Fund Continuing Support Partner represents a commitment to our industry.

As a Continuing Support Partner, you will receive an e-mail from the Survivor Fund when a tragedy occurs and meets the governing guidelines of the Survivor Fund for disbursement. As always, the ITRHFM Survivor Fund will handle direct payment to the families. We will simply solicit your contribution in the pledged amount to replenish and build our fund after each approved payout. The e-mail you receive will provide information on the current tragedy as well as information on how to remit the payment to honor your pledge.

www.thesurvivorfund.com/pledge Make your pledge today to support our industry.

& GPS

By Matt Wesley

We are Towbook. A start-up company that has grown from being crafted in McDonald’s dining areas and being elated at breaking 100 accounts, to leading the way in cutting-edge software and serving thousands of companies world-wide. Our collective vision has and always will be to do things to our own beat, listening to the community that we serve, being honest, humble, and doing everything we can to make the daily lives of towing, roadside, and transport heroes more efficient, less stressful, and safer.

If you have yet to try us, we’re going to give you an honest look at what we do and who we are.

Dispatching. Managers and dispatchers can dispatch jobs from a web browser or mobile app to drivers who are then able to quickly act and provide service to the customer. The mobile apps assist the drivers in easily accessing information, taking photos or video, capturing signatures and much more. When photos are taken,

always

Additional precautions can be taken by creating Vehicle Damage Forms if there is pre-existing damage to the vehicle prior to servicing it. The driver can create a report on scene, take photos of the vehicle, indicate anywhere there is damage, and have the customer sign off on the damage form. This will always be saved for future reference and can even be emailed or sent via text to the customer with

receipt.

Mapping and GPS. You can get turn-by-turn directions to your destination from in the app with just a few taps!

If you aren’t currently using a 3rd party GPS solution, Towbook is equipped with built-in GPS tracking which will automatically update the drivers’ location according to their app settings.

Towbook is also integrated with leading GPS companies like AT&T Fleet Complete, Azuga, Driver Locate, Samsara, US Fleet Tracking, Verizon Connect, and

TOWING SOFTWARE & GPS

Webfleet Solutions; allowing you to send calls directly to the GPS unit in your truck.

Drivers can use the GPS unit to navigate to the service location. Your Towbook app can use the GPS location from your trucks and display that on the map in Towbook. We have recently integrated with Azuga, partnering as their exclusive towing software integration; Azuga has allowed us to offer our mutual clients with some amazing features!

Impound Management.

Our impound management features allows you to manage your impounds from anywhere. You can impound a vehicle, have the storage calculate out for you and release when needed from the computer or mobile app!

We’ve implemented an option to save you and your team time on the phone and reduce confusion in the release process; Vehicle Lookup creates a web portal for customers, police departments or private properties to search a plate number. This allows them to confirm if you have the vehicle and if so, the address of the lot and any pertinent information related to release procedures.

An important time saver and often times an option that helps keep drivers safe is our On Scene Call Creation option. This option circumvents the normal required fields needed for call creation, allowing whoever is creating the call to simply take a quick picture of the car and move forward. When managing non-consensual tows or unsafe situations, this allows for a much faster alternative for your driver to use.

Accountability Features. If you want your team to inspect their trucks and other equipment before (or after) every shift, they can do that easily using the Towbook mobile apps and our Equipment Inspection tool. Each inspection report is time stamped, and managers will receive an email alert any time there is a failure.

Completed inspections are also available to open/ view on mobile apps, so if drivers need to present a completed pre-trip inspection to a law enforcement officer they can do so right from their phone!

Our “User Check-In” feature allows drivers to check-in and out for work directly from their mobile application. This allows managers and dispatchers to know who is currently available to accept jobs.

We know that being able to see drivers’ routes is an important part of running an efficient and reliable business. Because of this, we offer Call Replay. This allows you to go back and review movement on a specific call or play back a time frame for a specific driver. Whether for coaching on better routes to take or holding drivers accountable, this gives you concise visuals for both!

Confirming that you have been paid and physically have the funds can be a struggle sometimes. Whether it’s late payments or less than ideal payment plans or payments that get stuffed in the wrong drawer, we know it can be stressful. The Payment Verification Report helps give you clarity and visual cues on what you have confirmed is in hand or in your bank account. It allows you to review all payments

applied to verify the validity, giving you an additional layer of confidence that your books are balanced.

The Towbook Promise

We value creating what brings your business value, supporting you in ways that make you feel uniquely important and standing out in our field. We value openness and honesty. We know that this industry is built on our word being the bond and in times where we have let someone down, we do everything we can do to make it right. As we reflect on being one of the last remaining companies who take pride in their independent roots, there are a few acknowledgements we want to make.

We created Towbook for the towing and roadside community, with all focus being on developing a software to best help an industry sorely in need of cutting edge, flexible software to make their businesses more efficient. This vision is and will always be a foundational one. We will never become more worried about our bottom line than what worries you. We will always work to implement options that make you

as a business owner as self-sufficient as possible. The journey of building any business from a dream to reality does not end with popularity or a specific number hit. It grows and matures as you see parts of it flourishes.

We would not be who, or where, we are without the community of fiercely independent towing and roadside superheroes that we have the honor of serving. We hold firm to hearing what is needed, acknowledging when we need to make things right, and working tirelessly to deliver an innovative product to everyone who tries it.

POWER YOU CAN DEPEND ON.

New JNC770R

Extra-long 68” cable reach makes easy work of the most difficult starting tasks.

Towing operations that employ Jump-N-Carry jump starters know that no starting task is too daunting. They know from experience that every aspect of a Jump-N-Carry is designed to deliver extreme jump starting power, from the battery to the heavy-duty cables. Jump-N-Carry is all about power delivery.

For information on Jump-N-Carry jump starters, visit www.jumpstarter.com.

ParkingPass Features and Benefits

Established in 2015, ParkingPass has quickly become the most used paperless parking management system for apartments, condominiums, and homeowner’s associations. Are you tired of having to buy parking decals for your clients and spending thousands of dollars each year? Are you receiving daily phone calls from property managers asking for givebacks because a resident had a hangtag fall or your driver/spotter could not find or see the parking decal due to tint, weather or poor location? Our system is fully paperless for the property manager and the residents. NO DECALS required. Residents have their own login to the system to register and update vehicles, while having the ability to register guest passes, putting the responsibility back in their hands. With our customized guest pass controls, your property management clients can set limits to these vehicles, preventing unauthorized occupants from living at the property.

How does patrol work for your driver’s and spotters? It is simple! There is no need to purchase thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment. We have License Plate Reader (LPR) mobile app integration, which allows your

enforcement to simply drive through a property and scan the license plates of the cars parked there. With our real-time database sync, an alert will appear for any vehicles that have a parking status issue or not registered to the property. This makes it easy and quick to find PPI tows, without the need to search for decal stickers. Less givebacks, less risk, and more revenue.

Managing private property impounds and parking enforcement should be straightforward, user friendly and easy. ParkingPass accomplishes that and cuts down on lost revenue, while allowing your towing company the ability to consistently create tow requests with our detailed violation reports which include photographs, date & timestamps and detailed descriptions all in one report.

Below are several key features about our ParkingPass system:

Paperless Resident Registration

Each community is provided with a unique keyword to organize all resident parking applications on our online website (www.parkingpass.com). Residents are only allowed to request approval for the maximum number of resident vehicles permitted at the property.

Resident Approval Portal

A verification system that ensures that only authorized residents are issued parking permits. The management and association can now organize all renters with their proper lease expirations and ensure that all vehicle paperwork is up to date. Our system requires the attachment of vehicle insurance, vehicle registration and a copy of the driver’s license.

Online Guest Vehicle System (Free and Paid Passes)

Effortless guest vehicle registration managed directly by residents online (no paper to manage). The My Friends and Family feature allows your residents to add frequent visitor vehicle information to their account, making the registration process quick and easy. Restrict the number of active guest vehicles per unit, and maximum number of guest pass days per license plate number.

TOWING SOFTWARE & GPS

Customized Parking Policy

Customizable property registration built around your property’s unique parking rules and regulations. Set guest vehicle restrictions, select parking violation items at apply to your policy and specific monitor actions according to each item. Parking Manager allows you to be strict or lenient with your parking rules and regulations.

Virtual Patrol System

Provide access to your on-site security team or parking lot enforcer to search vehicle statuses via resident license plate or parking permit numbers. Full transparency and protection for your management staff and residents, with detailed violation reports that include high-resolution photographs, date and timestamps, and infraction details that are communicated via email and text to the violator.

Resident Messaging System

Efficient communication platform between your property managers and association members to your residents. Communicate directly with all unit owners and renters or to specific building numbers instantly.

Customized User Access

Control who has access to the ParkingPass.com software. Board members, property managers, office staff and security personnel have specific access and roles within our tool. This keeps data both safe and accessible.

Dedicated Email Technical Support

ParkingPass’ technical support team is available via email at no additional cost. Simply send us an email, and a technical support representative will provide timely responses and solutions to fix any technical issues.

Resident and Guest Vehicle Reports

Real-time reports provide up-to-date records of all resident and guest vehicles authorized to park within the community. Customers can now manage the frequency of particular guest vehicle registrations at the click of a button.

Interested in learning more about ParkingPass.com? Email us at sales@parkingpass.com, or visit our website at www.parkingpass.com and fill out a contact request with our Business Development Team.

There is no cost for our product to your towing or enforcement company.

Night into

Tow Professional Quarterly Digital Edition

Cost For

Azuga and Towbook... Grandma approved!

By Tim Smith – Azuga Partnership Manager

The other day, I was just thinking before a planning meeting between the Azuga and Towbook teams and the question creeped into my head. What can we do to make this a “perfect solution” for the towing industry? Immediately the thought of how my grandma would answer that question came to mind. “The only perfect solution is Jesus, and you are not Him,” Of course, she was right,

like the pearls of wisdom she often shared like “nothing good happens after midnight” and “it’s hard to meet a righteous woman in a bar.” Her wisdom gained from a life of experience, self-awareness, and time. She was a part of the “greatest generation of Americans” the World War II generation. They came through the Great

World War II,

as countless medical

These experiences molded them into great men and women. They had a simple wisdom, thoughtfulness, they were hardworking and had an accountability about them, which was just part of their character. That got me thinking could we make a solution that would meet those standards?

Simple Wisdom:

Through years and years working in the telematics and towing industry. I have seen how a telematics system can benefit a business and also where it can fail them. Simply put, if the tower cannot easily buy it and get it installed so it works correctly. then it does not matter what it can

LUG PATTERN WHEEL

CONSTRUCTION

GUNIHUB

for Dealer

Funding Group (AFG), was founded in 1998 and has grown to become one of the largest privately held equipment finance companies in the U.S. Having funded over $2 billion in equipment, we can offer complete credit and asset flexibility.

SOFTWARE & GPS

do. I can’t tell you how many times I have been to see a client with boxes and boxes of never installed hardware sitting in their office because either the company that sold them didn’t do the work to get them up and running or the install was so complicated that they didn’t ever feel like they had time to take the trucks off the road to get them installed.

With Azuga and Towbook we make this process simple. Azuga offers one of the most simple and flexible contracts in telematics which makes ordering equipment a breeze. All the equipment is free with a lifetime warranty, and it is a plug and play install. When installing the most time-consuming part is to pull the dash so you can run the PTO and camera wire. The rest of the wiring process takes less than 5 minutes. Getting the Azuga system to work with your Towbook account takes less than 1 minute.

Thoughtfulness

Azuga and Towbook have spent the time to dive into their

experiences, think about focusing on the most common requests, complaints, and advice we get. We are working daily to deliver a smart and thoughtful solution. The common request is for all the tools you need to run your company to work together on “one pane of glass,” one system so you do not have to bounce back and forth between different websites or screens all day long. If you have Azuga and Towbook that is what you will get.

Accurate tracking, Camera Footage, driving/ PTO events, engine diagnostic info and other features designed to answer the issues related to Job status and driver/truck list accuracy. All this is available, inside the easiest to use and most requested dispatch software available, Towbook. Of course, there will be reasons from time to time for the administrator to go to the Azuga platform, for ELD, IFTA/State mileage reports or fuel/ maintenance cost reports but your managers, dispatchers and drivers should be able to use Towbook for what they need to run the business day to day.

Hardworking and accountable

We know that in the towing industry technology only helps if

A. It works

B. You know how to use it

C. You can contact a real person when you need help

Azuga has a hardworking customer success team to help make sure that you are successful using our solution. Their whole job function is to help you succeed, provide training when you need it and help get you to the right person in Azuga to solve any issues you may need help with. This means when you have a problem you will not have to chase down a salesperson or get frustrated trying to get someone to return your call.

Azuga and Towbook may not be a “perfect solution” but

after careful consideration. I am sure Grandma would approve!

Go to https://offer.azuga.com/towbook/ to learn more or request a demo

Ranger’s New PatrolWorks with LPR

Private Property Impounding – Reimagined Lowering Operational Costs – Even Without LPR!

Ranger’s innovative solution – PatrolWorks with LPR (PW LPRTM) – “raises the bar” for Private Property Enforcement and Impounding (PPI). PW LPR sets new expectations for what defines a complete private property parking management offering and provides a practical solution for you to better serve customers AND significantly increase profitability

A unique feature of PW LPR is the seamless integration of enforcement and permitting. Also unique: both Property Managers and Residents have immediate access to information on permit status and violations on their cell phones or computers (the “plus” in Permitting). PW LPR IS A SOLUTION YOU CAN GROW INTO AND NEVER GROW OUT OF!

Lowering Operating Costs

In the field: The integration of license plate recognition (LPR) technology drives major productivity gains for identifying vehicles that don’t belong in a lot: One LPR-enabled spotter replaces the walking of lots: The typical operational model would be to have two LPR cameras on one spotter vehicle (could be in a legally separate company?). This vehicle patrols and detects vehicles in

Tow trucks are pre-positioned outside the lot and execute the impounds using the GPS co-ordinates that are sent with the violation to the truck for navigation. The spotter vehicle proceeds to the next lot where there are other tow trucks in position.

Productivity is higher. NO STICKERS and LESS FRAUD! No more printing and tracking of permit labels. No need for a manual process with a mobile app to check tags. Saves money! Saves time!

The mobile app adds further patrolling efficiencies. ANY policy violation on ANY vehicle (with or without a permit) can be entered and tracked. The app can be used with or without LPR.

AND, It’s safer. Rather than walking lots with flashlights and creating suspicion

among residents, those patrolling with LPR are safely in small, non-descript spotter vehicles. PW LPR lowers liabilities and enables easy scaling – more lots with the same crew!

In the Office: More recently, Ranger has added new functionality to further reduce operational costs. The NEW WORKBENCHES streamline management processes –including for enforcement companies that choose not to use the LPR system for patrolling! The Workbenches are designed to provide a single, easy-to-use-screen, with a list of the relevant vehicles, from which managers can complete all major steps in the process. The workbenches streamline processes and training.

The Lien Letter Workbench - a one-stop toolkit to accomplish all of the regulatory requirements needed before the auction of a vehicle. The process for each vehicle can be completed from this workbench - from printing Lien Letters to required DMV forms.

Step 1: “Load the list” shows the vehicles that are headed to auction or disposal (have not already been released to the owner).

Property Parking Management

AND

Benefits for Property Management Companies

Benefits for Impounding Companies

TOWING

SOFTWARE & GPS

Step 2: “Letter Started” triggers the logic to automatically set the planned auction date based on the category of the vehicle (e.g., estimated value). “Clear Dates”, by category, are calculated as the earliest opportunity for an auction.

Step 3: Prepopulating a preauction Registration Document with terms and conditions for signature by bidders

Step 4: Printing the Bidders list for the day

Step 5: Recording the winning bidder for a vehicle (also “Drag and Drop” from the Bidders list)

Step 3: “Generate Lien letters” launches the process to notify registered owners and lien holders: printing the requisite letters – customized to local requirements.

Step 4: “Labels” creates a formatted output for printing to label sheets. The labels can be used for mailing or to attach to related paperwork as an ID tag.

Step 5: “DMV Notice” generates a form that can be sent to regulatory agencies as required.

Step 6: Creating the Bill of Sale with pricing detail (e.g., Lien Fees, Key Fees) and automatically inserting the contact information of both the Registered Owner and the vehicle buyer

Step 7: Generating the filings/form required by the DMV for both the seller and the buyer to complete the purchase transaction and enable a new registration

Step 6: “Newspaper List” generates a form for publishing the list of vehicles for an upcoming auction

Step 7: “Set Actual Auction Date”, realigns timing (Planned Date) to the latest schedule

All seven steps are completed from the same “launch” page.

The Auction Workbench – becomes the “base of operations” on the day of an auction.

Step 1: Creating and printing an ordered auction list (“Drag and Drop” ordering) for a specific auction date

Step 8: Discharging the vehicle from the active lot inventory

All eight steps are completed from the same “launch” page.

The Violations Workbench – supports the management of violations, particularly those that are waiting on policy restrictions to be satisfied, such as approvals. It is organized by property by lot, recognizing that some properties will have multiple lots such as an apartment with a carport.

Step 2: Registering Bidders participating in the auction – either from a database of prior participants or the entry of new bidders

Violation Details provides a “drill-down” on the specifics of the policy violation, including the geocoordinates of the vehicle when found to be in violation (providing navigation for the truck that will be impounding) and pictures. A companion report can be launched that highlights vehicles

“Ready to tow” to prioritize impounding actions.

The Inventory Workbench – has been enhanced with added automation. It equips users to design an individualized Workflow Management Process to track the progress of vehicles through the lot vs. process targets. This tool now automatically updates as steps in the lien letter and auction processes are completed.

Other Benefits of PW LPR for Enforcement Companies

Reducing operating cost savings is only part of the PW LPR benefit equation. Other major benefits include: Increasing revenue from impounding. PW LPR provides an exclusive, differentiated solution to fuel your growth – more lots, more impounds. Generating income from permit processing. Managing the database of LPs for parking permissions provides the foundation to also manage permitting on behalf of properties (fee for service?).

Creating a new revenue source from ticketing (a.k.a. citations). Often a new idea, ticketing is a “kinder and gentler” enforcement tool that benefits both the community and you (fee for service?).

Enabling you to control your own destiny. PW LPR positions you to redefine your role from “vendor” (working for someone else) to becoming the property’s “partner” in improving performance in parking management - reducing risk in your growth plans.

The Benefits of PW LPR for Property Management Companies

PW LPR enables business growth with the unique benefits you can now deliver to property management companies. Ranger will co-invest and help you market to property management companies! Benefits include:

1. Self-service vehicle registration by residents … SAVES TIME

2. Transparency of information across the community … REDUCES DISPUTES

For violations and permitting

For Property Managers and Residents

3. Preservation of lot capacity for permit holders … IMPROVES SERVICE

License plates as the permit reduces fraud and cost

More frequent patrolling with LPR

Caps on guest parking availability

4. Streamlined workflows…. SAVES TIME

Built-in Pre-reregistration process

None of the hassles to manage stickers or RFID tags

5. Integrated delivery – single source for permitting AND enforcement .. SAVES TIME

Single point of contact for complete parking management

Seamless process; fewer errors; all data in the same system

6. Increased asset value – with NO COST to the property

Incremental parking fees - like small baggage fees for an airline

Fees for guest parking and from Ticketing

Could exclusive deployment of the innovative PW LPR solution, with or without LPR, be an opportunity for you to win and grow in your market with your customers? PW LPR points to the future. You can be at the vanguard –productively and profitably serving more customers and more lots, generating more impounds and new revenue sources.

Call for more information (440) 498-1495 Or Visit https://info.rangersst.com/

What Technology Do ELDs & DVIR Integrate for Fleet Efficiency?

Electronic logging devices (ELDs) are tools you can use for your fleet vehicles to ensure efficiency and performance. You can more easily improve your fleet by logging your travel time and hours of service (HOS). With the new congressional mandate, ELDs are required as part of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) to better support the health and safety of drivers on the job. So, ELD trucking management has become a critical part of your fleet operations. .

What Is the ELD Manager?

The Webfleet ELD Manager is designed to save on costs while making it faster for you to achieve compliance. It’s a reliable and efficient all-in-one solution that helps you with compliance issues related to Hours of Service (HoS), one of the biggest and potentially most costly issues you may face with your fleet.

With the ELD Manager, you can manage your fleet’s efficiency, but it goes beyond simply registering service hours. The system alerts you if there is ever a chance of

failure, along with other critical tasks for the growth and success of your company. The system doesn’t just casually tell you. It displays a violation icon to identify the issue.

Then, it issues a violation action report, so you can quickly determine what action you or your team need to take. The ELD Manager even locks the screen to show the cycle time remaining and the appropriate driving shift. You’re notified via a button that changes from green to amber red, so you can easily see what the violations may be as part of your ELD fleet management.

DVIR Vehicle Check

A complete approach to digitizing your inspections is Webfleet’s DVIR Vehicle Check. It benefits fleet managers and drivers — drivers receive real-time feedback before, during, and after trips. The DVIR Vehicle Check mobile app streamlines the compliance process while minimizing all that paperwork you do.

So you can quickly and effectively resolve vehicle

&

defects and ensure your fleet vehicles in ELD trucking are safe and reliable with an easy-to-use mobile app that drivers use with each walkaround vehicle inspection. Drivers can select the type of defect but also add notes and photos, which allows you to better prepare for addressing those issues. It’s as easy as submitting the paperless checklists.

Beyond the obvious benefits of the Webfleet Vehicle Check for ELD fleet management, you can react to maintenance issues as you quickly see and respond in real time. As you digitize the driver inspection process with ELD devices, you can improve the maintenance process and increase vehicle uptime.

You save time reporting and responding to roadside vehicle inspections for your ELD trucking, but you can also more quickly comply with safety regulations. Drivers can retrieve recent inspections and checklists better to understand roadworthiness and the nature of vehicle defects.

Your ELD devices give you the actionable overview you’ve always needed in one interface. You can access everything from the vehicle checklist reports, inspections, and maintenance reports to better

determine the current status of your vehicles as part of your ELD fleet management. So, you can respond in ways that make the most sense for your ELD trucking vehicles.

Benefits of Implementing ELD Devices

Compliance concerns are one of the most obvious reasons to implement ELD rules for your fleet vehicles, but you’ll find a range of other important benefits too. Here are a few of the top benefits of implementing ELD devices in ELD trucking:

• Cut down on admin costs

• Track the locations of the vehicles in your fleet

• Diagnose your fleet of vehicles

• Automate your IFTA calculation

• Monitor idle time and streamline

• Increase your safety considerations

• Identify bad habits and tendencies

fleet

• Reduce liability

• Lower premiums for insurance

drivers

fleet

•

What Can Webfleet Do for Your Company?

With the Webfleet eLogs, you have a solution that complies with Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIR) and Hours of Service (HOS). You’re better able to comply with NOM-087 and FMCSA ELD rule sets while reducing costs and ensuring better productivity. If you’re looking to take your business to the next level, the Webfleet eLogs offers the functionality you need to succeed with ELD devices.

Contact Webfleet today to learn more about how eLogs will work for you: www.webfleet.com

By: Jeff Pesnell – Traxero

Integrated $olutions that make a difference!

Since taking its first call with Cedar Bluff

Towing early in the year 2000, TOPS has served industry towing leaders with robust solutions for managing all aspects of the towing operation. Over the years, great features have been added to the TOPS program. In addition to general TOPS based features, we have partnered and integrated with 3rd party applications that greatly enhance the TOPS® product offering. Many of you are familiar with our BudgetGPS offering (see below) which is tightly integrated with TOPS®, but also integrated with all Traxero-owned towing management platforms.

Beyond our GPS integrations, we have additionally added the ability to mail a certified letter direct from the TOPS system and have integrated a fantastic Online Auctions platform marketed under the name of Auction Simplified.

Integrated into all Traxero towing management platforms, including TOPS®, Auction Simplified delivers a powerful set of features to further enable your Auction operations! Auction Simplified can support any style auctions from online, to inperson, to lane sale, etc. Many of our largest customers have taken advantage of our integration with Auction Simplified

for easier to manage auctions bringing increased profits per vehicle. Kevin Leigh, a founder at Auction Simplified, recently released this blog post centered around towing and auctions. I felt it was appropriate to share…

Junk is Just Another Word for Cash (Recent Blog Post)

Back in the day I bought cars directly from local police and towing auctions to sell at my dad’s used car lot. I always found it odd that towers would sell to just one buyer without competition. But they liked me.

Back in the day I bought cars directly from local police and towing auctions to sell at my dad’s used car lot. I always found it odd that towers would sell to just one

buyer without competition. But they liked me.

Fast forward to today. One of the questions I like to ask at towing trade shows is, “How are you selling your cars today?”

It surprises me how many towing companies still say, “We have a couple of buyers that buy all of our cars.” Or worse yet, “We send a spreadsheet to the local salvage yard, and they make offers.”

It saddens me to hear this, because of the endless amount of profit being left on the table.

So, I usually ask, “What if you had more buyers? What if three people showed up instead of two? What if three became five and then five became 55. Would you make more profit?”

The answer is often a reluctant yes. Mostly because they’ve become friends with their buyers.

In my heart of hearts, I believe tow companies know some of those relationships are at their expense.

Worse yet, we’ve seen those buyers collude in their pricing, sometimes saying things like, “You take this one and I’ll bid on the next, or let’s not run the price up, you take this batch I’ll get the next.” creating an environment that’s not competitive at all. Not friendly at all.

Can Online Bidding Prevent Collusion?

Collusion: noun: > secret or illegal cooperation, especially in order to cheat others.

By bringing in so many additional buyers, cheating is not possible. There are just too many competitors.

It’s simple really, if you get more bids per car, you will increase your current best price from your usual buyers. The usual buyers must pay more or lose out. More buyers = additional bids per car. Additional bids = higher prices and more cash in your pocket instead of theirs.

How Do I Find Buyers?

With online services such as Auction Simplified, finding those qualified buyers is easier than ever, and creating a marketplace for those buyers to compete is simple. Auction Simplified calls, emails, and texts all local buyers and registers them for your online sale. We do the work, so you don’t have to.

But What Happens to My Current Buyers

Ultimately, they pay more than they are now. Sure, they will have long faces at first, because they’ve had an “exclusive deal” up until this point. But they need your

TOWING SOFTWARE & GPS

cars, they’ve built their business around the inventory at your location.

Are There Really That Many Buyers for Junk?

Yes. Everyone from salvage yards to pick-n-pulls to online parts sellers to used car dealers are not afraid of the work.

At Auction Simplified, we think Junk is just another word for Cash, Scrap is just another way of saying Surplus Profit.

Why is TMS Integration Important?

Auction Simplified integrates with most major towing management software (TMS) companies which means that you can post cars to auction directly from your TMS, such as TOPS, Omadi, InTow, Tracker, and Dispatch Anywhere. Integration saves keystrokes and ultimately your valuable time, by connecting systems. For example, to sell a car at

auction, simply click a button and the software sends the vehicle and its photos to Auction Simplified. No need to retype everything. When the vehicle is sold, accounting data is returned to the towing management software where the vehicle is released from inventory and closed out in the system.

What Kind of Profit Improvement Should I Expect?

Depending on market conditions we’ve seen substantial improvements in salvage profit. By expanding your buyer base to dealers as well, we’ve also seen improvement in profit for “clean” nicer vehicles, especially if they have a retail title.

A very informative blog post that should start your wheels turning!

In addition to our Auction integrations, TOPS® is also tightly integrated with the BudgetGPS fleet management platform.

BudgetGPS

The most valuable physical asset a towing company has is its fleet of trucks and equipment. Each truck constitutes a significant financial investment, as well as always being a rolling advertisement for your company… at all times! Many companies have chosen to protect that investment by installing GPS or Camera devices in their trucks. These devices can be hard-wired, or in some

cases can be plugged into the vehicle’s OBDII port as a ‘plug-n-play’ solution. These devices can be purchased for relatively small investments.

The GPS device is only half of the story. The other half is the software interface designed around the device. What good is knowing the GPS lat/long of a truck if you don’t know where that is on a map? A good GPS system relies on software that is engineered to support the user and the business that they are in. The BudgetGPS system is a vehicle and fleet tracking solution that can be used by any industry, but is specifically tuned to support the towing industry. BudgetGPS integrates with TOPS software (as well as Beacon’s Dispatch Anywhere, InTow, Omadi & Tracker) to offer a true visual dispatching tool, where users are able to view current vehicle locations, and unassigned pickup and drop-off locations – all on the same map. Icons are color coded allowing for a visual picture of calls in-process and those that are clearing. Users are also able to visually see when the PTO is operating. Knowing this information can save time, and time is money. Additionally, users are able to monitor ETA’s based on mapping calculations of drive time between the truck and pickup locations. The BudgetGPS system also allows for dispatching the closest truck to the breakdown, by using the ETA of each available truck and its proximity to the incident location. This feature is becoming the option of choice for law enforcement agencies, as it has shown time

and time again to provide the lowest ETAs and the streets are cleared the quickest.

BudgetGPS delivers a full set of features for a single low price and without a contract term! These include things like Live Map, with 20-second vehicle updates and live Google traffic for both the map and satellite views, a 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…

About Our Company

TOPS® by Traxero markets and sells towing management products to private tow operators, municipalities, and law enforcement. TOPS® software tools support towing dispatch, freeway service patrol, impound lot management, private property towing and more with efficiency, transparency, and accountability in mind. Integrations with commercial products such as Auction Simplified and BudgetGPS create enterprise solutions for your business!

To reach TOPS or BudgetGPS directly, please call 866-800-8677 or visit our websites – www.traxero.comwww.topsdispatch.com - www.budgetgps.com

To reach Auction Simplified directly, please call 877877-4511 to schedule a demo or visit www.AuctionSimplified.com

What is Traxero

TOPS®, BudgetGPS, and Auction Simplified are proud to be part of Traxero. A group of companies that provides world class and enterprise-level towing dispatch software, fleet management, digital payment processing, lien and letter management, auctions, and other towing business solutions! In addition, Traxero’s brands include: Beacon’s Dispatch Anywhere, TowLien, Tracker, Omadi, InTow, TowPay, TOPS, BudgetGPS and Auction Simplified. Reach us at www.traxero.com – 800-428-4715

Let TRAXERO customize a solution for you today!

SOFTWARE & GPS

It’s no secret that the transportation supply chain is constantly evolving. To remain competitive, carrier fleets continue to seek out new ways to ensure that freight keeps moving. One of the ways that technology is making operations more efficient is by making roadside breakdown management transparent and predictable. By eliminating the hassle of searching the internet for a provider, the back-and-forth phone calls of confirming information, requesting ETA’s, and critical updates, carriers can reduce their handling time making the entire experience much more manageable.

Introducing ServiCase. ServiCase is a revolutionary towing and roadside mechanical breakdown platform available to fleets, carriers and operators. Unlike

traditional listing services or directories, ServiCase allows the user the ability to not just search for a service provider, but to select and digitally dispatch the call as well as deliver electronic status updates to the carrier providing the clearest indication of when the asset will be back on the road.

ServiCase can also be used as a case management system allowing carriers to track breakdowns and events through to completion including event status, photos, invoices, etc. ServiCase provides carriers access to over 50,000 service providers and 8,000+ locations with the ability to store private notes and ratings for the service providers with whom they engage.

ServiCase Technology Adopted by Event Providers

ServiCase is a breakdown management system powered by the sureEcosystem digital dispatch platform and used by event providers like FleetNet America. ServiCase allows fleets and event providers the ability to locate service providers and dispatch jobs electronically via sureEcosystem, which recently crossed a milestone of over a half-million events handled on the platform.

Is ServiCase Just Another Directory?

Absolutely not. While there may be similarities in the process of searching for a roadside provider, that’s where the similarity ends. ServiCase is unique in that it provides carriers and other fleets the ability to manage, maintain and even keep private records about preferred providers and rates, with the ability to electronically dispatch and manage events when the service provider is connected to the sureEcosystem platform. These unique features are in demand by fleets nationwide. ServiCase is also different in that the service provider is not charged for events or jobs they receive. Again, there is absolutely no upcharge for receiving the call, and under no circumstance are rates mandated. ServiCase does not mark anything up because payment is made directly to the service provider.

How ServiCase Works

When a breakdown occurs, fleet managers create a case in ServiCase by providing information about the vehicle and the required type of service. When the service provider is digitally connected into sureEcosystem, jobs can be assigned directly to the provider’s dispatch software. The case information is sent to the provider’s software package, providing an alert and information about the new job. The service provider reviews the request and replies with an ETA and potentially other information. Once the ETA is accepted by the event provider, the service provider is dispatched and a live call is created in dispatching software.

ServiCase is a plus for your bottom-line.

When your company is listed in the ServiCase network, you become a part of one of the most sophisticated systems available to roadside breakdown. As more and more carriers adopt ServiCase as their breakdown platform, your business is exposed to fleets looking for the services you offer.

ServICase allows you control your own listing.

SServiCase is different from other search services in that

TOWING SOFTWARE & GPS

the provider has the ability to update their own information such as services offered, rates, insurance coverage, contact numbers, hours of operation and more... Service providers are not charged for jobs they receive through ServiCase and there is no bidding for higher positions in the results listings. Unlike “Uber” type towing platforms, ServiCase does not charge variable fees for large markets and does not dictate rates, though many listed providers are extending their commercial account rates to carriers using ServiCase. Nothing is marked up by ServiCase because payment is made directly to the service provider by the carrier user.

Connected Digital Software Providers

The ServiCase breakdown management software is exceptional in that it can connect carriers and fleets directly to the service provider through many of the commercially available dispatch software platforms such as Beacon, FullBay, InTow, TOPS, Tracker and Omadi as well as sureEcosystem’s Dispatch.

When a breakdown occurs, carriers and fleet managers create a case in the ServiCase tool providing all of the information about the vehicle and the type of service that is required. When the service provider is digitally connected, jobs can be assigned directly to the provider’s dispatch software. The case information is sent to the software package providing an alert and the information about the new job. Once the ETA is accepted, the service provider is dispatched, creating a live call in the service provider’s dispatching software.

Getting Listed on ServiCase

There are several options to get your company listed on ServiCase. The most popular offering is the VIP Package which provides the company with the most visibility and includes a fully customizable ad banner provided by the team at ServiCase. This premium listing provides critical information about your company to those who are searching and includes an expanded search radius as well as a fully updatable company profile including rates, hours of operation, insurance, and more.

Updating Information

The information that is provided for a service provider’s company will be utilized by carriers and fleet managers as they work through their service provider selection process. Service providers are encouraged to fill out their information as completely and accurately as possible. They can update this information at any time by logging in to the ServiCase website with their username and password.

Companies whose profile do not include their locations, services offered, or a phone number will not be displayed in the search results. Each service provider location can have its own service offerings and multiple qualifying locations can be displayed in the search results. Mailing addresses are not considered in the search results, but service provider profiles include physical addresses which can be assigned services to be found by those searching for providers.

Staying Connected

The team at ServiCase has set up several social media accounts where they will be communicating updates and announcements. ServiCase can be found on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. Follow ServiCase today to stay up to date on the latest news regarding ServiCase and sureEcosystem.

THE TRUCK IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

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