GRUMPS The Towman

I cant see how anyone can let an Operator with a substance abuse issue fly under the radar these days. God forbid something horrible should happen,Your fault or not, The first thing they want is a vial of blood and medical records of the CMV driver involved around here. Test positive and it suddenly IS your fault regardless. I am not a drinker anymore, I used to be a regular beer or two a night guy. But there is usually one occasion a year (usually thanksgiving with the in-laws... Yeah, You know what I mean... LOL ) where I may have a drink or two and i purposely will not work the next day so I know for fact there is no trace of alcohol in my system to be used against me if the worst were to happen. I dont even do a beer with dinner anymore just because of the horror stories I have heard from people. If I were to have a driver with a substance issue and I felt he was worth keeping I would certainly try to help in anyway I can to get him cleaned up. But for the interim time from the positive results, He would be off the road. I just cant see taking that risk.

I dont feel like I am at 100% for this time of year, but we are doing pretty good considering there is no college kids. But of course there is no college this time of year anyway. L.E. tows are WAY down and almost non -existent. All my account work is steady. This is usually my slow time of the year. Glad to hear your business is running well

Not me. I am not going to get into the whole Brooks thing, But I will say, if he was willing to fight with two armed officers, What was he gonna do with a care counselor and a tow truck driver? Or is it that Sleepy Joe is suggesting that the tow driver break another law and just move the car while Mr. Brooks slept it off inside? Oh and of course we would have to do it for free of course. He's drunk so we dont want to wake him.

There is a member on here by the name of Wes Wilburn. He had a vast collection of vintage Holmes literature up for sale as an auction in the classifieds section of these forums a while back. I am not sure if it is possible to maybe find him on the member list of these forums and send him a message to see if he may have the information you desire. Maybe one of the moderators here can hook you and Mr. Willburn up? I have a good feeling he is the man you want to speak to.

Like Ed, I too certainly learned the hard lesson of securing my casualty before setting it back on its wheels. Mine took off across the road, getting my winch line and rigging fouled up in the mangled exhaust before nose planting itself in the deep ditch on the other side of the road.. I felt like a complete Idiot... Needless to say that was one call I never wanted to make to Dad, But I was essentially screwed. Mr. Resch brings up a very good point about working a recovery on private property. That to me is a variable where a good level of common sense and a true understanding of your surroundings comes into play. Seeing your recovery and looking to see if the possibility of property damage exists and taking the necessary steps to prevent it or contacting the property owner, explain the situation and get permission. Of course fluids and debris must be handled as usual If not, even better than they would be on public roadways. I try to approach these types of situations by looking at it as if it was my property. How would I want it handled ? I have never had to go through what Mr. Resch did with claims court and all, But i have heard horror stories similar to that one. And Yeah?? Where is everyone else?? Seems to be the same cackle of old timers having these discussions on here.. Oh wait,... I am one of them.. 🤨

Yup, there is no "patrol towing" done on my part. That is one of those things i would like to discuss on a dedicated post. Predatory towing is considered Illegal in my county, But there is a wide grey area that other companies in town exploit. Although I do have a few businesses and apartment complexes that solely use me for their ppi towing. I tell them it is their job to control your lots, call L.E. and have it ticketed then call me and i will come get it. I want no part in determining if a vehicle is in violation. I will tow it after the property owner/management determines it doesnt belong there.

Welcome to the forums Sir. If towing and recovery is your passion then, you have come to the right place. Thank you for posting pictures of your old trucks. I always enjoy checking out the gear you guys use on the other side of the pond. I have always assumed that a lot of the Holmes equipment over there is probably WW2 era gear that was left over there after the war? Is there any truth to that? Your model trucks look excellent as well. You have an eye for detail. Keep up the good work!! Translation: Bienvenue sur les forums Monsieur. Si le remorquage et la récupération sont votre passion, vous êtes au bon endroit. Merci d'avoir posté des photos de vos vieux camions. J'aime toujours vérifier l'équipement que vous utilisez de l'autre côté de l'étang. J'ai toujours supposé qu'une grande partie de l'équipement Holmes là-bas était probablement du matériel datant de la Seconde Guerre mondiale qui avait été laissé là-bas après la guerre? Y a-t-il une vérité à cela? Vos modèles de camions sont également excellents. Vous avez le sens du détail. Continuez votre bon travail !!

I look foward to your future post regarding these ppi tows Tow Zone. Although there is not as much ppi work here lately, I feel it will skyrocket once the colleges open up here again. There are some issues with what and how some are handled in this area that I would like to run by you and the other members here for advice and thoughts.

I agree the $200-$265 price tag for the tows seems to be legit. Possibly their thought process is although we are performing illegal tows, if we charge the regulated rate it will give their victims the feeling they are following the law maybe? Basically, hiding the things your not supposed to be doing under the things your allowed to do. Price gouging is a sure fire way to get the appropriate regulatory body to start digging into what you have been doing. Our regulated ppi rates in the city here were just raised this past January to $200 - $225 ( dollies or flat bed required gets the $225 ) from $100 flat charge that it had been for the past 27 years. Yes, you read that right. We were handcuffed to a $100 tow charge for any and all ppi tows for the city for the past 27 years. Anyway, I am coming off topic.What bothers me is the complaints of unauthorized tows like the woman they mentioned legally parked with a permit or falsifying documentation as to where you towed the vehicle from. Then the threats and intimidation against the victims is obviously not cool. As far as the cash only payments, if it is within your regulations that you must accept various forms of payment then that is a no-no too. Here, payment type is NOT regulated and because it is not I as well as all the other companies on the rotation only accept cash payments for tow aways ( ppi ) I have bold printed signs posted at my yard and I also explain our policy to the customer when they call to inquire about retrieving their vehicles so it is no surprise to them. We tried out accepting cc for ppi's a couple years back and what some of these college kids around here would do is do a charge-back on the card after we would run the card. then it would turn into a battle with their card provider to get paid. I also look at the other side of the coin as far as people filing bogus complaints against towers simply because their car was towed. I have had people file complaints against me in the past but luckily because I document everything, take pre and post tow pictures and even record the release transaction if I feel like it is going to be a problem I have never had any bogus claims stick. Being that this particular series of complaints has reached as high up as the state attorney general makes me think that there is some meat on their complaints.

All I can say is Wow.... Just the fact that these clowns have 3 different "names" to run their business is a red flag to me of their shadiness.. Because of these types of dishonest business men is why our industry has such a bad rap. If it is found that these men are guilty of these crimes Then they deserve everything that comes their way. Also, Being a Pit Bull advocate and owner myself, the use of the dogs to intimidate and threaten your already vulnerable customers is beyond low. On top of losing their business Their dogs should be taken from them as well. These are some disgraceful people..

That is an excellent example of this discussion Orcas tow. Could that roll been performed without the use of a catch line? Sure. The probability of it coming back over towards you even with a steep incline is slim BUT possible I agree. See, this is what I love about our industry most. It allows professional, educated creativity and flexibility to really shine while following "guidelines" of what has been implemented through the years as Operators and equipment have evolved. In reality, I have been using the term "catch line" incorrectly. It would better to be referred to as a "control line". You dont want to "catch" the casualty and shock-load your rigging and equipment. Your picture also shows another key example of doing a procedure that I would prefer not to do but will and have IF the situation dictates. And that is rigging the re-route block high up on the tree. Ideally, as we know the best way to use a "holmes tree" is at the base. but under the right circumstances, with a trained operator such as yourself you made the call to go high and knew what to look for while performing the roll. Excellent work Sir.

I do agree there are half a dozen ways this particular roll could have been performed. And not one of them may be better or worse than the next. Could an end roll have been performed? Sure. Could a reverse roll been performed? Yup. Could it have been done with a roll back? Absolutely. Could a catch line been used, if available? Why not. I will have to agree to disagree with this particular scenario. Maybe it is a west coast thing or whatnot. But I find myself wondering how and what would be charged for this type of rollover technique? Is it a flat rate type of thing that gets charged for any type of rollover? If a guy with a pickup truck or heck, even a mini-van and a chain showed up and did this same thing is he now a recovery operator? or is it "OK" because he used a tow truck to do it? Maybe from my "in industry view" is why I see it as a somewhat barbaric technique that had no place being used here. Or maybe i am just "old school" and feel like tow trucks have winches for a reason. I have had a couple occasions in the past where I have had to defend my actions and charges to a insurance adjuster or vehicle owner because they felt what I did was not needed or was done wrong in their eyes etc... I can see this being one of those situations where you charged $300 to perform a rollover and all you did was throw a chain on it and drive forward. Given the overall situation it just does not look professional to me and I can see how a unknowing civilian might see it as unprofessional. Again i understand quick clear and the benefits of using it in the right situations. I am in no way attacking quick clear techniques. They have their place within the industry. If this driver worked for me, my biggest gripe with him aside from how he rolled it is the fact that he blocked up traffic when he did not need to. My first and formost thoughts when I get to a scene ( after I find my safe spot and escape route of course ) is how and what can I do to NOT impede the flow of traffic. This one is a no-brainer in my opinion.

Thank you Mr. Resch. I really enjoy being a part of Tow Force. I have learned a lot from posting with all of you and I hope I have been able to share some of my experiences with others as well.

I completely agree with your statement here Mr. Resch. My oldest son, due to all the years of riding with me and getting out of the passenger side of the truck and going to the curb side of the truck's controls has made it a habit to him. Now at 17 He actually prefers that side of the truck because he knows the "feel" of the controls on that side. We actually just discussed this the other day when my oldest moved my truck around and off loaded a vehicle from the curb side in our yard. I asked him why he walked around the truck to use that side and he simply stated " I just know this side better". My youngest boy has never been on any calls on the side of the road ( he is 8 ) and does not run the truck alone yet . But my hope is that as he gets older and starts to "take charge" of a load -unload procedure like my older son, he will get used to running the truck on the curb side the same way.

I totally get the whole "Quick clear" technique that you guys have in the big cities with the freeways and all. Having grown up in the Bronx and Queens boroughs, I have witnessed the procedures performed. Especially in the tunnels and bridges with specialized trucks that are affectionately called "Bridge Bullies" and "Tunnel Rats". My issue is that this particular casualty vehicle is NOT on a freeway blocking rush hour traffic. It is not even blocking the boulevard it is by. It is resting nicely on the apron of the gas station with what appears to be minimal damage. In fact, the entire upright and tow could have been performed rather easily without ever blocking even one lane of the boulevard. And a "catch line" could have been used while performing any number of traditional uprights ( if the truck is a twin line ) to lessen the risk of further damage to the casualty as opposed to just slamming it down. I have had soft rollovers that did not deploy airbags during the initial roll blow off airbags from slamming down before. Obviously quick clear procedures can and most times do cause further damage to the casualty and in the situations that warrant the necessity of quick clear I understand how possible further damage is not too high on the priority list. Clearing the roadway and getting traffic moving before secondary accidents occur or an Operator or police officer gets hit is top priority. This situation doesnt seem to fit the criteria for a Quick clear procedure in my opinion. But on the other hand, At those fuel prices I would want to move my ass too and get it over with just so I dont run my truck to long !!! Lol

Ugghhh... 😠 Nothing drives me more batty than a bird nested winch line. That is the probably my number 1 thing I use when judging the way another operator performs his duties. It is a sure sign of laziness and incompetence in my opinion. Dolly tires are a big thing that get overlooked by operators during pre-trip or service intervals . They take a ton of abuse and are so often overlooked maintenance wise until one fails on you. ( been there, done that ) Its almost funny being that those dolly tires are relatively inexpensive and easy to replace. Just another one of those "lessons learned"

The sound of that can smashing into the bridge and the ground must have been horrific.. Nice work on the recovery Sir.

My original comment is meant only for the direct incident of the man attacking the operator and his truck. Aside from whatever the reason was that this Operator chose to stay there and hold the car hostage, the vehicle owner STILL chose to attack him with a weapon, threaten bodily harm and destroy his property. For those reasons, I stand behind my statement. I would of and will respond with the necessary force to protect myself and my property. Now, As far as the situation that brought these 2 men to cross paths, I most certainly do not agree with the whole "block it in till the other truck gets here" thing.. Around here that would be illegal. If you cant take it with what you have then your not taking it.. Here if it is a ppi and this guy came out prior to you moving or lifting the vehicle, then your obligated to just release it and tell them to move it. If it has been moved or lifted, you can charge a hook fee. As fired up as this guy was, at that point I probably would have just let it go to avoid escalating the situation It seems to be another case of a poorly trained operator getting into something he has no place being a part of. If it is that companies policy to have their guys hold cars hostage while they get different trucks or personnel there to perform the actual tow then I would guess this type of issue has happened in the past. Obviously the man was very volatile the moment he confronted the operator. The operator should have cut bait and left the moment the man walked off to retrieve his weapon.

I gotta give the Operator TONS of credit for keeping his cool. If this bozo wanted a fight with me so bad that he smashed my window and truck with a hammer, he would have got one...

It always has baffled me how Swift could still be in business or at the very least still insured between what I have personally witnessed, seen on youtube or heard others have seen from their drivers. their Loss percentages have to be out of this world..

Bearing buddies like Tow Zone has displayed above are a great addition to keep grease on the bearings. i use them myself But keep in mind, Nothing is better than pulling those bearings out, cleaning them real good in a parts washer, with brake clean or what have you then inspecting them and repacking them by hand from time to time. I personally do it at least once a year while doing my "A" maintenance on my trucks. The rest of the time they get a shot of grease via the bearing buddies like during my "B" services. I break down my service schedules on my rigs and gear mostly for record keeping purposes. I call them "A" or "B" services. "A" service is the big ones, where EVERYTHING gets gone through. Touched, cleaned, greased, adjusted, rotated, etc.. My "B" services are a bit more simple. Oil/filters, a quick go through, Blah blah blah..

for the truckers sake,..... I hope the girl was worth it...😜 lol Nice work as always Ed.

I just noticed,... THOSE FUEL PRICES !!!!! Where is this??? And here i am complaining about $ 2.85 a gallon.. WOW...

Lol Ed, like i mentioned, I certainly do admire your abilities to go that extra mile AND get paid well for your efforts. I do perform clean ups and I guess we can say, " landscape repairs" to the best of my ability although we do have regulations on what we can charge around here. Basically, we have to get authorization from the L.E. agency in charge of the scene for ANYTHING other than a broom and shovel. I have at times gone back to scenes afterwards with my oldest son ( I am way to old to be raking and shoveling. LOL ) to straighten out a persons yard, lawn, mailbox etc on my own accord just because i feel it is the right thing to do. I like to think I sometimes leave the scene looking better than it did before the accident. even if it doesnt put money in my pocket at that moment, I may earn a customer or two by going that extra mile.

The local city P.D.had one of their cruisers go down today. The quick, in-town tow over to the fleet garage is on me as a lil thanks for all they do.