GRUMPS The Towman

I worded that a bit wrong. I too often take pics of my jobs ( not as often as I should ) including fatal mva's But I will never post or display any involving a fatality or crime publicly. 

I would have handled the situation you had with your customer regarding pics of their wrecked car in the same fashion. If anyone asks me to remove a pic of their wreck I would do so too. 

Your Pete rollback looks like it sits real nice with that Ram dump on board. How does she feel with that kind of weight ? What model Pete is it? I am really starting to think about spec'ing one out here soon. Seems like it would fill the "medium duty" void in my current capabilities. 

I always felt that it was an unwritten rule or a "code of conduct" if you will That we tow operators do not record or post pics / videos of recoveries involving a fatality.. 

Anyone else feel this way? Am I right or wrong??

Yeah, even with pulling the wheels you would need the extra deep reach upwards or the extensions or cribbing to give you the "peace of mind" clearance on the wheel lift stick to the bottom of the bumper / hitch for vertical articulation. Ultimately, popping the wheels would allow you to carry it lower giving you better nose clearance. 

I too have grabbed class3 hitch crossbars But, I am super picky about which ones I will. The one stubborn posted here in the last photo is one I wouldnt because of how the crossbar extends out away from the end of the frame rail via the side plates. It is just one of those things that I never liked the look of. Not saying it is right or wrong in any way. Would it hold up just fine? Almost certainly. It is just one of my O.C.D. compulsions I guess.. LOL

Ditto on Bushwacker's suggestions. The fork extensions would have done the trick for you But the Wood cribbing trick gets it done too. As a side note, I always prefer to buy Good quality pressure treated hard wood Materials to make up my cribbing assortment just for these sorts of occasions. Takes a real beating and holds up longer than regular run of the mill lumber. 

Even with the extensions or cribbing, I would have popped the other set of wheels off so it could ride as low as possible and not tear up the goofy dress-up lip on the front bumper.

You thought it through, used what you had and got it done safely. Not to mention you added another few bits to the "mental tool box". Good work. 

I am not a huge fan of "open deck wheel lift tows " either but when the circumstances are fitting, I have done it too. 

You made a Good call in my opinion. 

Wow... That looks horrifying..

My prayers are with Operator Byrd. I hope he makes a full recovery.

I used to laugh at these types of scenarios be it watching videos or seeing them in person. I am at a point now where I am utterly disgusted by them.

The sheer level of unprofessionalism, incompetence and not to mention overall lack of just common decency towards his customer ( who was extremely calm considering how he was treated and what was happening to his car right  before his eyes ) is appalling. The only semi understandable explanation for this would be the guy was hired an hour ago, thrown the keys, told to figure it out and this was the first job he rolled up on. If he has been doing this job for awhile and STILL struggled like this then it is only a matter of time before he ends up destroying some ones car or kills someone or himself.

What makes this all worse is this was the 2nd tow company Agero contacted for this job, Which leads me to believe that the first company that Openly told their customer that the responding truck broke down ( even if true, who tells their customer that??..) more than likely would have done this job for even less of a rate. 

As far as how the time line played out with Agero/Haggarty, It sounds typical... 3-4hours of calls, texts, aggravation lies and B.s. for what ultimately turned out to be a 15-20 minute tow. (According to the end of his timeline.)

Thtdon, I am sorry to hear that this happened to you. I think it is safe to say, We have all been there. I know I have.

Like you, I have always been of the opinion that it is best to just own up to any mistakes or damage I may have caused and do whats needed to rectify the damage. No matter how good we are, We are all human. Sometimes S#!t happens. Sadly, a lot of customers ( especially with a club in their corner ) Will Attempt to over exaggerate What happened to squeeze more out of it Like your customer seems to have done to you. One job like this that sticks in my head is  a lockout I had a while back That the customer ended up not only claiming I tore his weather stripping and scratched the hell out of the B-post ( which was torn and damaged from his attempts to use a coat hanger before calling me ) but also tried to claim I took a crisp  $100 bill he just so happened to have in his cupholder when I supposedly reached into the car to get the keys after unlocking it. And realistically, If it wasnt for the fact that my dash camera recorded the entire service ( thank god my truck happened to be facing the vehicle ) It would have essentially been his word against mine. and it was just that at first till I realized that my dash cam might have got it. I went back into it and there it was.. There is no audio but Not only can you see me pointing out the damage to him before I ever touched the car with any tool, You then  see me taking the coat hanger he used off the roof of his car, balling it up and hanging it on my back pocket so I could throw it away back at my truck. The real "Money shot" is when after I unlocked the door, you see me just unlatch the door handle without fully opening it, I then bend down and pick up my dropped paint protector and walk back to my truck without ever swinging the door open at all. I never entered the car. The customer reached in and grabbed his keys while I was back at my rig putting my tools away and grabbing my invoice book. 

I am also VERY picky as to what vehicles I will perform lockouts on in general But especially for a motor club. Even back when I was contracted with a couple of them, I would turn down most exotics unless I knew for a fact I could get in it easily.  Not only because I barely made fuel $$ on lockout calls with them but also due to these types of scenarios.

I kinda feel like what happened to you was more or less a "revenge" complaint by that customer mainly because you said he was already in a pissy mood and being an ass to you from the start and that just got amplified when you threw the towel in on it.  

Also, I know how much it sucks to quit on one But dont beat yourself up on it. At least it was a tricky Porsche... The last one I threw the towel in on was a friggin Honda Civic believe it or not..... To this day I have no idea why the hell I couldnt get in that F^@ker..... 🤬

Beautiful rig! ( even for a Ford.. Lol. 😄 ) Congrats. 

I absolutely LOVE your Autocar Mushspeed. She is a real beauty. 

Those Concorde were magnificent aircraft... The design and technology of them was way ahead of their time. It is sad they are no longer in service.

Dperone, Your description of the L.E. dispatching you deal with sounds almost identical to the way things have been here ( although, it has been steadily improving here ) and I am sure there are many many more of us out there that get frustrated with this scenario. 

I agree that the blame for the poor communication and interactions between L.E. / dispatchers and tow companies falls on both parties shoulders. I dont blame L.E. solely.

Our industry and the black eye we have of poor training, planning and  professionalism has a major part in it also. 

Nice work as always.

Reminds me of that lil red riding hood song, "Over the river and through the woods to grandmothers house we go".... 😁

Doingitall, I understand the differences in accrual and cash basis accounting. I am also aware that most U.S. small and medium businesses run on cash basis accounting because it is the method that most closely follows a businesses financial activity "in real time" rather than through projections, past models and anticipations.

I suppose what I was trying to get across but ended up rambling off was Why would an accountant use that as an excuse to explain away Mrstow's question of writing off the loss Instead of breaking it down like you did for her or My accountant did for me way back when I raised that same question? My concern is with Mrstows accountant's response.

That is an EXCELLENT response Doingitall. Couldnt have explained it better myself.

Looking at the overall picture of an abandoned wreck, it does certainly seem like your losing out on all you mentioned Mrstow. But with proper documentation and some quality accounting / book work like Doingitall mentioned, The loss is in your profits. Does it make it right? Of course not. Lets be realistic, We are all in business to MAKE PROFIT. The key here is to minimize that loss and devise a streamlined way of getting that abandoned turd off your log book and out of your yard as quickly and as legally possible. 

And to speak on the accounting / book keeping, You mentioned your accountant called your business a "cash based" company??... What exactly does he or she mean by that? If you are in fact running a properly licensed, registered and Insured business, then in todays modern business age, that statement is false. The "cash based" business statement in my eyes is a fly-by night, under-insured "scab company" that is more than likely operating Illegally and under the radar..  And Please, by NO means am I insinuating That you or your business are !!! Don't take it that way, I mean NO offense. It is in the wording. What I am trying to get at is it seems that your accountant may not be classifying your business properly and if that is the case, is probably not handling your books properly.  you may want to at least shop around or at least speak to another well established accountant to ensure your business is being handled properly books and accounting wise.

Every state / county and jurisdiction has different laws as far as dealing with abandoned vehicles. Some can be really complex and others rather simple so it is difficult to say that what I or any other Tow owners out here do to minimize  loss will work or even be legal for you to do. One word of advice I can give you is to do your thorough and best research on your local laws regarding this AND have your business Attorney ( or hire one to assist with this specifically if you dont have a regular one ) Go through the legal mumbo jumbo on the subject as well. There may be some "loopholes" that can work in your favor. Then develop a good, letter of the law system for streamlining and dealing with the dead beat owners and stick to it.

Here in NY, there is a minimum of liability only insurance required to register a vehicle. It is the absolute bare bones of coverage that many will get just to put their vehicle on the road. In my opinion, it is antiquated and is nowhere near what any minimum coverage should be in this day and age. An example would be a young kid goes and buys some tired, worn out and rotted pickup from his uncle for $500, buys the minimum insurance so he can register his "new toy" then ends up rear-ending a Tesla at a red light.. Is his measly $25,000 per occurrence policy going to replace that totaled Tesla?? of course not. So, the Tesla's Insurance now has to cover the difference, The kid ( and his parents if he still lives at home ) then gets his ass sued off by both the Tesla owner, their Insurance company and anyone else who has financial loss due to this accident. INCLUDING The tow company who towed, stored and cleaned up what was left of his beloved truck. Now, His Financial life is off to a fantastic start all because he wanted to save on his monthly insurance premium or was in that teenaged rush to get his first truck on the road.. I am a firm believer that this states minimum insurance requirements need to be upgraded and improved. This alone can and would minimize many trouble areas Including My Towing business getting stuck with more tow-storage bills than I can shake a stick at.

And I get that many people cant afford better tiered or Comprehensive insurance. To that I say, then you cant afford to own or operate a vehicle.. If it comes to a day that I cant afford to run my business or pay for my home, then I wont have it.. It is  the same in principal.. The general public MUST be better educated as to how and why proper insurance coverage is CRITICAL. It is just one of those thigs that no one ever thinks about until it is too late. Sorry for the long Rant, Just my opinion on one way that the abandoned, under-insured vehicles can be dealt with.

Nice work. 

As you know, It is always a good idea to over-rig when you can for thick mud pulls. The "suction factor" is difficult to figure into your resistance calculations sometimes.

Charge accordingly Of course.. 😎

I too am not a big fan of doubling up and wont go out of my way to do it, But it is nice to have the ability to do so when it makes logistical sense. 

Btw, Your Pete roll back Looks beautiful. Hope she has been treating you good so far Ed.

Looks like a no harm, no foul type of deal. A bit of extra time and another rig tied up for a few minutes is all....

Nothing is more embarrassing to a rookie operator then having to call for help because they are stuck !! ( Been there, Done that, LMAO )

Hopefully It will turn out to be a good learning experience for your "trainee" and he will do some better scene and environment evaluation next time. 

The "evidence" Tow of the mustang in question was handled properly and professionally in my opinion. It goes without saying that a evidence impound of that caliber ( or any caliber for that matter ) MUST be handled as little as possible, In fact, Not at all. Hands off. This of course does touch on the "legal" aspect of tag lights and safety chain use Like Mr. Resch mentioned But it is of course a matter of real world common sense being used. The escorting L.E.O. is not only ensuring the evidence is carefully watched during the transport but is also acting as the "tag lights" for the tow. All due respect to the "tow police" out there questioning the procedures or lack there of being implemented, It is simply a matter above your pay grade..

Also, The matter of L.E. requesting or "requiring" a specific apparatus is an all too common occurrence to any of us who provide L.E. towing. Many times for myself, They will "require" a flatbed for a MVA with "heavy front end damage, only to arrive and find a Ford Taurus sitting there with the bumper cover dragging on the ground, a busted head lamp and maybe some fluids leaking. All tires up, Intact, and sometimes Still yard drivable... I have wasted my fair share of time and resources on many of these types of deals, My reply has been simple as of lately when they call and "require' a specific response or equipt. I dont tell you or your officers how to perform their duties or "require" what equipment they use to perform their duties so PLEASE dont tell me how to do mine. Give me ALL the pertainent info as to what where and how L.E. wants and I / we will respond with the appropriate apparatus, equipment, manpower and resources needed to complete the task properly, professionally and above all, SAFELY. After a few meetings with the county dispatch center and our local L.E.O. agencies, things have improved greatly. We are now getting good, detailed info as opposed to simply being asked " do you have a flatbed available for city P.D.? It took a bit of work to get the point across but in time, We did. Like Mr. Resch stated, It is all about educating L.E. agencies and of course proper training and the right gear to deal with the given situations professionally. 

Nice work.

But I gotta say, If the "operator" of that piece of equipment couldnt manage to get himself out of there, He might want to find some additional training 

Received a call from city dispatch for a 2 car accident with one vehicle "wedged" into a building. On arrival, I found this Lincoln Town Car stuffed into the side porch of a house. The second vehicle involved had blown through a stop sign at this intersection, striking the Lincoln in the left front and sending it careening over the sidewalk and into the porch. Luckily, there were no injuries other than some scrapes and bumps suffered by the Town Car driver. After F.D. verified the structure was safe, I was able to winch the Lincoln from the house, between the trees and bushes it went through and back to the road with relative ease. All the automotive debris were cleaned up and the Lincoln was towed back to my yard. The scene was cleared and the intersection re-opened within an hour of the initial call.

I will take a wild swing at this and say the operator probably attempted to drive the car off the deck and this is the end result.. Of course it is possible the line, winch or rigging failed but a drive-off seems to be more of a possibility in my opinion..

That is my #1 reason for NEVER driving anything on or off my truck.. It has a winch for a reason..

I sure Hope the tow companies insurance is up to snuff.

I dont run our self loader all that much but I am one to snatch it up ( from in the cab ) and book it off the highway. If the situation will allow, I will throw one wheel strap on the curb side and beat feet. Once in a safe area, the straps, safety chains and tag light go on. 

Now of course I know that it is obviously illegal to do this and to that I say, I DONT CARE.. Write the ticket. At least I will be alive to answer the summons..

Awsome!! 

Gotta get that family time in whenever you can. I know that feeling all too well. 

At least once a month, My wife and I have a "tow truck date night"... LOL

Nice work.

Seems like that one is gonna be a "problem child " for the folks at Walmart Transportation..