GRUMPS The Towman

It is amazing what a virus outbreak will do to traffic.. The roads around here have been bare too.

Wait, this couldnt have happened... there was a police officer there protecting the scene. ( Insert sarcasm here ) On a serious note, May the victim rest in peace. My heart goes out to all affected by this tragic yet avoidable event. This is a PRIME example of the false sense of security many operators (and customers for that matter) get due to law enforcement being on scene. NO accident or recovery scene is safe and MUST be treated as such. Protect yourself AND your customers. Be firm but poilte when asking them to stay in a safe place. We have all dealt with that stubborn customer who wants to stand there or follow us around as we rush to hook up and load their vehicle. This of course not only puts them at risk but raises the stakes for us because it slows us down and keeps us exposed longer. I always tell myself "Secure your customer, then secure the vehicle"

Did he REALLY think he could drive through that?? The stupidity of some people never ceases to amaze me.

Im very saddened to read this. I hope maybe there is more to this story and maybe the truck was stolen or something to that aspect. I really really hope this is not the doings of one of us ( A Tower ). We as an industry do not need any more bad publicity. The rampant incompetence and acts of downright stupidity hurt the true, dedicated professionals enough. My condolences go out to the victims family.

Welcome to the forums. Look around and talk with the fellas. I think You will get a real good look at what and how we do things so you will be able to better tailor your policies to your customers needs.

Congrats Operator Ramirez!! I agree Moose. I too would hire a female operator in a heartbeat. I have no qualms about women giving this occupation a go.

Hello Illwill, I just wanted to touch on what The other gentlemen have already stated. There is a MOUNTAIN of wisdom and good advice just from the 3 men that have already replied to you. I cant speak for the state of Arizona, But here in NY It can be super tough to start up and run a business. My partner and I have been in business for going on 11 years now so, in my opinion we got lucky and we made it. It was a big help that we bought an existing business although it was in real rough shape all around when we took over. The best advice I can give you is to take it slow and THINK!!! Always weigh all your options when making business decisions and remember to WATCH YOUR NUMBERS ALWAYS!!!! If your not making money doing something then dont do it. remind yourself daily that you are in business to make a profit. even a little profit is still profit. The first few years are gonna be hard, VERY HARD. Financially, physically and mentally. Mistakes will be made, arguments will ensue But what you learn from them will pay dividends in the years to come. Although it is inevitable that your family life will suffer some and some anniversaries, birthdays, school plays, soccer tournaments and such will be missed, you MUST always remember to ALWAYS put your family FIRST. I wish you the very best of luck Sir and remember KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. Never stop listening and learning. Please keep us posted on your progress. I feel I can speak for everyone on these forums that If there is anything we can do to help dont hesitate to ask.😃

As long as you are not using the truck "for hire" meaning your not towing any customers vehicles with it then you can register and insure it with commercial plates. You will have to have "Not for hire" lettered on both sides of the truck as well. Now another way you could go is to register and insure it as "historical" being that it is over 20 years old but the downside to that is you wouldnt be able to tow ANYTHING with it and most classical insurance carriers ( like Haggerty ) although very cheap, might put a cap on the amount of miles you can drive it yearly. with commercial plates you would be able to drag your own stuff around with it. Now also be mindful of the fact that when you go to register the truck, if you tell them that you modified it to make a tow truck then they will more than likely make you go through a state inspection at the dmv like you would with a vehicle you would be trying to get a salvage title for. ( not your typical safety/emissions inspection, It is a GIANT pain in the A$$ ) If you plan on just running it for the coolness factor ( and it would be awesome ) and not towing anything with it, then just register it as the original VIN# / pickup truck with commercial plates.

It is funny you bring this up Mr. Resch, The city P.D. here has been following the very protocol that you just mentioned for a few months now. The problem has been that these arresting officers then park these vehicles 99% of the time on the private properties of local businesses. The property owners then call to have said unauthorized vehicles towed off their properties. I towed one just last week out of a gas station lot and when the owner came to claim his vehicle, he went up one side of me and down the other stating that the police told him his vehicle would not be towed. I explained to him that the police did NOT have his vehicle towed, the property owner did. I didnt even know up untill this point that this man had been arrested and neither did the property owner. He just came to open his station up and there was this car. He then called the police and at that point they basically tried to force me to just give him his car back!!!! It has turned into quite the debacle here. I know personally of 4 businesses in town that have lawsuits filed against the police for this practice. The argument is that the officers have no authority to leave someones vehicle on private property. Seems like a total mess. Not to mention NY just reformed their cash-bail system so most people who get arrested dont even go before a judge anymore. They get booked, photographed, handed a summons and get cut loose. in and out in about 2 hours. This includes the DRUNKS!! So, you get stopped, fail your sobriety test, get arrested, your car gets parked somewhere and your out and walking back to your illegally police-parked car before your buzz has even started to wear off... Way to go Cuomo.....

I respectfully agree with towzone on this. The less time we spend out there on the side of the freeway the better. Practice on streamlining your quick hook/loading procedures and get your butt outta there !!! Get somewhere safe and complete your tie downs. Now I know theres guys out there that will bash me and say you cant roll untill your secured completely, you can get ticketed/fined and so on. To that I say write me the ticket, at least I will be alive to answer the summons.

I still am astounded by this situation. I have shown it to other guys starting with the first pic and I ask if they would drive on it. Of course like myself they are all like "yeah sure " and then their jaws drop when they see the carnage pics. Crazy!!!!

Seems to be another case of complacency and " I do it this way all the time ".... Luckily no one was injured or killed.

There was absolutely no need for a rotator on this job. It would seem that this company is one that will roll out the big gun on every call they can just because they have one. There are a couple of companies around here that are like that. Just by looking at the rigging and how they are handling the escalated situation and the recovery scene it is safe to say this is one of those companies that has more money than brains. of course this is just my opinion of whats been presented and there is always the flip side of the story

WildwoodJack took the words right outta my mouth. Those panels that he described turn out real nice and look factory when done right. I am trying to dig up some old pics of Dads old challenger that we did it to. I will put them up here if i can find them.

If i am reading this right, it died while driving and is now dead on an off ramp partially blocking a lane. So...... what good is replacing the battery going to do?? There is an obvious issue ( Alternator, Belt, Regulator ) other than the battery if it quit running down the highway. Grab hold of it quick and get it off the highway.

Snatch blocks and ALL other rigging equipment should be part of your scheduled, REGULAR maintenance. It is hard to be considered a professional if your sitting there at a recovery scene, beating your rigging with a hammer, a J-hook or beating it off the side of your deck because its all rusted shut. Another thing that drives me batty is seeing a guy digging around in a tool box or chain tray, grab a chain or strap and as he starts pulling it out, there is a tangled mess of other chains, straps, tools and god knows what else coming out and spilling all over with it. My 8 year old son is better organized than most guys I cross paths with out there. I see it simply as a customer sees the way you take care of your equipment then he or she can be assured you will take care of their vehicle. if you dont care about your own stuff then you certainly dont care about anyone elses. Ever see a guy use a J-hook as a snatch block? I Watched a guy do it once. i walked over and I asked him if he wanted to borrow a snatch block. His reply was he has been doing it this way for 15 years and thats why the J-hook is smooth and rounded in the throat. He then went on to tell me I just waste all my money on fancy crap that you dont need...... Heres your sign.....

Njsss brings up a lot of excellent points. Personally i have never been a fan of the Freightshakers. Although they can run the exact same drivelines as the other manufacturers, They just seem cheaply built. The newer 6.7 cummins put out a ton more power than the old 5.9's of yesterday and automatic trans tech has come along way from the early power swallowing allisons and the likes. If you intend to keep and run this truck for a long time then you will be much better off spec'ing and building your own truck with a competant dealer as opposed to buying what they have on the lot. Good luck to you and congrats on the new rig ( when you choose one of course ) 😁

I have run recovery straps, endless loops and such through a wheel in the past but my primary rigging point is control arms and such with chains. I personally have never been a fan of stringing a chain through a wheel even if the vehicle is a balled up mess. That vehicle is still going to go through a salvage auction ( if insured ) and someone might want those wheels. That is just the way I think about it. Our job is to recover and transport the vehicle without causing any further damage regardless of what condition it is in right? So, thats the credo I plan my rigging and recovery around.

All I can ask is WHY???? Why did you do that?? There is a reason the police are not right up on top of him and trying to ram him. This clown added to the mayhem and recklessness by driving the way he did to stay with the suspect and in the end all he ended up with is a tore up truck. I hope the police look back on this video and write all the traffic violation citations that you accumulated throughout your escapade to try to be a hero. Super dumb move.

WTF..... So how do you explain when the casualty slips sideways off the side of the truck into a live lane of traffic?

There are two types of guys around here that haul for Copart & IAA . the first type use those as filler jobs and haul here and there for them. the second type are fly by night guys running ragged 3 or 4 car carriers that run all over gods green earth dragging wrecks around for them. Their trucks are barley road worthy and poorly equipped to deal with most of the wrecks they haul. These auction houses just simply dont pay enough to get any decent companies to haul for them.The numbers mentioned by yoBdaBenO above are pretty accurate with what I have been told by the guys running for them around here. A 3 car carrier makes 5 -6 trips a day at those rates and they feel they are making a living. But in reality they only are scraping by if nothing goes south for them. Their antics have put them on D.O.T's radar so they constantly get dragged in for spot inspections that usually result in a red tag. I have gotten a couple calls in recent times from a particular company around here that shall remain nameless that picked up a vehicle from me an hour or so later asking me to come pick up the same car and hold on to it untill they can send another truck for it due to being shut down by D.O.T. or their truck going down with a mechanical issue. Of course I happily provide service and charge for another tow and day or so storage. If you can run for them as a filler to supplement your other work then i would say try it out. If your a newer company hoping they will pay your bills my advice would be to look elsewhere for work. There is just no money with them.

Thats a HARD hit. I hope everyone is ok.

That is EXCELLENT advice !!!! I havent done the white glove routine, but I have put on nitrile gloves to handle an exotic. I also make it a point for the customer see me remove my keys and pocket knife as well as pull my shirt out and down over my belt buckle. as well as handle the vehicle gently as you stated. I also always ask permission to enter the vehicle before just grabbing the door handle and yanking. Taking the time to put a customers mind at ease can make the whole job more pleasant and productive for all involved and possibly gain you a regular dedicated customer.

Pre towed Photos are a MUST in these cases. Especially for PPI /LEI tows. I usually take all four corners, front lip and rear lip. I take specific pics of existing damage including curb rash on wheels as well no matter how obvious or old the damage appears. During my corners shots i make sure that the back round can be seen in the photos. I have had plenty of people try to claim tow damage and in most cases as soon as I state i have photos , all of a sudden they remember the damage was there before I even bring up the photos. It doesnt hurt to take loading pics as well showing your ramps, cribbing, skates, propper rigging etc.. A couple extra minutes here saves countless hours and money in court fighting a bogus damage claim.

She is certainly in rough shape. The recovery team did a fantastic job of removing her from her formal resting place. It will be a monumental task to bring it back to life but so worth it for all us shelby lovers. Good luck with the restoration.