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TowZone

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  1. We get a string of them and then nothing. Most are the renter who either did not return the unit or gave it to someone else. Then they reported it stolen, most are rather banged up by the time we get them and some do not have more than a small scratch. Nearly all are lived in at some point, even when they are found in a motel parking lot. It has gotten to the point every Uhaul, Kia, Hyundia out after midnight is draws attention.
  2. We shouldn’t have to remind drivers of this, but so many of us fail to follow the law that the State Patrol will be running an emphasis for the next two months, starting this weekend in Pierce County. State Trooper Chelsea Hodgson runs down the rules for when you see lights on the side of the freeway. “If possible, and if it’s safe to do so, move over a lane,” Trooper Hodgon said. “If it’s unsafe or if there’s too much traffic, you need to at least slow down 10 miles an hour below the posted speed limit. If you are in a zone that is 60 miles an hour or more, you need to be at least at 50 miles an hour.” So if you’re on I-5 or I-90, where the speed limit is 70, you need to drop 20 miles an hour when passing the scene. The other thing drivers don’t seem to realize is that the slow down, move over law applies to any rig with its lights on. “It’s not just a uniform you are protecting,” Trooper Hodgson said. “You’re also protecting folks like the tow truck operators or folks from the Department of Ecology that have the lights flashing while they are cleaning up litter.” And the slow down, move over requirement extends for 200 feet on either side of the area. So get over early, if it’s safe to do so. Trooper Hodgson said it can be very scary working on the road with traffic whizzing by only a few feet away. Several tow truck drivers, officers, troopers, and other workers have been injured or killed by driving speeding by these areas. Normally, the State Patrol would run a one-off emphasis on this in a particular part of the state. This will be a two-month emphasis, hitting every region of Washington. “Hopefully, by having this expand over the course of two months, this will be a really good reminder,” Trooper Hodgson said. And while not required by our law, I would even recommend moving over and slowing down for any issue on the shoulder, if it’s safe to do so. Giving the driver of a broken-down car a little extra room just seems like the safe thing to do. The State Patrol will be focusing on education during this emphasis, but you could still get a $219 fine if caught. RESOURCE LINK
  3. We are at Work Truck Week. If anyone needs assistance with the message board call or text me. If we can assist you with information from the show this week. Do not hesitate to ask. Thanks
  4. ALTON — A flatbed tow truck from Missouri was consumed by flames Tuesday afternoon on the parking lot of the Taco Bell on Landmarks Boulevard in Alton. At about 1 p.m. Tuesday Alton firefighters received a report of the fire and arrived to find the cab of a tow truck from Quick Quality Automotive in St. Louis fully engulfed in flames. The driver said he noticed smoke in the cab and pulled over, away from any buildings, on the Taco Bell parking lot. No injuries were reported in the fire; the cause of the blaze was not immediately available. The fiberglass hood melted into a pile as flames billowed from the cab. Several people stopped to take pictures on their cell phones. The truck was a total loss and required a second flatbed tow truck to remove what was left of it from the Alton business. RESOURCE LINK
  5. Updated 03.01.23: Faribault, MN (KROC-AM News) - A tentative plea agreement has been worked out in the case of a Minnesota man accused of injuring two men in a hit-and-run last year that was witnessed by a State Trooper. A Petition to Enter Guilty plea has been filed in Rice County Court by 39-year-old Marlon Fleming. It states that the Lakeville man has agreed to a "straight plea," which means he will admit to two counts of criminal vehicular operation without a recommendation or agreement concerning his sentence. Fleming was arrested last May after the vehicle he was driving struck and injured a pair of tow truck operators who were working to remove a pickup truck and a camper from the median along northbound I-35 in the Northfield area. The two Faribault men, 39-year-old Michael Sirek and 23-year-old Parker Swanson, were taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The criminal complaint against Fleming alleges he then drove away from the scene. The State Trooper who witnessed the incident was parked behind the tow truck with his emergency lights activated and a directional arrow on his squad car illuminated to warn other motorists of the danger. The charges also stated that investigators were able to identify Fleming as the hit-and-run driver because his father turned him in after Fleming brought the damaged car back to his father's home. In the statement to investigators, the father described Fleming as "drunk and belligerent." The court document also indicates the trooper who witnessed the car striking the tow truck operators later transported Fleming to a hospital to be checked out because of the level of his impairment. While at the hospital, Fleming told the trooper he was distracted by his phone and that his father had told him "about two guys getting hit on 35W, and I was like no that was not me, and then just kinda thinking about it, I was like, oh my God, that probably was me." A plea hearing for Fleming has yet to be scheduled. He remains free without bail, but with conditions set by the court. RESOURCE LINK
  6. Province says more time needed to educate drivers The province will delay enforcing stricter speed restrictions aimed at protecting roadside workers in Alberta until Sept. 1. Recently, Alberta organizations alerted members that starting March 1, all motorists traveling in the same direction on multi-lane roads will have to slow down to 60 km/h, or the posted speed limit (whichever is lower), when passing any emergency vehicle, tow truck, road crew and snowplow operators with flashing lights. Currently, the law only requires drivers in the lane adjacent to the roadside to slow to 60 km/h. But a statement from the Department of Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors on Tuesday said implementation will happen Sept. 1 following a thorough public education campaign to educate Albertans on the changes. “The changes are extensive and we require more time to communicate those changes, and to make sure the public understands what they are, and the associated penalties,” the statement said. “We are partnering with industry to prepare a two to three month education campaign so motorists are not surprised on the launch date, and won’t receive unexpected tickets for incorrectly passing roadside workers.” Amendments to the Traffic Safety Act to improve roadside worker safety were passed in the legislature last spring and at that time the province anticipated a spring 2023 enforcement date. In the meantime, the department is extending the Registrar’s Exemption to permit the use of flashing blue lights to increase the visibility of tow trucks, support vehicles, government-contacted snowplows, and highway maintenance vehicles for five years (to February 2028). The initial one-year blue light pilot project demonstrated the effectiveness of increasing visibility and safety for Alberta’s roadside workers. More information on the public awareness campaign will be provided in the coming weeks. RESOURCE LINK
  7. Tow truck driver killed in suspected freak accident in Salt Lake HONOLULU (KITV4) -- A towing mishap appears to have caused the death of a tow truck driver in the Salt Lake area over the weekend. Honolulu Police now say the 61-year-old man was trying to tow an unoccupied vehicle on Bennion Drive in the Salt Lake area Saturday night when that vehicle became dislodged from the tow arm. Police say the victim then accidentally placed the tow truck in reverse. The truck struck a curb and the victim fell out of the open driver’s side door and ended up being pinned the tow truck and the vehicle he was trying to tow. Rescuers rushed the man to the hospital in critical condition where he later succumbed to his injuries. The Towing Information Network has not been able to confirm this was a commercial tow truck.
  8. The Previous High Count of 74 days which stood for two decades was surpassed today. As of 02.23.23 the count since a North American Tow Truck Operator was Struck and Killed 74 Days. Today marks 75, yet the average for a First Responder Death on average remains at 1 every 7 days. The are now more Law Enforcement Officers now being Struck then Tow Truck Operators. Numbers may not be exactly accurate at time of posting. An Audit is underway, any addition info is appreciated.
  9. I realize that once again we a behind on getting this list out for review. Once again the count is very close and I need to get the remaining numbers into the program which has now been updated. So, I will be taking this weekend off in order to get this completed. Like most everyone I have heard from we are understaffed with few applying for the available positions. If you are a Tow Truck Operator or Office Personnel and seeking a change contact me for a link to apply. Are You Looking to Make a Move? Also, my position will be an additional opening as my employment of nearly 28 years is nearing an end. I will of course continue to manage The Towing Information Network and the associated websites including TowForce. More information will be posted later. Hoping to get back to the All Tow Shows by 2024, with that I will continue to ask for supporters this month. Watch for the introduction of a NEW Sponsor within the next 45 days. Thank you!
  10. GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - Police are consulting with the district attorney on appropriate charges after a man was struck and killed on a Greenville street last night. Greenville police said 53-year-old Robert McLeod, of Pink Hill, was on South Skinner Street just before 8:00 p.m. when he was hit by a flatbed tow truck that was making a turn from Dickinson Avenue. Police said the tow truck left the scene, but the man believed to be the driver returned while officers were still there. He has been identified as 46-year-old Rayon Artis, of Greenville. Anyone who may have witnessed the accident is urged to contact police at 252-329-3550. RESOURCE LINK A Pink Hill man walking on Skinner Street near Dickinson Avenue was killed Sunday when he was struck by a tow truck that left the scene, the Greenville Police Department reported. A Monday news release from the department said officers responded about 8 p.m. to of Dickinson Avenue and South Skinner Street to a fatal hit- and-run crash involving a pedestrian. The area is south of West 10th Street. Officers determined that Robert Alexander McLeod, 53, of Pink Hill, was in the roadway on Skinner Street when he was struck by a Ford flatbed tow truck attempting to make a turn from Dickinson Avenue, the release said. The driver of the flatbed, Rayon Artis, 46, of Greenville, drove away from the area. While officers were on scene, Artis returned and identified himself, the release said. No charges have been filed but investigating officers will consult with the Pitt County District Attorney’s Office regarding appropriate charges, the release said. Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact Officer Venable at 329-3550. People with information can remain anonymous, the release said. The wreck is the first documented by the Greenville Police Department in 2023. It is the second recorded in Pitt County this year. Earlier this month Billie Smith, 76, of Hill Road Circle was struck about noon at the intersection of N.C. 11 and Third Street in Ayden when she failed to stop for a stoplight, the town’s police department reported. RESOURCE LINK
  11. Dozens of tow truck drivers hold slow down, move over event in Portland PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - A Portland tow truck driver is still in the hospital weeks after he was hit by another tow truck driver while on the job. Now, his friends and fellow drivers are hoping to raise awareness about the Move Over law, which requires drivers to slow five miles-per-hour below the posted speed limit or move over a lane for any car on the side of the road with flashing lights. Being hit while on the job is a fear many tow truck drivers have every day when they’re on the clock. Jacob Best with Northwestern Towing said he knew of two fellow drivers who were recently hit, one was inured and the other killed. “A Chappelle’s driver within the last year or two, he got hit on the side of the freeway in Vancouver and he actually lost his leg,” Best said. “TLC towing down the way had a driver struck and killed by a semi-truck. It’s just happening more and more.” A few weeks ago, when Northwestern Towing driver Arthur Walker was hit on a job, the other drivers were devastated, said James Jerome, also with Northwestern Towing. “When we got to the hospital it was a tear fest,” Jerome said. On Jan. 29, Portland police said Walker had just loaded up a car and was still outside his truck on Interstate 84 when another tow truck driver hit him and left the scene. Police said the driver who hit Walker turned himself in later after seeing news coverage of the crash and realizing he was the suspect. While Walker survived the crash, Jerome said Walker has needed several surgeries since. “He has a heart of gold and I know he wants to be back out there, obviously it will be a long time before he’s on the road,” Jerome said. “But he at least wants to at least be with us, be with his friends and family and he’s got a huge support here right now.” Dozens of tow truck drivers from Vancouver, Wash. to Beaverton lit up Portland streets and freeways with their hazard lights, hoping to raise awareness about the Move Over law on Saturday. Best said the few seconds it takes to slow down or move one lane over when someone is on the side of the road can mean life or death. “We help people get home whether it’s in the rain, the snow, or the middle of the night. This is my reason I wanna go home,” Best said, holding his son. “They’re waiting for me every day and I wanna go home. If it takes you 10 seconds or adds 30 seconds to your commute by having to slow down, it means the world to us.” RESOURCE LINK
  12. UPDATED: Accused drunken driver charged with murder His name is Justin Rodriguez and police say he’s a poster child for the dangers of driving while intoxicated. he already had four prior DWI convictions back when he was accused of crashing into and killing tow truck driver Alex Bleickhardt on the Northway on September 15. He was initially charged with vehicular manslaughter, but an indictment handed up late Friday afternoon charges Rodriguez with murder. Prosecutors say his BAC was nearly three times the legal limit. It’s a 16-count indictment that also accuses him of driving under the influence of drugs and weapon possession—police say he had a loaded gun in his truck at the time of the crash. Alex Bleickhardt was just 33. his dog, Moose, was in the truck that night, and wasn’t hurt. RESOURCE LINK
  13. Hays: Two bills pass in committee meetings by Neil Hays The second week of session has come and gone! The week was filled with committee meetings and legislation. I had two bills pass in committee meetings. HB2684, known as the John Mills Bills, passed in the Public Safety committee last week. The bill requires drivers approaching a stationary authorized emergency vehicle to reduce their speed to at least 10 miles per hour below the posted speed limit and increases fines for non-compliance. An authorized emergency vehicle includes a Department of Transportation maintenance vehicle, a Turnpike Authority maintenance vehicle, a stationary vehicle displaying flashing lights, a licensed wrecker showing a flashing amber light, a combination of red or blue lights, or any variety of amber, red or blue lights. The bill is named after John Mills, a tow truck driver who was killed in November 2022 along Highway 69. HB2684 is designed to protect first and second-responders who are doing their job on our roadways. The second bill is HB2398, Read Here: https://www.towforce.net/topic/21809-two-bills-pass-in-committee-meetings-ok/ Rep. Neil Hays, a Republican, serves District 13 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, which covers McIntosh, Muskogee and Wagoner counties. https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/opinion/columns/hays-two-bills-pass-in-committee-meetings/article_f74f8b4a-3509-59ca-9e14-9df022b0062a.html
  14. COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — One person is seriously injured after two trucks crashed head-on near a canal in Collier County Wednesday morning. According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), at around 7:44 a.m., a box truck was headed east on U.S. 41. A tow truck was traveling in the opposite direction when the box truck swerved into the westbound lane. The two trucks crashed head-on and the collision sent the box truck off the road near a canal. The 56-year-old driver of the box truck sustained serious injuries. He was taken to a local hospital. This crash remains under investigation at this time. RESOURCE LINK
  15. In Remembrance of Scooby on his date of birth. Happy Heavenly Birthday Howard "Scooby" Eagen"
  16. TowForce is not only funded by our valued Sponsors shown in the side bar. It requires the support of Patrons as well to maintain the funds to operate. As operation costs are sometimes unseen they are in fact a large expense. This is the reason we recognize and appreciate our supporters continuously. If you are not currently a support will you consider adding a supporter status NOW... TowForce Patron Supporter Levels Start at $29.00 a year. - $29.00/yr. for Patron Level I Supporter - click here - $50.00/yr. for Patron Level II Supporter - click here - $75.00/yr. for Patron Level III Supporter - click here We have been asked to add a monthly option for our Patron Levels. If that is something you would desire just let us know in message. Your Support is much Appreciated.
  17. If you are like me you will watch it over and over trying to figure out what went wrong. Coming to the conclusion when faced with and out of control motorist there may not be enough time to move. The best you can do is to keep you eye on traffic at all times, when near the traveled lanes of traffic. Better yet try to stay away from moving traffic as much as possible. This could have been a tow operator loading the vehicle. Many would have parked their truck straight in front of the disabled vehicle and worked the drivers side controls. That would have the danger zone. If that vehicle would have struck the truck it would have spun down the side of it taking out the tow operator. Review every one of these instances with every driver you know. Discuss what they need to practice in order to go home.
  18. AAA spokesperson shares details about distracted driving laws Lawmakers hear from lobbyist, public on why Missouri needs distracted driving laws
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