TowZone
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Thanks for the update Alan, stop in often as you're experience is of value the new generation being attracted to TowForce.
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Last Call, is that all the owners that want a non supporter access invitation. This offer will not be extended past tonight and it is doubtful the offer will be open again this year.
Thanks to those who support Tow411 and TowForce without your continued support this is not possible.
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No one has a comment, OK I'll add mine as many seem to be jumping on this within other social media venues.
Far too many read the headlines and not the story. Like everything about this virus there is much confusion. The story leads you don the path that many should be able to follow. It starts with the questions AAA requires the phone centers to seek answers to winding up with an contract tower that is re-evaluating their protocols in relation to this situation. I can see where there would be confusion and while all the details are not present. It was a unfortunate call. Two questions I want answered, did she have a spare. Could she have arraigned transportation. It doesn't appear those were ever asked. So, before jumping on the band wagon read the story.
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1Towman
Joined
January 6, 2019
Danny, if you cannot access the Club Level Forum. LMK
https://www.towforce.net/clubs/2-owners-den/
KY Nick, I will resend the invitation.
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OK, I will be sending out additional invitations to those listed above.
Watch for it to Pop Up!
Steve Catlett
invitation Sent today
mdjohnson
invitation Sent today
Orcas Tow
Joined
January 4, 2018
Just Dry Heat
invitation resent today
Grotonems5
invitation Sent today
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These members have not responded to the invitations which have been sent out to date.
Scott Burrows - Joe Driscoll - vbarker - KY Nick - Rudy Smith - Carter & Sons - Ehofer
Arichard - Curt Sharp - cws - hawk196 - judgeauto - RasTow - Towblaze96 - Towman92266
Towmanblue - Texas6 - wreckercollector - RandyR - MayesTruck - JerryC44 - SSTOW
Warren Driscoll - Automedics - Eastendtow 66 - TazBoy - Taj - Allstar710 - Hayden's Service
ccg - buickwrench - Bald Hill Automotive - Hot Rod Motorsports - insleys22 - EKYtow55
Bridgeman's Wreckesr - Tom Durham - atrmick - Ronnie Winters - passmoreauto
JustDryHeat - Truck1946 - Precisiontowingri - Vans Towing -SunriseHarry - Bill Sellner
Mike Penn - capeway - perlsmang! - SurryTower - napaneil - Joshua Tillett - kevtowz
Russell Wood - XLT - Jenni Kerns - (just invited) Danny
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By now everyone of us should have some sort of Mask.
Mine has a cover which conceals an N-95 Mask.
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The story came out as a Police Ordered Tow when in fact this was a repo that went wrong. While I am all for drivers protecting themselves and even to the point of being armed when properly trained. This obviously by all the information which has been released was not a case of self defense. Flight or Fight is something that determines self defense. In this incident their were too many more options prior to pulling a weapon and taking a life. The REPO Driver could have phoned the police and continued to drive until he either got to a safe location or met up with the police. Stopping on a Repo or even a Police Ordered Tow is never advised.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Two tow truck drivers carried out a rolling gun battle in a western Kansas City neighborhood, seriously wounding one of them, police said.
The shooting happened Tuesday night near the Glen Lake neighborhood, the Kansas City Star reported. Police said the altercation began in Raytown, when one tow truck driver tried to run over the other, and continued into Kansas City.
At some point, one driver opened fire on the other as they drove north on Norfleet Road, police said. The chase and shooting continued as the tow trucks traveled west and ended a short time later.
Police said one of the drivers was shot twice and was taken by an ambulance to a hospital in serious condition. He is expected to survive, police said.
No names were released, and no arrests had been reported by Thursday morning.
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A Kansas City tow truck driver faces multiple felony charges after police say he chased after and shot a man whose vehicle he’d been attempting to tow.
Prentiss D. Burks, 42, was charged Wednesday with one count each of unlawful use of a weapon and second-degree assault and two counts of armed criminal action after he seriously injured a fleeing driver, according to a press release from the Jackson County prosecutor’s office.
Officers responded to a shooting around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at 59th Street and Norfleet Road, according to the Kansas City Police Department.
The altercation began in Raytown when the driver of the vehicle Burks was trying to tow got into the driver’s seat and drove away. Burks followed in his tow truck, opening fire on the fleeing vehicle as they drove north on Norfleet Road, police said.
The chase and shooting continued as the vehicles traveled west on 59th Street, authorities said. The chase ended on 59th Street between Marion and Norfleet roads after Burks shot the other driver twice in the legs.
The victim told police he jumped in the vehicle and drove off when he noticed two tow trucks preparing to take it away. Police later found Burks in possession of a handgun that matched the shell casings found along the road where shots were fired.
Prosecutors are asking that Burks’ bond, set at $50,000 be increased to $100,000.
Burks did not have an attorney listed as of early Thursday afternoon.
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CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WDTV) -- COVID-19 won't stop this local business from operating.
Triple J. Enterprises in Harrison and Doddridge Counties specializes in car repair and towing. They opened in December of 2019.
It is owned by Jesse and Jamie Moore.
"We tow anything from motorcycles to tractor trailers," says Jesse Moore.
He says that since less people are on the roads due to businesses being closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, call volume has substantially decreased.
But since they are a 24-hour service, they've stayed a-float.
"We've had to step up our infectious disease precautions, keeping the office and the garage disinfected ... the tow truck, service truck," adds Moore.
Triple J. Enterprises also provides free pickups during this time, especially to elderly customers who are wary to come outside during this time.
The Moores take pride in "just keeping up the service that we provide and keeping up with the contracts with the transportation emergency."
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Tow business is down 80% during the pandemic, he says.
It’s hard out there for tow truck operators right now. It’s hard for everyone, but few think about the towing industry — probably because it’s something they’re usually trying to avoid.
Lew Blum thinks about it constantly. The guy whose signs are so ubiquitous around the city that he’s been called “Philadelphia’s Tow-Truck King” and “the most hated man in Philadelphia” fears what the pandemic will bring for his already struggling operation.
On the upside, he’s been hearing an unexpected positive refrain.
“Some of them have thanked us,” Blum said of drivers whose cars have gotten hooked, in reference to the care his staff takes to avoid potential coronavirus contamination. “We will open the door, spray the steering wheel, spray the shifter, spray the drivers’ seat.”
To make sure his fleet of four drivers are safe while they work, and to keep car owners from worrying about whether a tow equals infection, Blum has gotten creative.
In place of hand sanitizer, which is hard to come by and which Blum said “makes your hands dry and scaly,” he’s been providing drivers with bars of Dove soap in plastic bags. Paired with a screw-cap gallon jug of water kept in the truck, his drivers can “wash their hands any and every time [they] need to.”
Then there’s the spray, which Blum makes by diluting ammonium-based sanitizer and uses on basically everything.
The small waiting room at the Lew Blum Towing impoundment lot in East Parkside gets sprayed every time someone new enters, he said, kicking off a miniature cascade of antiviral acts.
“They give us their key, we take it with gloves on, we set it down on a tin cup and spray it. They give us a credit card, we spray it — [or if] they give us cash, we spread it across the counter, and spray it and let it dry before we touch it.”
Not many people have seen that performance play out; Blum said business is down 80% since the lockdown started.
The PPA has cut back on citations during the pandemic, and Philly law requires tickets on cars before they can be towed. Blum was so fired up and angry about that requirement, newly enacted in 2015, that it spurred him to campaign for a seat on City Council.
“That ticket-to-tow idea was bad,” he said, noting his staff is already shrunken to one-third its previous size, “but it’s almost like this coronavirus is the nail in the coffin.”
For now, the 64-year-old tow magnate is determined to keep things running.
He imagined scenarios where people emerge from self-quarantine for important errands only to find a stranger’s car blocking their garage. “People are gonna call me, ‘Lew, I gotta get to the doctor, I gotta get to the grocery store!’
“I can’t shut down,” said Blum about the business he started in 1978, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. “I am an essential company.”
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NEAR ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) -- A St. Charles man died Sunday night after crashing into a parked tow truck on Highway 52.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, 32-year-old Dane Christenson was driving a 2011 Chevy Cruze southbound on Highway 52 around 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
When he approached 36th Avenue SE, he struck a Ford F650 that was parked on the shoulder of the highway.
Road conditions were snowy and icy at the time of the crash.
Two people were inside the tow truck but were not hurt.
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This is a question I asked nearly a year ago. Seems like a good time to bring it around once again. It should be a difficult to get responses while things are slow and leaders are easy to recognize. Leaders Lead in times of crisis, I've see a few break out and reach out to motive while offering hope. If you've lost hope then you've given in too soon. This crisis may actually have reach apex, if so some states will begin to come back online figuratively by the first of May. While to larger regions may be on hold till the end of May.
New York is the Hardest hit along with New Jersey. If those are you, let us your viewpoint.
Detroit & Chicago are seeing the number of cases along with deaths increase. Is that your area?
Is your area seeing a spike or is yours like mine and has very low number in comparison.
Oh right this topic is about Leaders, so easy to be distracted. Can you add an industry leaders name to the list?
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OK, just to up date... I do not want to miss anyone cause it looks like this offer will absolutely end May 1st. So, with that said Owners there is still plenty of time to speak up.
If your a Driver we do have a Drivers Lounge that is available to all Driver Members regardless of supporter status. To those who have asked to join both Clubs, it doesn't work that way. Thanks
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A 30-year-old Hamilton man, killed when he was crushed by a vehicle that fell off his tow truck, is being remembered as a hard-working man and provider for his three young children.
Peter Szymczak was working on a vehicle outside his home on Southcote Road Monday afternoon when, for an unknown reason, it unexpectedly detached from his tow truck and fell on him.
Szymczak worked for Fast and Friendly Roadside Services. Several family friends identified him to The Spectator.
Emergency services were called to Southcote Road, near Butter Road, around 2 p.m. April 6. He was pronounced dead at the scene, said Hamilton police Const. Jerome Stewart.
The Ministry of Labour is investigating.
“It was reported a worker was fatally injured while working under a vehicle,” said ministry spokesperson Janet Deline.
Mike Shea, whose family has known Szymczak and his family for many years, said Szymczak often bought older vehicles and stripped parts to sell. When the accident happened he was working to remove a catalytic converter.
Szymczak’s wife called for help, with his dad and brother rushing to the scene. Szymczak is the father of three young boys.
“He was a hard-working kid,” Shea said, adding that he was always working and always there to help family and friends.
Shea’s daughter, Samantha, said she has known Szymczak and his brother since she was 18.
“Peter was an amazing man, great father and husband,” she said. “He would do anything for friends and family.”
She said she spoke with his brother Mike who was too shaken up to talk right now.
Many friends and those from the towing industry posted messages remembering the young man on social media. In one post he was remembered as a “young wonderful soul.”
In a post on Towing in Canada Facebook page, Szymczak was described as a “smart young kid full of interest.”
“Almost every tow truck driver in Hamilton has met him though they do not know him they only knew ‘Peter the chaser,’” Brian Stephenson wrote.
“This was truly a horrible and senseless tragedy and a reminder to all of us to never let your guard down. My family and drivers will always remember Peter in a good way.”
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Just Look this guy is not wearing PPE...
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Warren Roosevelt would certainly have loved to have seen your GMC W35 completed as he loved his 1948 Chevrolet Holmes 515E Wrecker which resides in the Towing Museum.
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I might add that I confirm the train is stopped at least twice prior to recovering a vehicle from the tracks. Just know that you are not going to save that vehicle if you place your equipment and safety at risk because you did not confirm the tracks were clear and the trains were stopped. If the train isn't stopped and it hits the vehicle, then it takes out one vehicle and not two. This tow company could also be looking at a legal issue as well for failure to report. That is a Federal Crime, the RAIL ROAD DOES NOT PLAY. The cost of delay of train could be high for failure to report a vehicle on the tracks prior to recovery. Every Tow Company if not fully aware of this should be and go over it with the dispatchers and drivers. i'm willing to bet this was a new driver who meant well and thought he could save that vehicle in time. Lucky no one was injured or worse.
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The Two Metal Poles worked much like heavy gauge metal fence posts back in the day. Instead of dropping into a slot the round posts were slid a larger round metal receptor welded to another metal rod that held the two bearings, wheels and tires just like the dollies we us today. I am sure someone has a time line of dolly innovations someplace as I recall seeing something like that at one time. Kinda surprised it isn't on the wall at the museum. I remember pan were then added to the posts, then the two posts became one round post then one square post (As Pictured). The square must have been found to be stronger as we progressed to extending Bars and back two an innovation of the original design. I was thrilled when the heavy metal was changed to aluminum, although I have see those who overload their trucks overload the dollies till they look like a sway back horse and are difficult to retract.
The earliest dollies I can recall using were on the super cradle I pictured in the vintage forum. They were similar to the picture above but the pans were no where near as deep. I don't know where I picked up the "teeter totter" method using Jack Stands as I do not recall seeing anyone doing it around here. Now I am sure there were, I just didn't see them and those that saw me were interested when I called it a "teeter totter". Like I said that was what it looked like and later I found others around the country had done the same for years. KInd of like when I did an "Air Lift" only that has numerous names. Getting back to the "teeter totter" method, some may ask how the dollies were loaded other then using jack stands. You picked up one end of the vehicle set the dollies, then moved to the other end to load for tow. When these early dollies were designed there were no auto-loads. he wheel lift systems being designs were certainly not auto loads.
Now I am far from a Historian, for that we would have to look to Wes Wilburn. He can surely fill in the blanks.
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A car was crushed under a tractor-trailer in Manchester Friday.
Firefighters worked for 1.5 hours to free the driver of the vehicle.
MANCHESTER, NH — Manchester Fire, AMR, and Manchester Police responded to Campbell St for a car under a tractor-trailer. When crews arrived they had a car under the back of a tractor-trailer which had a fork truck on the back of it. A passenger of the car was quickly removed but the driver was significantly pinned.
MFD crews used jaws of life, blocking materials, hydraulic tools, and cutting tools in an attempt to free the woman.
They had the driver of the tractor-trailer try to raise the fork truck which gave them some room to work. They called Eastern Towing who came to the scene with a flatbed tow truck who assisted in lifting the fork truck.
Crews removed the roof of the vehicle and after 1.5 hours the driver was removed. The driver remained conscious during the extrication but was given pain medication to tolerate the pain. She was transported to the Elliot Hospital Trauma Center with serious but what appears to be non-life-threatening injuries.I
Sources at the scene say that it appears the tractor-trailer was backing across Campbell Street to make a delivery of a pallet of stone to a house.
The truck driver was uninjured. NHSP Troop G and Manchester Police are investigating. Incredible video of extrication and still photos
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A semi recovery vehicle towing a larger truck through an intersection Friday night inadvertently snapped two utility lines, causing a power outage at nearby neighborhoods, Colorado Springs police said Saturday.
The outage began about 7:40 p.m., when the truck drove under low-hanging power lines near Robinson Street and South 25th Street, and snapped the lines out of the poles, police said.
Century Link responded to repair the lines, authorities said. No injuries were reported.
No Further Details
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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A train crashed into a stalled car and a tow truck that was there to help in southwest Houston on Friday night, officials said.
A BMW was stalled on the train tracks at Main Street and Hillcroft Street at around 11:30 p.m.
A tow truck driver tried to help the BMW when the train came and smashed into both vehicles, police said.
The people in the stalled car said they were able to escape in time without injuries.
"By the time he hooked it up and pulled off, the train was close. Everyone had to disperse. It hit the car. It hit both cars," said Rajshah Haywood, a passenger in the stalled car.
The train dragged the tow truck several feet down the tracks.
Officials said no one was seriously hurt.
May the 4th be with you.
in Tow411 Main Street
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Wow, I know we must have some Star Wars Fans Logging In.
Because, I believe the FORCE is strong in many of you.
Who is among us admits to being a Huge Star Wars Fan?
I know I have a few Star Wars Collectables around the house.