From OSHA's recommendations:

 

Where, how, and to what sources of SARS-CoV-2 might workers be exposed, including:{The general public, customers, and coworkers; and{Sick individuals or those at particularly high risk of infection (e.g., international travelers who have visited locations with widespread sustained (ongoing) COVID-19 transmission, healthcare workers who have had unprotected exposures to people known to have, or suspected of having, COVID-19)

 

Promote frequent and thorough hand washing, including by providing workers, customers, and worksite visitors with a place to wash their hands. If soap and running water are not immediately available, provide alcohol-based hand rubs containing at least 60% alcohol.

 

These are going to be difficult for the majority of towing companies in the industry:

 

Encourage workers to stay home if they are sick.

 

Encourage respiratory etiquette, including covering coughs and sneezes.

 

Provide customers and the public with tissues and trash receptacles.

 

Discourage workers from using other workers’ phones, desks, offices, or other work tools and equipment, when possible.

 

I would encourage all tow companies to up their game in regards to this recommendation.

 

Maintain regular housekeeping practices, including routine cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces, equipment, and other elements of the work environment. When choosing cleaning chemicals, employers should consult information on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved disinfectant labels with claims against emerging viral pathogens. Products with EPA-approved emerging viral pathogens claims are expectedto be effective against SARS-CoV-2 based on data for harder to kill viruses. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use of all cleaning and disinfection products (e.g., concentration, application method and contact time, PPE).

 

Find More OSHA Recommendations Here:

https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3990.pdf

 

I was at a RAM Press Event this past week and they were talking about the new features and those were some of them. Very innovative.

Sent from my SM-G950U using TowForce mobile app

As always thanks John for the insight. I neglected the aspect of placing these on the rear of a commercial type vehicle such as a trailer or van whereas traffic may not be able to see the tow truck hooking up to the vehicle. I feel compelled to apologize as I was focused on the images as they were presented. In the US traffic would simply run you over attempting to set up any type of signage. Attaching the magnetic flashing arrow banner I could see may actually provide support and still be able to maintain some level of safety away from the roadway. I am sure there are many more perspectives other than my own. 

This topic will serve as a current update of Tow Operators recovering from a tragic incident sustained while preforming there duties. So, as not to leave anyone out we know we have several industry members who are dealing with medical issues non work related. Let's not forget them as well.

"parked cars will be damaged, or stolen and the police will have to pay for it"

 

For most departments it is not a requirement to tow the vehicle especially if it is legally parked. Each department has a different set of guidelines check with yours to understand if the perimeters have changed. Our tows have been decreasing with vehicles only being towed when there are contributing factors. The number of arrests have declined as well which has also contributed to fewer tows.

Personally, I have not seen this as an effective deterrent as it exposes the driver to added risk setting up and taking down. Especially if it is a quick hook up or load, every extra second you spend in that hazardous situation increases to odds of something happening. No, more effective when on scene for longer periods of time is an actual crash truck or arrow board. This budget solution scares me.

The entertainment scene on the Riverwalk is very good. The Food Not So Much, I would not pay those inflated prices for sub par service and food. Look outside the Riverwalk area there are many excellent local restaurants.

 

Two Places I have enjoyed in the past are: "Both Where Suggested by Locals"

Breakfast: The Guenther House - https://www.guentherhouse.com/

Lunch or Dinner: Rosario's Mexican Restaurant - https://rosariossa.com/

 

(And I know someone here that can update the status of both as it has been several years)

 

AND AGAIN: Avoid the restaurants on the Riverwalk as they are Tourist Traps.

Far Better Food Can Be Found at local Hot Spots, some offer entertainment on Fridays.

 

 

Crime Boss Wipes - Heavy Duty Cleaning - Skin Safe

 

 

If you want a sample of the GRIME BOSS Wipes watch for that opportunity over the next week.

 

 

 

There is also a push bumper configuration, more on that later.

 

 

The Striker Series New at GoLight. Definitely Worth Another Look.

 

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — A northwestern Indiana woman has been sentenced to seven years in prison for a hit-and-run crash that killed two people who had met a tow truck driver along a road before sunrise on a foggy morning.

 

Yariel Butler, 20 was also sentenced Thursday to one year of probation. A jury had convicted the Lafayette woman in February of two counts of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and one count of leaving an accident resulting in injury.

 

The August 2018 crash killed Kimberly McDole and Eric Peacock and injured tow truck driver Robert Carley.

 

Tippecanoe County prosecutors said that hours before the crash, McDole had driven her car through a highway intersection and into a cornfield, the Journal and Courier reported.

 

She got a ride home but later called Peacock, who gave her a ride back to the scene, where they met Carley and his tow truck along U.S. 52.

Prosecutors said Carley, McDole and Peacock were standing at the back end of the tow truck when Butler struck the three of them.

 

Butler’s attorney, Lakeisha Chantay Murdaugh, said that it was foggy at the time of crash and Butler believed she had not hit anyone as she was driving home after a 12-hour shift at NHK, an automotive seating factory in Frankfort.

 

Murdaugh said Butler swerved off the road, hit something, and drove back onto the road.

 

Fred Peacock, Eric Peacock’s father, read a letter to the court, where he referred to his son as a “gentle giant.”

 

RESOURCE LINK

 

Durham Regional Police released photos of a man believed to be a suspect in a tow truck fire last Saturday in Ajax.

 

Incident Responder YES - Emergency Responder YES - First Responder NO

 

To Explain: As Tow Truck Operators we respond to incidents. We Respond to Emergencies, We are Rarely First on the Scene as we are not dispatched with Police, Fire & EMS unless it is an Emergency Incident which may require a Tow Truck to lift or move a vehicle and even then we wait for Fire and EMS to arrive should we make the scene prior to other Emergency Responders.

 

Insurance as it relates to a Private Company compared to a Government Service is a long discussion this industry has never addressed properly. Owners seem to understand where as the difference may not have been explained to the company drivers.

If I can get Arnott with Santiam back in here they have done some nice work with tail lights over the years.

@santiam01

Silverhawk, You mean you don't have to return stolen cars to the owner for FREE yet?

Police Chase Timeline: https://abc11.com/5975656/

George, we have seen and experienced far more than the general public when it comes to criminal behavior. Well, at least us seasoned tow operators have been exposed and take precautions. Sadly, new Tow Operators are still subject to the School of Hard Knocks. I would have hoped over the nearly 20 years this message board has been online fewer rookie operators would not have to go through what we have. However, if you look at most companies they continue to make the same errors over and over.

Just to Note: Quest Ranked #12 in 2019 in 2018 Ranked #15 in 2017 #7 and in 2016 #5

 

Other clubs such as Pinnacle, USAC and Allied finished lower. All Apps finished out of the Top Ten.

The path to success is to not do it to make a job for yourself. But, to eventually make a job for others. You'll find that unless your just hauling scrap it isn't going to be easy, it's not 9 to 5 and the hours are longer then working for someone else. Most new towing companies do not make it past 3 years. Leaving hose who venture to leave the towing industry entirely. Don't fall victim, create a business plan. For those who Fail to Plan - Plan to Fail... Words to Live By!

NATIONAL CITY —  A stolen car found Tuesday outside a house in National City was stolen a second time while the vehicle owner, who had gone to recover his car, waited for a tow truck, police said.

 

A resident on Harbison Avenue called police about 9:15 a.m. to report a random white Nissan Sentra parked in his driveway. The resident provided the license plate number to a dispatcher, who looked up the number and found that the car had been reported stolen in El Cajon on Monday, National City police Capt. Alex Hernandez said.

 

The owner of the Sentra met officers at the home where the car had been found. Police took a report and left.

 

The vehicle owner told OnScene TV he sat in a rental car as he waited for a tow truck to haul away the Sentra. When stepped out to smoke a cigarette, the suspected car thief, who apparently still had keys to the Sentra, returned and drove away in the car.

 

The vehicle owner described the thief as a heavy-set man with a scruffy beard, wearing a black shirt over a white undershirt.

 

RESOURCE LINK

 

My Only Question: Why would you not block your car in the driveway? Obviously the vehicle owner did not own another set of keys... I just thought this was a Good, Bad and Ugly Story involving waiting for a Tow Truck.

Woonsocket man sentenced to 5 years in prison for road-rage death

 

PROVIDENCE — A 43-year-old Woonsocket man last week was sentenced to serve five years in prison for causing a road-rage crash that killed one man and seriously injured another.

 

Following a trial in Superior Court, Mitchell Savard was found guilty Nov. 1 of driving to endanger resulting in death and serious bodily injury in the death of Erik Salazar, 22, of Brooklyn, New York.

 

Andy Salgado, 23, also of Brooklyn, was injured in the crash.

 

The crash happened on Route 295 in Johnston on the morning of March 30, 2017.

 

According to the police, Savard was driving north in the high-speed lane when he switched into the middle lane, cutting off a tow truck. The tow-truck driver honked and Savard began to continually apply his brakes before coming to a complete stop on the highway, the police said.

 

Savard’s sudden braking caused other cars to brake or swerve to avoid collisions. The driver of tow truck, Trevor Armstrong, 28, of Bristol, Connecticut, slammed on his brakes, but the box truck behind him, driven by Salazar, wasn’t able to stop in time.

 

The box truck crashed into the tow truck. Salazar was killed and Selgado was hospitalized in critical condition for days.

 

Armstrong suffered minor injuries. Savard did not report injuries.

 

In the wake of the crash, the state police received numerous 911 calls from drivers. Investigators said those calls proved critical in piecing together the events.

 

Savard faced up to 15 years in prison.

 

Superior Court Justice Maureen B. Keough on Friday sentenced him to 10 years with five years to serve and 5 years suspended, plus 10 years of probation on one count of reckless driving, death resulting.

 

He also received five years suspended and five years of probation on one count of reckless driving, serious bodily injury resulting.

 

The sentences will run concurrently.

 

Keough ordered that Savard lose his license for three years following his release from prison.

 

RESOURCE LINK

 

ORIGINAL NEWS STORY: March 31, 2017

 

JOHNSTON, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island State Police say a driver was killed and two people were injured in a three-car crash on Interstate 295.

The chain-reaction crash happened Thursday morning near the Johnston-Smithfield border. Police say it appeared that a sedan, tow truck and box truck were traveling on I-295 northbound in the center lane when they collided in a series of rear-end crashes.

Police say the driver of the box truck was pronounced dead at the hospital. He wasn’t identified. A passenger suffered injuries considered life-threatening.

Police say the driver of the tow truck suffered non-life-threatening injuries and the driver of the sedan declined to be taken to the hospital.

Police are investigating the events that led up to the crash. They say alcohol and drugs don’t appear to be factors.

RESOURCE LINK

 

ADDED by Team251 April 6, 2017:

 

WOONSOCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — Investigators believe it was road rage that led to a fatal crash on I-295 last week and have arrested one of the drivers as a result.

Rhode Island State Police officials announced Wednesday they’ve charged Mitchell Savard in connection with the three-vehicle crash in Johnston on March 30 that left one man dead and two others with injuries.

According to police, the investigation revealed Savard was traveling northbound in the high-speed lane just before 10 a.m. when he made a lane change, cutting off a tow truck behind him. Police said the tow truck driver sounded his horn and in response, Savard repeatedly tapped his brakes before abruptly stopping in the center lane.

The tow truck was forced to make an abrupt stop as well, according to police, but a box truck behind it was unable to stop and struck the rear of the tow truck, which then struck Savard’s vehicle.

The two occupants of the box truck – Erik Salazar and Andy Salgado, both 23 and of Brooklyn – were seriously injured in the crash. Salazar succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at Rhode Island Hospital while Salgado remains in critical condition at the hospital.

Police said the tow truck driver, identified as 28-year-old Trevor Armstrong of Bristol, Connecticut, suffered minor injuries, while Savard was reportedly unhurt.

Savard, 41, of Woonsocket, was arrested Wednesday at his Park Avenue home and charged with driving to endanger resulting in death, and two counts of driving to endanger resulting in personal injury.

“Aggressive driving and road rage pose a deadly risk to every motorist in Rhode Island,” State Police Col. Ann Assumpico said in a statement. “We take this threat very seriously, and we will remain vigilant in the prosecution of any driver who puts others at risk.”

Savard is expected to appear in court Wednesday for arraignment.

http://wpri.com/2017/04/05/police-road- ... r-charged/

The shocking crash that sent a tow truck plummeting off the Highway 50 bridge last year, killing a husband and wife, was caused by little more than a glancing blow between two trucks, investigators have determined.

 

A year-long review determined that tow truck driver failed to properly merge with a 70-foot-long big rig just ahead of him on the Pioneer Memorial Bridge on March 26, 2019. The tow truck’s front right wheel scraped the rear left wheel of a big rig near the apex of the bridge.

 

A Sharma family member, who saw a summary of the CHP report, said he believes, however, it is possible the big-rig cut off the tow truck.

 

The 8:30 p.m. incident on westbound Highway 50 caused the tow truck to careen to the left across several traffic lanes and smash into and over the interior freeway guard rail, vaulting the truck off the bridge, according to an investigation by the California Highway Patrol’s Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team.

 

The tow truck, carrying Shalvinesh Sharma, 40, and his wife Roselyn Sharma, 39, fell 101 feet into the river, then sunk 30 feet to the river bottom. The Sharmas, owners of local Justin’s Towing, which was named after their son, were on their way to a call when the crash occurred. CHP officials said they do not know which of the two was driving the tow truck.

 

Shalvinesh Sharma’s body was found floating in the river two weeks later about five miles downstream near Sacramento’s Pocket neighborhood. A few days after that, crews found Roselyn Sharma’s body inside the mangled tow truck when they extracted it from the river.

 

CHP offiicals said the crash occurred at about 45 miles per hour. The big-rig driver was merging slightly ahead of the tow truck onto the freeway westbound from northbound Interstate 5.

 

CHP spokesman Mike Harris said investigators believe the tow truck made a “glancing” impact with the big-rig, then veered sharply left. Investigators said they believe the tow truck driver turned the steering wheel to the left during or after impact with the big rig.

 

The tow truck broke through the upper metal portion of the bridge’s three-foot-high concrete and metal barrier and dropped through the 24-foot-wide gap between the westbound and eastbound freeway bridges.

 

“The big-rig driver said he felt a slight nudge,” Harris said. “He pulled over to see what it was. He didn’t realize what had happened until he was informed later.”

 

Tow truck freeway crash investigation concludes

The crash investigation is formally over and copies have been given to representatives of the family, Harris said.

 

“This is just a tragic incident with a horrible outcome, a perfect storm of events that cascaded into this truck going off the side of the bridge,” Harris said. “We are sorry for everybody involved, the family grieving the loss of loved ones.”

 

The couple left behind two children, Justin, 17, and Joselyn, 13.

Donald Sharma, a brother of Roselyn Sharma, said he does not believe the CHP report conclusions are definitive. He said he believes it is possible the big-rig got in the tow truck’s way as it merged onto the freeway, and that the rear of the 70-foot truck could have swayed out to the left, causing the impact.

 

The two families held a joint memorial service. “We want to do the service together as well,” family member Justin Singh said before the service. ”We want to make sure we praise their souls from our family that came all over the place.”

 

“My brother-in-law and my sister, they worked together, they had a loving marriage, they built a business together. And they died together in the same accident. It’s very sad.”

 

It took several weeks to recover the truck and the bodies. Rescue work was repeatedly postponed due to the danger of fast-moving river water.

 

The vehicle was found with the help of Pacific Gas & Electric Co. sonar technology, which is normally used to monitor underwater infrastructure. A private recovery crew spent more than two days trying to wrest the vehicle from the murky bottom amid cold and swift currents after multiple law enforcement agencies worked for two weeks to locate the vehicle.

 

Family members held vigil at the recovery site and said they felt some closure when Roselyn Sharma’s body was found.

 

“I’m kind of blessed, a lot of people came up to us and said their prayers,” Singh said. “It worked ... because we got her today, this morning from the tow truck, she’s there.”

 

RESOURCE LINK

 

A Tow Truck Operator with Statewide Towing in California was struck on the interstate Sunday. The company identified the operator Enrique. His legs were severely injured and underwent surgery. He is currently in intensive care.

 

Tow truck driver struck by car on State Route 79

 

A tow truck driver was seriously injured Sunday after being struck by a car while working to tow another car involved in a separate collision.

 

It happened at 10:38 a.m. in Beaumont along southbound State Route 79 just south of California Avenue.

 

The injured tow truck driver was identified as Enrique Ramirez Sanchez, 49, of Banning.

 

The driver of the car that hit him was identified as Marcella Carranza, 29.

 

The CHP said Carranza was speeding and lost control of her car before hitting Sanchez, who was on the right shoulder of the highway.

 

Sanchez was taken to an area hospital with major injuries.

 

There was no immediate word on whether Carranza was cited or arrested.

 

RESOURCE LINK

 

Tow truck driver seriously injured after being struck on Highway 79 in Beaumont

 

A Banning tow truck driver was seriously injured after he was struck while responding to pick up a vehicle from an earlier incident on Highway 79 in Beaumont on Sunday morning, officials said.

 

At around 10:38 a.m., the tow truck driver came to the scene of a solo rollover crash on the right shoulder of Highway 79 southbound, California Highway Patrol Officer Matt Napier said. The driver in that incident, who was uninjured, and a CHP officer were at the scene when the tow truck arrived, he said.

 

While the tow truck driver, a 49-year-old Banning man, was out of his truck to recover the overturned car, he was struck by a white Toyota Corolla driven by a 29-year-old Riverside woman, Napier said.

 

“Due to her unsafe speed, she was unable to maintain control fo the vehicle,” he said. “She veered left and collided with the concrete median, the force of the impact propelled her vehicle across the lanes to the right. The Corolla crossed onto the right shoulder where the tow truck was, striking (the tow truck driver) and the left side of his tow truck.”

 

The tow truck driver was taken Riverside University Health System Medical Center.

 

The southbound lanes of the highway were blocked for nearly two hours during CHP’s investigation, Napier said.

“This is still under investigation,” he said. “But as of right now (the female driver) has not been arrested and alcohol and drugs were ruled out as possible factors.”

 

RESOURCE LINK

 

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The San Gorgonio Pass Area California Highway Patrol office has released more details about a crash Sunday morning on state Route 79 in unincorporated Riverside County that seriously injured a tow truck driver from Banning.

 

The incident began around 9:55 a.m. when the CHP received a call about a non-injury solo vehicle roll-over crash on SR-79, south of California Avenue. During the investigation, the CHP called a tow truck to remove the wreckage.

 

Statewide Towing responded to the scene. Around 10:38 a.m., the tow driver — 49-year-old Enrique Ramirez Sanchez of Banning — was standing on the left side of his truck when a speeding white Toyota Corolla driven by 29-year-old Marcella Carranza of Riverside lost control of her car on southbound SR-79 and collided with the concrete median wall, according to CHP Officer Matt Napier.

 

The crash impact propelled the Corolla across traffic lanes and onto the right shoulder, striking Sanchez and his tow truck. Sanchez sustained major injuries as a result and was transported to the Riverside University Health Systems Hospital by ground ambulance, according to Napier.

 

Both SR-79 southbound lanes were closed for approximately one hour and 45 minutes for the CHP investigation.

 

Alcohol and drugs have been ruled out as contributing factors, Napier said.

 

RESOURCE LINK

 

 

A tow truck driver has a long road to recovery after being struck by a speeding driver while responding to a crash outside Beaumont over the weekend, officials said Tuesday.

 

Enrique Ramirez Sanchez, a 49-year-old Banning man, was called to the scene of a solo-vehicle rollover crash on Highway 79 just before 10 a.m. Sunday, the California Highway Patrol said in a news release.

 

The driver of the overturned car was unhurt, officers said. Sanchez parked his Statewide Towing truck on the shoulder south of California Avenue and got out to start hooking up the wrecked vehicle.

 

That’s when a 29-year-old Riverside woman headed south on the highway lost control of her white Toyota Corolla and veered into a concrete median wall. She then ricocheted across the lanes and into the opposite shoulder, hitting Sanchez and his truck, according to CHP.

 

Sanchez was hospitalized with major injuries.

 

Both highway lanes were closed nearly 2 hours while authorities investigated.

 

Officers determined the woman was traveling at an unsafe speed on the wet roadway. They don’t believe alcohol or drugs played a role.

 

The Banning Police Officers Association has set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Sanchez.

 

“Enrique is a wonderful person and top notch driver!” officers wrote on the page. “Anyone who’s ever had the pleasure of working with or knowing him for any length of time knows he is kind, helpful, and hardworking.”

 

As of Tuesday, Sanchez was stable after undergoing multiple surgeries in attempt to repair and save his legs. He’ll still have to “endure several additional surgeries,” according to the GoFundMe.

 

RESOURCE LINK

 

More than 100 New Products Spotlighted at this years show!

 

https://wts20.mapyourshow.com/8_0/explore/index.cfm?list=newproducts

Here is a link to the website, I have attempt to ask questions but I just get scripted replies.

 

http://www.roadsidemasters.com/

I am moving this from the Honk forum to Towing Technology for a week. We have many lurkers that have not taken the leap to join as a member for one reason or another. This is nothing new as the average member will watch the topics for 18 months before joining to reply to a topic. They have no idea what they are missing in the Member Only Forums. I will be taking time to listen to this podcast over the weekend, just no enough hours in my day.