rreschran

I wonder if these mental health professionals will carry? Because ... when all Hell breaks-loose the "counselor" could become a victim of the same scenario. Or, when a disturbed individual decides to physically fight, will the counselor step-in to help subdue the individual? Mr. DeBlasio's pilot program is not new as there was a time (in San Diego CA) where police chaplins' would ride-along with beat officers, but crime wasn't anything remotely similar back then. At least it's a start and I hope his plan has success. R.

What's up with Carvana? Three-months ago, a loaded Carvana carrier from plowed the rear of a slow-moving Army dump truck outside of Las Vegas, Nevada, killing it's 34-year old driver. Per the Sergeant's message, the main cause of this crash was the same as the other; this crash was reportedly more indicative of distracted driving. From the crash in August and according to Nevada's Highway Patrol, that driver was traveling at a high-rate of speed when it ran into the dump truck, but there was no mention of a medical aid situation or cell-phone in that case. R.

Good point Dave. That's true for US towers and first responders, but I don't know if England has the same kind of training where tow operators and police received training together. John Coupland or Paul Anstee, is there such a thing as TIM (Traffic Incident Management) in England or Britain? R.

Thanks Dave for your well-guided comments. I'm reposting the link to the on-highway incident where Zoogie was assisted by Essex Police in England to demonstrate the importance of identifying a work-zone. The video shows NO cones, flares, or signs deployed to create non-compliance. The video speaks for itself.

Prayers for your quick recovery are sent to you from Christine and I in southern California. R&C

In my humbled opinion, I believe this video is a perfect training recommendation that flares or cones are set for situations like these. One doesn't need assets to carry cones in their police vehicle. And, if they do carry cones, why weren't they set. I believe the lane was insufficiently closed and Zoogie wasn't protected. While I apreciate Essex Police being on-scene, here's a recognizable example of failing to identify the work-zone to approaching motorists. Cops in rain-gear, on the highway, standing in live traffic lanes, and (at times) with backs to traffic is playing Russian Roulette with their lives. Don't get me wrong ... I support LE 110-percent, but, there are better ways. Zoogie, John, in all reality, wouldn't you agree? Am I wrong? A line of cones, leading before the forward police car and past the carrier, would have been far more effective and indicate a solid lane closure. With extremely narrow shoulders on that section of the A12, a line of a dozen (or more) cones would have offered better identification of the lane's closure. And, based on the video, the black Volkswagen swerving from behind the slowing semi, was the same similar set of deadly circumstances that took the lives of Montana towers, Cassie Allen and Nick Visser. From my view from the cheap-seats, I don't necessarily blame the VW driver as there was nothing to suggest the lane was totally closed past the police car. This is a great video to show what NOT to do when faced with this kind of scenario. But, on a positive note, at least Paul had some police presence versus attempting to load that car without them there. I'm glad your OK Zoogie. Thanks for sharing the video. R.

Thanks to all veterans who served our US military, and noting that include Lawrence Brooks, of New Orleans, is currently the oldest living World War II Army veteran at over 111-years old. He was born in 1909. Thank you for your service Grumps and to all of the vets turned tower. That was the path that my dad took after 30-years and retiring as a Warrant Officer 4, he started a tow company in San Diego. R.

Good Morning Mr. Grumps. Your words of wisdom are well accepted. I'm hoping others see that it doesn't take a lot of time to set cones (or flares) as a part on on-highway routine. Note: In many tow operator fatality investigations made by various agencies, one of the most repeated safety recommendations suggests towers identify the work zone with cones, flares, triangle, signage and emergency lighting. I know this safety topic has been widely over-stated, but many towers still fail to set-up for safety; not dismissing existing law, but it's the SMART thing to do. This topic is another simple reminder that suggest the addition of cones and other safety equipment or devices further provides advanced emergency notice to approaching motorists. I'm adding this picture to ask: What do the cones represent and are they important to the actions going on? R.

Your company policy is a good one at that ... image that ... an employee who actually knows and practices what's in their PPM manual. Being killed by a falling pole or a droping transform can turn into a really SHOCKING experience. I salute your "heads-up" consideration to call-for a qualified elelctrical engineer on-scene before starting work. You made a wise choice in my opinion. I write this in-memory of tow owner/operator, ED Kammermer, electrocuted on the scene, November 05, 2015, the result of a downed-pole, having jumped from his carrier when the sheriff and fire-department allegedly said the power was off. Gone but not forgotten. R.,

Awesome and capable lookin' wrecker. It's rare to see a boom-forward rotator like that in California. Thanks for sharing. R.

Write that up and post it in the driver's room Grumps. Grumps and Dperone ... for on-highway scenarios, how much extra time do you estimate it takes you to set a line of cones before load? R.

I think your's Grumps is kind of the norm for tow companies, especially when they're rural or one-owner. I guess there's an entitlement with customers who think that tow companies must provide seating, magazines, a restroom and refreshments. I understand Dave's set-up being he has a repair business that supports his tow operation (or visa versa). When I saw the complaint, the complainant was ripping the tow company on a half a dozen things. But, in all reality, the complainant's car was impounded by the police. He even filed a complaint against the officer impounding his car. Next time, perhaps they should park where it's legal and not a tow-away zone.

Good Morning Mr. Dave ... I'm amazed that someone (you) finally admits that you use cones for loading scenarios. That's a good comment to see to show the new generation of towers that on-scene safety takes only a few extra minutes and that's especially plow the rear of one's tow truck or carrier because they can't steer clear of work zone. And you're right ... the average person has no clue. R.

In another post, I mentioned the recent case of a male who was accidentally backed-over by a tow truck at an accident scene. Do we towers hold full-responsibility (at the scene of a crash) to ensure everyone is clear from dangerous movement when motorists wander into the work-zone? When you go into a work-shop or a sunken mechanic's pit, typically there are yellow-lines to identify hazardous areas requiring customer's to stay out. Not that towers have enough to do, what do you or your driver's do to identify an active work-zone? Anything? Something? Nothing? Is it part of your routine to set cones, flares, triangles, even add signage? How do you keep roadside motorists from wandering inside your work-zone or standing behind the tow truck? These questions are reasonable and prudent when it comes to defending your company should someone on-scene be injured or killed because tower's failed to identify their work-zone. I know plenty of towers who'll say, "It takes too long to set them up", how does that response go over in a wrongful injury or death suit? Accordingly, isn't doing something better than doing nothing at all? R.

With all of the violence and political uncertaintity that exists, here's a laughable topic that comes from the, "Who Cares", file. A car was lawfully impounded by a police agency and was towed by a large, southern California tow company; one with an outstanding reputation. The tow company recently fell under scrutiny when a vehicle's owner WASN'T provided reasonable comfort, or, access to reasonable comfort in vehicle release areas. The complaint was the result of a vehicle owner coming to the place of business and there was no seating for the vehicle owner's pregnant wife as they waited to pick up their vehicle from impound. While I'm pretty familiar with the workings and requirements of city and state tow contracts and RFPs, I don't recall a requirment for tow business to provide available seating or other fundamentals like; a walk-up counter, a drinking fountain, inside heating, a covered entry, magazines, or, even access to a toilet. At one time, my businesses "release area:, included all of the these things until customers became increasingly stupid, over-aggressive and violent, but were ultimately upgraded to meet employee and facility safety. Think about your businesses release area and consider, do you think towing businesses should be accountable in providing these kinds of accoutrements? R.

I happened upon this pic of the old tow truck in my archives used by the San Diego Police Department when I was on the department in the 1970s. The truck was small and under-rated with a laughable (no duallies) towing capacity for towing larger and heavier police cars with a modified Holmes Sling. The, "Little Tow Truck That Could", would nearly cut-wheelies when towing those old, monsterous LTD, Crown Vic police cars or Dodge Sportsman Ambulances. It was more of a parts runner than aything else. I remember it being in action only a couple of times and have no idea where it wound up. R.

Your comments Ron are 100-percent spot-on. Having been a motor cop, traffic investigator and a DUI enforcement team member, the whole process starts by LE writing citations. When the motorist goes to court, officers generally are present to testify and (hopefully) provide a solid explaination of what the move-over law means in-relation to the thousands of first-responders, tow operators and highway workers represent. That include showing the law to the judge and providing a list of names of firs responders killed. Example, when the first Honda ATC's came about, as many as 1,350 fatalities were accounted for, and another 400,000 injuries across the US. When the court were made aware of the number of preventable injuries that could have been protected, the court Found Honda Motor Company guilty. read this San Diego article ... Link: https://apnews.com/article/053ab3e05210b6dcea240edf0f157ef7 I've been watching these kinds of laws for many, many years, and, while I thoroughly support the men and women of LE, THEY have to take the steps necessary to cite, NOT warn violators, when they clearly witness motorists violating the law. The process of writing a signal citation takes only ten-minutes or less, so it's not time invasive and doesn't take a ton of officers in special enforcement more. When a cop testifies on the citation they written, it the law was violated, judges need to be aware that (in many states) SDMO laws have been around since 2006. The excuse that "I didn't know about the law" no longer hold's water based on to total number of highway workers killed. It's up to law enfocement to, 1) make the concentrated effort to write SDMO cites and to hold special enforcement events, and 2.) present a solid case in court that reflects data showing deaths caused by SDMO and 3.) present the court with a copy of the SDMO law from their state that shows when the law was enacted. R.

Thanks Ron for sharing this article. But, looking at the narrative, this single piece speaks of a bigger problem when LE admits, “We see a lot of aggressive and reckless driving on Route 422". That's consisternt with any and all highways where what "We see" isn't "We cite". To me there's a vast difference in the way to change bad driving behaviors. It's about time LE makes a concentrated effort with special enforcement. While the tally of 36-cars is a drop in the proverbial bucket ... it's a start. It only took them 14-years to recognize the importance of SDMO. And, I question whether or not Exeter's enforcement was in the form of a $500 ticket versus that of a verbal warning. To make a solid example for all motorists to see is to write citations. Ultimately, the dollars generated by SDMO violations and citations then can be use to appropriately fund more traffic safety details like this one. I salute their efforts and hope to see more. R.

I'm protective of tow operators, but debris removal has been a law in most (if not all states) for years and years. If this is "new news" and "a new requirement", perhaps Pasco County is to blame for letting a simple problem get out of hand. I imagine that if the agency has made such a big deal out of it, they must have experienced towers who don't do clean-up? Is this requirement a knee-jerk reaction from citizens? Is there documentation of accidents caused by remaining debris, or simply a slow news day? It's always been my understanding that operators have the lawful responsibility to remove and clean debris and fluids (to some extent), however, there have been times, for dangerous scenarios and public safety concerns, where the on-scene officer will instruct towers to load the car quickly and leave. This has been an on-going problem in California (and other states), however, it makes sense that towers are the most likely "hands on" workers to remove debris. This is usually an inner-city problem where some towers simply grab and go. Especially true to highway crashes, debris in the roadway can create secondary crashes, but at what cost of losing and operator's life when mandated by law, works in highway lanes and shoulders to sweep and collect debris, especially when traffic still flows? It's the same backwards mentality that requires tow operators to provide a four-point tie-down which mandates the operator to stand on the white line. If you read each law regarding clean-up or four-point secrement, nothing in their narrative mentions operator safety. Accordingly, I believe there are laws that put tow operators directly in harm's way and offer no protection to the operator. I say this in memory of tow operators, Martin Braden (CO), Paul Macejko (OH), Ronald Covington Jr, (TN), Larry Clamp (TX), Stanley Schultz (TX), Daniel Steinberg (RI), Wayne Kernachan (CAN), and this year, Ramon Loza (WI), all reportedly killed attempting to sweep, clean-up or remove debris from a in-traffic lanes or highway shoulders. Sadly ... their lives were cut-short because of debris. R. I believe it's reasonable to say, a tower's individual safety should be focused on day-to-day survival ... while remembering the responsibilities of clean-up when safe to do so. R.

Crashes by alleged medical marijuana in California are on the rise, but California offers NO exception to a motorist under the influence of MJ. I don't know of a source for hard-numbers counting crashes and the precentages caused by drivrs and MJ. For the states of Hawaii, Colorado, Washington and Oregon, these states have legalised laws which, in the long run, puts towers at risk. For interesting read, here's a link of a report by the National Highway Safety Administration that was sent to Congress July 2017. https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/812440-marijuana-impaired-driving-report-to-congress.pdf R.

How horribly tragic. Note: Anton Robinson, the mom's alleged fiance' and abductor, was sentenced to 25-years for ambushing and shooting to death of repo agent Alan Humphries s he was seated in his tow truck.

Hi James ... Google: Tow Truck Operator Job Listings and you'll find an inclusive number of links that list tow operator jobs. Google: Tow Truck Driver Job Listings and you'll find an inclusive number of links that list tow operator jobs. https://www.indeed.com/q-Tow-Truck-Driver-jobs.html?vjk=8cf0099ee21487fe https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Jobs/Tow-Truck-Driver https://www.facebook.com/towcareers/ Good Luck in your search. R.

By re-reading Sgt. Gilbert's statement, I'm left with a numb-feeling that, in the grand scheme of things, tow operator's are on the bottom-rung of the proverbial ladder. Just like the many July articles describing how tower, Will Ellis, was knock off the Don Holt Bridge in South Carolina. While there was some mention about Will, the focus was on Deputy Constanza, his injuries and him coming back to work. Story after story was about the deputy with minimal focus as to Will's death and the reason he was killed. I would have garnered a far much better impression had Sgt. Gilbert's statement read, "Thank God nothing happened to our troopers, but pray for the souls of the two tow truck drivers that were needlesly and tragically killed." R.

Hi All ... just a message to pass the message of personal safety if you're work takes you out and about into the inner cities. In many places across America, communities are boarding up in anticipation for the freaks that will riot after the vote verdict is in. For the next few days, please don't put yourself in harm's way and always rember your location. If you have to get out of your truck, let your dispatcher know. And especially important if you're on a police call or a crash where LE is present, remember that these fools are shooting at the cops for no reason ... and that put's you in harm's way. Christine and I pray for your continued safety and that of your families. R.

Finally it's nice to see one of the industry's big trainer's posting messages to publically promote white-line safety. When it comes to tow operator survival, a message like this one is specific to the root problem of towers being killed ... not that of slow-down move-over, but towers working off the white-line whenever possible. Here's hoping tower's take heed. R.