rreschran

Currently, CDF reports there are 27-major wildfires active throughout the state of California alone that have burned over 3.5 million acres of California tinder since August 15th. The other day I posted the possibility of finding work gathering and hauling burned vehicles after west coast fires subside. When all is said and done, some tow and salvage companies will land contracts to haul burned hulks to staging locations or salvage yards. As a reminder to the work that will be conducted, when an active wildfire takes over a community and “right now escape” is the end result of waiting and not evacuating, people attempt to flee in their vehicles. In several incidents, in the homeowner’s panic to escape, the end-result of being trapped on a smoke and fire filled road occur where motorists are overcome by fire and die in their vehicles. If you’re one of the ultimate companies contracted to move salvage, I remind you that there’s always potential of finding the remains of a burned individual in the vehicle you’re about to load. I feel it’s wise for towers to know this going in so they're able to absorb some of the shock of having to deal with a deceased person. In the event you observe a deceased occupant within the car you’re about to load, cease your loading activity and notify the authorities. Note: As part of loading burned vehicles, always make a visual inspection before load, even if an officer says the car was previously inspected. One California tow company owner shared with me his daughter’s nightmareish car-escape that was similar to the video. I can only imagine the fear she felt, but she remained calm and saved her sister and another friend by making it to the other side. To that note, I’ve attached a video of one California to show what it’s like to try and drive through a live fire. R.

Moose ... that's so true about those NOT wanting to retire. As far as staying at work and active, if one's health and conditioning allows them to do so, it keeps the mind active and happy as they too have purpose. That's especially true of those having first responder mentality as we are "men and women of action". Sitting still, hanging out, watchin' sports, doing nuthin', or worst yet, playing golf (ugh) are some of the reasons I stay involved in the industry. Staying involved gives me purpose and I'm still involved after trying to get out of the industry. The affordability part, we live comfortably and not beyond our means. The house is nearly paid off, all of our kids are out doing their own thing. We get to spoil, rough and sugar-up the grandkids and then send them back home. To me, that's the greatest revenge. R.

Hi YodaBen ... If I were to retire, I'd have to go back to military teaching to catch up on my rest. For what it's worth, I've retired twice but I've never retired. What I hafta' rmember at this point of all the crap I'm working on ... my life's getting shorter, but I tend to take advantage of it when I can. Best regards to all the "tow dad's out there." R.

Hi John ... I hope you and Miss Aileen are doing well and you too are able to hide from the virus. I was looking forward to seeing you again and exchanging stories of this and that. We're you going to enter a vintage wrecker or your customer semi (tractor) you just finished? In the mean time, take care and stay busy on the forums. I always look forward to reading your wordly information and advice. Bye the way ... where did you hang your Hall of Fame award? Be Well. R.

Hi Lou Ann ... Christine and I send our prayers and condolences to you in the loss of your son. Being from California, I'm familar with the drive between San Diego and Vegas. I know how fast travelers drive and how stupid they are just to make time. But, at that early time of the morning when the crash occurred, perhaps the driver of the semi fell asleep? If you need help applying to the Wall of the Fallen in memory of Roque, please feel free to contact me. R.

Good comments guys. Thanks. For small companies like Grumps, shutting down is difficult choice and one that has to be carefully scheduled. But for large companies like the example shared, I'm not so sure. Especially true for drivers, when companies require a daily truck inspection, someone has to be tasked at looking at what's important and what's not. To the manager in this case, perhaps he didn't feel that A/C was overly important to down the truck. Perhaps taking a look at the big picture would have been a better choice? A business has to work to make money to fix the truck, but when the truck's in the shop, no money is earned. It's a difficult cycle. So, how do you teach priority from one person to the next? R.

Brian's right ... there was plenty more to the story. I spoke to the company owner this afternoon and the driver has since returned to work. In all fairness to the driver, he made notes of the A/C problem nearly a month ago on his truck inspection and continually until a heated exchange between driver and the manager took place. The owner stepped up to admit the truck should have been repaired, but, "It's been really busy." So, how do the possibilities of earning a dollar differ from the safety or employee's welfare. Thanks Brian for your explaination that helps define the old school mentality of, "suck it up?" Here's my short version: The driver went to the manager (maybe) with a little attiude asking, "When ya' gonna' get the A/C fixed?" The manager held his ground when challenged by the driver. The manager was representing the companysaying the truck will get fixed when it can be scheduled to the shop. The owner gave power of authority to the manager. The manager forced his hand by giving a lawful order, albiet perhaps questionable in the long-run. The driver got upset because his legitimate complaint wasn't being heard or reacted to. He told me., "Why do a truck inspection if nothing's gonna' get fixed?" That's a reasonable question in my book. The driver was guilty when he walked off the job, but, did he do so in a manner to force something to get done? Was his a peaceful protest? Was getting the A/C fixed an absolute priority? Was it seen as "an emergency priorty?" Was it a safety issue that required right now fixing? You decide. I feel there were plenty of lessons to be learned by all parties as it regards the ability to communicate openly and what happens at the supervisor's level when they give the order to get back to work? Under the conditions of high-heat and the possibilities of heat related illnesses, rhe driver's complaint WAS valid as explained further by Brian herein. I could go on and on about what think could have been a better way to have handled the situation. Should the driver called his complaint directly to the owner? Where does"Chain of Command" apply here? There were plenty of components to this situation worth reviewing if the same were to happen to you as owner. I believe that if the driver were to take his issue before the labor board, an administrative judge may have taken interest in his case even though he wasn't fired. But, all things being equal, today I was told the driver's back to work, the truck's getting fixed and everybody shook hands. I was happy to be part of this process to see that even though the work environment isn't perfect, when offended parties can settle their differences in an ammicable, reasonable and adult-like manner, positive results can happen. I'm proud of what those guys were able to accomplish. Note: I'm especially proud of the driver who did what was required of him and conducted a well-prepared tow truck inspection; he documented repeatedly that the A/C wasn't working. For a month he held his tongue, didn't whine and worked through the heat of summer. By documenting the A/C problem, his best evidence to his claim was his thorough and detailed truck reports. Good for you Alex. Once I learned the entire story, you had me on your side and I congratulate your return to work. And to that company's management, I salute them because they admitted there was a better way to have handled this simple complaint from the beginning. R.

That part of I-5 near Magic Mountain has its share of semi truck traffic and higher speeds by motorists travelling through there. I'm amazed that a conventional cab front would separate from the truck's fame as it did in that manner. Christine and I send our prayers to the family of the operator and Castaic Towing. That kind of crash is an investigator's nightmare. I did a tabletop re-enactment and have a theory as to how the carrier's cab wound up behind the semi and the carrier's deck, frame and wheels ended up under the SeaCan. The damage to the carrier's cab is one key area that adds possibility to the cab mounts shearing under impact, where the deck, frame and wheels continued foward in the height and space under the SeaCan. R.

Christine and I send our prayers to the towers family and the company they worked for, R.

A little while ago I confirmed the death of. 59-year-old, tow truck operator, David Knight, who was killed Saturday September 12, 2020 around 04:30 AM. Mr. Knight reportedly was driving his F-650 truck on rural SR-299 and left the roadway and struck a rock embankment. An additional website shows 30-comments that spoke of the crash to include Mr. Knight’s sister, Laurie, confirming that her brother was killed in the crash. Mr. Knight was said to have been working for Alp’s Towing out of Weaverville, California. The cause of the crash is unknown. The link below is Redwood News reporting the story. https://kiem-tv.com/2020/09/13/man-succumbs-to-his-injuries-in-fatal-accident-on-state-route-299/ http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_244c1f7e-f7ae-11ea-b73e-7ff4e90d49ff.html

Thanks for passing on your information and the product website to the troops. Just for my knowledge ... do you apply any fees for disenfecting services, or is that a process as you conduct biz? R.

Congratulations ESC on the outcome of your billing. R.

Hello Mr. Rite ... what was the spray products name? Smart of you to question about the Covid. That's good heads up. R

Nice job with the loader attachment NJsss. May I add one-more consideration of focus would be the "Over-hang law", to the rear of the tow truck's tailboard. Most states have that four-foot to rear requirement beyond the truck's rear lights. With the motorcycle in-place on the wheellift, it extends easily beyond four feet from the lights. May I suggest adding extension lights to the wheellift as shown in the photo. By adding extension lights, your have satisfied the vehicle's code requirement, "beyond the vehicle's rear lights," and still have four feet extension beyond that. While application in this manner creatively cheats the Letter of the Law, at least it meets the Spirit of the Law where most highway patrol officers and city police won't write the citation for the section. When installed on a carrier's wheellift, you add four more feet of lighting rearward when a long limousine, sailboat, or a dually truck is atop the carrier's deck. In California, towers get over-hang tickets all the time and this is a typical way to cheat the specific wording of the vehicle code. Just r emember to wrap all the excess wire so it doesn't hit the ground. If the wire does drop, your extension lights become drag lights. It's easy to apply and provides a good defense if you're struck from behind. R.

Hi Njsss ... thanks for sharing back the full-view Porsche photo ... it's an awesome car as I'm a vintage Porsche owner too. Thanks for your comments and another great set of circumstances you bring to the table, "but, if only a perfect world." Your points are well-accepted and initiate a debatable discussion. I personally think eyelets were intended for flat-towing and somehow morphed into the loading process. I feel they aren't sufficiently designed to hold a vehicle's weight, especially on a tilted deck being only held by eight to ten man-made threads. For me, I see the video as solid evidence that seperation wasn't caused by free-spool, the break wasn't computer generated or altered, but an act of unintended snap, break, or failure. Did the screw-in eye snap because the car was winched too far up the ramp and angled toward the winch? Did it strip its threads? Was the socket damaged from previous use or frontal collision? Was the new looking eyelet used to recover a wrecked car off a sidewalk and the eyelet put away as new? Even if it were a demon-possessed vehicle, had it been loaded more than six-times? These are the unknown's I'm speaking of that can't be known by looking at a new eyelet taken from the box. The video clearly shows a violent roll-away. To see an experienced operator and his customer chase a non-stoppable rollaway vehicle is all the evidence necessary to justify changes in my loading protocol. I'm a big believer of lessons learned and there are clear lessons to be learned from the video. But, forensically, do consider the speed in-which the red vehicle immediately rolled down the bed ... would an unsuspecting individual be able to react and stop a runaway vehicle before some unaware tow operator or owner were run-over and killed standing at the tailboard? The video shows the operator and customer reacting in a clear-cut "Oh Shit" moment ... that sadly has resulted in other individual's being killed while attempting to stop the runaway vehicle. I'm not disrespectful of any tow operator's choice to use them ... I'm simply over-aware that eyelets are potentially dangerous where I require my drivers to use alternative techniques. As far as statistics, and perhaps it's a pride thing, but I don't know of any tower who willingly calls-in to report that they've lost their customer's vehicle. I just know of many examples of this accidental happening including a dozen or so local and industrywide cases where the loop, "Just let go." I've learned that vehicle manufacturer's aren't necessarily experts in towing and recovery. R.

Great topic … HUGE liability. If I remember correctly, Grumps was a military corpsman trained-in sucking chest wounds, blow-out packs and Narcan events. He was specifically TRAINED in field-recognition and symptoms of injured person’s down. But, most towers aren’t typically trained to recognize these kinds of events as it's not required of the job description. Towers, can you tell the difference between a person having a massive heart attack, a grand mall seizure, an opioid episode, or if they’re just passed-out drunk? I believe Narcan is a good choice for self-carry if it’s for that right-now emergency use on one’s self or that of your team, but there’s huge “vicarious liability” where seven states won’t protect the untrained person if there were an unintended accidental death. What if the product was stored in a tow truck's interior and exposed to temps over 77-degrees? What if the product was expired beyond two-years? In today’s litigious society, it’s really sad to even have to consider trying to help save someone else’s life, but part of initiating lifesaving procedures means you may have to enter an already compromised environment like a garage or a car’s interior. Going forward, and for safety's sake, I recommend tower's wear industrial grade N95 masks and/or respirators on calls. Since ya' hafta' wear masks for the Covid anyhow, that's a process that's easy to follow. Don't simply wade into any vehicle's interior if you don't have to. And, as an added level of personnel protection, ionce you're trained, why not carry Narcan in your shirt pocket for those unannounced emergency exposures? This is a decision that tow owners should understand all complications and liabilities of emergency care for their personnel or if administered to another individual during a right-now emergency. If it’s your intent to carry Narcan, I suggest getting trained by some recognized source. For insight as to recognition and leads toward training, Google the words, “Narcan video training” and choose any of the many videos. Another good source of training, perhaps your company could host a class for first responders asking your local fire-department's trainer, paramedic supervisor, or hospital emergency room to teach a class? It's only a matter of time before you're exposed. Don't hesitate ... Get Trained. R.

I was thinking ... at some point, the west coast might stop burning. For each county withing the burn's footprint, there eventually will be clean-up efforts and contracts to remove and transport burned hulks in a similar manner that happens after every major flood and hurricane on the eastern seaboard. If your tow company has equipment and personnel to dedicate to a city or county contact, it may be worth your while. What works best is a winch truck to drag the burn to an accessible location, carriers to load and transport, a Landoll type transporter for stacked vehicles, and a large forklift for the loading tasks. If the contact allows you to work at your pace ... better yet. We worked with the city to bring cars to a staging location where they were ultimately loaded and delivered directly to a scrapyard. If the vehicles weren't handled by an insurance company, the city provided abatement paperwork for immediate disposal. If you're motivated and interested in these kinds of salvage contracts, you might lay some groundwork by contacting the county where you're located to serve. And, unless the contracts are via the major insurance companies, their not overly easy to find. Good luck. R.

This is a simple equation that's solved by asking a common question, "Is it reasonable or prudent to allow any person to walk or stand on any freeway or roadside area not intended for pedestrians?" If the customer wasn't cooperative, call LE and have them respond. At the very least, towers can't do their tow truck work while having to watch dangerous approaching traffic and babysit at the same time. I feel bad that the customer lost his life as Grumps mentioned ... this was preventable. R.

NJsss ... Thanks for sharing pics of your ramping technique, but for me ... NO eyelets EVER on a $400,000 Porsche, especially if it's a newish Carrerra, or ANY vehicle for that matter. My worry is a car self-ejecting and running the tower, the customer, or anyone in the path of the runaway vehicle over. Even if you've been towing for 50-year's, screw-in eyelets are extremely dangerous. Those things scare me to death even when they're brand new out of the box. Here's a video that may change your mind ... somewhere around 9:00 the loop strips from the bumper ... watch for it. After seeing what happens, fast forward to the 22:00 minute mark, the car's loaded being connected from the underside and not to the eyelet. Seeing is believing and consider this a friendly warning as to the potential danger and risk. At the very least, a catch strap is smart. But, eyelets for me ... NO THANKS ! ! ! ! R.

Njsss ... Thanks for sharing a great example of loading with a Condor type cycle-loader, and, employing a well-placed, six-point tie-down. When it comes to big bikes, I'm a firm believe MORE IS BETTER when securing a motorcyle for transport. I've used the Condor loader on all my carrier with great results. I feel the loader provides better stability, single operator load capability AND no customers on the deck. For the cost of a Condor, it'll pay for itself time over time versus an operator trying to wrastle a #400-pound fat bob or a #950-pound Goldwing. Plus, what you get from a tipped over motorcycle is typically a driver injured having wrenched their back trying to keep a #900-pounder +/- from falling. I, like Grumps, tend to positioned the bike as far forward (to the winch) as possible to prevent potential tip-over from a really bumpy ride. It's an unproved tale that suggests the bumpiest ride on an empty truck is behind the rear axle. I don't think it's an OCD thing, but perhaps how one was initially trained? I also think it depends on the overall length of the rear ratchet straps? If you have 8-foot straps, there's not be enough length to load way forward (buy the 12-long straps to allow forward pull). Adding a Condor to the mix is money well spent over the long-run. R.

Great question Angela. I remember as a kid in the 1960's, all of dad's tow trucks were required by San Diego's hghway patrol to have these shaped signs for highway events (orange background and black lettering). At some point, they weren't a required item. Since then, they haven't been required by the CHP for tow trucks responding to highway events. Now, some sixty-years later to this day, they aren't a requirement for CHP towers. I don't recall seeing them used recently even on major events. I like them for the, "visual", advanced emergency warning they provide, but I don't know just how effective they are when it comes to motorist's paying attention to them. R.

... just the bubble light and the other wrecker lighting are worth plenty. Thanks Nick for saving the old iron from the scrappers. R.

Here in the big city, I drove past two traffic collisions and one motor cop on a vehicle stop ... all on two area highways some 80-miles apart. On each incident were first-responders with highway patrol, fire and paramedic vehicles blocking or positioned for patient care or motorist contact. In each of these locations, I watched LE and rescue personnel walking with backs to traffic and dangerously close to flowing traffic. In no disrespect to responders working highway incidents, I have to ask if there's a mindset that suggests, once blocker trucks or police vehicles are situated; is there no danger of being struck? I’m curious … what good is TIM training if the message of on-scene safety isn’t applied? And, from my TIM instructor course, I remember a CHP sergeant who commented about TIM, ... "We don't do it that way." R.

THIS INFO ISN’T YET CONFIRMED. I’ve got many tow truck friends throughout the state and I’m chasing news leads of a single-vehicle tow truck that was reported as a single-vehicle fatal around 04:50 hours this morning, Big Bar, California. Big Bar is in Northern California, west of Redding, where a monster wildfire has that area under evacuation orders. Due to the weekend, I can’t reach my CHP contacts to confirm and I don’t know if the crash was the result of the fire or limited vision due to heavy smoke and nighttime hours. The tow truck, an F-650 something was said to have left the roadway and crashed into a boulder. Although there are four links noting the crash, there are limited details. If anyone can confirm this event, please add the confirming source(s) and info. I've spent better part of today trying to confirm the details with non-confirming luck. Regardless, Christine and I send our prayers to everyone up there in those fires. It seems like the entire west coast is burning down. In any event, we’re praying this driver wasn’t killed and we’re hoping for a positive outcome. Please ad details if you have them from a reliable source. Thanks. R. Link: https://www.newsbreak.com/california/big-bar/accident/2059504406118/fatal-crash-on-hwy-299

As it relates to tow operators, I'm always fearful to see heavy operators and their on-scene helpers clamber atop some semi-trailer or SeaCan to attach corner links or whatever rigging, only to walk backwards towards the edges. To that point, the same is true for every tow show that has a live-demonstration that shows container lifts ... all the while ... tow personnel aren't wearing fall protection. R.