rreschran

Like many other news reports that don't have all the fact, this story (at face value) doesn't have enough meat to explain the tow bill. And, in similar situations of over-charging, it doesn't necessarily show whether or not a tow company had their own heavy or they called a buddy-tow and marked-up the invoice ... stranger things happen. Perhaps trucking companies should develop their own list of preferred towers as a source while keeping in-mind, law enforcement may call their area (rotation) tow companies where congestion and public safety requires fast response. R.

Read the narrative closely and define the following ... "If a car that is driving in the program’s service area stops due to a problem like running out gas, overheating or a flat tire, that car will be moved to the safest closest site within one mile of the exit free of charge by an operator." Does that mean no more tire changes in the "Tow First" mode? At least for California's Freeway Service Patrol, many of their patrol trucks are carriers that can load and go and not throw dollies when there's no spare or a flat spare. It's good to see that operator safety is a primary consideration. R

This article (link) explains it all. Crossing rural bridges is risky business and this driver may have been following the route of an old GPS tract. You can be sure that the recovery of this beast will be equally dangerous and will require a solid plan with lots of experience. R. https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/truck-driver-escapes-injury-when-missouri-bridge-collapses#:~:text=— The driver of a semi,a rural road near Westphalia.

"Almost killed by a tow truck", is a befitting title to the survival of BOTH Mr. Clark and the gent filling his car at the pumps. Having watched the impact of this carrier and the recent carrier crash (fatality) in California, I personally wouldn't own a flat-faced carrier as it doesn't provide much tinsel strength when it comes to frontal collisions like these. Like any choice, driver safety is one of the most important factors I consider when it comes to purchasing a truck. God bless them both. R.

Hi Mr. Eric ... you've piqued my interest. What's going to be mandatory soon? R.

Christine and I send our prayers to Stealth Towing and recovery as well as his family. What a terrible, sad loss. R.

... sometimes a fart in church is just what ya' need to get the congregation moving. You know ... it's the spirit that moves you right? R.

I'm glad to see OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt and Mark Graves on this panel. I've their his interractions with Ontario's towing industry and he seems to fair, impartial and informed. I think their problem is far outside the autoclub environment, but it represents a start is quelling Ontario's problems with rogue towers. Good luck with the panel forum. R.

In police work, when a driver is that stupid to pull that kind of stupid reaction is subject to being arrested for Stupid in Public. Personally, I see no issue. R.

Here’s a tow story of another kind. The California Highway Patrol has arrested one an identified two others in a string of smash and grab retail robberies. The CHP’s newly formed, Organized Retail Crime Unit, used surveillance videos and other details regarding a multi-state crime spree where bad-guys used rocks, pry tools and sometimes tow ropes to pull security doors from their frames. It’s estimated that a total of $710,000 worth of merchandise was taken in the spree. So far, they’ve arrested as many as 60-suspects. I wonder what kind of tow training these suspects have? R. https://www.pe.com/2020/08/11/chp-makes-arrest-to-break-up-ring-it-says-stole-710000-in-merchandise-from-stores/

I was riding in an RG33 when a soldier attempted and failed to safely pass and plowed into the rear if the MRAP. The rent car he was driving was totalled and only some bumper dust on the MRAP was bothered. As far as towing v. transport, I believe the issues involving this crash, whatever they may be, are similar if not the same (and recordable) in the same way the death of a tire technician or repo agent is tallied as an industry fatality. I listed this crash as an industry death on my archives. Each one is equally important to remember and equally sad for the loss. R

I agree Grumps about the medical event or maybe he fell asleep? R

Yesterday afternoon, a flatbed carrier ran full-speed into the rear of a slow moving Army dump truck on I-15. The driver was killed instantly. The carrier was one of those Carvana carriers you see in Carvana commercials on TV. Carvana is based out of Tempe, Arizona. There's no explaination for the crash. Christine and I send our prayers to the tow operator's family and the Carvana company. R. https://www.fox5vegas.com/news/nhp-tow-truck-driver-dies-after-crash-with-national-guard-vehicle-on-i-15-near/article_3ee13988-db60-11ea-b20b-13c1217ca48e.html

I hate these news reports byover-reactive reporters who immediately assume the tow truck is guilty in this crash. Because this is a controlled by signal intersection, could it be possible that the scooter rider failed to stop at a red signal and blasted into the intersection (like bicyclists, skateboarders and scooter riders tend to do? This happened in New Jersey last year when a tow truck struck a 16-year-old on an electric scooter. Crosswalk of not, a scooter doesn't have right-of-way nor is it adorned with reflectors and lighting. While it's unfortunate that maybe a tow truck or wrecker was involved, the first striking vehicle may have knocked the victim into the wrecker's path? Who knows. I have hope that some tower may hear about these news accounts and contact the authorities because there's always more to these stories than what these reporters put out. I know, I know, cry hit and run all day long, perhaps the tow truck operator is not the guilty party when its driver doesn't know he struck someone who was knocked into his path? Perhaps this video is a good reason I can't stand the media? R. Watch this video for a simple lesson in tow trucks and scooters. https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/e-scooter-rider-dies-in-collision-with-tow-truck-in-new-jersey/2205728/

I'm discussing another high-dollar case where a newbie tow operator (with three months experiences) claims he wasn't trained properly resulting in his moderate injuries. He claims he had one day office orientation and two days riding with another driver, "showing me the ropes." This seems to be the way many tow companies are going to avoid having to spend dollars for formal training and to get them into a truck faster. Two-weeks is generally the known period of training, the longer the better especially when training's full documented. In today's litigeous society, you can be sure drivers will throw your company's training process under the proverbial bus should they be injured on the job. For the life of me, I don't understand how it can be cheaper to not train than spend the dollars to provide training, and that includes sending the employee to a recognized training program? Because training's the first place that's attacked in any lawsuit, I'll ask, what's your training program consist of? R.

This is a great video to show the dangers tow operator experience when they go into flash waters unprepared and untrained. No vehicle is worth risking injury, long-termed illness or death over. And to the motoring public, the simple ditty of, "Turn around don't drown", are words to live by, but there's always someone who thinks they can simply drive into shallow water and make a crossing without danger ... and THAT includes tow truck operators. The attached video is a good forensic view or the dangers associated with water incidents. R

Njss ... sorry, those were cars I transported back in the 1990s and 35mm pics are long gone. I remember I was more scared at the Lamborghini's $355,000 price tag than I was at loading the car. Especially true with Countach's, Diablo's and Mura's, I remember free-spooling cable and pulling the V-bridle under the cars to back-hook their rear suspensions. On some cars, there was so much under-splash plastic that made hooking-up difficult, and, it's really low profile called for lots of ramping. Because I didn't have loop straps at the time, I took 2-inch sections of fire hose and slid them over the J-hooks so to pad the hooks and not leave shank-marks in the suspension. The Mangusta is similar to the Pantera with a big block Ford. Nowadays, a vintage, pristine Countach can fetch $800,000 and Hagerty's values the Mangusta in the $300,000 range. Here are two pictures taken from the Internet of a Countach and Mangusta. R. De Tomaso Mangusta Lamborghini Countach

Here's a stretch idea ... if you actively train and use lien sale (junk) cars for training, ask your tax preparer if you can incorporate a cheap car into your training costs? R.

These are good responses and I like the creativity and experience abound. This is a like-type scenario I use in my Day-2 skills module for towers. HOWEVER, carrier or wrecker alike, removing a totalled vehicle shouldn't be a big issue here ... my immediate focus would be the secondary 220-volt (ORANGE) wire at the base of the pole. GOAL suggests get out and look. My first considerations? ... did impact crack the pole? Were wires compromised by impact AND, looking up, did impact dislodge the transformer way up there? Was the power shut-off or is there a danger to electrocution? If no issue and a carrier was all I had to my avail, I'd work the crash like Grumps using the carrier's deck, but not a bottle jack because of instability. Besides a 24-inch slow drop isn't about to cause more damage to an already totalled vehicle. Work slow and calculate to earn those hourly rates. R.

To get the death penalty, the prosecution had to prove specific intent and that's really hard to do. As noted in the article and based on the lowering of years of the total conviction, they couldn't prove that Edward's intended to kill Nader Chehadi. YOu think by actions alone there was an intent to drive? I guess a stiff conviction is better than no conviction far opposite to the charges dropped against the woman who struck and killed Massachusetts' tow operator Dan Coady two years ago. R.

Thanks Ron ... Cal Fire estimates full containment by August 17th. There was good flare-up today with area wind, but the temperatures are lower the past two-days. Thankfully this fire is running parallel still 15-miles out. R.

In these instances where there are multitude counts stacked against a subject, court is more like, "Let''s Make a Deal". Plea bargaining takes it's best shot at closing cases and not always the fullest extent of the law. R.

Now THAT was fun. I couldn't help noticing that the license plate had the letters "CA" in it. Was that another displaced Californian? R.

What a horrible event ... I have no words. Christine and I send out prayers to the tow operators family as well as the others injured in this crash. R.

Just for fun ... consider the following incident. Below is a new link of an incident where a van hits a tree in-front of a Michigan residence and literally is cut in two pieces. You arrive in a carrier and are skilled enough to load both pieces. Both pieces need to be strategically positioned on the carrier and tied down. Obvioulsy, the process is lengthy. Keeping in-mind that technically there's only one vehicle, one license plate and one VIN, how would you price this work to include cleanup and total time on scene? R. Link: https://www.buzzfeedzz.com/en-us/video/peopleandplaces/crash-scene-lafayette-ave-gr/ZZ17xHnv