rreschran

From my perspective, the narrative written in this declaration is vague and non-specific. There is no wording to side-step towing operations when towers aren't involved, or most likely, will not be involved in transporting goods, materials and supplies in the fight against COVID-19. The declaration clearly reads, "Because of the decisive leadership of President Trump and Secretary Chao, this declaration will help America’s commercial drivers get these critical goods to impacted areas faster and more efficiently." If a tow company were towing a disabled commercial vehicle that broke down delivering supplies and good to fight the virus, a consideration could be made at that time .... but, even that's a stretch based on FMCSA's guidelines dated March 13, 2020. Otherwise, it's business as usual. Note: A southern California tow truck driver recently received an hours of service citiation (at the scales) for being more than 100-miles beyond his facility and while driving a light-duty wrecker. Like everything else that's caused confusion and mis-quotes, I personally believe that towers won't be allowed any special consideration and log-book operations should be recorded in the usual manner. R.

This news clip clearly shows the tow truck lying on its side so there's no wondering about a missing suspect vehicle. It's reported that the driver of the tow truck fled the scene and I have no word if that person has been apprehended or turned themselves in. R. https://abc7chicago.com/man-killed-in-west-lawn-hit-and-run/6008207/

It happened again to a tow operator in Connecticut where a car rolled off a flatbed carrier, struck a tow operator, and continued on to do undescribed property damage. This could have been another tow operator fatal, yet thankfully the tower wasn't pinned or totally run-over. In last weekend's CHP safety course, there were several operators who failed to check that free-spool was fully initiated (especially on carriers) and that they had a minimum of 5-wraps of cable on the spool. Making sure free-spool is 100-percent initiated has to be confirmed BEFORE any winch scenario commences, no matter how extreme or that of a simple winch-on winch-off procedure. I wrote on this topic in an American Towman article in 2008, and now, using this incident as a topic for discussion, I'll ask, how do you owners train new tow operators in the importance of free-spool, roll-away dangers? https://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20200314/car-rolls-off-flatbed-strikes-tow-truck-driver-in-hyannis

well ... the truck IS water cooled.

Hey Mr. Rick ... thanks for posting your view. I salute your decision to consider your personal health and well being versus affordability. What it comes down to is a personal decision to work or not to work? If you have to work, be extra safe about your environment and the people you're around. I too have stopped my work for the short-term while my Christine, our family and myself are talking about long-term. As an added concern, for those grandparents in the audience like me, extra precautions are necessary to try not to be exposed to sick grand-kiddies if they're still in school. Only time will tell where this virus will go and at what momentum it will travel. R.

Until such time the CDC and local health officials announce or degrade the threat level of COVID-19, cancelling the Florida Tow Show is a wise decision. Thanks for your concern Glenn. R.

No further details are necessay; the series of photos says it all ... how embarrassing. R.

There have been several similar industry related scenarios where roadside customer's were allowed to wander. On the legal side of this unfortunate fatality, I believe this could have or may have been prevented if the tow operator had their customer seated in the tow truck with their seatbelt on or other place of safety. This situation is a topic for every safety meeting. I believe it a tower's responsibilty to take control of the customer's movements and direct them to a place of safety, if not in the truck with their seatbelt on. R.

This is just the beginning. Be smart about your personal situation. I'm canceling my tow operator safety courses based on guidelines of the countiesvwhere I live. Stay healthy. R.

Note to Ron ... you're a young man. I'm pushing 70 and it's recommended advice to help build my immune system. While I don't like the idea of sittin' in a doctor's chair and being injected with some kind of bad chicken-juice, I'm hoping that my system will be much stronger for the future. It was explained to me that the Senior Flu Shot was said to be four-times as potent comparable to the regular flu shot. And you're right ... a tetanus shot is a no-brainer consideration based on the type of work we do. R.

It's not enough that we work in dangerous environment, now comes along seemingly unstoppable, deadly virus that's creating havoc and fright to mankind. With that in-mind, I personally believe OSHA’s message is so important that I’ve initiated a segment in my training courses, NOT to help push panic, but to make towers better informed as to what they can do for their own protection. Owners need to be informed and react accordingly as this virus may ultimately affect your company’s day to day staffing. Everyone, please take time to review it. Link: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3990.pdf And no, I’m NOT a medical health professional, but, what that means to me as a small business owner is, if an employee is sick; let them be sick at home to prevent a single (sick) employee spreading their illness company wide. Or, if you’re that small, one-or-two truck owner, you may have to close-down while you seek medical attention for yourself. Accordingly, COVID-19 isn’t something one turn’s their back on and a smart decision is one that seeks medical attention. As for the workplace, I'll pass the word suggesting 60-percent alcohol based hand sanitizers are kept within the tow facility and in tow trucks and carriers. Tow operators and facility employees are encouraged to aggressively and completely wash and sanitize their hands regularly while trying to not touch your eyes, face, nose, and mouth (good luck on that one). For towers, there’s nothing wrong with wiping the seats and steering wheel of tow trucks on a routine basis; dispatchers, the same with keyboards and office desks. Note: Not to be disrespectful or demeaning towards towers, but hand-washing is nothing new; it’s something towers don’t always do even when there’s no posing threat. In any case, if you feel you’re coming down with something, don’t hesitate to take immediate action. At the very least, call your local emergency room to speak to a medical professional while heeding their advice. And, if that calls for, “self-isolation”, err’ to the safe side of caution and do what’s being told to you OK? Note: If you go to the hospital to get checked out, remember that the lobby there will include a whole bunch of sick people. Personally, that’s a chance I’m not willing to take. For myself, even recently, I got a flu shot and immediately came down with flu-like illness that took a week to depart. Here’s hoping that you don’t come down with anything, but if you do, I hope you have the God given sense to take the important measures to care for yourself. R.

In past years, I've too have hired female towers who had the abilities to show the guys how it's done and ... did a better job. Welcome to the ranks Michelle. If you haven't yet, get over to Tommy Tuttle's Heavy Training Course (CIRT) and get TDLR qualified. Tommy is located in San Antonio. His website and contact information is located at: http://www.cirtoftexas.com/ Best of luck to you. R.

How sad and tragic. In this day of forensic evidence and investigators who have that, "blood-hound", and tenacious ability, my advice to this tow operator is to contact your lawyer and turn yourself in. It's not that you didn't know you were involved in a crash. You're not going to get away with it and it's simply a matter of time before you're captured. And from how the news narrative reads about the tow truck running several lights, that comment most likely comes from a witness or witnesses that were present to the events leading up to the crash. That's no way to treat any person, so why not be of good character and face your responsibility as this only has a huge effect of the way to motoring public views the towing and recovery industry. Christine and I send our prayers to victim of this crime. R.

Hey New Guy ... What you've mentioned has all the markings of being an award winning Rat Rod Wrecker. As a long-time judge for tow trucks and wreckers at tow shows across the US, I personally have a fascination for vintage tow trucks and rat rod wreckers. Rat rods are fun, creative and flat-out awesome. For me ... rat rod wreckers are the same modern hobby for adults that I experienced as a kid building models. If I didn't like the way they were going together, I'd mix a bunch of parts and come up with some off the wall version of my own. With the vintage tow truck's you have, may I suggest looking at building a rat rod wrecker? If you've got a pile of parts, a welder and a case of Krylon, you've got the platform of a rat rod. There are hundreds of em' out there where," part's is part", can be found at any junk or salvage yard. Forget about fit and finish and look at rust and fade as intricate qualities to build yourself a show winner, or a wrecker that everyone drools over at your local car shows. Nothing needs to fit or be accurate as it's you're imagination left to run wild. Have fun at what you build and like the guy's said ... send in some pics. Here's link for play: https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk03-kqgA-oa24ys44loRB8ecwH66Jw:1583811528781&q=rat+rod+wreckers+pictures&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwieoMHc_Y7oAhWLuJ4KHRKGAjAQ7Al6BAgKECI&biw=1280&bih=559 R.

Hey William ... thanks for the message today and I congratulate you on building your business NOT in California. I want you to think back at how Nancy and Cary ran their business and what simple processes they used to be successful for their years in service. Now that you've read many great ideas from the contributors above, may I suggest that, before you invest in expensive training courses, find out from DPS and other government agencies what they require for tow operator training. Not all on-line courses are approved by law enforcement as they may not include a hands-on module. Since you've been in towing since the late 1990's, you already know much of the towing and recovery industry as a tow operator, so I'd recommend tailoring your education to business courses,; how to build a spread sheet, cost analysis, human resources, etc, or any other business related topics you may be interested in to build a solid business foundation. And, if you're situated somewhere near Phoenix, go see Troy Barnett at Barnett's Towing and see if he'll give you some pointers? Tell him I sent referred you OK? Best regards. R.

I held a 16-hour CHP Tow Operator Safety Course at Statewide Towing the weekend after Enrique Ramirez Sanchez was struck by an out of control vehicle. Enrique works for Statewide and was on-scene working a previous wreck. He was pinned against his carrier and sustained serious injuries that will require multiple surgeries and a long recovery period. The company says he's in good spirits and looking forward to returning to work. It's seems to be a bit more difficult when it happens so close to home. Christine and I send our prayers and support to Enrique wishing for his speedy recovery and admire his strength and Positive attitude. R.

I'm glad this tower survived his injuries, but it sends another example of how working simple surroundings can turn deadly as stated by the tower's comment, "I've done this a million times." Although I wasn't there to know all of the facts, the video's commentary and over-head view of the location shows an industrial park and a wide, multi-laned roadway with a center turn-lane. Loading or unloading cars from a (two-way center-turn lane) location puts a tower immediately into harm's way and subject to vehicle strike from BOTH sides of the tow truck. From what I see, I think the location was an active turn-lane, not a solid yellow, painted center island. DUI waits for no-one and no tower is safe on or off the highway at 0200 hours or in the middle of the day. Although I understand the ease and convenience of loading or unloading in wide-open spaces, towers run the risk of being struck even under the best conditions. I'm not criticizing the towers actions as this is how vehicles are typically delivered, but there's a lesson learned that can be applied by loading or off-loading out of the main stream of traffic. Keep in mind that SDMO is not a requirement of inner-city driving so the risks are just as great. R.

Here's another punch-in-the-face for the tow and recovery industry where professionalism goes out the window. It's because of actions like this one where towers won't ever get a foothold up on being recognized as true professionals. R.

Recent NY court considerations have gained momentum in some states that WILL impact law enforcement towing, your call volume and ultimately moneies generated from vehicle storage and lien sales. If you’ve seen a decline in towing by law enforcement, it's reported that the courts are putting a squash on police officers NOT being allowed to impound cars for drivers having warrants and suspended licenses citing public sentiment, inconvenience, loss of employments and affordability. “The time a police officer spends arresting and processing a suspended driver which includes the paperwork, waiting for a tow truck to take away the vehicle, and taking the driver to jail is time not spent proactively addressing dangerous driving and violent crime. Instead, we’re spending our limited resources arresting drivers who are unable to pay their fines.” In nutshell, if a vehicle is stopped and its driver is arrested for a simple warrant, the car will most likely be given to another individual designated by the arrested party or simply will be parked at the arrest location. If this hasn’t already happened in your area, stand by ... it’s just around the corner. The article reported that, “Research showed 42-percent of drivers lost their jobs when their license was suspended; of those who found new work, 88-percent reported a decrease in pay. The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators found no empirical evidence that debt-based suspension was an effective sanction. Arresting drivers who are unable to pay their fines further exacerbated their financial hardship.” On the other hand, if someone has their license suspended, they most likely will continue to drive and the world’s roadways will be full of unlicensed drivers, especially when there's an extra set of keys at home. As an example, year's ago, my company worked a week-long, Sheriff's department sting, where we had staged six tow trucks/carriers in the outbound driveway of the courthouse. As parties drove into the court's parking lot, they were stopped by the Sheriff for whatever probable cause they could muster. On one particular day, 18x vehicles were impounded for warrants, suspended licenses and one DUI. Imagine driving to court in DUI conditions for an earlier DUI arrest? That arrest alone demonstrates the resolve of impounding someone's car for violating the law means nothing to them. What used to be a privilege to drive has now become one's individual right to drive. R.

May I add ... one of the best times we had was at the Dueling Piano's, "Howl at the Moon", bar on the Riverwalk. Although the environment is typically packed and requires a cover charge, Christine and I are looking forward to going again in the future. The entire experience along the Riverwalk is awesome and something to experience. R.

Year's back, one of our drivers took a loaded 4700 IH carrier and his the customer, and attempted to drive around a huge mud-puddle that was on a rural road liking two sprawling communities. The carrier didn't get far sinking to the axles. This was after a So. California El Nino storm. Antoehr driver went to help and he too got stuck. We ultimately couldn't pull it out with four other trucks plus a tripple shocked, 390 Ford, 4x4, with Monster Mudder tires. Many hours later, we gave up as our efforts were futile. After the driver spent a very cold overnight in the carrier, we found a D9 on a closeby construction site the next day and offered him a case of Pepsi to pull the truck out. You can be sure that the company's, "driving off pavement", policy was firmly revamped. R.

I remember waaaaaay back when when carrier operators were too lazy to get out a jack (for flat tire calls) ... they'd line-up and lift from the underside so to change a flat tire. R.

Like Ron said ...there's two sides of every story. I question this incident looking at it from the LE side as to whether or not the officer could have done more than simply giving an ultimatum? This is a great example of why tow contracts and formal agreements are created so to not experience these scenarios. It seems that the officer didn't perceive this recovery scene as one that needed immediate response. The results and bantering left much to consider when most motorists hardly ever are involved in something of this magnitude to even know what to do. The officer should have taken additional authority by giving the motorist a time limit as they prepare an accident report (if one's to be made). While a vehicle owner is typically allowed (in most jurisdictions) to request their own tow company or club provider, LE is tasked in choosing an appropriate action based on whether or not public safety is compromised? If this vehicle was off the road and in a ditch causing no great threat to public safety, the urgent need for recovery is easily downgraded. Because it was snowing, I don't think there was much risk of a fire spreading if that were a consideration. Regardless as to whether or not what tow company responded, as the recovery were to commence, the risk of secondary crash is re-initiated because the roadway has been blocked. Hence ... back to square one where a contract or rotation tow company should have been called by LE for plenty of reasons that would have prevented this, "He said, She said", debacle. And, not to impugn this tow company's ability, rotation companies are generally known for their equipment, ability and reputation. If this is a training video with intent of seeking safety comments, may I submit: * Due to slippery weather conditions, could this same recovery be better managed and worked in day-light hours? * With an expensive rotator on-scene, was the light-duty wrecker really necessary to complete the recovery (raising costs) ? * Could the same winch-out recovery have been worked with only the light-duty wrecker? * Too many people were allowed the freedom to walk about a live recovery where a vehicle dangled * Too many operators were within the dangerous lifting zone * Is lifting 100-percent of a vehicle's weight by its rims is a questionable practice? * Do I see (hook) safety clip's missing? R

Knowing the way the California Highway Patrol is when it comes to blocking lanes, how many heavy recovery companies would have the luxury of gaining two plus lanes to work a recovery like this? Kudo's to Plaza Towing and tow companies for holding cross-training events to provide a realistic training session for these fire guys. R.

Yeah ... little bastards. File that under, "What were they thinking? Part of an appropriate restitution and punishment for them is to each have to wash and wax Dave's fleet of carriers and heavy wreckers on one of San Jacinto's one-hundred plus degree days. Hey Dave ... let us know when they're caught and what the ultimate punishment is OK? R.