Stubborn66

Very Professional. Does the insurance give you a hard time if they did not request this service?

I used to drive trucks out in the city, don't miss that a bit. Be Safe

I have always crossed the chains and it is well documented that they must be crossed to be legal. I saw many pictures on here where guys weren't crossing them and I thought it was a tow truck thing. I did it for a while but on one sharp turn with the wrecker I was able to see the safety tighten up and start pulling the tire up and out of the wheel grid, that was enough for me. Grumps, appeasing the officer is the way to go but if you know another officer well enough I might ask him about it.

My condolences to the family. I hope they find and prosecute those responsible. Watch your backs out there

Looks good. When I get tired of looking at rusted brake lines I take a ride over to my buddies shop to see his cars, then we talk and I am reminded how expensive it is.

I'd say that was a real good season. Good to hear your son wasn't hurt, that's a hard hit when still on the throttle. Be careful with that bug, when it bites it gets expensive LOL

Grumps, first off, thank you for you service. I don't mean to sound like I am against mental health care workers or would deny anyone the care they need. I am by no means an expert on any of this but this seems to me that this is just another way for the Dem's to tout de-funding the police. Isn't this backwards? Unfortunately these situations can get very volatile very quickly When the police need to be called, or a mental health care worker needs to be called to a public place or a residence, isn't that after a crisis has arisen?

Notice how this was unveiled right after the election went their way....................Hang on, this is just the beginning

As Grumps said, it is a violation to modify emissions systems, even on private trucks, just more likely to get caught in a commercial truck. There are a number of issues that arise with using programmers. You will also need to know what the actual code is that's triggering the light. Some of the "cheap" programs lead to this TCM issue and there is sometimes a secondary programing of the TCM that needs to be done. Do you have or did you install an EGT gauge? I would not run any modification without having an EGT gauge. Getting more horse power is great for towing but you also are shortening the life of the engine potentially. Reinstalling the brain leads me to believe you had the PCM re-flashed or a chip installed. I would be contacting whoever did the chip or re-flash and asking a lot of questions. Unfortunately, most of these companies have specific disclaimers that they are not responsible if their units fail or do damage to your PCM. If it is an add on chip that was installed on the PCM I would recommend you have it uninstalled, they are known to be problematic down the road due to vibration and corrosion. If you had the PCM re-written, you will need to send it back to whoever did the re-write. If it is a plug and play, I would also reprogram it back to the stock setting. Be sure to have a charger on the battery when doing the programming.

Here is what I found, and I see nothing about running the amber lights. (e) Obstructed lighting equipment.--Whenever the rear running lights, stop lights, turn signals or hazard warning lights required by the provisions of Chapter 43 (relating to lighting equipment) are obstructed by the load on a vehicle or by a towed vehicle or its load, lighting equipment shall be displayed on the rear of the towed vehicle or load equivalent to the obstructed lights or signals, except in the case of implements of husbandry or commercial implements of husbandry displaying the slow-moving vehicle emblem and operating between sunrise and sunset.

I have always been under the impression in PA, that when towing with a wrecker, the amber lights must be on and if the wrecker turn and stop lights are visible behind the causality, there is no need to add stop and turn lights on the causality. Recently, I have seen the lights added when the wrecker lights are clearly visible. What is the law?

I have Collins Dollies and always use the straps, as Grumps stated, the straps are called for in Collins. As a side note, the Vulcan wheel scoops are listed as strapless by Vulcan but I have heard of DOT giving guys a hard time (tickets) for not strapping them. If you do strap a Vulcan, it takes pressure off the scoop and actually creates the ability for the scoop to disengage from the pin

Thankfully they all survived. I am familiar with that stretch of road, very high traffic moving at high speed, aggressive driving is the norm down there.

Gotta Love those old International workhorses!

Grumps, I agree 100%, if I do the damage I make it right. I recently put a clutch in a Cruze and installed a long bolt in the bell housing where a short one should have gone, end result I busted the block. I got her an engine with 20K less than what it had on it and made it right. That lady has referred other customers to me based on that, I will make that money back over and over. I paid for that out of pocket, to date, I have never had to make a claim with my insurance carrier. I would prefer to take the hit now and again rather than get the insurance involved. Thankfully, there haven't been too many miss steps over the years. This year, shopping insurance, one of the questions from each company was "have you had any claims in the past three years". As I get deeper into towing I just what to cover my butt for the "Phantom Damage" as you call it. I don't take pictures of every call but if I see damage or if the customer rubs me the wrong way when I interact with them I want pictures and documentation. To me, this form will be part of that process and hopefully discourage anyone from trying the Phantom Damage thing.

I have a 95 International 4700lp with a mechanical DT466, 2590GVW. I love that truck, plenty of power, tight turning radius, No computers, 20foot bed. I have had 4 door duallys on the bed, as well as some Isuzu cab overs. Only downside to mine is I don't have a wheel lift to haul the second car. I would try to stay away from the second generation emissions trucks. I think from about 2010 to 2015 with no DEF fluid, there are a lot of emissions issues with those trucks.

Thanks for all the input guys. Fortunately, I haven't had any issues yet but I want to be prepared when if finally happens.

I too forgot the Vin #. and I will include the call number. I did not intend this to be in lieu of pictures, I will certainly take them as well. As for standing up in court, if it came to that and they were to rule against me, so be it. I would not like it but at least I did my due diligence. As for someone who would not sign, in my mind there is definitely an ulterior motive. I would call the club, assuming it is a club call and let them tell me what to do and get it documented with them. If it is a private tow, I would likely walk away. I also realize that breaking this out and documenting prior issues I better not miss anything because I now have a document that states prior damage and if they come back at me with something else it would be hard to disprove. What got me onto this was a recent Zip car that I moved that was all beat up. I didn't have anything to document it on so I used the Dispatch sheet from the club and had the driver sign it as well as taking pictures. I wanted to get something more formal for those occasions. Thanks for all the input. LOL I made a junk run today and made a days pay and didn't have to worry about this stuff!

The driver must have given enough information to the police so that the officer knew when he saw the tow truck in the lot he knew to go to it. I commend the driver for calling it in and following him. Grabbing the guy by the wrist was a risky was taking a chance that the driver may not have had to take but it sounds as though the guy was too drunk to even stand. Legalities aside, sometimes you just have to do what is right. That guy probably would have kept driving until he hurt someone. Thankfully it turned out as it did

I think a lot of us struggle with this. Figuring out how to do the job and getting it done is part of why we do what we do. Getting challenged repeatedly by adjusters, who's job it is to try and get the price lower can be an insult. We have to make a profit on each job on a job like this we have to use the tools we have available to us. I hope he got paid for everything he used to complete this recovery.

Has to be more to this story, but they make it sound as if the operator did something wrong.

Thanks Tow Zone, will make those modifications

Now we learn that the driver didnt stop, he may not have known at the time but I am sure he knows by now what happened. Will he step forward, hopefully he does? It also looks like the cross bar had the plunge style retainers

Here is what I came up with, any thoughts? I am doing some club work now and want something to protect me from claims in the event someone files against me. I would also take pictures as well. My other question is, what would you do if someone refuses to sign, decline to do the work, or do it and mark the form as "refused to sign"?

Thanks, We are heading back into flu season and the virus seems to be ramping up again as well. I am taking precautions, but I am still taking Keys and loading vehicles myself. I am trying to limit passengers but I can leave someone sit along side the road if there is no other solution readily available. Most of the people you see wearing masks are constantly adjusting them by touching their faces. That along with all the other missuses of gloves and other PPE leaves a big gap in any protection they offer. Handling money is a huge potential to spread the virus that gets very little mention. We are in the service industry and it is hard to cover all the bases and still make a living. Stay Safe