dperone

Looks good!

I keep one in my truck and I usually have a spare one that I grab when I take a flatbed. I should wear it more often but I tend to forget it in the cab and start doing the job. You'd think I'd be better at wearing it considering my fire department background, but I just don't think about it until it's too late, usually right after I crack my head. I think that'll be my resolution for the new year actually.

This turned out great, which comes as no surprise from Team Ed's. You guys really knock every build out of the park.

I'm definitely having withdrawals from Baltimore, this is the first year I haven't gone to the show since the early 2000's and probably one of only a handful of years since I've been born. Too make matters worse of course I get a call today to tow a car to Delaware. Ended up doing a little over half the trip to Baltimore only to turn around instead of going to a tow show. Almost cried on the way home lol. As far as next year we'll definitely be in Baltimore. Florida is an unknown right now, we're actually heading to Disney the week after Thanksgiving. It might be a little much to go again in April, especially with the school work piling up and limited classroom time.

Funny how they always remember to take the keys when they run. At least it should have full coverage, hopefully the driver wasn't excluded from the policy like the brand new Buick we picked up the other day that was tore up just as bad.

Thank you sir. Too add one more statement, cones and flares are great but you should also take the TIM class to go along with it. You can have all the cones in the world but if you don't know where to place them they aren't doing you any good.

I'd be shocked if it took more than a minute each way to put the cones out and collect them after. I keep a stack of 4 on each side of the truck so no matter which way I'm facing I have them close at hand, plus I have enough to define a fairly long work area.

A good portion of our repair work are travelers coming to the beach who have no other option but to wait at our shop for the repairs to be made to their car. Because of this we have chairs in our front office along with a tv, coffee maker, water cooler, soda and candy machine. Our waiting area isn't the greatest or most comfortable, but with the limited space we had it's not too bad. As far as impound releases, provided you show up to get your car with the proper release forms and money your wait won't ever be line than 5 minutes. Add to that you can always wait in your car until we bring the impounded vehicle up front and there should be no issue being comfortable in the limited time you spend with us.

If they are riding with me after I hook the car up I walk them to my truck and put them in cab before I back up to the car. Same if they have a ride that hasn't shown up yet, they can wait in the cab of my truck until their ride shows up. If they have another car already on scene when arrive I get the keys and info from them and tell them to leave before they get hit. The average person has no clue about the dangers of the roadside and I have witnessed them do some stupid things, like standing in the middle of a travel lane waving me down as if I couldn't see the only car sitting on the shoulder still steaming. I believe WreckMaster had the right idea when they said the safest place for them is in your cab. All of our trucks have cones and flares to warn traffic of our presence before they get to us. The way I operate is unless I'm in my wheel lift and can grab the car and move it off the road without exiting my truck the cones go out. I especially use them when I'm in a flatbed because they take a lot longer to load then my self loader and you almost always end up blocking your warning lights at some point.

I always strap mine, but I'm not sure if there are any laws around here that pertain to their use.

I don't get too crazy with my documentation. If I notice something I'll take a picture of it, my phone automatically time stamps and geo codes the picture as I take it. If I do something that's unattended, especially an impound, I'll do pictures of all 4 corners and any prior damage I find and if I remembered my go pro I'll film the whole tow. I try to get a good bit of background in the picture so they can tell it's in the same spot I found it. If it's a AAA call I'll make a note in the call comments before I close it, and I usually will point it out to the member. Case in point today, I did a lock out for the club on my way home. The owner had the keys in her hand, but the lock on the driver's door was frozen. I always go to the passenger side anyway, but I made sure to note it in the comments as well as the reason she couldn't access her car. I especially take photos of the failed lock out attempts, such as this one... If I go a different route then the failed path I'll document that as well... Along with that, if I dolly a car I take a picture of the car on dollies. Too many people tell the shop that I wheel lifted the car, then the shop tells them to come after me for the transmission damage, even without the being any. All it usually takes is the picture of all 4 wheels off the ground to clear me. I've actually been blamed for losing a hook cover on a Lexus, even after I pointed it out to the customer. Luckily the guys driveway was a perfect spot for a picture and I took one of my truck and his car for our Facebook page, I once I showed him the picture and explained I didn't need the hook he "remembered" our conversation about how it was already missing. I also document the reason for the tow and anything I find underneath. Since I drive a wheel lift they always want to blame me for abs and traction control lights, so if I see those on I take a picture. If I find anything damaged or rotted underneath I take a picture, usually to show the shop to look at it closer when they get it in the air.

My situation is a little different. I'm the only operator with dollies and I go over them every time I put them away after use them. I also go over them when I grease the equipment, which is every week or two depending on how much I use the truck. I'm usually not the one that services them though, I usually leave them at the shop in between calls to get serviced. When one of our mechanics or myself service the bearings they are gone completely over, checking for cracks, loose parts, and the alignment of the tires.

Talk about no appreciation for roadside safety. I understand being mad about the condition of your new truck, and I also would be very upset. However, instead of making a video standing on the side of a highway with no vest, no cones and not making an expeditious exit from a dangerous spot to be in would it not be better to save it for when you're back at the shop?

We were called by the NJSP to respond to a single vehicle accident. When I got on scene, I found a Jeep that turned to fast for the wet roads and lost control, striking a tree with the right front wheel. Unfortunately for the home owner that lived in the corner how, the sudden loss of a wheel made the Jeep turn hard right, right through the backyard fence. It continued through the yard until it hit another tree, stopping the wild ride. I set up to pull the Jeep towards the existing home. Once it was through the gate, I repositioned to pivot it back into the road where I could load it up and tow it to the yard.

It's complacency mixed with a little bit of tunnel vision. They're in that position so often they forget what the consequences are and that there is danger out there seperated only by some cones and maybe a fire truck. Add to that the urgency of patients on need of care, fluid leaks in vehicles to be mitigated and an investigation to be completed, and you quickly lose focus on the danger.

Rest in peace to a true industry legend.

Nice work on tricky situation. He probably had the trailer loaded too heavy on the nose and like Grumps said, that hitch looks a little light to be doing what he's doing with it. I'd probably put that on all one bill since his insurance is likely to pick it all up.

The one here the renter got into a fight and he took the keys and wouldn't give them back to him. It was certainly a weird situation. I did 2 more that same week that they lost the keys on, both rented by nursing staff services to shuttle nurses around to different care facilities that needed more staff at the height of the pandemic. I'm guessing having multiple people share a car while being overworked contributed to the lost keys. I had them on my last set and I took them off after a couple months. I never had a problem with water getting in the bearings until I put the grease buddies on, then once a month I was having to repack the bearings because they were getting water in them. I'm not sure if I got a bad set or what, but after a few times of pulling them all apart I gave up and they are always dry when I pull them apart.

Lost keys in a tight driveway Electric parking brake stuck on, wouldn't release even with the car running. Towed to the dealer because the check engine light came on, still ran and drove. I was right around the corner and didn't feel like switching trucks. Steering rack failure, would only turn right but the bypass valve wouldn't let it come back left. Came in as a Toyota Camry, found a lowered Saab. No power even with a jump box on it and no release, the rollback we sent out didn't want to tear up the rocks. Ppi, parked at a local quarry to go swimming and ended up going for a long walk after. Rental, guys brother stole the keys so I towed it 45 miles to the Philly airport. I guess not a dolly job, but this bike got a van head on at 70mph.

We received this call from the local state police barracks for a single vehicle crash. My dad showed up in a rollback and immediately called me for some assistance. It seems they left out the part where the car smacked a parked tractor trailer and went screaming into the woods backwards. The owner of the tractor was adamant about leaving his tractor there until his agent came and refused to let us tow it, so we had to winch the car around it. Both front control arms were ripped off in the crash so both front wheels were only hanging on by the strut, making steering the car out fun. Once out of the woods the car was loaded on the bed and brought back to our yard. According to the expiration date on the temp tag, the owner had the car for just under a week.

Strong work sir, one of those that separates the pros from the posers. How was the owner during the process? Most of the time they are harder to deal with them the car itself.

We were called by the NJSP for a single vehicle accident about 20 miles away. Knowing the area it was in I was fairly confident it was going to be in the woods. I started out to the scene in my wrecker and called one of the guys to bring a flat bed. Once I arrived I found a Chevy pick up had left the road, waffled a pole and went into the woods, hitting a tree and stopping about 40 feet off the road. Shortly after I arrived the supervisor of the phone company arrived and gave us the bad news that the crew to get the wires out of the way was over an hour away. He gave us the go ahead to work around the wires, so we went to work. I first ran a low line to spin the front seat from the tree and towards the road. Once lined up I moved forward to a spot where the wires were about 10 feet off the ground and started pulling the truck out. Since the trooper took off when he heard the phone companies eta, I grabbed the truck and brought it across the street to a parking lot to load it in comfort.

Looking good as always Ed

Being I usually drive a wheel lift, 9 times out of 10 this isn't an issue for me as the cars stay in park for the duration of my time with it. On the rare case I take a bed, I still prefer to put them in neutral myself. My first action when approaching a customer is and always has been to take the keys from them, this way I know I won't get run over by them putting the vehicle in neutral prematurely, like when I'm underneath it. Too many times they've tried to neutral it while it's facing down hill before I get it secure. I'd rather deal with the 1000 to 1 chance I get covid then be run over, the survival rate is in my favor that way.

Don't let them see these then...