HELPING OUT THE BOYS IN BLUE

[GRUMPS The Towman]

The local city P.D.had one of their cruisers go down today. The quick, in-town tow over to the fleet garage is on me as a lil thanks for all they do. 

[rreschran]

It's admirable to hear that you provide service to your local LE free gratis. Here in the big cities, if you're interested in being awarded a tow contract for some agencies, they stipulate free towing for their police vehicles and sometimes all of their city owned cars and trucks. That in itself can be a losing proposition when break-down volumn is way more than a couple vehicles per month. I really miss working in small town environments     R.

Edited July 23, 2020 by rreschran

[GRUMPS The Towman]

Thank you Sir. The quick ones in town or the occasional tire change I usually dont charge them. But, Idk how I would feel if it was a requirement to be a part of the rotation. That kinda seems like a "quid pro quo" scenario and seems to skirt the edge of legality for a big city or county to do that. Doesnt it?? 

[rreschran]

Sure ... purchasing agents have that, "Get all ya' can get" mentality. When there's plenty of competition for an area's bid, the tow company who will do it all for lower rates and more services typically gets the contract. No longer are contracts awarded to the family company that have been around a zillion years ... if the meet the minimum qualifications with a reasonable past, they can score the contract. Big city contracts do it all the time. Doesn't sound right, but that's how it's done here, especially when there are as many as twenty-six companies to bid on one area.    R.

[TowZone]

26 Companies is the definition of insanity!

 

Is this on a rotation basis or assigned area? 

[GRUMPS The Towman]

4 hours ago, rreschran said:

Sure ... purchasing agents have that, "Get all ya' can get" mentality. When there's plenty of competition for an area's bid, the tow company who will do it all for lower rates and more services typically gets the contract. No longer are contracts awarded to the family company that have been around a zillion years ... if the meet the minimum qualifications with a reasonable past, they can score the contract. Big city contracts do it all the time. Doesn't sound right, but that's how it's done here, especially when there are as many as twenty-six companies to bid on one area.    R.

Ok,.. You have peaked my curiosity.. I totally get that you are in or very near a HUGE bustling, city-like area compared to where I am But, 26 different companies are vying for, Is it a spot on a rotation or like Tow Zone mentioned, an assigned area?? That is A LOT of Towing companies to be running around, Chewing on the same bone. What would you guesstimate the coverage area to be Mr. Resch?  I have always been curious how those territory style systems work. 

[rreschran]

Hi Gents ... When I was a kid, there were maybe six or seven companies on the list, but the population then was waaaaay lower. I did some research for this answer. San Diego County’s population in around 3.3 million and has 4,207 land-miles making it the 5th largest populous in the US. Within the county there are 16-military installations and 70-miles of coastline begining at the International Border to Mexico. Because of its footprint, the CHP needs a bunch of tow companies on rotation. That footprint demands that towers cover many beat areas and the county’s metro highways. Companies get calls by rotation and each serves an area(s) where they have facilities, i.e., you can serve a beat area if you have an approved facility in that area as long as there is has one wrecker and one carrier. And, in some areas, it's feast or famine, while towers close to the city's hub and downtown run busy all the time. Response times requirements are 20-minutes and some companies stage especially during rush hour, but rush hour anymore in San Diego is ALL the time. I think there are nine-areas and one company alone serves all nine-areas within the Border Division. Two companies are Freeway Service Patrol providers and two serve as evidence contractors county-wide. Because San Diego is not a commercial truck hub, I know of maybe three-or-four rotators here. Contract requirements are pretty straight-forward to become a CHP rotation tower when companies meet that one wrecker one carrier requirement. When towers gather to attend CHP's annual contract meeting, it’s always standing room only. In other huge counties throughout California there are vast rural areas with smaller populations and requires not so many towers in a single area. I imagine it's a logistical nightmare to be a CHP Tow Boss having to babysit all of the companies, but I'll attest that San Diego towers do a good job serving the CHP with little issues.     R.  

[GRUMPS The Towman]

 The companies that are the freeway service providers, are they contracted and paid by the state or county? Or do they charge the disabled motorist by the job that they come upon?  Can they stop at any disablement and solicit services? I ask because I have heard of states and counties that have "HELP" trucks that patrol major highways and will give a motorist a couple gallons of gas, change a tire, or give a quick tow to the nearest exit and it is a program that is paid for and run by the state. I assume it is paid for out of highway use taxes and or tolls.

[rreschran]

Your correct Grumps ... FSP is California's version of HERO and HELP. Here, they're paid by grants and state funds. They are a patrol service that drives regular beats looking for shoulder related problems and sometime assisting at crashes when requested by CHP. They have no police powers. It's a good program that provides free services, but confuses the motoring public when they're not on-duty and a rotation tow truck is dispatched to their location and charge CHP rates. There still are call-boxes in certain locations of the state.      R.