Lamborghini?

[thtdon]

One day last week, I got a call from Swoop, wanting me to tow a Lamborghini.  The dispatcher said that first, I will need to fax over my certificate of insurance, proving that I have a $300,000 limit to cover that car.  So I asked her, how much are they going to pay me to tow that car.  Special handling and special insurance coverage translates to a special tow fee, right?.  Her answer was "Ahhhhhhhhh, well no, just the regular fee.  So I asked her if they intend to pay me the same fee to tow a Lamborghini, as they pay me to tow a VW Jetta.  Her answer:  YES.  Needless to say, I hung up on her.  These people are MORONS.  I get no thrill to drive down the road with a Lamborghini on the back of the truck.  I get my thrill when I am well paid for my work.  And that ain't happening.

[GRUMPS The Towman]

I have had that same argument with them. Good job telling them where to stick it. Now if we could only get all the other towers out there to do the same, Maybe, just maybe we can get them to start paying us a real rate for our work.

[rreschran]

Hey Guys ... this might be an appropriate opportunity to write to Swoop and the major clubs to explain the nature of increased rates to transport vehicles like these?

 

Note:  While hanging-up or telling them where to stick it creates instant gratification to you, nothing ever will get handled in a proactive manner. Ya' can't get NO satisfaction if nothing is presented to address the problem ... it's not what you say, but how you make your differences known, right?

 

If you step-back and give me some, "for instance", scenarios, I'll ponder putting together a letter that explains the reason(s) for clubs' to pay higher rates to towers citing extra time, extra care, increased insurance requirements (coverage) and whatever else? Although you and I know that handling high-dollar vehicle's such as Ferrari's and Lamborghinni's, other than their Hagerty Estimation Value, they're not much different or difficult than loading a lowered Honda Accord, yet, the risk of damage grows a hundred-fold based on the vehicle's worth. So, what do you suggest is a reasonable amount towers should earn to transport an, "Exotic Car"? (Hookup and loaded mile). Give me something to work with and I'll give it a try.           

 

What do you think a reasonable hike should be? 10-percent?   20-percent?                                                                    R.

Edited July 22, 2020 by rreschran

[Stuart Wagner]

Same as towing some of these pusher motorhomes for the same heavy duty rate with Agero. They may be $250,000- $2 million bucks. You think I am going to tow those for the same rates as a 1991 chevy motorhome?  Uh, no.

[thtdon]

A little off-topic, but related.  When the corona-virus got going around St. Patrick's Day, I immediately stopped taking passengers in the truck.  And I have gone all this time with little or no issues with anybody because of it.  The reason for no passengers is that there is no way that you can maintain six feet between the driver and the passenger.  Anyone who wants to argue with me about that is arguing with the wrong guy.  I tested positive for the corona- virus.  I paid the price.  And I was quarantined to my house for 5 weeks.  I do not know who I caught it from.  But it is a possibility that I caught it from a passenger.  Luckily, my wife didn't catch it from me.  From the start, I thought that I was careful.  I started wearing a mask right away.  Back then, no one had masks for sale.  For a few weeks, I wore an auto body respirator.  I felt like a dork.  But that respirator was more effective than the crappy paper ones that we can buy today.  I could have picked up the virus inside a customer's car, or car trunk while changing a tire.

 

Anyway, I got into it with a customer about no ride in the truck last week.  He stood on his soapbox and preached to me that ultimately, we are obliged to take passengers, no matter what.  No exceptions.  I pointed out to him that the current climate with the pandemic justifies making a change of that "obligation" to protect us, the drivers.  To me, a ride has always been a courtesy we extended to the customer, and never an obligation to the customer on our part.  (By the way, I have been wanting to end passengers riding with me for years.  Consider the practice ENDED.)  So, eliminating passengers is about the only concession that we get to protect ourselves.  Most workers at grocery stores got a raise in their pay, commonly called "hazard pay".   And even with that, store employees and restaurant workers are charged with enforcing face mask requirements, which is way above their pay grade.  No easy task, considering how people can be assholes.  But the hazard pay that grocery store workers get is more than we got from the motor clubs.  We got nothing, as usual. 

 

Another ongoing issue is the fact that I haven't changed a flat tire on the highway in about 7 years.  I tell the motor clubs that it is a tow only.  Occasionally they go along with me, and I tow the car.  Most of the time, the dispatcher HANGS UP ON ME.  One day I told a dispatcher that on average, a tow operator got hit and killed once every 6 days.  The dispatcher said that she felt that it was a good ratio.  I can pull up to the car with the flat tire, drive it up on the bed, throw a couple of straps on it, and get the heck out of there.  Then I will pull over to a safer spot, and tie down the car properly.  I insist that I will go home safe at the end of every day. 

 

As for the comment that hanging up on a dispatcher will not get us any traction, that is correct.  It won't.  But it is just about impossible to talk to a human being at any motor club, never mind get any kind of a raise.  I'm sure some idiot towed that Lamborghini for the same low, low price as he regularly tows VW Jettas.  It doesn't make it right. 

[rreschran]

Mr. Don ... you're absolutely correct. What's especially true that as this pandemic goes into the future, clubs will used that situation to their advantage because plenty of towers out in Tow Land will take any work they can to simply survive. And, as you note, dispatchers don't care about your personal situation. Their focus is to find a tow company that will take the call at the low, low rates they're paying. No matter that wise towers like you, Grumps and Mr. Wagner turn low paying work away, some tow company will accept the call. There's an old saying that suggests, "If you feed the bears ... they'll keep coming back." The rates continue to remain low because there's not enough towers to stand-strong and let them dictate rates.      R.

[GRUMPS The Towman]

While I certainly appreciate your willingness to draft up and send that letter to motor clubs, particularly Swoop Mr. Resch, and I know there isnt anyone out there who could better assemble such a letter, I feel it will, No, I KNOW it will fall on deaf ears  as they simply do not care. I do thank you for your offer Sir, i just dont want you to waste your time.

 I have mentioned in other posts regarding Agero how I have used them as filler work for the past 7 or 8 years and at one point I was the only guy in town working for them which made me their "primary provider" in the area. Then, about 2 years ago, When a "new" company came to town they cut my throat on my already crappy rates I was paid by them and was also willing to chase calls for them all over gods green earth which I never did and all of a sudden, it was like someone flipped a light switch and no more calls from Agero. My point here is, there is ZERO loyalty with these clubs.I attempted to contact them in regards to why I was no longer getting calls ( at first, I thought I had done something wrong ) and left message after message. I NEVER got a call back from anyone. Now, If they call me, It is usually because the other guy in town has lied about his ability to perform the job or their e.t.a. and has had their customer waiting 2+ hours and they want me to go do the job and clean up the mess. Sorry, you dont pay me enough to get screamed at because your club and other providers are IDIOTS.. 

So, to end my ramblings, As long as there are companies out there who think they are lighting the world on fire by running work for these clubs, Or Think its "cool" to haul a Lamborghini for the same rate as a moped, this type of scenario is never going to change. I for one am not too worried. I dont need them. The Bozo's out there that want to give them "free" miles, $2.00 loaded miles, and $25.00 hook fees can have them. I will stick to my account work. If the day should come that they run out of clown companies to call, I am sure I will hear from them again. Then, it will be ON MY TERMS.

[rreschran]

Thanks for your kind words Grumps ... I appreciate it. Your comments are good stuff, accurate AND entertaining. I've already written a mock letter for the exotic car providers and another for RV providers. Now, they're stored in my, "Too Bad So Sad", file.  I like how you related the new competitor coming in to work at chump-change wages where the club's only call you back when they can't find someone else. Stick to your guns. Although it never will happen, if the industry could stay strong and not let auto clubs dictate rates, perhaps they'd get paid for the work, effort, cost and risks it takes to serve their customers.     R.

[GRUMPS The Towman]

Thank you Sir. I feel very blessed to have grown up in this industry, raised and taught by, in my eyes of course the greatest Operator and owner that ever lived. My Dad. Being around this my entire life and seeing what Dad did to run his business, also being observant of other companies around has certainly helped to hone my perspective on business.

I remember when I was a kid, Just down the street where we lived, the owner of another towing and repair shop near my fathers business lived. This Man had opened his business in town like a bull in a china shop. New trucks, fancy paint jobs, Big fancy shop, the whole works. And I always used to think to myself, why was their house so much bigger than ours and I sometimes thought maybe my dads business wasnt doing so good because we didnt have brand new tow trucks, or a fancy shop, New personal cars every two years or a big beautiful house. ( by no means was our house, tow trucks or cars piles, just not as pristine as theirs )Well in hindsight, it wasnt that Dad wasnt doing well, It was that Dad always put his business first. His customers first. He didnt want the lavish lifestyle. He didnt want to spoil us kids. He wanted a respectable, trustworthy business. And he wanted hardworking, respectable kids. This "other" company struggled with accusations of price gouging, damaging peoples cars and trucks, Charging for work done in their shop that really wasnt done and the likes. Yet my Dad and his business just continued to provide the best service he could as we continued to live a rather simple life at home. After about 5 years, This other company was in dire straights, riddled with lawsuits and judgements and had just recently had been expelled from the police rotation. They went under and not long after, They moved from the neighborhood. I look back at this as the catalyst of how I wanted to run my business. Dads words from back then ring in my mind almost daily.  Work hard, Earn your Living, Treat each customer with respect and most of all, Never stop learning.     

[rreschran]

... did we have the same Dad?

[GRUMPS The Towman]

1 hour ago, rreschran said:

... did we have the same Dad?

Lol. I dont think so. I dont see any resemblance between you and myself. You still have hair!!!  All of us boys were bald as beans by 28 the latest. LMAO.