My first Florida tow show (June 2001)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 10:09:00 PST

My first Florida tow show

By Richard Wolfe

I guess the first impression was pretty good. I had a handheld radio and as I pulled into the hotel complex, all I saw were tow trucks for a long ways down the row, and that was on Thursday...

Past articles revisited (March 2001)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Sun, 01 May 2011 13:56:51 PST

Past articles revisited

By Richard Wolfe

In this article, I am going to touch on some of the articles I have done in 2000 that generated responses or replies.

...

Burn out of unsafe (April 1997)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Sun, 01 May 2011 12:08:08 PST

Burn out or unsafe

By Richard Wolfe

Now that winter is done with us, how about all those problems with the drivers, is it burn-out or are they just unhappy?

Wanted: Tow truck driver (november 2003)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 14:21:49 PST

Wanted: Tow Truck Driver

Some thoughts on how to lure and retain the good ones

By Richard Wolfe

Cross-Training isn’t sport, its survival (March 2000)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:11:18 PST

Cross-Training isn’t sport, its survival

By Richard Wolfe

The subject of this article may seem strange, but after you look at it, you might just agree that it will pay off....

Why are we tow truck drivers? (January 1999)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:31:54 PST

Why are we tow truck drivers

By Richard Wolfe

Have you ever given any thought to why you are a tow truck driver? Is it because that you like helping people, or is it because...

Public Image #1 (March 2005)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 14:41:45 PST

Public Image #1

Is one of our problems that everyone thinks we overcharge?

By Richard Wolfe

I have one question. What have we towers tone to cause municipal authorities to pry into our businesses and make rules, regulations and laws that affect us? Based on what I see, much...

Fair pay for good work (June 2005)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 09:32:19 PST

Fair pay for good work

We need to do something about motor club rates, but what?

By Richard Wolfe

Consolidate your rates

By Richard Wolfe

I am wondering about the rates we charge. Maybe someone can help me. I would like to know the reason behind having so many rates that...

Are we charging too much or not enough (printed Feb 2001, page 24)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:18:05 PST

Are we charging too much or not enough?

By Richard Wolfe

In my years of towing, I have heard that companies are known for charging too much. Is it really possible to charge...

Towing Car Haulers, Printed May 2009

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Sun, 03 May 2009 10:31:19 PST

TOWING CAR HAULERS

Well we all know that next to Buses and Motor homes the next worse thing to tow is Car haulers, or portable parking lots as they are called.

Problems dealing with them include low ground clearances, long overhangs, low fifth wheel plates, and even issues with the overall height of the unit. Vehicles mounted over the cab can be real problems to deal with due to both height and even front overhang. But towing such vehicles can be done safely and profitably if care is taken during the job.

OK first to some basic information. There are mainly 2 kinds of units out there. First is the high mount trailer system. That is just like a normal tractor trailer attachment at the fifth wheel. But the trailer sits real low to the ground and it's long overhang...

Why is it. (printed October 1997)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 13:48:45 PST

Why is it???

Richard Wolfe

(Printed approximately 1999)

For all you companies that do impounds, you know the kind,...

WINTER SAFETY (from 1994)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:15:09 PST

WINTER SAFETY

Well now that winter is upon us, how about all those problems with the drivers, is it burn-out or just that they are unhappy. If the driver is on call, during sever weather then the chances of damages and or accident w ill greatly increase. Everyone knows that drivers, no matter how experienced, or highly paid will tend to run down after 20 or so hours. It’s a fact of life that the body does not keep going, like the energizer bunny.

So how can you solve this problem, well I worked at one company that stopped taking calls after about 20 hours of work. They told the people that the drivers needed to rest and the trucks needed maintenance. The tire chains needed repair, cables checked, Oil levels checked and filled. Of course this was while the drivers were out of...

WHERE HAS THE TOWING INDUSTY GONE? (printed June 1997)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:14:19 PST

WHERE HAS THE TOWING INDUSTY GONE?

Over my 18 years in the towing and recovery industry, I have seen many changes, in equipment, personnel and training, and least we forget information sources. Most of them have been for the better, but some seem to be a step backwards.
Let’s have a trip backwards and see where we have been. After a small hernia carrying 4 boxes of information and magazines upstairs our trip begins.

First stop September 1978, issue of American Towman, equipment advertised includes Ashton ERS-88, “the wrecker of tomorrow”, EKA, Vulcan Cradle Snatchers, Fentron Highway Products, Chevron, Century (both without wheel lifts!) and an article about the Automobile Club of Southern California training programs. Cover photo is of Ross Kinnam doing a demonstration at the Florida tow show which was at the Daytona Speedway. Unit of the month was Bullock Towing of Lake...

WHEN DO YOU SAY NO!!!! (printed March 1997')

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:13:32 PST

WHEN DO YOU SAY NO!!!!

This is a subject that most towers seem to know. Some do not do repo’s, some do not do motor club calls. Well for the operators of big trucks, when do you say no, when dispatched on a truck wreck?

Would you respond to a call, for a tanker on its side, leaking a white liquid? Do you ask for more information or do you just respond and hope for the best. When I was faced with this call, I asked for more information and was called back with “it’s not toxic”
I asked for the trucking company to fax me the information about the product, they did before I responded. It turned out to be glue, which was used to make plywood. What I received was the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) which BY LAW, they have to provide when asked for.
This information sheet is just like one of the ones you hopefully have in your shop, which covers all...

Scales and what do they mean (printed May 1997)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:12:24 PST

Scales and what do they mean

Ever have to cross a scale in the performance of your duties, or does your state allow you to bypass them. Well several states require you to stop and get weighted and or get inspected. Here in Oregon, we are required to stop if they tow truck and vehicle exceeds 20,000 pounds, or if it’s a commercial vehicle, hauling salvage vehicles, new or used vehicles. Sounds like you have to stop for everything.

Of course when you cross into another state you are required to abide by their laws and regulations. I can image the problems that companies in the Chicago area have to deal with, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan are but a hour (in good traffic) away.

So what can you expect if you go into the scales, well now-a-days, a lot of scale houses are becoming “SMART”, which means that you are weighed in motion on the highway, and if the computer...

Towing Forums (2006)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 14:29:56 PST

Towing Forum’s

A recent article dealing with some towing forums has created a bit of a controversy among the forums. Fall out is ongoing. But what about the real information about the towing forums which are available online.

First and foremost in the towing forums is TOW411.net who is the leader among boards with 1900 members. They cover a wide range of topics, and they have lots of information available for everyone. It was started in March of 2001, by a tow truck driver who works for the city of Louisville as the owner, and has the assistance of several other managers and administrators. It has grown into a group of good and talented tow truck drivers and towing company owners. They also have affiliate members and paid sponsors who support the costs of the forum operations. Board members also support the...

Fuel Prices and the corner tow truck (2006)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 14:29:17 PST

Fuel Prices and the Corner Tow truck

With the skyrocketing fuel prices, I know that is a major concern to everyone. I know that we are all looking at ways to save fuel and or increase our income. A short time ago I wrote an article where we discussed how to save fuel ( which at the time was approaching $2.00 a gallon ) Now we are lucky to see prices at $ 3.00 a gallon if not getting close to $ 3.50 a gallon in some areas.

One area to look at is the small corner gas stations and body shops that have a tow truck that they use to tow in vehicles.

If you live in an area like I do ( Dothan Alabama ) you will have an extra competitor in body shops and repair shops. Down here we have 6 body shops, 2 transmission shops, 3 auto repair shops which all have at least 1 tow...

Predatory Parking (2006)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 14:28:11 PST

PREDATORY PARKING

     Well, it comes down to this, and we all know that the media is always portraying the tower as practicing predatory towing and price gouging. But say its not so, we are the bad guys ?
     Who parked the vehicle on the property. Who violated the rights of the property owner by trespassing upon the property. Who in the case of the property owner being a business which is closed for the day, decides that they can use the property any way they want.
     Do we have to have fences and gates to keep people off our property. Do we have to have security to keep ONLY customers or tenants on the property.
     It looks like that is the direction we are headed, if the motoring public is not going to get smart and learn.
     Let me take this a different direction. Lets see how it sounds to...

trucks as art or advertising (printed Mar 07)

feeds@yuku.com (ibflat2) — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 14:21:42 PST

Trucks as art or advertising

All of us towers who have made it to a tow show at one point or another, have seen some “show trucks”. You know the ones with fancy paint jobs, chrome everywhere ones where you could not possibly be using them everyday for towing.
Well I know that over my 28 year career in the towing and recovery industry I have seen a show truck or couple dozen. Now I love to see fancy paint jobs, I love to see lots of shiny chrome. They just look sharp.

But from a practical point of view, you will know that its just as hard to keep a normal truck clean and looking good as a show truck. No matter how hard you try, you are going to get rock chips, dirt, scrapes and other blemishes from daily use of the truck. Some places however, trucks do not go off road at all, such as big cities, and then you have...

Articles printed in Footnotes

My first Florida tow show (June 2001)

Past articles revisited (March 2001)

Burn out of unsafe (April 1997)

Wanted: Tow truck driver (november 2003)

Cross-Training isn’t sport, its survival (March 2000)

Why are we tow truck drivers? (January 1999)

Public Image #1 (March 2005)

Fair pay for good work (June 2005)

Are we charging too much or not enough (printed Feb 2001, page 24)

Towing Car Haulers, Printed May 2009

Why is it. (printed October 1997)

WINTER SAFETY (from 1994)

WHERE HAS THE TOWING INDUSTY GONE? (printed June 1997)

WHEN DO YOU SAY NO!!!! (printed March 1997')

Scales and what do they mean (printed May 1997)

Towing Forums (2006)

Fuel Prices and the corner tow truck (2006)

Predatory Parking (2006)

trucks as art or advertising (printed Mar 07)