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Managing Change, Efficiency, SOP, and Profit

By
Darian Weaver
-

Depending on where in North America you live and operate your towing and vehicle storage business, spring has either arrived or is just around the corner. Spring is generally a happy time, where nature begins its renewal cycle, encouraged by nature’s all-consuming driving force. Many of you will be thinking of ways in which to improve the efficiency of your business and its competitive advantage.

Creative Destruction

In your grandfather’s day, knowledgeable people would have told you that the only two things in life that are certain are death and taxes. In the last 75 years, other certainties that have entered the equation; technology has and continues to rapidly change the way we do things.  It’s known as “creative destruction.”  Today, the only things in life that are certain are death, taxes, and CHANGE!

Simply put, “creative destruction” is the time a new and practical idea replaces the previously embedded process. More than 100 years ago, Sears Roebuck created a print catalog pictorially displaying goods and services. Almost every household in rural North America purchased items from the Sears Roebuck catalog, yet although Sears made the move to brick-and-mortar stores as consumer demographics changed, they did not anticipate nor adapt to the changing world of commerce or the Internet. (Destruction!) Compare the story of Sears, with that of Amazon, they both fulfill basically the same function with the one major exception:  Amazon, the newcomer, took advantage of and pioneered changing technology that would influence consumer buying and producing its virtual catalog as a website in the CLOUD. (Creation!). Is your company destined to be Amazon or Sears Roebuck? Are you and your management team looking to future trends and or changes that may seriously affect your ability to generate cash flow and remain profitable?

The simple way to improve the efficiency of any business process is to break them down into basic functions and create your own improved standard operating procedures (SOP). It’s never too late to review how your company performs any given task, even though the need and methodology in completing the task have been the same for decades. Moreover, if you have not yet taken a leap of faith into the world of management software, regardless of your company size, it’s time to revisit this opportunity.

Although, often looked upon as one industry, towing and vehicle storage are two separate businesses, and those states/provinces which license and regulate both, each have separate statutes and administrative rules. VTS Systems is a niche market, Texas-based software company which for more than 20 years has provided state/province compliant software to simplify and effectively manage both vehicle towing and vehicle impoundment and storage requirements.

SOP Tasks

The towing of a vehicle is a pretty simple process and easily defined by SOP tasks:

  • Request/Call for service
  • Define, consent, or non-consent tow
  • Select a qualified operator and capacity/capability of recovery vehicle
  • Dispatch recovery tow vehicle to the incident location
  • Load incident vehicle and transport to a known destination
  • Create a tow ticket/worksheet, receive payment or billable invoice

Break down each of the above SOP’s and analyze not only the task, but more importantly, how you can perform the task better, including a public relation [PR] perspective, so you can obtain all relevant information more efficiently, and for less cost. Once established and refined, SOP guidelines will improve not only your service to the customer, but a defined structure will help protect your company from potential litigation, so PR is important. If you are operating even the most rudimentary automated software, the basic flow of the software will obtain the needed information. However, if your company is using a pen and paper, we suggest that you create a Q&A list as part of your call answering SOP.

Focus on Standards Over Shiny New

Perception is not always a shiny reality. A shiny new company tow truck may project an image of success. However, long-term business and financial success does not begin, nor end with shiny new trucks, as they often carry a financial burden.  Focus on setting standards. it does not have to be new, older tow trucks if clean, and well maintained, often project a trusted conservative image. If operating multiple trucks, set a goal of having them all the same color, plus a company branding/logo and a door wrap will increase public awareness. This, along with polite operators wearing clean uniforms, present an image of professionalism and efficiency.

Creating and coding software to automate the above towing process is a time-consuming task; it must take into consideration state/provincial statute, tax code, administrative rules set by the regulator, the county, and often local law enforcement [LEA]. However, from an industry knowledge and software coding perspective, the development of Vehicle Storage Facility [VSF] management software is far more complex than supporting a tow only function.

VSF Function Requirements

In addition to the towing SOP functions noted above, the VSF function require the following:

  • Vehicle Impoundment – In some states/provinces this is a no-charge item, but included as part of the daily storage charge, while in others, it’s defined as a separate chargeable process and may be taxable.
  • Obtaining Vehicle Ownership/Lienholder Records – The manual process of obtaining ownership/lienholder information from the state of record is both costly and time consuming. However, real-time, online electronic access to Motor Vehicle Records [MVR] is available from 36 states. Retrieval of MVR information from a state database requires a licensed VSF operator and compliance with the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act [DPPA]. In Canada, no MVR information is available either electronically or in real time to towing companies or VSF’s without going through an attorney or a paralegal agency.
  • Timely Processing of  Lienholder/Notification Letters – Almost every state/province has different requirements for lienholder/notification letters, in some only one letter sent via certified mail, or electronic certified mail, return receipt requested before the impounded/abandoned vehicle may legally be sold at a public auction or public sale. However, most states/provinces require two lienholder/notification letters mailed to all registered owners and all lienholders of record within the time stipulated by the state or provincial regulator.
  • LEA Notification of Impoundment and Abandonment -Depending on state/provincial statutes, and administrative rules, the VSF maybe required to notify LEA of non-consent private-property tows within two hours of impoundment or at a time stipulated. In addition, some state/provinces require the VSF to send law enforcement a notice of vehicle abandonment, if the vehicle remains unclaimed for x-number of days following impoundment or the sending of the first lienholder/notification letter, whichever is applicable. Where applicable, state/provincial LEA may take possession or virtual possession of the abandoned vehicle, assume the responsibility of sending a second and final lienholder/notification letter, [if applicable] and processes the vehicle through to public auction.
  • Public Auctions/Public Sale -Individual state/provincial guidelines stipulate the minimum number of days required between the mailing of the second and final lienholder/notification letter [if applicable] before the abandoned vehicle is eligible for sale to recover outstanding towing and vehicle storage debt. 

Management Software Needs

All management software should have inherent flexibility to accommodate state/provincial statute and administrative rules, and provide auto-fill and completion of government, or processed documentation, in addition to simplicity of operation and security.

  • Security – Controlled access to the software by multiple levels of security, including, limits associated with each employee job function, company code, employee username, and a secure individual employee password will give access to authorized personnel operating from multiple workstations or remote input devices. Changes in authorized access should be in writing between the company’s authorized person [owner/CEO, etc.] and the software company.
  • Full Support– Including telephone and Internet interaction, along with individual one-on-one training and problem solving. The purpose of software is to automate data entry, thereby simplifying the daily operating process, and with correct training, eliminate upwards of 99% processing errors. If your software does not begin providing time-reducing assistance the moment the phone rings and fully automates every step, including: automated MVR retrieval and data placement, automated creation, and mailing of electronic certified mail lienholder/notification letters, automated flow and control of job or invoiced monies, and accounts receivable, the release process through to and including a public auction or public sale, and the completion of all required forms, letters, and documentation, then it’s time to look again and what is available.

VTS Systems provides the industry, and more importantly, its clients with professional business support, and time earned knowledge. We offer both PC and web-based [CLOUD] solutions, our time-honored PC offering is particularly effective in areas without adequate high-speed, full-time Internet connections or for those who simply want their data in-house. Whereas, our CLOUD-based offering provides MOBILITY, FLEXIBILITY, SIMPLICITY, and SECURITY anywhere there is Internet or digital cell phone service. If you would like to discuss how technology will continue to CHANGE our industry, and your business, call 877.374.7225 Ext 3.

Nobody Does Storage Lot Management like We Do–Period!

Ranger SST: Simpler AND Smarter Easy-to-Use AND High Productivity/Effectiveness

By
Darian Weaver
-

One of my favorite phones was the Motorola Startac – the first flip-phone introduced in 1996. The first iPhone was introduced 10 years later (June, 2007), and the first Android smartphone was sold in September, 2008.  I loved my Startac (beam me up, Scotty).  But now that I own and use both Apple and Android smart phones, I would never go back.  However, some elderly relatives and drivers are still wed to their flip-phones.  Why?  They seem easy-to-use.

Most tow management software (TMS) offerings – especially Ranger – are “easy-to-use.”   But is that criteria enough for choosing a solution that becomes the foundation for the future of your business?  Is it better to have ease-of-use for dispatchers or to improve the revenue growth and profitability of your business?  The good news: you don’t have to choose – with Ranger you get both: easy-to-use AND increased productivity/effectiveness for increased profitability (more calls per driver each month)–Simpler AND Smarter.  Don’t settle for a “flip-phone TMS” – Ranger provides a “smart phone TMS” solution that you can grow into and never grow out of. 

A few examples to illustrate the distinctions:

Job Entry

  • Easy: Receive Digital Dispatches from Motor Clubs or enter customer information, incident address, and a call is ready to be dispatched.
  • Effective (Smarter): … After account defaults auto-populate call information:
    • Leverage Google Place look-up to further streamline location inputs.
    • Use “Find Me” to locate “lost” customers using their smart phone.
    • Pinpoint motorist location on the Ranger map and send these geo-coordinates to the driver on their Ranger mobile app for accurate navigation = shorter ETAs.
    • Enter LP – Ranger returns VIN look-up detail, including year, make, and model.

Self-Service Job Entry by Customers

  • Easy: Provide a web-based tool for frequent business users to enter requests.
  • Effective (Smarter):
    • Use Ranger’s toll-free phone number for local residents to use in an emergency.
    • Stranded motorists enter call information and pictures that are forwarded to your dispatch for fast, reliable response to their request.

Pricing

  • Easy: Manually enter a price from the rate sheet.
  • Effective (Smarter): Ranger’s Pricing Factory
    • Use pre-configured, account-specific pricing along with the appropriate Extras (and pricing) for consistency and pre-configure “price points” for cash calls.
    • Modify pricing “on-the-fly“ as needed for weather conditions and/or driver availability.
    • Handle complex recoveries requiring the alignment of services from multiple trucks with one or more invoices
    • Manage remote HD repair with all the parts in the back of the truck as “Extras.”
    • Automatically generate split invoices for motor club calls (isolating the amount to be paid by the customer).
    • Control pricing visibility to the driver (disclose or not), and the driver’s role (modify charges or not).
    • Prepare Quotes that can be emailed to a customer in advance.
    • Since pricing is fully integrated with the Ranger mobile app, dispatchers don’t need to figure it out and send messages to the driver. The driver doesn’t need to figure it out.  The Ranger TMS and mobile app do the heavy lifting.

Call Assignment to a Driver

  • Easy: Select an Available driver that is nearby from the Dispatch Board
  • Effective (Smarter): Ranger’s SmartDispatchTM
    • Use the link from the Dispatch Board to reset the map for job assignment.
    • SmartDispatchTM enables visual, drag & drop dispatch. Dispatchers can see ALL open jobs, and ALL available trucks, on ONE screen to make better deployment decisions — shortening ETAs and lowering fuel costs.

Messaging Drivers

  • Easy: Forward call information to the driver’s mobile app (Android or Apple).
  • Effective (Smarter): Ranger’s CommLinkTM mobile app
    • Auto-confirm the driver has viewed the call assignment without phoning.
    • Monitor whether the driver’s mobile device is connected (in coverage) AND whether the driver has granted needed permissions for communications (essential for Apple).

Messaging Motorists

  • Easy: Send text confirmation message to customer.
  • Effective (Smarter):
    • Automatically trigger messages to the motorist (Enroute, approaching Arrived) along with a picture of the driver – to alleviate customer safety concerns.
    • Send a satisfaction survey at the end of each call to gather immediate feedback on the customer experience and to address any unexpected issues.
    • Optionally send an “Uber link” to the motorist to track progress of the truck.

Track Driver Location and Status

  • Easy: Use a third-party GPS product to track location; mobile app tracks status.
  • Effective (Smarter): Ranger’s fully-integrated MapTrackTM
    • Use Ranger’s tracking / mapping solution with 15 different truck icons (truck type) and on-map indicator for PTO “On” and duration.
    • View Dashboards to check truck speed & idling; get alerts for possible fraud & theft.

Collect Payments On-Scene

  • Easy: Collect cash, and use a third-party app (e.g., Square) for credit cards.
  • Effective (Smarter): Integrated Credit Card processing in Ranger’s mobile app
    • Pre-authorize credit cards at Arrived (or before by dispatcher), validating the card for subsequent payment at CLEAR.
    • Complete the process with manual CC entry or BT chip reader (payment to Invoice).
    • Use Driver Check-out process to ensure money gets to the office safe.

Review Truck Travel History

  • Easy: View truck “bread-crumb trails” with replay.
  • Effective (Smarter):
    • Generate State Mileage reports; review activity logs (e.g., hard braking/cornering).
    • Identify drivers that may be “moonlighting” with Stop Reports.

Accounting

  • Easy: Generate/email Invoices; forward Invoices to Quickbooks for accounting
  • Effective (Smarter): Proven accounting capabilities in Ranger
    • Use Ranger for invoicing, generating/emailing Statements, aging, payments
    • And/or send Invoices AND Payments to QB (optionally apply payments in QB)

Commissions

  • Easy: Calculation of driver (percentage) commissions by job
  • Effective (Smarter): Commissions by job and by driver (for tenure, skills)
    • Differentiated by day of the week and shift
    • Flexibility for flat dollar amounts per job, and exclusion of selected Extras (e.g., fuel)

Storage / Impound-Lot Management

  • Easy: Track vehicles in the storage lot, calculate current pricing, flag Police Holds, and generate lien letters
  • Effective (Smarter): Ranger’s LotMasterTM …. integrated with Auto Data Direct
    • Ongoing picture-taking, and easy physical inventory management of vehicles by placing inexpensive “QR Codes” on vehicles to create an electronic tag that can be scanned for periodic comparisons to records in Ranger
    • Workflow Management to track progress against process milestones – e.g., lien letter sent, newspaper notice placed

Private-Property Enforcement – Relocation

  • Easy: respond to requests for tow from Property Managers
  • Effective (Smarter): Ranger’s PatrolWorksTM with Spotter app and Rules Engine
    • Incorporating parent/child account structures – Corporations to Properties to Lots
    • Configuring specific requirements by lot by violation (e.g., grace periods, tagging, approval requirements)
    • Deploying the special app to record/update violations – for use by company spotters in a personal vehicle, a company driver in a tow truck, a third-party enforcement agency patrolling in their own vehicles, or even self-service by property managers
    • Using the built-in “Rules Engine” to determine the readiness to tow a vehicle with one or more violations, including:
      • Checking policies for compliance with property requirements
      • Automatic sending of approval requests to the designated Property Manager on their mobile device

Scheduling for Transport and Heavy Hauling

  • Easy: Set a future date in call-taking, then add call to the Dispatch Board on that date
  • Effective (Smarter): Ranger’s TransportOpsTM for transporting construction equipment, moving containers, and relocating automobiles for auction
    • Plan/schedule loads for the next day (or “next week”) by truck and by driver
    • In late afternoon, trigger advance notices to drivers – sent automatically by Ranger to each driver on their personal smart phone (and updates as needed)
    • Automatically dispatch assignments to the driver’s Ranger mobile app the next morning at login, eliminating morning congestion in dispatch
    • Enable drivers to enter and track multi-task jobs on the mobile app (load, pick-up, drop-off), that are recorded with the job record and printed on the invoice
    • Identify emerging issues before they become major problems (e.g., a driver that has overslept)

Services Agreement

  • Easy: No contract
  • Effective (Smarter): A Services Agreement that outlines the responsibility of the TMS provider, particularly continued access to the software if you choose to switch

Adding high productivity/effectiveness to “easy-to-use” is necessary but not sufficient.

The Numbers Must Be Right.  Ranger is more than a spreadsheet that allows changes to any number, by anyone, whenever it suits.  Ranger is easy-to-use, but with an emphasis on accounting accuracy, including process “guardrails” to prevent unintended errors, user permissions for alignment with responsibilities, and audit trails.

Reliability is Essential.  Uptime is often an afterthought until the system is not working.  Ranger has more experience in successfully operating a completely “cloud-based” tow management solution than anyone else – over 15 years of “lessons learned” – eliminating the “glitches” that others are still discovering.  Ranger invests heavily for reliability/uptime.  The solution is hosted in a secure commercial data center with redundant internet, power, and cooling. All data is backed up nightly.  Ranger even has a disaster recovery solution in place for added protection.

Will an easy-to-use “flip-phone TMS” suffice?  NOT for the longer-term success of your business.  Choose the “smart phone TMS” — Ranger SST —   advanced technology for superior performance.  If you are looking to grow your top and bottom lines, give us a call and let us put Ranger Service Solutions Technology to work for you!

Beacon Software Proves Commitment to Security with SOC 2 Certification

By
Darian Weaver
-

Plenty of companies say that data security is their top priority, but few can prove their commitment to protecting customer information. That’s where Beacon Software stands apart from its competitors. When we tell you that your data security is our main focus, we prove this commitment to your security with our “SOC 2 Certification.” This certification makes us one of the few dispatch software companies compliant with the American Institute of CPAs’ criteria for secure, reliable software providers. In short, your data is safer with Beacon Software than any other dispatch software provider. Here is how:

What is SOC 2?

Simply put, SOC 2 is an auditing procedure that measures a software provider’s ability to keep your data secure. To earn a SOC 2 Certification, experienced auditors determined that Beacon Software complies with the AICPA standard of security criteria: The “Five Trust Principles” – Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality and Privacy. (See chart)

How The 5 Trust Principles Relate to Your Business

The 5 Trust Principles are a good security measurement for any business, including towing and roadside assistance companies.

  1. Security – Beacon Software security is like storing your fleet of trucks inside of Fort Knox. Unless the access is verified, no one is getting in and no information is coming out.
  2. Availability – Towers know how important it is to be available 24/7. How else would a motorist, stranded on the highway at 3 in the morning, get back home? Beacon takes their responsibility to towing and roadside assistance companies seriously, and so emergency representatives are available to assist in the event of a complication.
  3. Processing Integrity – As emergency responders, towers need to work fast and get the job done right the first time. Beacon Software processes your information quickly and accurately to get you on the road as fast as possible.
  4. Confidentiality – As a tower, you are constantly communicating customer information over multiple devices. If your customer information is compromised by unsafe software, the breach can result in a serious financial burden or, at the very least, a serious waste of time. With Beacon, you can trust that your data is safe and secure in an easy-to-use database.
  5. Privacy – It’s always easier to do a job without someone looking over your shoulder. Beacon Software treats your information with discretion. We retain, disclose, and destroy information in accordance with our privacy notice.

Rudy Smith, co-owner of Rudy Smith Towing and Recovery, has seen a lot of towing companies suffer after using software that did not take data security seriously. “Rudy Smith Towing has been around for over 100 years now, and I truly attribute that success to being careful with whom we share our confidential information.” Companies susceptible to software attacks run the risk of losing valuable information, which puts their customers in a vulnerable position. “I may be biased, but I would only trust a software provider that has done everything in their power to keep their software bulletproof.”

Companies Without a SOC 2 Certification

Software providers who are not SOC 2 compliant are a potential risk to your assets. Either the company does not believe it needs to stay up-to-date with industry security updates or it was unable to meet the AICPA requirements. When shopping for software, always make sure to ask if they are SOC 2 compliant! To learn more about SOC 2 specifications, visit the AICPA website.

Dispatch Anywhere Has the Industry’s Newest Features

Beacon Software’s flagship product, Dispatch Anywhere, is recognized by its role revolutionizing dispatch software around the world. It introduced the following features to the towing and roadside assistance industry:

  • Data Security/Privacy
  • Computer Aided Dispatch
  • Cloud-Based Software
  • GPS Integration
  • Multi-Division Management
  • Mobile Credit Card Integration
  • Automated Motor Club Billing
  • Impound Management
  • Mobile Applications

These features are designed to keep your information secure, while boosting your company’s productivity. We’re transparent about our latest updates and give our customers all the information they need to understand each new feature. Visit our Help Desk for all the latest tutorials and information!

Dispatch Anywhere and TowMagic Have New Features and Updates

  • Online Service Requests – Receive online service requests through your company website or by sharing a link with your customers!
  • Square Credit Card Processing – Office personnel and drivers can take payments using a computer or Square reader attached to their mobile device!
  • Integrated with Gerber – Now welcoming Gerber as a new, integrated digital partner!
  • Job Reminders Every 20 Seconds – A call is waiting for your interaction! This TowMagic tool goes off every 20 seconds until the job status has been updated.
  • Driver Mode/User – Drivers have a unique log-in and are only able to view calls assigned to them!

The Beacon Blog is Live!

Beacon recently updated the Beacon Blog to better connect with our customers. Visit our website to read up on industry news and learn more about recent software updates, events, and YouTube tutorial announcements.

Ready to Make the Switch? Our Expert Team is Here to Help!

Whether you are considering switching to a new software provider or you are trying dispatch software for the first time, making the big change can seem daunting. Thankfully, Beacon Software makes the transition easy! Our expert team is trained to guide you through the process of integrating our software into your daily routine.

Are you curious if Beacon Software is right for you? Try our “Help Me Choose” quiz! By answering a few, quick questions to determine which software is right for your specific needs, we can get you started on the road to advanced, modern and bulletproof dispatch software. You’ll see why our customers say that Beacon Software is the best decision they ever made for their business.

Maximize Performance and Simplify Communication Using Towbook

By
Darian Weaver
-

As the use of technology continues to rise in the towing and roadside industry, so do consumer expectations. With the ability to use advanced technology at your fingertips, your customer expects to be informed and cared for every step of the way. Using Towbook facilitates this communication by doing the work for you!

Towbook not only promotes continuous communication with your customers, but also with your motor clubs, body shops, dealerships, police departments, and private property managers too!

  • Got a call from the motor club? Accept it with the click of a button!
  • Does your body shop or dealership want to send you a job? Our Web Request Portal can help them do exactly that with just a few clicks!
  • Impress your police departments with “Vehicle Lookup” technology that allows them to quickly see if a certain vehicle is on your lot!
  • Give private property managers a login to their account, so they can view all vehicles that were towed and sign for them as well!

All the above actions and more, allow you and your staff to reduce time on the phone and maximize your performance and efficiency.

So, what does Towbook do? And why do you need it?

Improved Communication

Managers and dispatchers can communicate with drivers easily. Drivers can accept calls with all the details needed in order to do their job efficiently and update the status of the job from start to finish. You will also be able to chat with your drivers via their mobile applications or send them a text message to make them aware of last-minute changes (chat logs are always saved to the call for future reference).

Roadside.io

Towbook’s Roadside.io solution, paired with our Customer Survey feature, delivers the latest customer experience capabilities to your fingertips, allowing you to provide an “Uber-like” experience for your customers.

With Roadside.io, you have the option of sharing information with customers while the service is in progress, helping customers understand what’s happening with their service without having to call you for an update. You also have the option of sending the customer a satisfaction survey once the job is complete. You can choose to push these surveys to your website, and you can also direct them to your social media outlets where they can complete a review about the service they received.

Minimize Risk of Damage Claims

Drivers can upload photos of the vehicle to a call in real-time; we timestamp and geocode these photos for you along with categorizing them according to what job status the driver was in at the time. An additional precaution can be taken by creating a “Vehicle Damage Form” if there is extensive damage to the vehicle prior to servicing it. The driver can create a report on scene, take photos of the vehicle, indicate anywhere there is damage, and have the customer sign off on the damage form. This report will be saved for future reference and can even be emailed or sent via text to the customer with their receipt.

Built-in Navigation and GPS Tracking- You’ll be able to get turn-by-turn directions to your destination right in the application with just a tap!

If you aren’t currently using a GPS solution, Towbook is equipped with built-in GPS tracking which will automatically update the drivers’ location according to their app settings.

Towbook is also integrated with leading GPS companies like AT&T Fleet Complete, DriverLocate, Samsara, US Fleet Tracking, and Webfleet Solutions, allowing you to send calls directly to the GPS unit in your truck.

Drivers can use the GPS unit to navigate to the service location, and when they update the status of the call on the GPS unit it will automatically update their status in Towbook. Your Towbook app can also use the GPS location from your trucks and display that on the map in Towbook. There are many other fantastic features of GPS units that help you manage and maintain your fleet.

Pre-Trip Inspection Management and User Check-In

If you want your team to inspect their trucks and other equipment before (or after) every shift, they can do that easily using the Towbook mobile apps and our Equipment Inspection tool. Each inspection report is time stamped, and managers will receive an email alert any time there is an Equipment Inspection failure.

Completed inspections are also available to open/view on mobile apps, so if drivers need to present a completed pre-trip inspection to a law enforcement officer, they can do so right from their phone!

Our “User Check-In” feature allows drivers to check-in and out for work directly from their mobile application. This allows managers and dispatchers to know who is currently on-shift to accept jobs. You are also able to run a report to review check in/check out times for drivers.

Plate-to-VIN Technology

No VIN – no problem! Towbook’s plate-to-VIN feature saves time and eliminates mistakes. Simply enter the plate number and the state in which the vehicle is licensed, and Towbook will return the full VIN with the make, model, and year of the vehicle. You’ll also have the option of using our VIN scanner, which will populate the VIN in the call just by scanning the vehicle’s barcode.

Private-Property Features

Alongside tagging accounts, two of our most notable private-property features for the mobile applications include “On-Scene Call Creation” and “Stickering”:

  • On-Scene Call Creation: This allows your drivers to do their job as quickly as possible by allowing them the option to create a call by simply snapping a picture of the vehicle; the call will automatically populate the address they’re located at and will allow them to update any additional details later.
  • Stickering: One of Towbook’s fastest-growing features is our Stickering app. With Stickering, you can create a virtual sticker in Towbook and “tag” those vehicles that you might be able to tow after a few hours or a few days. When the sticker expires, you receive a notification that the vehicle can be towed.

Impound/Storage Lot Management and Vehicle Lookup: You’ll be able to track and release your current impounded/stored vehicles on your lot right from the mobile application. You’ll even be able to send the impound invoice via text or e-mail.

In using our “Vehicle Lookup” technology, your customers, police departments, and private-property accounts will thank you! It makes it simple for them to look and see if you have a certain vehicle on your lot without calling.

Digital Dispatching: Whether you are a dispatcher or manager sending out calls or an owner/operator working in the field, you’ll be able to accept motor club calls while out of the office or on the road using Towbook’s mobile apps. Towbook is integrated with all the major motor clubs for your convenience! A couple of taps to accept the call and you’ll be on your way!

Paperless Invoicing: Save time by texting or emailing your customer an invoice right on-scene! If paper invoices are a must, we integrate with Zebra mobile printers to print your customers’ receipt on the spot.

Additional Information- On top of the many features we’ve already mentioned, the drivers will be able to add additional information to the call via their app according to the preferences setup by management, this includes:

  • Additional line items/charges.
  • Record payments received in the field.
  • Collect customer signatures for archiving and appearing on receipts.
  • Any additional notes regarding the service or customer.
  • Record vehicle odometer.
  • Add any company expenses, such as fuel along with a picture of the receipt for manager review.

Technology is causing a world-wide evolution, and it’s important to find resources that can be of benefit to us. First it was computers, now it’s a little device in our pocket that we all rely on daily – whether for business or our personal lives.

Using software to manage your business increases efficiency and profitability, but it’s also a great tool to attract potential clients, demonstrating that you are a forward-thinking towing/road service company and are interested in adapting to the ever-changing technological environment.

Towbook Management Software is the unquestioned leader in cloud-based towing software, headquartered in Michigan and has provided service for over thirteen years. Integrating the industry’s most advanced and flexible software, Towbook supports all types of towing, recovery, and roadside service operations.

We provide tools made possible by the latest technology, and we help companies to raise their level of service while lowering their operating costs.

Plus, our commitment to you will be never-ending! We take great pride in having the industry’s best customer support. Support is free and available 24/7/365—even on holidays.

What We Offer

Free Trial, Free Setup, Free Support

Towbook offers a 30-day free trial with free setup and support, and there are no contracts. Plus, you don’t need a separate Towbook license for each employee—your subscription always includes unlimited user accounts!

Website: www.towbook.com
Inquiries: sales@towbook.com

24/7/365 Support Line: (810) 320-5063

TOPSÂŽ Software – The Benefit of Embracing New Technologies to Grow Your Business

By
Darian Weaver
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The days when towing companies could run operations with a pad a pencil are a thing of the past.  The demands of the industry are changing rapidly, and without adequate computer systems to manage those, companies can and will fall behind.  With digital dispatching and complex reporting requirements coming from all sides, towing companies need sophisticated systems to handle these increasing demands to compete in this ever-changing landscape.

In this world of interconnected devices and systems, towing companies have been forced to follow suit.  Motor clubs, municipalities, law enforcement, and even the person on the street want to be able to request a tow from whatever kind of device they are using without having to pick up a phone and make a call.  Law Enforcement wants to be able to send a tow request that is entered by the officer in the squad car.  Motor clubs want to able to dispatch to a tower through their digital dispatching product.  The person on the street wants to able to click on a link and request a tow without having to call all over the place to find a company willing to do the work.  And then after the work is assigned, all the previously mentioned customers want to able to see a status of the driver’s progress to know when the driver will arrive.

Companies large and small use software to run their towing operations.  Large companies understand the necessity of integrated systems, but small companies can take advantage of all of the same features with the same impressive results.  The web-based tools that are available to the towing industry in today’s world are better and more connected that ever.  Even a small company that used to be only concerned with keeping records and invoicing can utilize the same digital tools that until recently were only available to large companies with large systems budgets.  Quality computer systems already provide a retrievable history, can verify invoicing and manage receivables.  But the real benefits are in the new features and the doors that it can open for your company, and the new business opportunities they present. While it does take time to input data and to learn how to use a system, in the end a business is able to offer a better product, get paid for all the work that is provided, and convey a more professional image to their customers.

Included in this article are some features of our TOPSÂŽ towing management systems which help to illustrate how software can be used to help you manage your business and to take advantage of these new and increasingly important technologies. These features help our customers streamline their overall business process, save time on daily tasks and offer a better and more professional product to their customers.

Municipality and Law Enforcement Towing

Towing on behalf of a municipality or a law enforcement organization can be a profitable part of a towing business.  City and police contracts usually are signed and in place for several years and can amount to significant revenue.  In addition, being associated with city and police contracts lends a certain amount of respectability to a company’s reputation.

As cities and law enforcement agencies continue the move towards modernization of their systems, they are demanding that towing companies do the same.  The days of receiving telephone calls from police dispatch offices or receiving faxes to pick up abandoned vehicles are quickly becoming a memory.  They want integrated systems that receive calls directly from their officers in the field, and from their dispatchers or CAD systems.  They want GPS devices in the contractors’ trucks to allow for automatically dispatching to the closest truck.  They want 20 minute ETAs with GPS-based accountability.  They want paperless tow sheets, and real-time integrations with their records systems.  If companies want to be in the law enforcement towing business, they are being required to have systems that support these technologies.  Many of these contracts are awarded and then implemented in weeks and not months, and the computer systems’ provider must be prepared to integrate and assimilate information and processes quickly and without mistake.  Cities take the health and safety of their citizens and law enforcement officers seriously, and the demands – and payoffs – can be high.

The TOPS® suite of municipal products includes several tools which cater to managing Dispatch, Towing management and Impound management with full transparency between all parties.  The heart of the system is our TOPS CMA.  TOPS CMA manages the creation and distribution of tow requests out to the contracted tow operators. The tow operators themselves can manage the towing and impounding of these requests using our TOPS impound software, with each driver able to use the TOPS Driver mobile application.  As the towing and impound data is entered into the towers’ TOPS impound software, it is reflected back in real-time into the TOPS CMA for oversight and review by the municipality or law enforcement.  The TOPS PPI system allows municipalities to monitor Private-Property Impound and Repossession firms as they enter non-consent tows.  The TOPS PD system is a web-enabled search and reporting tool that allows 911 and 311 centers access to city summary impound data without granting them access to other systems.  The TOPS Public Search tool allows the public to search across all City, county, private and PPI lots to find their vehicle if it has been towed.

This model of full transparency is what sets the TOPS suite of municipal applications apart from the rest. The next time you are fighting for local contracts, remember that these tools are available to law enforcement, to the city and to you – the local tow operator – to use in a 3rd party management role.

Motor Club Towing

Whether a towing company’s primary business is motor club calls or they simply use motor club calls to keep their trucks busy between account and police calls, motor club business can be a valuable asset to a towing company.  In addition to traditional motor club operations, many automobile insurance companies now include motor club emergency service as part of their value-added services.  Like it or not motor clubs are here to stay, and as a revenue stream they shouldn’t be ignored.

Many motor clubs are increasingly using digital dispatch systems to send calls to their tower base in an effort to drive costs and arrival times down.  Many clubs have made it a requirement to continue to do business with them.  Early on these digital interfaces were proprietary to the motor club and sometimes required club-specific systems.  Many dispatch systems now have a dedicated motor club interface for receiving and responding to motor club tow requests which merge clubs into a single, easy to understand system.  This allows your staff to see and respond to motor club requests much quicker and easier, and simplifies the entire process.

TOPS Motor Club is the TOPS digital dispatch interface to receive and respond to digital platform motor club calls. TOPS Motor club receives digital tow requests from ADS, Agero, Allstate, GEICO, NSD, Quest, Road America, Tesla, USAC and FleetNet. As tow and service requests are received and negotiated, calls are pushed directly into the TOPS dispatch system.  This offers an efficient transfer of information into TOPS for dispatch to the best driver / truck resource. Updates are shared back to the respective motor club, offering a full two-way integration with each motor club. Using integrated tools like TOPS Motor Club can help your company receive additional work and increase your call volume.

Mobile Applications

Mobile applications have become a critical tool for businesses on the go. Mobile applications enable workers in the field to quickly and easily access and update data and to support their job functions. As law enforcement and motor clubs increasingly require real-time driver status updates and ETAs, mobile applications are the only way to realistically provide these.

Using effective mobile applications, drivers and supervisors can update call status times, navigate to pickup and drop-off locations, upload and store vehicle- and incident-related information and photographs, create and dispatch new calls and email call receipts to customers directly from their mobile device in the field.  Impound-lot personnel can enter and update vehicle information, do physical inventories and inspections, take photographs, and scan barcodes for ease of managing lot inventory. When these systems are interconnected with municipality systems, the updating and sharing of data provides transparency that cannot be obtained any other way.

The TOPSŽ suite of mobile applications includes apps to aid field and inventory operations.  All mobile apps are designed for iOS and Android mobile phones and tablets.  TOPS Driver allows the driver to receive, update and even create calls on the fly.  The TOPS Inventory application is designed for the impound-lot staff to take physical inventories, search for vehicle information and update records as needed.  The TOPS Xtra app ties completely customizable functionality to our standard TOPS Driver and TOPS Inventory applications. An example is to add a customized paperless tow sheet to TOPS Driver or a customized impound inspection process to TOPS Inventory.

Web-based Applications

Web-based applications have opened new doors for towing businesses to increase cash sales. Web-based applications enable the person on the street to search out a local tower and request a tow, by simply clicking on a link on a web page that the tower provides.  By clicking a link, the system can determine their location and create a tow request, which can be directed to the closest available driver via the GPS location of the trucks.  This provides the person on the side of the road with unprecedented access to services that they have never had before along with the peace of mind knowing that help is on the way.

GPS Interface

The most valuable physical asset a towing company has is its fleet of trucks and equipment.  Each truck constitutes a significant financial investment, as well as being a rolling advertisement for the company at all times while on the road.  Many companies have chosen to protect that investment by installing GPS devices in their trucks.  These devices can be hard-wired, or in some cases can be plugged into the vehicle’s OBDII port as a ‘plug-n-play’ solution.  These devices can often be purchased for relatively small investments.

The GPS device is only half of the story.  The other half is the software interface designed around the device.  What good is knowing the lat/long of a truck if you don’t know where that is on a map?  A good GPS system relies on software that is engineered to support the user and the business that they are in.  The BudgetGPS system is a vehicle and fleet tracking solution that can be used by any industry, but is specifically tuned to support the towing industry. BudgetGPS integrates with the TOPScma system and the TOPS software to offer a true visual dispatching tool, where users are able to view current vehicle locations, unassigned pickup and drop-off locations – all on the same map. Icons are color coded allowing for a visual picture of calls in-process and those that are clearing. Knowing this information can save time, and time is money. Additionally, users are able to monitor ETA’s based on mapping calculations of drive time between the truck and pickup locations.  The BudgetGPS system also allows for dispatching the closest truck to the breakdown, by using the ETA of each available truck and its proximity to the incident location.  This feature is becoming the option of choice for law enforcement agencies, as it has shown time and time again to provide the lowest ETAs, and the streets are cleared the quickest.

BudgetGPS delivers a full set of features for a single low price. These include things like Live Map with 20-second vehicle updates and live Google traffic for both the map and satellite views, a historical breadcrumb view with 6 months of history, Alerts and Monitoring for PTO, GeoFence, Ignition, and Speeding. Reports include Driver Distance, State Mileage, Stops, Speeding and more.

About towXchange

TXI Systems, Inc. dba towXchange markets and sells towing management products under the brand name of TOPSÂŽ. The TOPSÂŽ suite of products is deployed to private tow operators, municipalities and law enforcement. TOPSÂŽ software tools support towing dispatch, freeway service patrol, impound lot management, private property towing and more with efficiency, transparency, and accountability in mind. BudgetGPS fleet tracking is also marketed to the towing industry and offers a full-service fleet tracking tool with includes a visual dispatching integration with TOPSÂŽ. Let TXI Systems customize a solution for you today!

For more information or to schedule a demonstration, please call 866-800-8677 Opt 2 or visit our websites – TOPSÂŽ –  www.towxchange.net  BudgetGPS – www.budgetgps.com.

TOPSÂŽ is a Registered Trademark of TXI Systems, Inc.

Jerr-Dan New Multi-Car Carrier

By
Darian Weaver
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Jerr-Dan’s current multi-car carrier – which was built on a 7.5-ton single/tandem axle subframe – is being replaced by an 8.5-ton frame. This makes Jerr-Dan the first in the industry to offer a low profile (XLP) three-car carrier with a fourth car option on this level of frame capacity.

Mounting the three-car carrier to a larger subframe offers additional benefits, such as:

  • Reducing the carrier deck off the top of the frame height by two inches
  • Lowering the center of gravity of the load for more stability
  • Providing an additional one-ton structural capacity
  • Reducing the main deck height to allow for transport of taller loads, making navigation under bridges and through tunnels more efficient
  • Delivering easier access to the lower deck for tasks such as securing tie-downs

 

“Our new multi-car carrier delivers a more innovative product at the same investment level as our original design,” said Mike VanAken, director of product management and marketing at Jerr-Dan. “This new carrier has the high-quality features of our 7.5-ton carrier including an optional wheel lift system that can transport up to four cars.”

Jerr-Dan’s new multi-car carrier is backed by its 1/3/5 XLP product warranty, which includes one-year full coverage, three-year hydraulic coverage and five-year structural coverage.

To learn more about the new carrier, visit www.jerrdan.com/equipment/carriers/multi-car.

The “Custom Built” Difference: The Perfect-Fit Truck

By
Darian Weaver
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Need-Driven Beginnings

Derek Dangelo started Custom Built Manufacturing, LLC (Custom Built) in 2006 as a small town, American-built, heavy-duty wrecker manufacturer. The reason he launched Custom Built was that in his 30 plus years of experience in running an autobody shop and his 30 years working in the towing business, he saw a clear equipment gap across the towing industry. As a tower himself, he needed a heavy-duty tow truck that was built to handle the jobs that he was getting calls on, so he decided to build them himself. He started with old 750’s and converted them to hydraulics configuring them to the exact specifications of what he needed for the jobs he was doing.

Now, he wasn’t the only tower that needed a perfect-fit truck. Towers nationwide were needing tow trucks capable of hauling anywhere from 20 tons to 80 tons.  To make sure his truck matches a customer’s need, he gives the customer free reign on the layout as he walks together with them on it based off CAD CAM (computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing). He focuses on their needs for exact specification of storage sizing.   Consequently, because of the wide range of need from truck size to varying equipment on the trucks, Custom Built has responded by offering many options on builds from an integrated 15-ton unit to a 60-ton rotator.  So, in summary, why did Dereck start Custom Built Manufacturing? He simply built for others what he made for himself—custom-tailored heavy-duty tow trucks built to handle the varying heavy load sizes.

Multiplying Growth and Success

Because Custom Built has experienced such a success from the high demand of towers being able to specific order their trucks to meet their ever-changing needs as a company, the company needed a new home.  Custom Built now has a new 300,000 square-foot facility. They have tripled the assembly department in size and quadrupled their over-all space.  Also, they have doubled their work force and, therefore, doubled their truck production from 20 in 2017 to 40 trucks in 2018.

Perfect-fit trucks is a major reason for Derek Dangelo’s success in the truck manufacturing business, but there is more.  Even though he is driven to constantly innovate, he is a down-to-earth family man who takes time to enjoy life.  Family is important to him like it is to the towers he sells to.  His son works in the business and runs the assembly plant, and his daughter and daughter-in-law work in the office. Custom Built is a small town, family-run business built with grassroots American pride and integrity.  Now life is more than just the year’s quota of sold trucks or the company’s financial bottom line.  Derek works hard and enjoys life. He likes to smoke a good cigar. He enjoys taking road trips on his motorcycles, his Harley Electra Glide and his Softail Springer. So, the best of all worlds for Derek then would be to smoke a good cigar while riding his motorcycle down the road!  He equally enjoys taking out the RV with the family on trips valuing the time he has with them.  In addition to a perfect-fit truck and a core value of enjoying life, what more does Custom Built offer to the potential buyer? Customer Built Mfg. offers a more user-friendly truck when it comes to maintenance and repair, intuitive safety design, and a superior warranty.

User-Friendly Maintenance and Repair

Custom Built builds trucks to be worked on, so everything is made to be accessible and easy to work on. You see a lot of cars and trucks that are nearly impossible to work on, and you know immediately that an engineer laid them out, not a mechanic.  Custom Built designs all our equipment with service in mind, so that your moneymaker can stay on the road not tied up in a shop.

Intuitive Safety

Safety begins with design, so Custom Built first looks where the danger areas are for the towers. They then layout the truck around two things: they place the towing and recovery tools on the left side of the truck and then place the controls on the right side where the operator will be standing away from traffic. Their goal is balance between keeping the tower safe and keeping the job work efficient.  Another way they enhance safety by design is by providing extra lighting on the truck and reflectives on both the truck and toolboxes which signal on-coming drivers to move over without being too over-the-top which would distract drivers causing them to drift toward the trucks.

Superior Warranty

When a company has a quality product tailored to the customer’s day-to-day need that is not only safe, but cost effective, there should be no hesitation in providing a warranty that says the same.  That is the very reason Customer Built stands behind their trucks by providing the best coverage in the industry–a 10-year structural warranty.  Also, they want everyone who buys from them to know that every truck is 100% built in America; each is built with integrity, are affordable, and are backed by excellent customer service.

Satisfied Customers

You don’t have to just consider what Custom Built says about their company, hear what several satisfied Custom Built owners have to say about the “‘Custom Built’ difference”:

“Yes, Derick and Nick are great people who stand behind their product. I had an issue with my California spec’d CBR40/50, and they corrected the issue immediately. I will definitely buy my next rotator from them.”

“I would like to share a little information on this business and the people who run it. First off, they have answered my questions and concerns day and night even on the weekend. They are a great bunch of people to deal with!   10-year warranty, I total believe it! I had a small miss hap, so I called them to see if the body panels were all the same and asked what the cost would be. Guess what! There was no charge, they sent them out at their expense!! I have always owned trucks from other manufacturers, but never got this kind of service. Keep up the good work!”

“Derek is a true straight shooter, which, as we all know, is hard to find in business these days. He builds both an excellent product that is second to none, while doing it at an economical price. The CB30HD he built for us is a true beast. He will walk you through the building process from start to finish, and even point you in the right direction on where to find a good used chassis to put one of his units on. My wife (and business partner) and I intend on either buying another one of his products that has been previously used or having him build us another truck when we are ready to expand our business again. Keep up the good work, Derek!”

“Great products, great people, and great workmanship, they stand behind their product 100%.”

“Nick and Derek are awesome; don’t think you’ll find anyone else in the business who cares more about their customers than they do.”

Drivers for the Future

By
Darian Weaver
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As I mentioned in last month’s article, I talked about finding tow truck drivers for the future.  We all know our industry is short of drivers, and it’s time to fix the problem.  I met with several tow company owners last week, and we talked at length about how to find drivers.

KEY QUESTIONS

I want to build a tech school for drivers and teach them our industry.  When I mentioned the school, we all agreed a school was needed.  The discussion was around the following key questions:

  1. How long should the course be?
  2. What material should be taught?
  3. Where can we find instructors?
  4. Where can we find students?
  5. Who will pay for the class?

RELEVANT COURSE CONTENT

I can’t begin to tell you about all the side discussions this generated, so I’ll share with you my idea about the school.  I wanted it to be thorough and cover all the topics of our industry.  I felt the course should run 8 weeks, and we cover things like:

  1. The different types of tows: police tows, repossessions, private property, motor clubs, body shops, consumer, and others
  2. The different types of trucks
  3. The requirements and equipment necessary to perform each type of tow
  4. The financial aspects of the business: expenses associated with each truck like gas and insurance, the cost of running a company, the value of the equipment for which they will be responsible
  5. The maintenance required for each truck and the importance of performing it consistently and proactively
  6. Dispatch’s role with each tow
  7. The importance of effective communication
  8. Customer relations: how to conduct themselves around customers, and the importance of personal appearance and how both relate to customer satisfaction.
  9. Safety for the customer, the driver, and others around the towing event.

COURSE STRUCTURE

I am meeting with Collin County Community college next week to see what it would take to establish a certified program for future towers.  If we go through the college, we can provide the college with the materials and let them do the classroom training.  There would be a classroom setting for only the 1st week.  During weeks 2-5, there would be class for half a day and then a “hands on” for the other half.  We have the location for the school, and it is a remote storage facility that can easily be turned into a classroom with plenty of vehicles to play with and room to have as many trucks as possible.  Potential drivers would spend week 6 at the storage yard learning about all the paperwork necessary to do a tow and how to properly store and secure the car.  Make cleaning up the yard part of their training.  For the last week, they can work in a truck with a local company and earn a paycheck.

INSTRUCTORS

Who should the instructors be?

  1. For the class, we should use the college instructors
  2. When they attend the part of the class that at the tow yard, we could experience drivers for tow companies all over the U.S. A company could send a driver to teach, pay their expenses, and you get the 1st pick of a student graduating from the class.
  3. We could bring WreckMaster or any other certified instructor and let them teach.

If you are sending one of your drivers to teach, that could be a big perk for them and another patch they can wear showing the industry that they are a professor of towing.

POTENTIAL STUDENTS

Then there are the students that attend a class.  Here are some ideas about finding future drivers:

  1. Former military
  2. People being released from prison
  3. Prospects from tow companies
  4. Other organizations that are trying to do job placement

FUNDING

The big question is where we get the money to pay for all of this.   I’m sure there are some types of grants from the government.  I know there are government agencies paying to place people in jobs.  We asked tow companies in Texas if they would pay for a driver and they were not excited to do that.

This was my approach.  It would take a while to set up, but all the major pieces are in place.  We opened the meeting up to get more input from other tow companies.  They all agree that we need to start training tow truck drivers for the future.  One company said let’s give them the TDLR test, help them pass it, then let the tow company that hires them, train them.  TDLR is a state agency that requires all tow truck drivers in Texas take a test before they get in a truck.

TRAINING YOUR OWN

If you train your own drivers (and I would do that when I had my company), they would learn all the good and bad habits of the driver that taught them.  I also found that the teaching driver would make sure the new driver would not learn more than he or she knew.  You know how drivers can be.  The problem we have is we all need drivers now, and we want to rush to get them in a truck.  One company suggested a week of “hands on” and then let them drive with another until the driver was ready.  If I talked to ten different companies, I would get ten different ways to do this, but at the end of the day, we will start developing good drivers.

READER INPUT

Give me your ideas?

Please answer the following questions and send them to Dan@towtrax.net:

  1. How long should the course be?
  2. What material should be taught?
  3. Where can we find instructors?
  4. Where can we find students?
  5. Who will pay for the class?

Let’s work together and build a strong future for the industry.

WreckMasterU – Online Leveled Courses, Tutorials, Safety Meetings and Videos.

By
Darian Weaver
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For almost three decades, WreckMaster has been working towards creating a safer, more efficient and better compensated towing and recovery industry. Through hands-on training, mentorship and certification, we have reached over 40,000 towers since 1991. Today, we host hundreds of classes and train thousands of students every single year.

While WreckMaster has grown into the industry’s leading training authority, we still found that access to training and education was an issue facing our industry. Not everyone can afford the time to attend a hands-on training class, or maybe there is no class in your area. We wanted to find a way to make our training and principles available to anyone, anytime. That’s why we created WreckMasterU.

WreckMasterU is our online training platform, offering the same WreckMaster insights and expertise, but accessible at your own pace and convenience. We made our online courses easy to understand, navigate and interact with by adding instructor-lead video lessons and engaging visuals. We also made sure that all of our courses are mobile friendly, so you can truly access them anywhere or at any time.

WreckMasterU features four key types of online learning courses: Online Leveled Courses, Tutorials, Safety Meetings and Videos.

Online Leveled Courses give you the same WreckMaster experience you would receive in a WreckMaster hands-on classroom, all in an easy to navigate online course. This also includes our online exclusive entry-level training program, Level 1: Essentials, the perfect course for training new hires or for individuals looking to get into the towing industry.

Tutorials are online courses designed to expand your knowledge while about the most in-depth specialty topics in the towing and recovery industry.

Safety Meetings are designed to do exactly what the name suggests: keep you safe. Learn how to better protect yourself and those around you. We recommend doing these course in groups and discussing how you and your company can do more to stay safe.

Videos will teach you the ins-and-outs of some of towing’s most advanced techniques with detailed how-to’s and insights from WreckMaster staff.

Every course can be purchased individually, or our Online Leveled Courses can be purchased in a Bundle with a certification exam while our library of Tutorials, Safety Meetings and Videos can be accessed through a Monthly Subscription.

WreckMasterU – Towing training on your schedule.

Not sure online training is right for you? Why not try it and find out? Create an account on WreckMaster.com and you’ll get their Car Carrier Basics Tutorial absolutely free.

Are You Allergic to Training?

By
Darian Weaver
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It’s time to be honest with yourself.  Are you or your lead drivers allergic to training? Are you afraid you’ll learn something or attend a course, class, or school where someone knows more than you on a given subject?  I’m not trying to call you out or call you a “chicken” or a “coward.”  I’m trying to get you to see past a common feeling in our industry in order to protect yourself, your business, and your employees.

I’ve trained thousands of people in my career, starting with being a section leader in high school band to several types of instructor duty in the military to passing on what I’ve learned in 33 years in towing and trucking.  This isn’t about me, though.  This is about you.  Please allow me to tell you there are three main types of people when it comes to formal or informal training:

The Eager Learner

The first type is eager to learn something new, challenges themselves to learn something new every day and jumps on any opportunity they get to attend a course or class.  They’re like a sponge and soak up everything that’s thrown at them and take that info back to work with them, passing it on to coworkers and using it in their daily work.

The Reluctant Learner

The second is the person who reluctantly attends training courses, even if the boss is footing the bill, covering travel, meals, and hotel.  The person gets to meet with others in the industry and have a mini-vacation away from the ringing phone and 24-hour call.  They may be reluctant, but they attend, learn and retain, and it makes them better at their jobs.

The Unteachable

The last one is one I’ve seen in many owners, managers, and especially those with huge egos and insecurity issues.  You can’t teach them anything because they already know everything, and anything presented to them that challenges their ignorance is just “stupid” and “unnecessary.”  The truth is that their knowledge is limited to what they learned early in their careers, which may be a pretty small bit of information, and their ego and insecurities won’t allow them to admit they may not know something.  So, training is “stupid” and a “waste of time.”  And you know, with an attitude like that, they’re absolutely right.  In fact, as a trainer, I’d rather slide down a mile-long, rusty, razor blade and then into a pool of alcohol than deal with one of these “know-it-alls.”

The problem is that training IS necessary for initial certifications, for each time you learn something new and want to pass it on, for recurring training requirements, and for promoting someone into a new role.  Training in our industry is remarkably inexpensive, compared to initial and recurring training in most other career fields.  The next time you’re in a major car dealership, ask the service manager what it costs him or her to maintain the training requirements for each automotive technician.  The manufacturers help a little, but the dealership bears the brunt of the cost.  It’s quite staggering.  In fact, for what a dealership pays to maintain yearly training on an “A Tech,” you could send one of your people to every level of Wreckmaster and have money left over.

As many of you know, I do expert witness investigations, formal reporting, and court testimony in towing and trucking liability cases.  Training is the NUMBER ONE problem that gets companies hooked up in the legal world: lack of training, lack of documentation, lack of general knowledge.  If one of your people makes a mistake, and they’ve never been formally trained by you or anyone else, and you have no documentation to show for it, then your company is liable-period!  If one of your drivers is negligent and violates your policies, and HAS been trained and the training is documented, 99% of the time, your company doesn’t get whacked.  Pardon me for using normal-language terms, but I’m not a lawyer.  I don’t even play one on TV.

Training is simple.  Gather your people, tell them what you need them to do and how to do it.  Work with them one-on-one to make sure your communication is working.  Then document it.  Documentation doesn’t have to be some colorful, expensive certificate.  It can just be a Word document with the date, location, training subject, who attended, who taught, and everyone’s signatures.  If you want help with documentation, then you can use one of the many resources we have available for formal training.

Either way, remember, throwing someone the keys and pointing to the truck is NOT training, hurts your equipment, hurts your employees, and gets you sued.  Ask yourself: Can I afford to write a $200,000 check?  Speaking of checks, check your ego and insecurities.  It really is ok if you don’t know everything.

APTO and TRAO Join Forces To Form New Joint Committee

By
Darian Weaver
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The Board of Directors for the Towing & Recovery Association of Ohio (TRAO) and the Association of Professional Towers – Ohio (APTO) have announced the first joint effort between the two associations that will focus on the industry’s legislative and regulatory efforts.  The two associations have formed the Ohio Towing and Recovery Legislative Committee (OTRLC), a leadership committee made up of both TRAO and APTO members that will work together to manage government relations, legislative and regulatory issues, and communications on behalf of both associations.

Both groups agreed that working together is a big win for the entire Ohio towing and recovery industry. Two associations with different agendas and messages working with legislators is not productive, nor in the best interest of the industry.  To address the problem, APTO and TRAO have agreed to work together for the betterment of everyone in the industry.  Dave Clark, United Towing and APTO Board Chair stated: “Both groups understand the significance of working for the industry with one voice.  The times are changing, our businesses are changing, and it only makes sense that the towing industry is united and has a seat at the table in Columbus to better the industry in the future”.  Tug Brock, Auto Works, Inc. and President of TRAO said: “The issues we are dealing with as an industry impact everyone. The OTRLC is a strong step forward showing unity in the towing and recovery industry when it comes to protecting and defending our businesses.  The best way forward is together and to do what is best for everyone in the industry”.

The OTRLC will focus exclusively on legislative/regulatory issues and lobbying the Ohio General Assembly and Executive Branch representing a unified front for the towing and recovery industry for the first time in years.  TRAO and APTO signed a contract with Shumaker Advisors’ Joe Hollabaugh and Andy Herf to serve as the joint-effort’s lobbyists and they will represent both organizations through the Ohio Towing and Recovery Legislative Committee.  The OTRLC will begin work immediately, continuing to push for positive legislation the rest of this year and will start working on longer term goals protecting your business, and the value of your business, in the future.

We are very happy to announce that both associations will be working together to face the challenges that are unique to the towing and recovery industry.  Please stay tuned for industry updates as the OTRLC begins its work and do not hesitate to contact TRAO or APTO leadership if you would like to participate with the committee moving forward.

Towing Company Supports Fallen Hero

By
Darian Weaver
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Cleveland (Liberty County), Texas – Although rain wasn’t in the forecast, it is seemingly appropriate that a light rain began falling just before the procession began and subsided just afterwards. Liberty County Sheriff’s Deputy, Richard Whitten, was laid to rest today, and the attendance and participation in his funeral and procession was nothing short of staggering; it was a truly humbling experience to witness.

Deputy Whitten was shot in the neck last year by a murder suspect during an incident in Cleveland, a small town northwest of Houston. He was recovering well in the rehabilitation process according to medical personnel, but then suffered a heart attack during physical therapy last week. Deputy Whitten was just named “Officer of the Year” by the Houston Area 100 Club. He left behind his wife and two children.

The incredible turnout for this procession brought in law enforcement personnel from all over the state of Texas and some from as far away as Louisiana.  Another remarkable factor was the droves of people lining the street and blocking traffic from several fire departments and two county towing companies.

While observing the procession involving well over 500 emergency responder and private vehicles, I spoke with Dale Fowler of Smith Towing. Dale is retired Army and has worked with Smith Towing for about 3 years.  His words proved to me exactly what Deputy Whitten meant to him and his company, as well as what type of deputy and man Richard Whitten was.

When I asked Dale what this meant to him, his reply was straight-forward, as I’d expect from a Texan and veteran: “We all washed our trucks and came out today to honor this man,” Fowler began. “Deputy Whitten was a great guy – he worked with us really well and would drop by our shop and shoot the breeze with us and give us a hard time–we lost a good man!”

The rain was appropriate, and we can thank the Lord for it.  There are tears being shed for an outstanding deputy, husband, father, and first responder today, and those tears are spread throughout the first responder community in Liberty County.

Ranger SST Driver Commissions – Supercharged

By
Darian Weaver
-

Ranger has launched advanced capabilities to make it easier to customize driver commissions – including automatic calculation and reporting. The flexibility in the new design structure includes:

  • Commissions by “Job” (work completed), and by “Driver” – adders specific to one or more drivers (e.g., skills, tenure)
  • Options for percentage and fixed dollar amount Job commissions
  • Differentiation of rate structures (percentages and set amounts) by shift by day of the week (e.g., a higher commission for weekends, and/or the  second shift on Sunday)
  • Customization for individual Extras – using percentages (e.g., lower rate for safety flares),  or using a set dollar amount (batteries at $20 regardless of battery cost), and exclusions (e.g., tolls, permits)

Ranger SST – advanced technology for superior performance

Call for more information 440.498.1495 Or visit: https://info.rangersst.com/

Increasing Profitability Through Driver Accountability

By
Darian Weaver
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For any company with a fleet of light- or medium-duty vehicles from service contractors to vendors and those in the transportation industry, increasing profitability often comes down to fostering an environment of greater employee accountability.

The concept of accountability is defined as “the obligation of an individual to account for his/her activities, accept responsibility for them and to disclose the results in a transparent manner.”  Implied in this definition is the ability to verify tasks are completed as expected, on time, efficiently, and per company policy.  For fleet managers, this can only be accomplished through real-time GPS tracking devices on all vehicles.

Accountability: Discovering What the Driver is Doing Right

After all, it is well established that drivers that know they are being monitored by such systems are less likely to make unnecessary detours or stops for personal reasons, may avoid spending unnecessary time at job sites, and/or avoid idling the engine while filling out paperwork in the vehicle.  But accountability is not about discovering what a driver is doing “wrong,” as much as it is about discovering what the driver is doing right.  Through GPS tracking, drivers can take more ownership for their jobs, have more clarity of tasks and results, can self-correct, improve, and do not have to be micromanaged. 

Even well-intentioned drivers may discover that there are areas of improvement and efficiencies that could make them more productive.  There are also indirect benefits as well.  When all drivers are monitored, those not pulling their weight are more easily identified so faster, more productive employees do not have to pick up the slack with extra deliveries or service visits.  Finally, with greater accountability, higher performing employees are more likely to be recognized and rewarded (raises anyone?) based on verifiable performance.

So, with a host of benefits for the employee, fleet managers that have avoided the “leap” to GPS tracking are missing out on a win/win scenario.  After all, more accountable drivers lead to greater efficiency overall, which means increased profits.  It’s an argument that is hard to deny, particularly as GPS tracking continues to improve while the cost of entry plummets.

Greater Routing Efficiencies and Higher Driver Standards

Although GPS trackers have been around for some time, advances in the technology allows for more real-time tracking and simplified reporting.  Fleet managers, after all, don’t want to spend all day on their computers sifting through complex analytical data.  Instead, they want simplified, easy to read reports that summarize what they need to know.  Fortunately, such systems exist today and at rates less than $20 per vehicle.

The advanced units today allow real-time and historical tracking of each vehicle in a fleet.  This allows dispatchers to assign the closest vehicle to a job, which expedites the service work or delivery and saves gas, labor, and vehicle wear-and-tear.  It also allows historical routing analysis, which enables even greater routing efficiencies to be determined on an individual or fleet-wide basis.

However, the greatest improvements in fleet management occur when GPS tracking devices are used to hold drivers to a clear, unbiased standard to encourage better performance for the company and themselves.

As an example, when Reilly Construction & Development implemented their first GPS tracking system last year, the Vero Beach, Fla.-based residential and commercial construction company benefited from significant productivity gains and operational efficiencies.  The construction company has installed Shadow Tracker Vision III GPS tracking devices from Advanced Tracking Technologies (ATTI), a Houston, Texas-based designer and manufacturer of GPS tracking products, on two of their construction trucks. 

Real-Time GPS Tracking Updating Every 10-Seconds

Compared with typical GPS tracking devices that may only update every few minutes,the device provides real-time location updates every 10-seconds, as well as location, speed, and idle time alerts if something is amiss.  This data is transmitted via satellite and cellular networks to a smartphone or PC on a 24/7 basis.  With such accountability for how every minute of each day is spent, employees know they are always “on the clock.”  This helps to eliminate frivolous or unnecessary stops during the workday, and decreases wasted time during a stop. 

“Now we know exactly where our vehicles and drivers are in real time,” says Sharon Arnold, Office and Assistant Project Manager at Reilly Construction & Development.  “We can spot check our drivers to make sure they are where they are supposed to be and not at unauthorized places because some people will take advantage. That has saved us a few thousand dollars in salary alone.  The system more than pays for itself in enhanced productivity.”

On the plus side for employees, the use of such GPS tracking systems helps verify on-time arrival at customer sites.  And automated reporting such as that provided by the ATTI system can virtually eliminate the reporting burden for employee and employer with respect to driving logs.  Automated exception reporting can also flag potential issues that need to be corrected, such as excess vehicle mileage or idling. “We are trying to work smarter, not harder,” says Arnold.  “We are trying to make things simple and straight forward.  With everything out in the open, people know what to expect.”

Enhanced Profitability and Reduced Costs

Once drivers and the work crew know they are accountable for their actions, it is amazing how much more they will accomplish.  Using such an approach with advanced GPS tracking commonly improves productivity 10-20 percent while reducing fuel costs 10-15 percent, as drivers start to pay attention to their driving and work habits throughout the day.

Indiana-based Gordon Plumbing Inc., which offers services ranging from small fixes to remodeling and construction, currently uses ATTI’s GPS tracking system on 54 vehicles, and has used three different tracking systems over the last decade.  “The [ATTI] system not only expedites job dispatching but also enhances accountability and profitability while reducing costs,” says Shannon Allen, Gordon Plumbing Service Coordinator.

Allen points out that being able to access a vehicle’s position in real time means “our vehicles can reach customers very quickly when there are emergencies.”  She adds, “If our drivers on the job need help from a tech specialist, we can immediately find one in their area and dispatch them to that address.”  According to Allen, the system provides one link for all the covered vehicles.  “The GPS tracking system puts our vehicles on a map, so I can see all of them at once,” she says, noting that the view can be narrowed to any department or [geographic] area, as desired.  “It is so accurate that it lets me see exactly where a vehicle is parked.”

Because the GPS system is automated, reports are delivered without anyone having to open software.  In addition to the real-time views of the activity taking place, next day reports are delivered by email, documenting everything that happened the day before.  The reports can be customized, for example, to show how many drivers idled for more than 30 minutes or how many miles were put on a vehicle.

Allen emphasizes that the system can quickly spot driver habits that need correction, such as a driver stopping for 5 or 10 minutes between jobs several times a day.  “With the GPS system, we are able to notice and point out that even five to ten minutes stops between jobs each day adds up to a lot of lost productivity,” says Allen.  She concludes, however, that her drivers are quite used to the system and even appreciate it when it proves that they are getting to and doing their jobs as required.

For a free demo, visit https://www.advantrack.com/free-demo/. For more information, contact Advanced Tracking Technologies, 6001 Savoy Drive, Suite 301, Houston, TX 77036; visit www.advantrack.com; call 800-279-0035; email sales@advantrack.com.

Speed up Towing and Recovery Processes with Updated “Tow Buddy”

By
Darian Weaver
-

The original “Tow Buddy” debuted at the 2019 Florida Tow Show and was the talk of the show! Since then, the versatile Tow Buddy 2.0 was revealed!  Now tow not only bobtails and semi-trailers with your HD wrecker, but mount it on your rollback and tow other trailers such as camper trailers and goosenecks.  With the 2.0, you simply switch out the ‘heads’ to fit various trailers or use the ‘king pin’ head for a bobtail truck.

The original “Tow Buddy” is a HD wrecker 5th-wheel hitch with a kingpin.  It can easily be mounted on the wrecker’s wheel-lift crossbar in less than a minute.  Simply back the wrecker up with the Tow Buddy’s kingpin into the 5th wheel of a bobtail truck and the rear end of the truck can now be lifted. If necessary, attach axle chains to prevent axles from dropping and causing damage to air bags.  Also, depending on the situation, attach safety chains, towing lights, and a steering trap to the bobtail.  Most trucks can be ready to tow in 5-6 minutes.

Hard-to-tow trucks like car haulers and other low-to-the-ground trucks, large-axle trucks, and some of the new trucks with disc brakes are now easy to tow.  With the Tow Buddy 2.0, using the same mounting brackets, invert and mount the Tow-Buddy 2.0 tool bar on top of the wheel lift and switch out the head for the type of trailer you are pulling.  You can also mount a pintle hook to the Tow-Buddy 2.0.  For rollbacks, you simply use the tall mounting brackets to mount the Tow Buddy 2.0 on your wheel lift to tow 5th wheel trailers.

Although Tow Buddy 2.0 debuted it’s premier “Tow Buddy” product at the 2019 Florida Tow Show, owner Joey Castillow, a veteran of the tow industry, has invented several products over the years that, like Tow Buddy, help to speed up towing and recovery processes.   Since he developed the Tow Buddy in 2015, Joey has used the Tow Buddy in his Monroeville, Alabama business.

To order, get questions answered, watch for other helpful accessories, or see video of the Tow Buddy being  used, you can find Tow Buddy online at www.Tow-Buddy.com or call Joey at 251-714-0096.  Tow Buddy can also be seen on Facebook.

The Tow Buddy is simply the FASTEST and EASIEST way to tow a bobtail and trailers!

For more information, visit www.tow-buddy.com

FlowStop Products Tailored to Your Spill Response & Remediation Needs

By
Darian Weaver
-

“Spill Response and Remediation” became a service offered by Piedmont Environmental Response Team, “PERT,” in the early 90’s in Charlotte, NC.  The company was founded by Perry Beaty. Beaty Towing & Recovery responded to accident scenes only to be advised to stand down until the HazMat portion of the accident was complete. The only problem was getting a HazMat responder to arrive and do the necessary job.  After countless hours of stand-by time was experienced and vehicle owners or insurance companies not wanting to pay for stand-by time incurred by my towing company, I decided to handle the spill myself.

HAZWOPER Certification was a requirement to be permitted on a spill site along with the proper and necessary equipment. My response time was stellar no matter what time of day, so I found favor with the authorities. Calls for spill response were received for mishaps not only related to traffic accidents with storm drains being impacted by fuel releases requiring flushing out the storm drain pipes. 

There was not a functioning storm drain-pipe plug offered on the market that was impervious to fuels and chemicals. My design and development of an inflatable pipe plug became known and marketed as “FLOWSTOP.” This new creation was patented in 2004 and introduced in 2009 at the International Fire Chiefs HazMat Conference. 2013 brought the FlowStop Football containment plug on board soon to be joined by the FlowStop Golfball. Other products were assembled under the FlowStop product brand name and offered not only to the fire service but to the towing and recovery industry as well.

FlowStop Footballs and Golfballs

FlowStop Footballs and Golfballs have become a popular choice to those responding to different types of leaks, most notable diesel fuel. The sponge material of both the football and golfball are hosts that contains the barrier resin that activates when water is added and sets up rock solid when deployed in a puncture, split, or tear in a vessel within 3 minutes or less depending on the ambient temperature.

FlowStop’s product line is premier for quick, faster, better tools when roadside response is needed. Fuel tanks that sustain damage and leaks are candidates for containment plugs along with catch pools that can contain leaking fuel and then be reused after removing contents and decon procedures are undertaken. FlowStop offers pneumatic-operated transfer pumps which have fluid transfer rates of 46 GPM to 150 GPM. The three different style of pumps can handle all hydrocarbons, acids, and chemicals with necessary hoses and vac stingers.

FlowStop’s 1’’ Vac Pump Caddy

FlowStop’s 1’’ Vac Pump Caddy is cart mounted for efficient maneuverability with a mounted air regulator for pressure and moisture protection. Aluminum 1’’ Vac stingers of 48’’ and 30’’ are cart mounted along with an aluminum puddle wand. A poly toolbox is fixed mounted as well containing a 90 degree, 1’’ ELL,

2) 2’’ pressure plugs, poly screen mesh with wire ties as pipe filters to prevent trash intake. Each Vac pump unit is equipped with a 3/8’’ X 50’ air hose and four 25’ X 1’’ vac hoses compatible with the pump.

FlowStop’s Air Drill Kits

FlowStop’s Air drill kits which include hole saw bits of 2’’ and 4‘’ are used to allow entry into damaged saddle tanks, drums, and IBC’s.   Pressure plugs of 2’’ and 4’’ are included to seal any drilled holes to prevent residual fuel leaks. Cutting and tapping oil, pneumatic tool oil, infrared temp gun along with a 3/8’’ X 50’ air hose make the air drill kit convenient and complete unit.

FlowStop’s Cargo Tank Stingers

FlowStop’s Cargo tank stingers come standard with 8’ of reach, (1,3 ft. X 2’’ and 1) 5 ft. X 2’’ Aluminum Vac Stingers) with male and female cam locks known as EZ Links eliminate lever lock arms to enable the vac stinger assembly to fit through a 4’’ hole for accessibility to fluid contents. Both pipe stingers are stored in schedule 40 PVC pipes to prevent damage between uses and easy transport. A 90-degree ELL with sight glass housed in protective case for transport and storage is included. These stingers are highly recommended for use with the FlowStop 2’’ pump.

More Key FlowStop Products

Spill Kits that include wooden dowels and wedges are part of the offering.  Different configurations are available depending upon use.  FlowStop Dome lid clamps for fuel tankers and FlowStop Block Locks for chemical tank dome lids convex or concave styles are available. These tools assist when dealing with small leaks from dome lids in tanker overturn situations.  FlowStop offers a portable Decon Mat for light and minimum decontamination procedures for PPE and tools.  The FlowStop product line is the creation of a veteran of the towing and recovery industry profession as well as spill response.

For more information, visit www.flowstop.net

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