With 80 live cows inside, this must’ve been quite a recovery! Here’s the story from CTV Toronto:

Traffic along the westbound lanes of Highway 401 was flowing against after an overturned transport truck carrying live cattle slowed it to a crawl throughout the day.

OPP Const. Graham Williamson said a transport truck was going westbound on the highway when it rolled over near Keele Street at about 9:15 a.m.

About 80 cows were trapped inside the overturned container through the afternoon as road crews used heavy tow trucks in their attempt to right the vehicle.

Williamson said 47 healthy cows had been removed through a hole in the container and transported to their destination.

They will be inspected when they arrive, he said.

Some of the cows injured in the rollover were euthanized.

The 30-year-old driver was not injured and faces charges stemming from careless driving. Williamson said speed was a factor.

He said the vehicle may have been driving too fast as it merged from collector lanes onto the expressway.

Earlier this month, a tractor-trailer containing about 250 pigs overturned on Hwy. 427. About 80 of the pigs were killed in the accident.

The driver in that case was charged with careless driving.

The post Holy Cow! Now That’s A Recovery! appeared first on .

Here’s the story from the Toronto Sun:

A tow truck driver is being credited with saving the life of a young man as he bled out next to a Vaughan road.

Brad Gewarges was riding in the back of his buddy’s car, heading west on Hwy. 7, when it was hit by an eastbound vehicle that was turning south onto Marycroft Ave., just east of Pine Valley Dr. at 5 p.m. last Friday.

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The 24-year-old man was ejected from the car, sending his head into a curb before he landed on a grassy area.

“I’ve never seen an accident like that in my life,” said tow truck driver Rob Mileto who was pumping gas across the street when he heard two bangs he said “sounded like a bomb hit Woodbridge.”

“It looked like a horror show. His blood was gushing out of his head like a water hose,” Mileto said.

Mileto, who is running for Vaughan council in Ward 3, grabbed whatever cloth and bandage he could find in his first-aid kit and wrapped up Gewarges’ head until he looked “like a mummy,” he said.

“(Paramedics) said if it wasn’t for him that my brother would have either died from choking on his own blood or he would have bled to death or he would have been paralyzed just laying there,” Simona Gewarges said, speaking for her sibling who couldn’t answer questions because of his head injury.

According to Mileto, this sort of behaviour is nothing new.

“This is the 13th life I’ve saved from 1993 until now,” he said. “I feel good. I do it every day, all the time … that’s my job.”

In 1996, Mileto was profiled in the Sun for helping firefighters lift an overturned vehicle to free an elderly driver.

His campaign website reads: “A HERO for Ward 3.”

Two days in hospital and 19 staples-to-the-head later, Gewarges was released and, aside from memory problems, is expected to recover, his sister said.

His cousin who was riding in the front passenger seat suffered a concussion, while the friend who was driving lost part of his ear, she said.

York Regional Police allege the crash was the friend’s fault, charging the 28-year-old with careless driving, failing to properly wear a seat belt and failing to surrender his insurance card, Const. Rebecca Boyd said.

And while Gewarges may not remember the moments before he was ejected, police pieced this much together: He wasn’t wearing his seat belt.

From Footnotes TowBlog: Towing News Around The Web
(www.thetowblog.com)
Posted by Cyndi Kight, Associate Editor of Towing and Recovery Footnotes

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Here’s the story from www.tricities.com:

MARION, Va. – Everything changed for tow truck operators six years ago.

The industry used to be a relatively unregulated process of hook ‘em up and haul ‘em out. But that began to unravel the night a Northern Virginia lawyer’s car was towed from a private lot with a warning sign obscured by tall bushes.

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Angered, he pored through state law to find that nothing covered hidden signs, or much else. So, he fired off a letter of disgust and legal insight to a state senator.

“It turns out … it’s a hot topic with a lot of people,” former senator Jay O’Brien, of Clifton, said of the furor that followed.

For the two years after he received the letter, O’Brien’s life was a mosaic of research, public meetings and rewording state code.

Now, tow truck operators throughout Virginia must have a license to haul cars from accidents, private lots or breakdowns. Simply put, if the tow operator gets paid for the haul, then he needs to be licensed. Additionally, individual drivers must obtain tow truck driver authorization documents.

The tow truck operator also must put a licensing sticker on every truck.

Those regulations, and the operations of tow companies, are governed by a new state body, the Board of Towing and Recovery Operators. Created in 2006, the board is tasked with dispensing the operator’s licenses, tow driver’s authorizations and truck stickers; testing operators on the laws of the profession, a requirement for all new drivers; rummaging through criminal backgrounds; and fielding customer complaints.

“It’s an innocent thing that turned into something much bigger than I thought,” O’Brien said.

Like it or leave it

Roger Blevins, of Rogers Towing in Marion, needed a minute to think when asked how the new licensing laws have affected his profession. He hemmed and hawed as he weighed the drawbacks against the benefits.

On the negative side, he said, the licenses are pricey enough to bankrupt small companies.

“There was a couple of people … that it could put them under in time,” Blevins said of the licensing requirement, which began July 1, 2009.

That first year, the board authorized 1,474 operator’s licenses, approved 4,548 tow driver’s authorizations, and affixed decals to 4,275 trucks, according to the board’s 2009 annual report.

The operator’s licenses must be bought annually and run from $250 to $500 a company, depending on the number of trucks owned and their weight.

The individual tow driver’s authorizations cost $87 a year. The application comes with a $37 fee for a criminal background check. Additionally, every truck must sport a new licensing decal each year, costing $10 each. An extra $50 is added if the business owns three or more trucks, depending on the vehicle’s weight.

In its first year, the application and decal fees generated $1.12 million in revenue, according to the board’s 2009 annual report.

Before the licensing laws kicked in, wrecker companies only had to register their trucks each year with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

That’s still necessary, on top of the licensing.

Annual registration fees run from $80 to $1,328 a truck, depending on the weight of the tow truck and the average estimated weight of vehicles towed. There also is an annual $10 a truck bulk carrier fee going to the Virginia Operating Authority, which allows the truck to haul in the state.

Blevins also saw a silver lining in the expense incurred on his company by the new towing board – he had to expand his business to cover the fees.

“If anything, it probably helped my business because it convinced me to get on the state police [emergency dispatch] list and to join motor clubs,” Blevins said.

Not every tow operator could envision a positive spin.

Retired tow operator Dave Thomas, of auto repair company Marion Frame and Alignment, quit the wrecker business two weeks after the licensing law began.

“If you’ve been doing something for 26 years, and have been doing things the same way, would you want someone to come along and say you’ve got to have a license?” he said.

Thomas tried to tow wrecked cars without a license, but the towing board ordered him to stop, and had the sheriff’s department remove his company from the 911 rotation list.

Shock over the licensing requirements also erupted from the industry’s sidelines, where retired tow operators are voicing an opinion.

David Pickle, of David’s Auto Repair in Rural Retreat, misses the new faces he met and adventures he enjoyed during his nearly 20 years as a tow operator before retiring in 2003.

He’d consider jumping back in but, like Thomas, fears it’s a case of an old dog learning new tricks.

“I think it would be too much regulations to comply with,” Pickle said.

Still off the radar

Public safety tows, where vehicles are pulled from wrecks or other incidents involving police, are among the few areas left untouched by both the towing board and state law.

The issue is still left to local laws and police policies.

Smyth County, for example, doles the tow calls to wrecker companies based on a rotation list regulated by sheriff’s department policy.

In nearby Wytheville, the rotation list is controlled by a recently enacted ordinance that offers public safety calls to companies inside the town limits before looking to companies in the surrounding county.

Town officials created the new ordinance as an attempt to provide priority status to its in-town businesses while also whittling away at the time spent waiting for a wrecker.

“To have an officer on the side of the road waiting for 20 minutes was just too long,” Town Manager Wayne Sutherland said.

Initially, O’Brien’s state legislation mandated that the towing board decide which companies could answer 911 requests. Regulations were to be based mainly on the equipment in a company’s inventory.

But tow operators argued that the need for costly equipment could differ according to geography, population or whether the wreck is on a mountain road or in a big city.

“There was a view held by many that this particular regulation would be very onerous … to the mom-and-pops and the one- and two-truck businesses,” board Executive Director Marc Copeland said.

In 2009, O’Brien’s law was changed to prohibit the board from regulating public safety calls.

O’Brien, who left the Virginia General Assembly in 2007, did not know his provision on the public safety tow had been repealed until told by a reporter.

Still, he said, the connection between tow operators and emergency calls is a strong one.

“People often think of the first responder [as] the police, and the rescue squads,” O’Brien said. “But the tow operator sees it all, and has nightmares from it.”

Mandatory fees

To operate a tow truck business, the state requires:

* Tow operator’s business license: $250-$500.
* Tow truck driver authorization (each driver): $87.
* Criminal background check (each driver): $37.
* Authorization stickers (each truck): $10, with an extra $50 for an operator with three or more trucks.
* Motor vehicle registration (each truck): $80 to $1,328.
* Bulk carrier fee (each truck): $10.

From Footnotes TowBlog: Towing News Around The Web
(www.thetowblog.com)
Posted by Cyndi Kight, Associate Editor of Towing and Recovery Footnotes

The post Critics: VA Licensing Fees Can Drive Smaller Tow Companies Out Of Business appeared first on .

Here’s the press release:

During these troubling economic times, truckers are finding more reasons to buy and sell their trucks and trailers and to look for great prices on parts. TruckerToTrucker.com has emerged as America’s leading superstore for truckers and fleet owners who need to buy trucks and sell used trucks and dump trucks as well as purchase parts and supplies in a new report issued today by the company.

“Business is booming compared to last year,” said Jim McCormack, president of TruckerToTrucker.com, which will celebrate its seventh anniversary in December. “A lot of truckers are selling their rigs and we are picking up new dealers. Dealers are finding us to be great alternatives to expensive newspapers.”

By offering more value-added services and charging less for ads, TruckerToTrucker.com has built a loyal following.

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“We are a low-cost solution for people to sell vs. the papers,” continued McCormack. “Papers are very expensive. We do have a low ad price. It is only $19.95 and it is a one-time charge. People are always remarking, ‘Oh, what a bargain.’ With the economy bad like it is, people want to save money.”

Over last year, website traffic is up 25 percent based on unique visits. Listings are up 30 percent over last year, with 8,000 current listings for trucks and trailers. All sales are negotiated between the buyer and the seller.

Inventory is also moving faster than last year, with a 30-day average sell date compared to 60 days for last year, McCormack said.

“The prices are going up pretty fast here because none of the fleets have been buying trucks for the past three years. That’s putting a lot of demand in the late-model used market,” he said.

TruckerToTrucker.com has grown so quickly because it offers more services than competitors. For example, TruckerToTrucker.com:

* Has a better ad layout so vehicles are displayed properly with key information easy to find.
* Provides an easier navigation system for buyers to find the vehicle that is right for them fast.
* Helps write ads so customers get the best possible ad to promote their vehicle.

Unlike competitors, TruckerToTrucker.com offers one, all-inclusive fee for:

* 20 photos for each vehicle so buyers won’t wonder if anything is being left out.
* Links to YouTube videos so buyers can see the truck in action.
* Links to slide shows that can be sent via email so buyers can have all the information they need to make the buying decision.

Competitors either don’t offer these features, or they charge extra for them, McCormack said.

The company also offers additional services, including:

* Creating websites for truck dealers with a staff that understands the industry.
* Writing and producing newsletters for truck dealers who lack the time and expertise to do so themselves.

Owner operators can take advantage of special rates that TruckerToTrucker.com has negotiated with truck financing companies and commercial insurance companies.

The website has additional features, including a financing calculator so truckers can see how much a truck will actually cost and get their questions answered about truck financing and semi truck financing.

A blog offers useful information about the industry and products.

About TruckerToTrucker.com

Started in December of 2003, TruckerToTrucker.com’s mission is to give people a low-cost option to buy and sell equipment on the Internet.

“We saw an opportunity because there weren’t any low-cost providers,” McCormack said.

McCormack has a 25-year history in the food service industry, before becoming a web developer in 1998. He got the inspiration to start TruckerToTrucker.com after he made a website for a friend who sold semi-trailers.

For information, go to http://www.TruckerToTrucker.com.

From Footnotes TowBlog: Towing News Around The Web
(www.thetowblog.com)
Posted by Cyndi Kight, Associate Editor of Towing and Recovery Footnotes

The post New Truck Sales Site appeared first on .

Our condolences to the family and acquaintances of 67-year-old Julian Baugh who died on Oct. 29 from injuries sustained when his driverless truck ran over him. Here’s the story from The Gwinnett Daily Post:

From Footnotes TowBlog: Towing News Around The Web
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Posted by Cyndi Kight, Associate Editor of Towing and Recovery Footnotes

The post Sad News From GA appeared first on .

Our condolences to the family and acquaintances of 52-year-old Todd Bowers, owner of Bowers Towing of Godfrey, IL. He died unexpectedly on Oct. 21. Here’s the story from The Telegraph:

GODFREY – Todd Bowers went to his final resting place with dozens of his friends in tow.

Tow truck drivers from across the region rallied Tuesday for the final farewell to one of their own.

Bowers, the longtime operator of Bowers Towing, was remembered as a “family man” and “successful businessman” by those who knew him. The 52-year-old Godfrey man died Thursday of an apparent heart attack.

Starting about 10 a.m., the first tow truck, a heavy-duty boom truck, pulled into the yard of Bowers Towing, 6204 Godfrey Road. A few minutes later, another truck, a “roll-back,” pulled in.

A few minutes later came another and then another. Within 30 minutes, the yard was full of tow trucks from across the region.

The drivers got out of their rigs and gathered in clusters, waiting for the funeral procession of one of their own.

Family and friends filed into the sanctuary of St. Ambrose Church to pay their final respects. The pews were filled with those saying goodbye.

“Todd was an outstanding person,” the Rev. Steve Pohlman said. “As good as you get.”

Pohlman, who officiated at the service, said everyone had to trust that God took Bowers into safekeeping.

“We’ll see him again one day,” he said. “Our separation is not a permanent one, but a temporary one.”

He said even though Bowers was taken too early in life, it was part of God’s plan.

“There is no detour in dying and the expiration date only God can see,” Pohlman said.

Ruth Guntren, Todd’s mother, said her son both arrived and left this world early. She said her son was born two months premature and died too young.

Bowers took over the towing business in 1985 after his father, Nelson Bowers, died, also at a young age, 49. The Bowers Towing operation has offices in Godfrey and Wood River and operates around the clock.

Todd Bowers was a dedicated son, husband, father and grandfather. He earned his wings as an Eagle Scout, enjoyed cooking for others and had an affinity for BMX racing.

Bowers believed in giving back to his community. He served as a volunteer firefighter for more than 15 years with the Godfrey Fire Protection District and served as president of its board.

While hymns were sung and scriptures were read inside the church, diesel engines hummed as the drivers waited for the procession to pass by the towing company. Nearly three dozen tow trucks created an “honor guard” as the drivers headed south on Godfrey Road to St. Patrick’s Cemetery, where Bowers was laid to rest.

“It’s a sad day for the towing world,” said Steve Kainz, owner of Trickey’s Service Inc. in Wood River.

Kainz was asked to put together the tribute honoring a man “way too young to die.”

“Todd and I had known each other for a long time, and we kind of had this love/hate relationship,” he said. “I was floored and honored when I was asked to put together the procession.”

Kainz contacted towing companies within a 100-mile radius in both Illinois and Missouri to take part in the event.

“It was really impressive,” Kainz said. “So many people gave up their time. They really went above and beyond.”

cellis@thetelegraph.com

From Footnotes TowBlog: Towing News Around The Web
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Our condolences to the family and acquaintances of 38-year-old George Soriano who died yesterday in a tragic accident. Here’s the story from the Houston Chronicle:

Federal officials are investigating the death of a tow truck driver at a FedEx distribution center in south Houston.

The wrecker driver, 38, was killed shortly after 2 p.m. at the building in the 2700 block of Holly Hall, Houston police said.

The driver, identified by a family member at the scene as George Soriano, was towing a disabled FedEx delivery truck to the center when he was killed.

“It appears to be a tragic accident,” FedEx spokesman Jim McCluskey said from the company’s Memphis headquarters.

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FedEx officials offered condolences to the family and said they were cooperating with officials.

Soriano had four children by his first wife and three more with his second wife – of which two were his stepchildren, said his father-in-law Gilbert Lopez.

Soriano had been working with his father-in-law at another company with a Houston Safe Clear towing contract but recently joined another company because he was concerned about towing cars on busy highways.

“He called and said, ‘I don’t think I can handle it over there,’” Lopez said.

An investigator with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration was at the scene. OSHA officials later Tuesday could not be reached for comment.

mike.glenn@chron.com

From Footnotes TowBlog: Towing News Around The Web
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Posted by Cyndi Kight, Associate Editor of Towing and Recovery Footnotes

The post Sad News From TX appeared first on .

Tow boss Donny Burgess of Donny’s Towing in Silver Point, TN, takes down a criminal. Here’s the story from News Channel 5:

by Marcus Washington
SILVER POINT, Tenn. – A mid-state business owner caught a thief in the act and held him down until sheriff’s deputies arrived.
To some folks, Donny Burgess is a hero as he comes to the rescue of stranded drivers, but he never thought he would be his own hero.

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“A lot of stealing been going on around here,” said Burgess.
His towing company, Donny’s Towing, has been burglarized three times this year, so he decided to start stopping by to keep an eye on things and one day, he found the crooks in action.
“When I pulled up I (saw) a truck sitting right by the fence,” Burgess said.
Burgess says he saw 27- year-old Ryan Flatt climbing the barbed wire fence and that’s when he called 911.
“I went up here and looked in the back of his truck and I found some of my stuff and I (knew) something was going on then,” said Burgess.
Moments later Burgess said Flatt peeped around the opposite side of the building saying he “ran out of gas.”
“I told him to stay right here until I checked this out a bit further. There is something going on here and I don’t’ like it,” Burgess shared.
When he did that, Flatt made a run for the allegedly “out of gas” truck and tried to pull off.
Burgess said he ran after Flatt and the man reached in the moving truck.
“I just shoved it right up in park and jerked his keys out the truck and I pulled him out the truck,” Burgess said.”held him (Flatt) by his shirt collier up against the truck until the police officer got here.”
Two others, brothers Daniel and Shone Frazier, were also arrested in connection with the burglary. They may have gotten away from Donny, but not the law.
“If they decided not to run and fight, I would have had to take on three of them. I never thought about that. I was a little nervous, but this is mine. It ain’t much, but it’s mine,” Burgess added.
Donny said he has no regrets and if he had to do it again he would do the same thing.
Donny’s Towing was not the only place the three men stole from that night.
According to police reports, they stole parts from another company worth and estimated $10,000.
Donny sids what the hardest part of this is that the young man he caught is his friend’s son.
All three men are facing criminal theft charges and will appear in court before the end of the year.
Email: mwashington@newschannel5.com

From Footnotes TowBlog: Towing News Around The Web
(www.thetowblog.com)
Posted by Cyndi Kight, Associate Editor of Towing and Recovery Footnotes

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Here’s the press release:

On November 22, Allstate Insurance and Sterling Autobody hope to brighten the holidays for families and charities across the country with the donation of 30 newly refurbished automobiles. The vehicles, which will either be used by the receiving organization or given to an individual or family in need, will be provided in partnership with the National Auto Body Council’s (NABC) Recycled Rides Program.

“Our participation in the Recycled Rides Program is an extension of Allstate’s commitment to our local communities. These cars represent more than a way to get around, but a way to empower families and charities to accomplish simple tasks impossible without reliable transportation,” said Bill Daly, Allstate assistant vice president for auto claims.

Each vehicle was painstakingly refurbished by technicians at Sterling Autobody Centers, who spent significant time and effort to transform each car inside and out.

“Sterling is extremely proud to be part of the Recycled Rides program,” said Bob Benjamin, Sterling Autobody Centers vice president of operations. “We believe it’s important to give back to our local communities and Recycled Rides allows employees to use their time and talents to make a significant difference in the lives of many.”

The Recycled Rides program got its start five years ago following Hurricane Katrina. The collision repair industry as a whole responded to the needs of the many displaced individuals by offering employment, tools, equipment and in some cases, housing. The collision repair industry has since collaborated on a program to provide refurbished vehicles to people and organizations in need. Although the concept was initiated to help victims of Katrina, it has continued as a national program.  

Last year NABC members came together to give away approximately 80 vehicles just before the Thanksgiving holiday. This year, the organization hopes to nearly double that, with a goal of gifting 150 vehicles to families and non profit organizations.

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the “You’re In Good Hands With Allstate®” slogan, Allstate is reinventing protection and retirement to help more than 17 million households insure what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow. Consumers access Allstate insurance products (auto, home, life and retirement) and services through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives in the U.S. and Canada, as well as via www.allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate®.

Sterling Autobody was founded in 1997 with a mission to redefine the collision repair experience. With a commitment to providing safe, high-quality repairs, while returning the car to the customer as quickly as possible, we developed a unique repair process and began building our own state-of-the art facilities. In 2001, Allstate Non-Insurance Holdings purchased Sterling Autobody Centers to offer consumers the option of a superior automotive claims experience with guaranteed high-quality repairs. Sterling Autobody Centers now operates 63 vehicle repair facilities in 16 states, with a Store Support Center in Natick, Massachusetts.

From Footnotes TowBlog: Towing News Around The Web
(www.thetowblog.com)
Posted by Cyndi Kight, Associate Editor of Towing and Recovery Footnotes

The post Allstate/Sterling AutoBody Donate 30 Vehicles appeared first on .

Googleing for Business – Towing Guru Baltimore

November 24th, 2010 by admin

Tags: Business Presentations, Business Solutions, Business View, Googleing, Guru, Presents, towing
Posted in Towing News | No Comments »

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