Tow Trucks, Wreckers and Car Hauler Discussion

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HotRodPC

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I'm still trying to get county rotation here. One company pretty much controls police departments. I'm getting closer, but having trouble finding any good help. I can't run it all with just one other driver and I. I have enough equipment but not enough man power. I was hoping to get on to get some decent parts cars for a friends u pull yard and me some free Junkers. Plus police calls pay 3x what regular tows do in my area. I'm sure I could afford to eat just a few of need be

It's well known around here, to have the GOOD help, you pretty much need newer, nicer, modern equipment. Not always, but for the most part, all the good guys are working for companies that can afford to recycle their fleet about every 5 years. And there are some with older trucks but they've had good drivers in those trucks from the day the truck was new and it was well cared for. Not saying you have bad equipment, just saying when you do find a good guy, expect him to be picky. The good drivers tend to work for owners that will also spend some cash to put **** on the trucks that the driver wants, like chains, straps, snatch block, jump box etc.
 

ScottyB

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Passing on a LEO call isn't something we want to do, but it isn't always something we can get around. Even stopping to unload and scoot to the call I have situations where I would be over an hour out. Our coverage area is just that big. We don't always have someone available to back us up either. Much of the eastern part of our area we have no cell coverage so we can't even get the call if we are out there. There is an understanding where we are that this is just the way things are. We are on a couple rotations and the rotations are usually 2 companies rotating for a month and then a month off that rotation. We don't have the city and county on the same month typically. WSP and the smaller towns are a different story but everyone understands the realities. There are no "Big" tow companies out here. All the companies involved are running only a couple trucks at any given time. Of course, we are the smallest and most of the time just have 1 active truck with the possibility of a 2nd one in reserve. The guys handling Bellingham are a different story, but that is 30 miles away from us and so we wouldn't be looked at for rotation there.

Rules out here are you need to be rolling on their call within 15 minutes. With only a 2 company rotation it isn't like you miss much if you have to pass. Rules also say if there are multiple vehicles then they have to call multiple companies but that doesn't always happen. We had one accident last year that was 4 vehicles (car, minivan, Pickup and travel trailer) and we ended up getting all 4. That was a nice payday for the boss. Being really rural there are rules but they aren't hard and fast because those involved understand reality.
 

towjoe

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Yea I hope to get to point that I can upgrade equipment every few years. I am in process of upgrading my ford F450 rollback. Looking at a 2000 F550 crew cab rollback with a 19' alum bed and the 7.3. I work hard to try and keep up my older trucks. Several guys that I know that work for the competion tell me my older trucks are in better shape than there newer trucks. I also try to pay drivers on commition so they work hard to try and make me and them both a good wage
 

ScottyB

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Yea I hope to get to point that I can upgrade equipment every few years. I am in process of upgrading my ford F450 rollback. Looking at a 2000 F550 crew cab rollback with a 19' alum bed and the 7.3. I work hard to try and keep up my older trucks. Several guys that I know that work for the competion tell me my older trucks are in better shape than there newer trucks. I also try to pay drivers on commition so they work hard to try and make me and them both a good wage

I've been doing commercial driving of some sort or another for about 15 years. I've driven brand new equipment and I've driven old stuff. New is nice but I'm more concerned with how it is kept up. Older equipment is fine if it is well maintained. Where I am now, we have 2 rollbacks. One is a year old and it is what I drive most. The other is an 08 but is pretty well maintained. When the drivers seat started ripping out the boss had it reupholstered. All our trucks have some level of need, but that is the nature of the beast. Every one of our trucks does the job it is meant for. Our oldest truck is a 97 and still running strong.

It sounds like you keep your equipment well maintained and so age should be less of a concern. New equipment is fun but I've seen new equipment fail more often than well maintained used eqpuiment.
 

Stewzer55

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There is something to be said for older, familiar equipment that is well maintained, I DD what now is really and older vehicle being an 07 and I love it.
 

HotRodPC

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We have a guy here who started his own business the same way I'd start my own. He has older Ford F450 and F550 trucks. 3 of them. A F550 Convential with sling and under reach, and 2 rollbacks, a F450 and an F550. They are clean and neat with aluminum beds which I don't like, but good for Light Duty trucks. All are running 7.3 TD motors. None of the 6.0 or 6.4 junk motors. He's been in biz a year early this month. Now looking for a Medium Duty Conventional and/or Roll Back. He says once he has his 2 Medium Duty trucks, then it's all about maintaining the fleet and replacing the fleet with newer trucks 1 at a time in the next 5 years or so. But yeah, age doesn't seem to matter. Just clean, neat, everything in working order, and have all the equipment necessary to go with it is all guys really want. Commision is certainly the best way to pay drivers. In Scott's case, I can see how he'd want hourly or salary. Seems it's very rural where he works. He'd probably starve being on commission.


Speaking of which, we have one loser in the area that pays his noobs 25%. Another that starts out his experienced help at 27% for the most part, guys with a year to a few years of experience usually make 30%. 30% is the pretty standard rate. The seasoned good guys you'll hear some of them making 33%. The idea is, 33% for the driver, 33% for expenses, and 33% for profit. That's just a rule of thumb because most wrecker owners know 33% profit is hard to get. Actually probably more like 25-28% profit. Now it works out well if they are owner/drivers to where over 50% is their payday after all the bills are paid. So anyway, where I'm going with this, the manager and owner of the company I work had a talk with me last week. Wasn't even expecting it, but making 33% already, I wasn't expecting a raise. And it was even retroactive to back to the beginning of the current pay period start, They said Thanks for hanging out and not taking off when **** got bad with payroll and the mistakes that were made. I said, well yeah it hurt cuz I needed the cash, but I figured you guys would make it right and you did, so it's all good and I think we have things set up now that it won't happen again. They agreed and said, well, we've discussed the money the making for the company, you and your truck are making double the profit what the other guys are doing, so to keep you here and happy, we're raising you up to 35%. It's only 2% but still it adds up. I'll assure you, there isn't many around here making 35% at all.
 

HotRodPC

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There is something to be said for older, familiar equipment that is well maintained, I DD what now is really and older vehicle being an 07 and I love it.

My favorite rollback was an 07 Pete 379.
 

towjoe

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I got a driver running a 81 k30 with a century 411. Runs every day, but we built it from scratch in our shop. Has around 16k miles on it since was built. I have a 1988 k30 With a chevron twin line I use as a recovery truck since it is getting tired with around 500k miles on it. Our newest truck is a 2005 Chevy 5500 rollback that just now has 300k miles on it. My medium duty is a 1996 international 4700 with a Vulcan 892 and extra tunnel box in length. For service trucks I have a driver in a 1988 c1500 pickup and I have a 93 c1500 suburban we use as a shuttle, shop vehicle. I run a 1989 F450 with a 17' alum bed as my daily truck, but trading it in this week on the 2000 f550 crew cab rollback. Also in back of shop we are putting a 1996 k3500 extended cab diesel together with a min man hdh in it. I also have a guy that spends 40 hours a week in shop maintaining and fixing stuff on trucks. A lot easier to run older trucks when I can keep them up. Only truck I owe on is my medium duty and I'll owe a few thousand if I get rollbacks traded this week.
 

HotRodPC

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Soooo, had a little fender bender today in my wrecker. Idiot pulled out of Fed Ex, across 2 lanes right in front of me doing 40-45mph and no way I had enough time to shut down. Can't even imagine how the guy could not see me coming. Unreal. Thankfully he did accept responsibility. I've already talked to his insurance company, got a claim #, estimates and adjusters assigned. Appears to be $18XX.00 in damage to my truck. All bolt on parts. Bumper, Grill, brackets and modling.
 

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Don5

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^Looks like that is one rabbit that didn't outrun a Ford.:) Silly Rabbit!!:gr_guns:
 

HotRodPC

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Yep. If he'd have pulled out there and got with it, I could have at least had the option to jump in the right lane for an out and avoid him. He came across both lanes, so I only had the option to go to the far left of my left lane and just not enough room. Just as he started turning right to get straight in my lane is when I tagged him. That's why my damage is right side cuz I went left as far as I could, and his damage is left side cuz he hadn't finished making his turn into the lane yet when we connected. Totally avoidable, had he done 1 of 2 things right. #1, yield to oncoming cross traffic, or had he taken the right lane as he should have. He had a bad enough day, I'm glad the cop didn't write him any tickets, cuz he could have gotten at least 3, Failure to Yield, Unsafe Lane Change, and Inattentive Driving which is as bad as wreckless driving in this state.

Look in the street scene pics. He had no reason to take that outside lane. There was no freeway onramp there. He'd have had plenty of time and space to change lanes even if he was going to be making a left turn or take the Texas turnaround at the next light.
 

Stewzer55

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Sheesh, at least you're not at fault and there's nothing mechanically wrong with the truck. And everyone's okay too, can't forget that.
 

ScottyB

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That sucks. At least you were clearly not at fault. How long did it take to get a tow truck out there? :D
 

89Suburban

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That's strike two HR!!! :crazy:
 

ScottyB

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Well ****. Today was crap. Got called out to load an H2 for an 8 mile tow. Had a goofy angle to get at it and had to load it backwards as it was parked in front of the garage. I got it up on my deck and retracted the deck a bit so I had room to throw some chains on the front of the H2 before putting it in Park. As I was getting ready to place my chains, damn cable snapped. Fortunately there was no obvious damage other than to the flower pot that got in the way of the runaway Hummer. Fortunately that PITA angle I was dealing with got things turned enough that I missed the house.

Damnedest thing is the cable snapped about 8" from the hook. I know that cable backwards and forwards and know where the flaws on that cable are. 8" from the hook was pristine cable. That was the cable that came new on the truck and I always thought it looked a bit off, but everyone else said it was fine. Everything is fixed now and tomorrow is a new day but I am sure glad today is over.
 

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