FARK.com: (614602) Tow-truck driving business has outgrown getting in wrecks/illegal parking business, in some cases by 25 to 1

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(HoustonChronicle.com)		Tow-truck driving business has outgrown getting in wrecks/illegal parking business, in some cases by 25 to 1 (chron.com)		103
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HamsterBoy		2003-08-10 10:54:04 AM

That's pretty sad (read the article).

DandamanFL		2003-08-10 12:26:58 PM

HamsterBoy, I guess I will have to, that headline has even me tied in knots, and I was told yesterday "You must be used to reading sentences written by people with barely a remedial grasp of English. Yay you."

DandamanFL		2003-08-10 12:31:56 PM

Ok, clearer now, but this made me say "huh?".
The 1994 Federal Aviation Act, which deregulated the trucking and wrecker industry

ahhh, bureaucracy at its finest

DandamanFL		2003-08-10 06:08:23 PM

Wow nihil8r, I have this mental image of you going postal on a newspaper when you can't figure out the jumble. I think the poster was saying the # of tow trucks has grown 25 times faster than the business they are used for. I don't think his numbers are correct but I am not reading through that depressing story a second time to verify it.

Joey JoJo Junior Shabadoo		2003-08-10 06:54:13 PM

HolyMackeral		2003-08-10 06:55:13 PM

Poor dude... should move to Colorado where he can make BIG bucks in the towing industry. Forget cars, go for the semis... they started charging by the pound now instead of just a standard tow fee.

Pseudo Psy		2003-08-10 06:55:32 PM

This is not worth a divorce. Pathetic low-life..

illithid		2003-08-10 06:56:57 PM

I live in a college town and towing is a huge business here. You park against a red curb for five minutes with your hazards on (because, honestly, there isn't anywhere legal to park within four or five blocks) and you'll get towed.

Not that anyone cares...

No not really, If someone parks in a red even with their flashers it doesn't make it alright. That person deserves to get towed.

udo		2003-08-10 06:58:51 PM

Now I know why tow truck drivers drive like ass. If you don't get there in time, you need to drum up business.

peter_hook		2003-08-10 07:00:05 PM

Again, I am caught between the "My experience with wrecker drivers being crooked scumbags/towyards being a fraud" and "one bad apple shouldn't spoil the bunch."

I like AAA. It's better to have wrecking as part of your business, not be your ONLY business. And all of those guys should take AAA, insurance, whatever. I don't know why people would pay full price for a tow when you can have it for $2 a month from your insurer or $65 a year from AAA and you get free unlocks, gas, etc.

illuminatus		2003-08-10 07:01:02 PM

Seriously, I've seen tow truckers lined up for blocks when there is a accident.

NakedApe		2003-08-10 07:02:08 PM

I read somewhere (Fark?) that parking with your flashers on is just admitting that you know you shouldn't be parked there.

Aias		2003-08-10 07:03:39 PM

A human interest story on fark.com?

vandamm78		2003-08-10 07:06:31 PM

There should be a "Texas" banner

CowtownHouston		2003-08-10 07:07:13 PM

Bullsh*t!!
Yeah I had the pleasure of dealing w/ one of these fine outstanding individuals of the community last year. My truck was crashed (I wasn't ticketed, she was) and towed 3 miles to the closed dealership where the driver said he wanted paid immediately ($800!) or he would "have" to store it at his base ($250!) overnight and bring it back the next morning ($200 more ). Yeah the total tow bill was over $1000 and both Houston & the state of TX said they could do nothing about it.

Insurance paid for the entire bill. And people wonder why their car insurance is so high....

Needless to say I now flip off every tow truck driver I see. (and don't let me catch one of their trucks alone if I have a rock or keys in my hand) :)
F*ck 'em........

/not bitter at all

auspicious		2003-08-10 07:16:08 PM

They're fecking vultures and cause more problems here than they fix.

dav925		2003-08-10 07:20:03 PM

I don't have a tow liscense, but i do tow cars into the middle of the street when i need a parking spot.

antialias		2003-08-10 07:22:00 PM

Oh please. Poor tow truck guy isn't making as much money! fark him and all the other tow-vulture shiatbags.

TotallyFarkedDude		2003-08-10 07:23:04 PM

'I thought I was marrying a companion.'
No, you married a looser with a go-nowhere job. Obviously you thought for some reason that tow trucks == money. biatch.

Shyster		2003-08-10 07:29:31 PM

i hunt tow truck drivers at night. i shoot them while they're feeding and leave them to the vultures.

Gwendolyn		2003-08-10 07:32:57 PM

Why is everyone ragging on the guy for having a "loser" job?

Nine years ago, he was making $55,000 to $70,000 a year, .

She married a guy making 70k a year. If that's a go nowhere kinda guy, can I get me one of those?

Geesh

jgaynor		2003-08-10 07:36:01 PM

In New Brunswick, NJ (home of Rutgers) there are so many towing outfits that almost EVERY private parking lot is staked out by a contract truck. If you park in one of these lots and do not immediately walk into the establishment that owns that lot (bar, restaurant, etc) your car will be gone in minutes. It will then cost you $90 for the cost of tow plus $20 oer day of "car storage" - where the minute your car hits the tower's lot it counts as a "day."

TotallyFarkedDude		2003-08-10 07:39:28 PM

Gwendolyn - and now he doesn't make jack, and she left. But then, you just advertised that you're only interested in men with money!

cheeze		2003-08-10 07:40:56 PM

texas banner (feel free to use):

theflyingdutchman		2003-08-10 07:41:20 PM

This is why I use AAA. No fuss, no muss.

Tows, jumps, gas, and such is all covered. Plus those sexy TripTik things. So worth it. Especially if you occasionally leave the lights on.

For example, there was the guy who leased property across the street from the Astrodome during the rodeo. After the lot filled up, he towed away all the cars, Turner said.

What a stupid plan.

Shyster		2003-08-10 07:41:32 PM

should have known better

Sacred Nut Fuzz		2003-08-10 07:43:28 PM

CowTownHouston

Same thing happened to me - got hit head-on by a drunk driver (uninsured naturally), and the thing that pissed me off the most its that I had to pay up front for my car to be towed away. Broken wrist, 3 inch gash in my forehead, the asswipe needed his money then and there. It "only" cost me $100, but WTF is up with that? If you are not cited in an accident, the payment for the tow should automatically go to the idiot who actually caused the accident...

Gwendolyn		2003-08-10 07:47:50 PM

Ouch, bitter much?

My point was that he had a job where he worked hard and could provide a quality of life for his family. So he wasn't a Net Admin. He still got off his butt and worked to earn a living. Does everyone need a college degree to be in a worthy job? Last time I checked America needed mechanics just as much as CEOs.

rawsta		2003-08-10 07:47:50 PM

am I the only one who is depressed after reading that article?

I bet he would pick up more jobs if he drove this truck...

Gwendolyn		2003-08-10 07:49:49 PM

I was only ever in one wreck but we called our insurance. They sent a tow truck. He was very helpful. Then dropped us off at a nice hotel on the way. I signed an insurance form and that was that.

How do you just get picked up?

rawsta		2003-08-10 07:51:32 PM

everybody should have AAA

LeroyB		2003-08-10 07:55:16 PM

What an empty article. It must have been a slow news day in Houston when they printed this story.

The Gunslinger Roland		2003-08-10 07:55:45 PM

Hmm, Most tow truck drivers are the scum of the earth, profiting off of other people's misery and not giving a shiat about anyone. It's good to see that there may possibly be a good tow truck driver around.

TommyymmoT		2003-08-10 08:01:18 PM

Heart warming story time.
Years ago, while working as an independent electrician, I was called to install 2, 4foot flourescent fixtures at a towing garage. The same towing garage that had raped me a week before. I made it a point of screwing them. I charged $2.ea. for wire nuts. I charged roughly 3 times more than usual. They balked, then I threatened a mechanic's lien (which is how they keep your car until you pay). Afterward, I called in the fire inspectors to attend to several unsafe situations that I noticed. Their stupid lights ended up costing over $4000.

modernhamlet		2003-08-10 08:07:50 PM

Quit whining. Towing in Boston is still run by the mob.

Guess it keeps the competition down though.

Tow trucks are fair game where I come from. That's why you never see them unattended.

lbn		2003-08-10 08:11:27 PM

His home away from home is a Shell service station along Loop 610 in Bellaire. He spends much of a day there and sometimes camps out an entire weekend waiting for loads.

Strangely enough, I do the same thing. And I'm not a tow truck driver.

StinkyFiddlewinks		2003-08-10 08:14:38 PM

AAA farking rocks! I had to get pulled out of the snowbank known as a driveway 5 times at my last place this winter. Cost me nothing but the membership fees, hell, I even had my roommate pulled out of a snowbank when her car slid into one, also free.

domo-kun007		2003-08-10 08:17:56 PM

Gwen that pic is HAWT!

Tow truck drivers are the skum of the universe. My friends car got towed on a saturday because of a football game. He was out of the country at the time and the city didnt bother to post any signs that the street would be closed on football game days. So his car sat in the impound for 2 weeks racking up charges he then had to pay to get it back. Plus anytime you actually need one they smell bad...

culov		2003-08-10 08:19:52 PM

thebra:

About 30 posts too late.

lbn		2003-08-10 08:22:24 PM

3M_TA3		2003-08-10 08:26:09 PM

culov

30 posts too late, unless it took him/her two hours to type that message...

TylerEaves		2003-08-10 08:28:41 PM

This story hit a bit to close to home today.

I was driving my mothers car (so as to have AC, cruise control, etc) up to Raleigh for a concert today. Was in some fairly heavy rain, doing about 40 in a 65 because of it. Being real careful due to amount of water on the road. At about 3:50PM today the car ceased going forwards at 40mph and proceeded to starting doing 40mph sideways done the middle of the highway (median/ditch). There was a metal guardrail down the middle of the median that I did a most efficient job of taking out about 30 or 40 feet of it. The cars pretty wrecked (actually drove it home, but the bodywork resembles aluminum foil in places). I'm in one peice at least.

womdinmypants		2003-08-10 08:34:23 PM

nice try though thebra. I do agree. What is it with women and freaky eyebrows? Do they think that they are attractive? Yuck.

NoCostDials		2003-08-10 08:39:03 PM

Okay, I had my car towed across town....10 miles or so...it cost me $35. What's with $800??? You can get a car transported half way across the country for around $1000.

Sinatra		2003-08-10 08:39:23 PM

No wonder these guys are "gruff".

HowlingFrog		2003-08-10 08:48:04 PM

Gwendolyn, this is Fark. Everybody here earns high in the five digits or better. Except me; I maintain a trailer park for free rent, utilities and internet, and do odd jobs for my spending money. Everything from computer networking to stained glass. So I'm a loser. But I get up when I want to.

Pyrtwist		2003-08-10 08:52:33 PM

I usually call the place where I need my vehicle fixed. Clutch went out on two vehicles, I called Mitchel transmission. Free tow with $500 of work. Both times it was $500. Wife had flat and I could not remove one lug nut. Called BP and had it towed to thier tire shop. $50. The Mercury dealer screwed up replacing the timing belt. Mercury dealer paid for it.

Life in Iowa is ok. No $800 towing bills.

stiginz		2003-08-10 08:59:48 PM

I just can't get past that horrible headline...

chime		2003-08-10 09:03:21 PM

jgaynor

In New Brunswick, NJ (home of Rutgers).....

Yet another reason I don't have a car :) Live on Easton & walk everywhere. Got a couple of commuter friends to take me shopping once/twice a month. Beats parking tickets, Rt. 18 traffic, blah blah. Afaik, RU REALLY sucks when it comes to parking. I wonder if it's the same in most other city colleges.

palehorse95		2003-08-10 09:06:48 PM

Okay, Here I go (puts on flame retardant suit)

I work for a towing service here in TN and I am quite surprised at these horror stories I have just read in the above posts. My service charges $35.00 for a "simple breakdown" tow that begins and ends within the city limits of town.If we are "ORDERED" by the police to remove an illeagally parked vehicle the charge is usually $45.00-$55.00 due to the extra effort required to load a vehicle without the keys. If the car is to be stored in our compound the cost is $15.00 per day, which goes towards paying the overwhelming amount of insurance needed to cover all the vehicles to be stored.For long distance tows the charge is $35.00 for the first 10 miles then an additional $1.25 per mile afterward. Unlike most tow services we charge for "loaded" miles only, not both ways. As far as AAA is concerned It is far better for the customer and the tow service than any of the other roadside assistance insurances.You must know that AAA has very few of it's own trucks. Most of the work is contracted out to services such as mine.

The Gunslinger Roland : Re:"Hmm, Most tow truck drivers are the scum of the earth, profiting off of other people's misery and not giving a shiat about anyone. It's good to see that there may possibly be a good tow truck driver around." Most tow truck drivers I know are very hard working and dedicated people,most work 10-12 hours a day for a salary and then are on call at night for a commission of the tow fee. The drivers where I work are on call 24hrs. a day and receive only 2 days a month off. How many people do you know that are dedicated enough to work like that? When it comes to profiting from other peoples' misery, do you put doctors,lawers,vets,police officers,firemen,and paramedics in that same catagory? They all provide a service that is needed and required by this civilization for it to proceed.
Please re-evaluate your statement because under your current definition, just doing tech support for an ISP is an evil job.

Zoomtown		2003-08-10 09:16:02 PM

TylerEaves were you driving in the rain with the cruise on?

Victoly		2003-08-10 09:21:45 PM

Way, hey, tow them away
The Lincoln Park Pirates are we
From Wilmette to Gary there's nothin' so hairy
And we always collect our fee
So it's way, hey, tow 'em away
We plunder the streets of your town
Be it Edsel or Chevy there's no car too heavy
And no one can make us shut down

Paresthesiac		2003-08-10 09:25:28 PM

I wonder if they're retrieving cars that accidentally leap from the rooves of parking garage and land on buildings across street

TylerEaves		2003-08-10 09:29:25 PM

Zoom: nope. Doubt it would have matterd though. When I hit that water (Which didn't *look* any different) I might as well have been hitting a lake, No traction at all.

dopenfresh		2003-08-10 09:33:07 PM

you people speak as though her eyebrows remind of you of the mad doctor in cannonball run. i'd hit it, but then again I am wasting my time scrolling through fark comments.

WizardX		2003-08-10 09:33:23 PM

That's OK... in the area where I live (bit north of Dallas)all of the apartment complexes set up contracts with towers (and get kickbacks), and then did everything they could to tow as many cars as possible. One I was at even had an "inspection sticker" clause in the contract, wherein if the inspection was even a day out of date, they'd assume the car was abandoned (riiiiiight) and have it towed. Or they'd forget to clearly mark that the covered parking was for residents only, and tow away visitors. It was an outright scam, but a legal one. No one could do anything, even though virtually everyone in the complex either had their car towed or barely dodged a threat at least once. (since we were under contract and they were therefore free to rape us)
God bless deregulation. More competition always helps the customer! If there weren't 10 times as many towers, I wouldn't've had the added excitement of getting to pick up my car a few times. I know I'm thankful!

WizardX		2003-08-10 09:34:00 PM

dopenfresh She looks just like Parker Posey. Would definately hit.

Silicon Sam		2003-08-10 09:34:36 PM

So far my experiences with towing companies have been pretty positive. Hey, they get you out of a jam when others cannot. I used to help out a guy in Arlington, TX when he defected from one towing company and struck out on his own. At last count that I know of he had over 10 trucks now. A super nice guy. Denny's Towing.

alexanderplatz		2003-08-10 09:34:44 PM

palehorse95 makes some excellent points, but TommyymmoT's story really warmed my heart.

AdamK		2003-08-10 09:35:05 PM

that article put me to sleep

buntz		2003-08-10 09:40:12 PM

boo hoo farking hoo!

I own MY own web design business with virtually NO business.
You don't see ME whining about it on Fark, do you?

Oh...wait...

MonK3yWr3nch		2003-08-10 09:51:56 PM

Fark towing companies, those assholes with contracts that prowl all their contract lots like little weasels.

HowlingFrog		2003-08-10 10:07:45 PM

buntz, web design's a pretty tough field these days. When I see some of these pages that some farktard kicked out with FrontPage, it's no wonder (still works in hicksville).

Here's a thumbs-up; may the winds of fortune blow customers your way.

tamarah		2003-08-10 10:09:20 PM

(horror story):

I have gotten towed once, but it was my own damn fault and I saw it coming.

However, my brother has had his cars towed twice for stupid ass reasons. The first was when we were out of town camping for a week, and he parked his car in a very legal space. Unfortunately, someone rear-ended him (and broke his exhaust pipe) which pushed him into a red zone (they really gunned it). And he was towed, and had to pay for a week's worth of it sitting there. That sucked. Another time, the same car...a year later, we were camping for a week. Came back and the car was gone for similar reasons. It was falling apart by then, so he just let the towyard have it (was cheaper than paying $900 to get it out, only to sell it for $100). But the drivers/servicemen at the second towing agency were asswipes. They honestly came up with incredible reasons why he couldn't get his car.

Now, I have had some nice towtruck incidents. Like, one time I got a flat on the freeway, and while I was changing my tire a driver pulled over and helped me out. So, I figure there are good and bad experiences.

jeffowl		2003-08-10 10:10:06 PM

I put myself through the first two years of college driving tow trucks, until I could get decent paying internships.

This was in Washington state, by the way, where towning operators are fairly well regulated. In most places in WA the department that requests police impunds or calls for an accident recovery, will have a set hourly rate for the truck and driver. When I was doing this it was $75 for state patrol and $125 for King County. Most impounds took well under an hour. The private property impound rate was usually also regulated, as was the daily storage rate. Still, it wasn't unusual for for people to pay ~$100 to get the car out.

My favorite was going to the impound lot on Saturday and Sunday morning to do DWI impound releases. The guy would get out to the lot to get his car and then I get to break the news to him that I can't release the car without a licensed driver present. BAHAHAHAHA. I had to call the cops out a number of times because they would get out of hand.

I had to call the cops out another time because this woman couldn't prove ownership of the car and attacked me because I wouldn't let her have it without proof of ownership, which is required by law.

Oh, fun times.

But there were also times like picking up stranded families in the middle of nowhere, unlocking far too many cars with the keys and the infant child locked in them, and twice using the winch and boom to help the fire department rescue people trapped in cars down hills off the side of the road.

redTiburon		2003-08-10 10:10:43 PM

Oh wow that TV has some words on it.

dimator		2003-08-10 10:11:30 PM

I cant picture why this would make it onto fark.

Johnny_Canuck		2003-08-10 10:20:25 PM

Need a tow?

perisoft		2003-08-10 10:35:02 PM

...I'm messing with Texas!

CowtownHouston		2003-08-10 10:45:07 PM

NoCostDials

No kidding it costs about $1000 to transport a car across the country! What was really frustrating (other than getting "the buttsex" in the Nissan dealership parking lot at 8:00 at night)was that I was on the phone w/ HER (the idiot that hit me) insurance company telling them what was happening and they were like "ok, we'll pay it" which translates into "we'll get it back out of all the other drivers in Texas". Gov. Perry promised a lot of stuff to get elected and this is one thing (insurance racket in TX) that needs to be fixed.

At least my insurance won't go up but hers sure as hell will. (but we all end up paying in the end) :(

/////:) (I got to use "the buttsex" in a post) heh heh heh.....the buttsex.....still cracks me up....:) :) :)

Malinois		2003-08-10 10:52:44 PM

I've dealt with good ones and jerks as well.

Two years ago my former car sheared its AWD transfer shaft in the tranny in daily traffic. The guy that came to pick it up was a complete jerk, and acted like it was my fault. After he cursed called me a "numbnuts," I told him to disconnect the car, and called another company. The next guy was courteous and took it to the dealership. Cool.

Afterwards, I called the former's company and told them what happened. I doubt it made a difference, but I saw the "driver" two weeks ago...delivering my farking pizza. Heh. I asked for change...

The Gunslinger Roland		2003-08-10 11:01:43 PM

palehorse95: You are lucky you work for such a good company with dedicated, hard-working co-workers. However, I sincerely do not believe that most tow truck drivers are decent people. I come from a fairly small city, around 15,000 people, and every tow truck driver there is a complete waste of human excrement. Not only do they love their jobs too much, they get off on having power over people. As for the other occupations, it's funny you should mention lawyers... But I agree with most of what you say. The difference I can see between Doctors, Policemen and other such occupations, is that I personally have never had a doctor be happy that I had broken my arm, happy that I got pneumonia or that a family member of mine has been killed. All of my experiences with Tow truck drivers, both the ones who helped me when I called them, or the ones who have towed my car away have not only been extremely rude to me, but also had taken great glee(especially the ones who towed my car away) in being mean and waving the power they had over me.

KurtCrawler		2003-08-10 11:02:31 PM

Something Awful's Take on the Towing Industry.

CampusCrusader		2003-08-10 11:03:05 PM

I, too, drove a tow truck as a part time job for awhile. Because I was a part timer, I got mostly AAA calls. AAA paid the company I worked for an average of $13 per call (short tow, tire change, lock-out, etc.) and the driver gets 1/3 of that. I could work 7 calls in an 8 hour shift and not break $30 pay. When I was with the company, they were one of a few companies in our area that had a contract to tow from accident scenes. The police department made the decision on which company got called to a scene. Contracts were easily taken away if a company couldn't get a truck out fast enough to a scene or didn't get the accident cleaned up fast enough. I think the company was allowed to charge a set fee of approximately $175 for an accident tow, but the owner didn't have to pay on the spot unless it was to be towed straight to a repair shop (most owners weren't even on scene when I handled what accident calls I was given). They paid when the car was removed from our lot. Jeffowl, I know how you feel. Have had many discussions with person who think they can come in and claim a car without proof of ownership. I picked an Audi up from a busy road late one night. An auxillary police officer was in his car about 15 yards behind us with his lights on because the Audi broke down in the fast lane. I had just loaded the owners up into the cab when I heard a horrible crash. Someone had slammed into the back of the police car without ever hitting the brakes. Hit him so hard that the patrol car was nearly shoved under my truck. Trying to hook up a car barely pulled over on the shoulder of Interstate 95 at 2am wasn't much fun either. Hardest part-time job I ever worked.

spiderbarks		2003-08-10 11:04:47 PM

Cops towed my car for a two week expired DL. Damn tow shoulda just been considered another fine. Here it's 250 min. $50 bucks a day in the yard plus assorted extortion, I mean fees.

HowlingFrog		2003-08-10 11:23:07 PM

Malinois, that story made my day.
The neanderthal learned a lesson in "working with the public".

HowlingFrog		2003-08-10 11:29:42 PM

We need more threads. And a good flamewar.
I don't care if it's Sunday. :P

ElBarto79		2003-08-11 12:21:50 AM

I think most of these tow guys and ticketers will tell you if you're illegally parked putting your flashers on is the worst thing you can do because it draws attention to your vehicle. When they pull into a parking lot and see flashing lights who do you think they are gonna get first?

womdinmypants		2003-08-11 12:23:10 AM

FLAMEWAR??? Yay for abortion...

Zerk_Fitting		2003-08-11 12:27:10 AM

CowtownHouston: your story has got to be bs.
How could you not ask the tow driver how much $ before you
let him hook up?

Here in Southern California PU flatbed towed 20 miles for
$70.00.

ZAZ		2003-08-11 12:34:51 AM

In Cambridge, Massachusetts a few years ago a commuter parking lot was getting full during a popular event. A tow company sent out people to direct overflow traffic into an adjacent lot. Then they towed all the cars from that lot because it was private property. They got smeared in the newspaper and refunded some of the tow fees but I think they got away without any punishment.

Tow truck drivers get away with a lot of stuff because the police tolerate them -- police depend on the companies to clean up accidents, etc.

Xtremehkr		2003-08-11 12:51:55 AM

More reliable cars leading to less Tow Truck business, someone has to be blamed! bring on the partisan arguments!

Or not, such entreprenuers will find another service to offer. Optimism anyone?

Aias		2003-08-11 12:58:18 AM

Hell,

I paid $25 last weekend to get my car towed to the shop (3 miles)...

The guy was super cool too.

HowlingFrog		2003-08-11 01:22:52 AM

womdinmypants. have you no respect for LIFE? Go spout to those libruhl bedwetters; they'll be all bleeding-heart, sympathetic ear.

/devil's advocate

MonK3yWr3nch		2003-08-11 01:36:46 AM

Here's a fun story: I was moving out of my apartment one evening. I was parked in a 'private' lot that was right in back of my building, I had just loaded up my van with most of my worldly possesions. I went across the street for a to-go burrito. When I returned, no van, I had been gone for a total of about 7-8 minutes, that farking bastard had been spying on me, waiting for me to leave the van unattended. I immediatly got a friend to give me a ride to the yard, where I was greeted with a demand for $200+ dollars and then an "after hours charge", for a 2 mile tow. Man, I HATE this kind of leagalized extortion. I now consider unattended tow trucks to be fair game, better have a couple of spare tires on ya, oh and some touch up paint.

Dewar		2003-08-11 02:01:36 AM

ya, lets all feel sad for the tow truck driver--until you find out your car got towed, and he took a dump in your back seat.

HowlingFrog		2003-08-11 02:09:21 AM

Dewar: and that happened to you?

SirSuperSouthern		2003-08-11 02:11:13 AM

MonK3Wr3nch-

Amen brother, preach the Truth! Those vultures constantly patrol my apt complex, making every visitor paranoid. The whole damn city is like this, being a college town and all. I put these people in the same boat as telemarketers and debt collectors.

gromky		2003-08-11 02:24:41 AM

If these tow truck drivers need more money, they just need to install some "No Parking - Tow Away Zone" signs around the neighborhood. Installing your own signs has a great return, as people are typically used to parking in the same spot over and over and won't spot the sign until it's too late.

podacter		2003-08-11 03:05:13 AM

i got 3/4 of the way thru the article and figured out it was a waste of time to be reading it. what a stupid article. like i give a crap about a tow truck driver having a hard time making $40k a year when i've been out of work for 6 months now...

S_Jerusalem		2003-08-11 03:15:32 AM

I live in houston. It's absolutely true, you will often see a dozen wreckers per wrecked car, oftentimes more.

Arcanum		2003-08-11 03:18:59 AM

out of work for 6 months? ouch, man im sorry to hear that

try to make your own job, try to start a business with a skill you have, you have to take a risk

or try to get educated more (if you arent educated) do something to stick out of the crowd, you have to make yourself a desirable commodity

with unemployment so low, at least in the states, only 2 point above the 4% minimum, you should be able to muscle through this crap

i know it doesnt really work out that way all the time, some times, circumstance makes things much more difficult, but you cant let this tough story get ahead of you, you need to fight for yourself, have ambition, our cruel system is only ideal becuase it so crudely drives ambition and effort

who the fark am i to talk to you when you are the one suffering?

ive been where you are, man. i know how empty it feels, you just have to make yourself something more valuable, more rare. you have to get education in a desirable area or start your own business

people do it all the time, this type of "recession" forces people to innovate, the cyclical up and down pattern that is our economy forces a permanent and unstoppable upward gain over time

be a part of the gain

S_Jerusalem		2003-08-11 03:24:06 AM

Having known (personally) a couple of tow truck drivers, I can say that it's a lot harder work than most people think. You work (minimum!) 16 hours a day, and most tow companies have their drivers on call 24 hours a day.

And as for people complaining about being ripped off-

you didn't have to pick the first shiathead who came along you know. Learn to ask the all of the drivers that show up up front what the cost will be. And don't trust the solo guys, try to grab someone from a reputable company, or someone AAA or your insurance recommends. You can call AAA or your insurance company, even if they won't pay for a tow, they should be able to recommend a reputable company. Tow truck drivers are a lot like mechanics, find someone honest and you shouldn't have any trouble.

S_Jerusalem		2003-08-11 03:25:42 AM

I'd be willing to bet a few of the people complaining about tow drivers are the same people who get ripped off by mechanics constantly...

Theres a sucker born...

perisoft		2003-08-11 10:37:39 AM

I love the people who are saying, "I had a bad experience with a tow truck once. Now I slash the tires and key every tow truck I see!"

Great. If you guys ever have a bad experience with a MOTORIST, are you going to key/slash every car you see, too?

palehorse95		2003-08-11 10:41:00 AM

Re: The difference I can see between Doctors, Policemen and other such occupations, is that I personally have never had a doctor be happy that I had broken my arm, happy that I got pneumonia or that a family member of mine has been killed.

Apparantly you don't have any friends in any of these fields..I have at least one in each and cops for the most part hate to have to do ANYTHING, but if they must leaving their spot at the Quicky Mart they damn well be in for some good arsewhoopin action, and doctors get a boner thinking of getting able to try a new technique they just learned so they can add it to their list of profitable procedures. They also love it when someone walks in with an illness they can treat with the new drug being pedaled by the coporate types so they can earn the "bonus" promised.Also, I dare you to show me a fireman who doesn't get wood when a bell rings and redlights flash,It's who they are and I'm proud they are.Finally, I would like to give you a typical conversation between two paramedics.

para1: hey how was your shift?

para2: pretty good, ran 12 calls and only killed 2

para1: man,my shift sucked royally, I didn't get so much as a bloody nose.

Para2: well maybe tomorrow will be better..

Again, I don't fault these people for being who they are, they train hard for there jobs and are proud of what they can do and love practicing their expertise.. I am not saying that the tow truck drivers where right to treat you like shiate(because that is wrong),But If you think a doctor or fireman or paramedic ect. doesn't smile at the thought of you and your money's arrival you are diluting yourself Sir.

palehorse95		2003-08-11 10:43:26 AM

Sorry, for the spelling, I guess proof reading would probably kill me.. :)

alprez		2003-08-11 11:01:26 AM

palehorse95

I'm sure you are correct. Tow-truck drivers might be of the highest integrity where you are from but that IS NOT in Texas and that is where they are talking about. In Houston, the horror stories are true. You also have to deal with problems like the tendency to make up your price AFTER finding out the insurance company will be paying for it. Instead of charging the $85 they typically do, they bill the insurance company for $300 to $400 (which means the next time you fart in your car, you're going to pay a higher premium). And yes, as many as 25 or 30 tow-trucks show up for even the most minor accidents. They drive on the sidewalks, drive on medians, exit on entrance ramps and generally drive as if they were steering with their butts. I'm not trying to deny anyone the right to make a living, just don't kill me in the rush to get there first and try to have a little bit of ethics about you when I'm sitting there screwed by the side of the freeway.

DaterapeJeff		2003-08-11 11:43:00 AM

I nbotice the blacks do alot of double parking. If I had a tow truck I would jsut follow them around all day and yu are bound to get a few towes. Is this considered racial profiling?

The Gunslinger Roland		2003-08-11 02:10:45 PM

Palehorse95:
What you are talking about with the paras is a defense mechanism they use so they don't get burned out with all of the death around them. I'm sure there are many paramedics and doctors and such that like it when individuals get hurt. But as I said before, I don't know any. However, I do know a few cocksucking tow truck drivers who do enjoy causing people pain. I realize that being a tow truck driver is needed in our society, but it is along the same lines as a repo man, or a bail bondsman, tolerated? yes. Accepted? not entirely. I don't know if you are connected with the towing industry, and would know it's processes better than I would, but I'm just speaking from my own experience. I could be wrong to think the way I do, or I could be right.

Normal		2003-08-11 08:16:40 PM

Towing companies are the worst around college campuses. So many people park everywhere, but the stupid college has their own system of getting more money from you. The world would be a better place if there were no parking tickets and no tow trucks.

Except for the tow trucks that help you.

palehorse95		2003-08-11 09:28:50 PM

I believe the biggest difference in our views lies in our locations. Here in my city it is illeagal to just show up at an accident to get work. Here the police agencies use a "next in line" procedure. Tow services must meet several requirements before making it onto the city's list of acceptable businesses and the services are called out to an accident on a rotational basis. If you fail to have a reasonalable response time or display poor professionalism, you can be removed from the list.With this type of setup the police and rescue also hold a minor amount of control over the prices as well. so I guess it all come down to regulation of the business as well as the nature of the individual who is to do the tow. Again, I am sorry that your experiences where less than pleasent. If I had received your call for help I can assure you It would have been differtent.

indigo_max		2003-08-11 11:08:24 PM

Campus Crusader you beat me to the real story on AAA. I worked as a dispatcher for AAA as well as a private towing firm in Kansas City many years ago. AAA plays very little to the companies that contract with them. Other Motor Clubs like Cross Country and Amoco generally pay more to contractors but not a lot more.

Contracts for city/county/state towing are the more lucrative business. Course in some areas there are no contracts just vultures in Ford 350's with a Vulcan/Holmes /Challanger/Century tow body on the back. Kansas City/Jackson County had, at least uptil a few years ago, a policy that it was first first in, first out on a tow scene. You would have tow drivers sitting on almost every corner waiting for an accident to happen. They would listen to other tow companies dispatch channels (that included AAA's) and run like mad to the scene to grab the tow. They would also particapate in a little low ball bidding as well. Heard a story about a group of drivers starting to low ball bid the tow and got down to a price of $20 when one of them said they would do it for free. Course since he had witnesses he had to do it for that cost.

The industry is definitely interesting. A lot of scum out there running tow companies and then there are a few that really do know what a business is all about.

Max...

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