Tow Business Podcast

About six years ago Brian Wagaman left a tough part of his life behind to pursue a career in towing. Now he's here to tell the story of how he has now become towing's biggest social media star with hundreds of thousands of followers.

We discuss several subjects including who and how are your PD rates set, supply chain problems continue, and do you have a support truck in your fleet.

The end of the year and the holidays means there are several things towers are thinking, doing, or should be doing to finish up and head into the new year.

Tow shows to flat tows, we discuss a few things from our industry

Flagmansafety.com was created to raise awareness and provide education to increase workplace safety for those who work along America's highways. Please visit flagmansafety.com, support the cause, and find out what you can do to help.

Shane Coleman explains what will be covered in the upcoming Rigging and Winching class in Atlanta in October. Then Brad and Jeff address a listener's question about training agreements

Shelli Hawkins plays host and we're the guests Tow Business Podcast is your source for towing business and operations information since 2019.

Eaton and Cummins teamed up to develop an all-new, automated transmission that will change the way you look at automatic transmissions in class 8, heavy-duty trucks. Ken Rocker joins us to discuss what went into the process of starting with just an idea and turning that idea into a game changer for the towing industry.

Intercompany communication, upcoming tow shows, and why you probably need to find a hobby are a few of the things we talk about on this episode.

Progressive Insurance decided to not renew any of their existing tow company policies earlier this year. JC Bautista returns six months later to describe the fallout. This isn't just a California problem, it's a tow industry problem. This could happen anywhere and you need to be prepared.

ERSCA has grown to have a strong national presence in a very short time. Please visit ersca.org and subscribe to our youtube channel

We ask and answer a few industry questions. What do you do if a Youtuber approaches you? Do you allow your operators to wear shorts? These are just two of the subjects we hit in this episode

Trucksafe Consulting at trucksafe.com help towing and transport companies stay safe and compliant in the vast, sometimes confusing world of transportation regulations. Check out their videos

Lee Roberts moved from England, bought a heavy wrecker, and is now one of our industry's current-day success stories. Hear the story from Lee himself

Maryland HB 487 just passed. Is life for Maryland towers about to get tough? Who doesn't like working long hours cleaning up someone else's cargo only to be told you must give it back whether someone pays you or not? Head over to ERSCA.org and check out their legislative alert.

Would you rather work 50 years at a great company you love working for before you retire or would you rather work only ten years at a tow company you can't stand? These are some of the questions we answer on show 80.

This is a Tax Season replay. Lacey Harner CPA is now Pathway CPA Group. We speak with Lacey Harner of Pathway CPA Group about the proper structure and accounting basics every tow company owner needs to know.

Social media can be good or bad. Lately, some of the suggestions on how to cope with high fuel prices are bad. Jeff and Brad go through some of these terrible suggestions and then offer a few good ones.

Jeremy Ervin with MHC Kenworth joins us to discuss the causes of the chassis shortage and what's being done to help. Towards the end of the show, we talk about chassis specs and how to avoid some common mistakes

There's a bit of a traffic jam in Ottowa thanks to their truckers who have simply had enough of their federal government's overreaching regulations. The push for federal regulation here in the U.S. in the heavy recovery industry seems to be getting louder. What's next?

We know the towing insurance market has been pretty volatile and unpredictable over the past few years but things just got a lot worse for towers in California. JC at Sierra Pacific discusses the major changes involving Progressive as well as a lot of great info to help you be more knowledgeable as you approach your next policy renewal.

For the final show of 2021, we talk about a stubborn excavator, a car underwater that keeps playing hide and go seek, as well as more listener suggested topics.

Jeff & Brad talk about some things going on in each of their areas and then respond to some topics suggested by listeners.

We discuss how both of us handle holiday scheduling for the staff and move on to talk about different lot policies to help keep vehicles more secure and simple policies we feel may reduce the liability of non-employed, non-insured people being on our yards

It's no secret that both hosts are huge fans of the annual Tow Summit and the 2021 Tow Summit at Captiva Island Resort was no exception. The info you receive from the speakers as well as the side conversations that take place with like-minded towers can't be matched by any other event. This year's summit focused on the new world we are all having to navigate. Trucks shortages, parts shortages, employee shortages, you name it, it was discussed. Mike Matousek from OOIDA even returned (kind of) to talk about his efforts to eliminate what he claims are excessive towing and recovery fees.

Louie Greek with Truckers Against joins us to discuss truckersagainsttrafficking.org, what they do, and how towers can help combat the very real, very serious problem of human trafficking as it relates to the transportation industry.

We discuss the Tennessee and Midwest Tow Shows. We also talk about the increasingly likely chance that your company will become the victim of an unjust social media attack. Please support or media partners Miller Industries, Tracker Management, ShopHawk, and Auto Data Direct.

Sierra Pacific is back to talk tow insurance. JC joins us again and points out the difference in coverage you might not know exists and why you possibly are not covered for certain loads you haul.

If you haven't heard about our industry's near miss with a very damaging piece of legislation you might be living under a rock. If you need info please check out our social media from a couple of weeks ago. The Tow Summit is back!

This episode is an open discussion about several tow industry topics. Insurance caps, collections, ride-along policies, and how we deal with damage complaints are a few of the things we talk about.

We discuss invoice auditing with Dan and Jamie from Morgan, Cohen, and Bach who have experience on both sides of the fence. Check out their unique perspective on what's going on with the recovery billing end of our industry.

JC with Sierra Pacific comes on the show to continue the discussion about insurance and your upcoming renewal.

We discuss invoice auditing with Dan and Jamie from Morgan, Cohen, and Bach who have experience on both sides of the fence. Check out their unique perspective on what's going on with the recovery billing end of our industry.

Jeff and Brad blindside each other with a few tow industry questions and try to answer them with no preparation. What do you think the next big towing-related innovation will be?

Jeff and Brad discuss their experiences while purchasing a tow company and offer some advice according to what they've seen. The question of how to value or sell a tow company is asked frequently on social media and most of the answers you see are not good. A great place to start is to talk to your attorney and accountant so they can offer suggestions that benefit and protect you.

ERSCA, The Emergency Road Service Coalition of America is leading the way in promoting training and safety in the towing industry using technology and modern techniques. When the pandemic hit they were able to turn on a dime and produce a well-thought-out and engaging online training system for both light and heavy-duty towers. This is Shane Coleman and Steve Sgarlato's second appearance on the show. Please support our show partners Miller Industries, Tracker Management, Auto Data Direct, and ShopHawk.

Ryan with ShopHawk joins us to discuss best practices for online review management and online marketing for towing services. Check out https://usehawksnest.com or visit https://podcast.wegrowshops.com and receive a complimentary website audit from ShopHawk.

We speak with JC Bautista the owner of Sierra Pacific Insurance. He offers up some great information regarding shopping for a towing insurance policy.

Lynn Hurst with Hurst Towing in Birmingham, Alabama has and he has quite a story to tell. He walks us through his story from just before the storms hit all the way through to the present day almost three months later. His office and most of his fleet took a direct hit. Hear how he jumped right back into action with the help of friends, family, and the towing community all the way to some interesting stories about insurance coverage and legal liabilities.

Have you noticed that owner responses to online reviews are changing? Are more people standing up to inaccurate reviews? We also talk about the upcoming Florida Tow Show.

This show is an open talk about our industry between Jeff & Brad. Thanks to Tracker Management, Miller Industries, Auto Data Direct, and Shop Hawk for supporting the show.

HAAS Alert is a service that notifies motorists of towers working along the roadway and gives them advance warning to slow down and move over. Tom Parbs with HAAS Alert explains the service, how it works, and what you need in order to add your fleet to the safety cloud.

Servicase is a new service about to launch that helps pair quality customers and service providers together. It provides a way for the customer to better manage their calls, cases, and preferred providers in any area. Please check out our partners, Tracker Management, Miller Industries, Auto Data Direct, and ShopHawk

IBIS Reports take an in-depth look at the status of an industry. Revenue, growth, profit, it shows you exactly where we are at. Check out our show sponsors, Tracker Management, Miller Industries, Auto Data Direct, Shophawk, Sierra Pacific Insurance, and Servicase.

If you are impounding vehicles for either a police department or private property owner you most likely have to process those vehicles as being abandoned. Michelle with ADD123.com, a show partner, explains how Auto Data Direct can make this process much easier.

We discuss what makes a great Rotator Operator with Sean Van Lingen with VanLingen Towing, Torrence, California, Mike Fraser with Miller Industries in Chattanooga, and Jeff Jolley with Revalation Towing in Boiling Springs, South Carolina.

Our guests on this episode are from ERSCA - Emergency Road Side Coalition of America. Learn what their mission is and how you can get involved with their legislative efforts and training programs.

This is the second half of answering questions sent to us and pulled from Social Media.

Some listeners sent in questions and we pulled a few from Social Media and we offer our thoughts, opinions, and answers.

How do CAB Reports, your SAFER score, and other data affect your company's insurance rates