How a Tow Truck is Born

Miller Industries, Inc. is the nation’s largest manufacturer of tow trucks and towing equipment. This month, some of us from Airport Towing had the opportunity to tour the factory 2,600 miles away from our Seattle area office in Ooltewah, Tennessee. The Miller facility is just outside the city of Chattanooga, where the first tow truck was invented in 1916 by Ernest Holmes. Today, Holmes is a division of Miller Industries. Miller also produces Century, Vulcan, Chevron, Challenger, Champion, Eagle, SP Series, Boniface, and Jige towing and recovery units.

Inside the Tennessee plant, tow trucks emerge from pieces of raw metal right before our eyes. Millers’ 100,000 square foot warehouse is their primary manufacturing facility where thousands of tow trucks are manufactured each year. Our personal factory tour led us through the plant to follow the production of units from initial parts order to final completion. Employees we encountered during the tour were informative and helpful, teaching us the true meaning of “southern hospitality”.

We began at the first step in the process of building a tow truck, where the appropriate sizes and amounts of raw steel are acquired and stocked. When a tow unit is ordered, Miller employees round up all the necessary materials from their stock within the warehouse to build the sub-frame and transfer the parts to a welding station within the facility. Nearly all of the steel acquired by Miller is American made and forged locally. After the necessary materials are assembled, a skilled welder begins joining the metal to create the structural support of the tow unit. Miller boasts that their low turnover of skilled workers has been a key ingredient in yielding a high quality man-made product for several years.

Once unit is structurally sound, the functional parts are attached. Following the final welding process, the conjoined pieces are bead blasted. Bead blasting is necessary because the welding process can leave rough edges and small debris. The process of bead blasting is defined as removing surface deposits by applying fine glass beads at a low pressure without damaging the surface. Workers move parts requiring blasting into a large enclosed chamber, and seal the doors so they can unleash thousands of tiny reusable beads to blast the fabricated unit.

When all welding and fabrication is complete for a single unit, the unassembled parts go into the painting process.

Miller has the capability of painting tow truck parts on site. Applying primer and paint before the unit is assembled is essential to eliminate duplication of effort and is important for a high quality paint job.

The last step in building a tow truck is final assembly. Anyone purchasing a wrecker body from Miller has the option of ordering the complete tow unit and installing it themselves, or ordering a factory install. The factory has a team of people who are dedicated wrecker body installers and are only required to mount the tow unit to the chassis. Of course, one catch is that anyone who orders a factory install is required to send the truck’s cab and chassis to Miller so that it can be married to the tow unit. Most tow truck operators have unique requirements for their trucks and require specific options and accessories. The installers are responsible for all aspects of the install, including mounting the wrecker body, connecting all wiring and hydraulics, and attaching additional parts and accessories, such as dollies, chains, cables, etc.

Many units that Miller produces are built from the ground up inside their Chattanooga factory. In some ways, Miller Industries operates like a classic American factory. The company primarily uses skilled craftsman to produce tow units. Few robotics can be found inside the factory, which are greatly outnumbered by human hands. As a result, Miller employs about 2200 workers, 300 of which are manufacturing tow trucks at their primary facility in Chattanooga. As advertised, Miller Industries is the largest manufacturer of towing and recovery equipment in the world. The company is an impressive consolidation of the greatest names in the towing industry, now working together to produce the most technologically advanced towing equipment available. Miller’s efforts in innovation, quality craftsmanship, and American made products are why we at Airport Towing have been loyal customers since 1988. Our company continues to seek the best products available so that we can better serve our customers and this month we were happy to learn how our equipment is built and what type of care and attention it gets before we put our name on it.

Towing Drunk Drivers = Saving Lives

A new law in Washington State could save countless lives by mandating that all persons arrested for drunk driving have their vehicles impounded and put on hold for 12 hours.

The law would officially be referred to as Hailey’s Law and a similar type of enforcement is already being used in New Jersey. It has been created in honor of Hailey French who was struck and severely injured by a DUI offender who had returned to her vehicle less than 2 hours after being stopped for possible DUI. Following her release by the police, the offender immediately returned to her vehicle and drove away, eventually colliding head on with Hailey’s vehicle while still under the influence of alcohol. The State of Washington was sued and forced to pay $5.5 million as a result.

Currently, law enforcement officers must separate the driver from the car in one of four ways: by impounding the car, by turning the car over to a sober, responsible adult, by turning the driver over to a sober, responsible adult, or by holding the driver in jail until he is sober. This leaves plenty of loopholes for drunk drivers. Even though a vehicle is impounded, it can be released immediately because towing companies have no method of checking a drivers blood alcohol level, nor the legal right to do so.

In September of 2009 3 people were killed in SeaTac shortly after the vehicle’s owner was arrested for DUI. Under the proposed law, the crash would never had occurred because the vehicle would have been impounded and held for 12 hours. Instead, another driver without a license drove the vehicle from where it was parked and picked up the drunk driver after she was released from police custody. The unlicensed driver drove the vehicle at a high rate of speed into the side of a warehouse, killing himself, and the accused DUI driver along with her brother.

House Bill 2565 has now been formally introduced in the 2010 session and could become a law sometime this year. Those sponsoring the bill include Representatives Ericksen, Simpson, Smith, Van De Wege, Sells, Orwall, Goodman, Morrell, and Moeller.

The Washington Traffic Safety Commission reported that in 2008 alcohol impaired drivers were responsible for 233 deaths state wide, which is nearly half of all traffic related fatalities. The WTSC also reported that “motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for persons 1 to 34 years of age in the United States.”

Hailey’s Law will prevent many alcohol related deaths if it moves through the House of Representatives as it is expected to. Many other agencies are in support of the life-saving bill, including the Washington State Patrol.

Airport Towing been involved in the recovery of thousands of wrecked vehicles over a period of 21 years, many of which are alcohol related injuries and fatalities. Support of House Bill 2565 is one step closer to reducing the number of lives that are destroyed from impaired driving. It is one more check system that would be in place to prevent tragedy.

Hooked on Super Heavy Duty School

Three members of Airport Towing’s heavy recovery team participated in Super Heavy Duty Recovery School last month in Wenatchee, Washington. The classes were put on by the Towing & Recovery Association of Washington and hosted locally by Randy’s Towing. The Super Heavy Duty Certification earned by these heavy operators represents the highest level of achievement offered by TRAW.

Though many towing companies believe the only education a driver needs is experience (OJT), Airport Towing and other members of the Washington State Association believe differently. Clearly, there is no substitute for training. Participants are able to work in a controlled environment, and can take the time to work through scenarios, luxuries they do not have when on the scene of real working incidents.

TRAW’s Super Heavy Duty class includes classroom time and a final written exam, but the emphasis of the class is clearly geared toward hands-on training. Instructors work hard to stage large donated trucks, trailers, containers, and equipment in difficult geographical locations designed to challenge the tow operators. Throughout the class, the recoveries progress from simple winch-outs to basic tractor-trailer roll-overs, then on to more complicated situations.

Not only were students challenged with recovering heavy trucks that were thrown into the most precarious situations, but they were also given the realistic scenario of working through the night. Responding to accident recoveries in the middle of the night is nothing new to a tow truck operator, so the instructors decided to add the challenge of working in the dark during early morning hours without giving prior notice. The task was to recover a rolled over cement mixer, down an embankment, and off the main road. Through auxiliary lighting and careful rigging, the crew was able to safely recover the disabled vehicle.

Another scenario students were faced with  was to retrieve a heavy excavator, buried thoroughly in the mud to the point where the wheels were no longer visible. The class was broken up into two teams and students were asked to come up with a recovery plan that would get the job done most efficiently. Participants were given an opportunity to think on their feet, work in teams, and understand the limits of their equipment. From the working limit of the chain to the snatch block, the boom, cable, straps, shackles, and all other equipment must be considered when working a heavy recovery incident.

Students at Airport Towing observed that the value of working together as a team was the single most important lesson learned while working a heavy recovery incident. Their opportunity to train together helped the trio gain confidence in each other, which will increase efficiency while working together during real emergency operations. Just as any emergency scene responder has come to expect, tow truck operators must work quickly and in unison to be able to best serve the motoring public. Incidents need to be quickly analyzed and a plan for recovery operations must be implemented in a short period of time. This is especially true when heavy duty tow trucks are called on scene. Experience at work and training opportunities such as TRAW’s Super Heavy Tow School are the only way to prepare for such situations.

The location for the four day school and recovery class was at the Chelan County Fire District 1 training grounds. Fire departments are known for their level of expertise, directly related to their relentless training. Professional towing operators would love to have as much training as firefighters, but because towing is privately funded it is difficult to receive funding for training programs. Operators that donate equipment and drivers to these classes take a loss while their businesses operate short-handed.

This year TRAW was able to gain the support of 14 students who participated in the class and several instructors who were willing to volunteer their time for the benefit of the towing and recovery industry. Attending students came from all around the northwest to enhance their working knowledge of operating heavy equipment. Participating companies sending students included Airport Towing, Willette’s Towing, Pro Tow, Ron May Towing, Lakewood Towing, Randy’s Towing, Bethel Towing.

In addition to time and personnel donated to the super heavy duty class, several pieces of equipment were also donated to be used at the training facility. Airport Towing, as well as 3 other companies from Washington State sent heavy duty tow trucks to the Super Heavy Duty class, including Randy’s Towing of Wenatchee, Bethel Towing of Port Orchard, and Lakewood Towing near Tacoma. Randy’s Towing also provided a medium duty tow truck; George Washington Towing volunteered equipment transportation via a lowboy, and Nelson Truck volunteered the use of a new flatbed tow truck with side pull capabilities. Class instructors from TRAW included Rich Steele of Lincoln Towing, Keith Lewis of Pro Tow, Kurt Gillard of George Washington Towing, and Mike & Joanne Walcker. Visiting instructors from California were Bob Berry and Steve Cardineli.

Overall, the 2009 TRAW Super Heavy Duty Recovery School was a huge success thanks to the participation from regional towing companies, eager tow truck operators, and dedicated instructors. These participants are proud improve their professionalism and lead the way in our state’s towing and recovery operations.

2009 NW Tow Expo - Thumbs Up

If there seemed to be an unusually high number of tow trucks on I-5 last week, it was for a good reason. Tow trucks from all over the Northwest drove to Ferndale, Washington last weekend to participate in the Towing & Recovery Association of Washington’s 2009 Northwest Tow Truck Exposition, the association’s largest annual event.

From all corners of Washington, to the far reaches of Canada and Idaho tow trucks made the trek to the greater Bellingham area to participate in the unique social event. Washington state towing company’s were on hand representing Spokane, Seattle, Moses Lake, Everett, Nisqually, Wenatchee, Bellevue, and many other cities.

Tow trucks big and small found their way to the NW Tow Expo, hosted by TRAW, many vying to earn awards for top show truck, best working truck along with several other awards. Prizes for the show trucks were broken down into categories: Class A (Light Duty), Class B (Medium Duty), and Class C (Heavy Duty) tow trucks. Dick’s Towing of Everett, WA was one of the big winners of this year’s event. Several of the green and white trucks that were displayed earned awards and notoriety.

A 1929 Ford Model AA tow truck was displayed by Airport Towing. The truck was awarded second place in the Class A (Light Duty Tow Truck) Show N Shine category. The only antique truck on hand earned a parking spot at the center of the Expo and was an instant crowd favorite among spectators. “The 29″ was the result of a ground up restoration effort by the late Mark Storer (founder of Airport Towing), and his employees. The classic truck was originally used as a tow truck in South Dakota until Mark welcomed it into his collection by driving half way across the country to pick it up and tow it home.

As the tow show continued and truck operators from around the Pacific Northwest swapped stories with each other, a retired married couple shared a story telling of what they had just recently learned about tow trucks. Before the heavy trucks started rolling in, as crews were preparing to set up the tow expo one couple staying at the hotel & convention center said they received a note on the windshield of their oversized R.V. stating that they needed to move their vehicle out of the back parking lot or it would be towed. The pair typically travels all over the U.S.A. and has never experienced a threat that their house-on-wheels would actually be towed. The husband laughed and said, “What kind of a tow truck could they possible send to tow this thing?! They can’t be serious!” Minutes later as they were preparing to move to the other side of the hotel, tow trucks started pouring in. After they had gotten a look at the tow trucks on approach, the husband reverted his previous statement, confessing, “I had no idea they were serious! Look at those tow trucks! It could pick us up and dangle us around in the air!!” Many spectators who happened to be in the area were impressed with the display on hand from the towing operators.

One of the awards issued for Class C (heavy duty tow truck) was presented to Nisqually Towing, located in Olympia, Washington. Nisqually’s solid red 4 axle Peterbilt was a beautiful addition to the 2009 show. Another tow operator who brought their newly acquired heavy duty tow truck to display among local tow truck operators was Mac Towing of Redmond, WA. Mac’s new blue Peterbilt features large flames down both sides of the truck.

The trade show not only displayed tow trucks, but also featured vehicle and equipment suppliers with opportunities for them to present their best product to the towing industry. Tow truck operators are known for their heavy and frequent use of their machinery. They are constantly putting their trucks and tools to the test while working tirelessly in the field. As a result, most tow truck operators require the gear they purchase to be of the highest standard and utmost durability. From snow chains to trucks chassis; winch cables to tires, the men and women of the towing industry get a lot of use from their equipment and expect it to hold up in the worst conditions. With the introduction of the new Dodge Ram 5500, many tow truck operators are making the switch from Ford and Chevrolet due to durability and strength issues. Dodge began building the heavier trucks two years ago and will be picking up where GM is leaving off as they have announced they will no longer be building the Kodiak and Top Kick medium duty trucks as of this year.

The highest standards still apply to many of the towing companies that have been operating for several decades. Randy’s Towing of Wenatchee, Washington recently had Idaho Wrecker Sales build them a new medium duty tow truck that was on display in Ferndale. Although the economy is forcing all businesses to take a close look at their operating expenses, towing operators do not have the luxury of making cuts on their equipment purchases without serious repercussions. For those that plan on working their equipment hard every day in emergency situations and under poor conditions, ‘almost the right truck for the job’ is not good enough. With tow trucks, it is critical to have the right truck for the job and those who have been in the industry for any length of time realize that it is not worth making cuts when it comes to equipment purchases.

While much of TRAW’s 2009 NW Tow Expo was a chance for owners and sales staff to connect for purposes of doing business together, the show was equally about having fun. Families enjoyed spending their time at the show visiting with each other, eating together, showing off trucks, and even competing against each other in friendly competitions. Rouse’s Towing of Spokane, WA showed their one-of-a-kind Chevrolet SSR with detachable tow unit. It is likely the only SSR tow truck in the world.

As for competitions, Airport Towing General Manager Daryl Wilson completed the service call competition in just 30 seconds, taking first prize among competitors. The service call contest consisted of a series of field exercises that had to be completed for time. Operators were tasked with performing three types of service on a 2000 Mazda Protege, which required multiple steps to complete. The vehicle was completely locked and all compartments closed at the beginning of the competition. The objective was to unlock the vehicle using door entry tools, followed by opening the trunk to access the vehicle’s spare tire, lug wrench, and a floor jack. The tire and changing tools had to be placed by the driver within a boxed area near the front of the car. Finally, the driver had to access a jump box in the trunk, open the hood of the car, and connect it to the appropriate cables. Many drivers from around the Northwest accepted the challenge. Some failed to finish. Throughout the day Daryl’s name had been compared to several superheroes, earning him the reputation as a master of service calls among his peers. Despite an economic recession the 2009 NW Tow Expo was a huge success, earning more participation and boasting more fun than the previous year.

Lumber Recovery on I-5: No Job Too Big

When other towing companies from the Seattle-Tacoma area refused to accept the job of cleaning up debris from a major accident scene Friday night, crews from Airport Towing went to work.

Heavy duty tow trucks were called to an accident scene on I-5 in SeaTac this weekend that involved an overturned semi truck and a 53 foot long trailer full of milled alder. The tow truck operators were unable to upright the truck with the load attached, so they cut it loose and abandoned it in the median. The off ramp was shut down until DOT crews could push the loose materials out of the roadway with a frontloader and the truck was hauled away. After one lane was reopened, the insurance agent on scene of the major incident was told she had to find someone who could finish the job.

With thousands of board feet of lumber on the ground, she called Airport Towing to finish the job other companies refused to do. Trucks were dispatched to the scene immediately and Airport Towing made a quick assessment of what equipment would be needed to handle the complicated task. One heavy duty tow truck responded immediately along with a large 3 axle carrier and a forklift. Other equipment used was a second flatbed, an additional forklift, two tow trucks for traffic control, and nine personnell.

What made the job increasingly complicated was most of the stacks of lumber had broken apart and were loose on the ground. All but three bundles had to be carried by hand out of the median and up to the pavement where they were neatly restacked and lifted by forklift onto flatbed tow trucks. The three surviving bundles were only half broken apart and were able to be lifted by a large wrecker. Specialized recovery straps were used to choke the load together and bring it up onto the roadway as individual sections.

The load recovery was so labor intensive it required 83 man hours of labor with a total on scene time of over 12 hours. Crews from Airport Towing are confident that if they had been given the opportunity to manage the accident recovery from the beginning, the load could have been manipulated or the truck uprighted in a way that would have cut down on the efforts that followed to recover the load.

DOT crews praised Airport Towing for their efforts on scene as they worked through the night and into the next morning. “You guys do good work,” stated a DOT worker on scene at the time of the incident recovery. Airport Towing once again proved themselves capable of handling large and complicated emergency incidents and  made sure to continue working on scene until all lumber and debris were completely recovered.

Our New Video Page

Airport Towing has just launched the newest addition to our web site: a Video Page! We currently have 8 video testimonials posted from some of our customers around the greater Seattle area that called us for a variety of towing and tow truck services. Each of the customers have a unique opinion of the service that Airport Towing provided which they express as they tell their story in these short video clips. All the videos are posted at AirportTow.com are also posted on YouTube.com and you can now follow us on Facebook!

We believe videos are a great way for our customers to tell their story so that others will know exactly what kind of service to expect from our towing company. Our new videos feature testimonials of customers who called Airport Towing for anything from flat tire changes to winch outs, towing to local repair shops and even a customer impound from an apartment complex. We are also posting interesting videos from the towing industry and from around the Burien, SeaTac, Seattle area such as our newest video of a tow truck fire that we happened to stumble upon in Seattle last month.Our tow trucks frequently service customers in Burien, Kent, Renton, Normandy Park, Seattle, White Center, Tukwila, Skyway, South Park, Des Moines, Federal Way, Tacoma, and other outlying areas. Our towing company performs a variety of services from towing large trucks and semis to car jumpstarts and unlocks. We plan on allowing our customers the opportunity to express themselves through videos that we will continue to post online at AirportTow.com! Our latest video features a customer testimonial of a successful Bobcat winch-out / recovery. For more videos and testimonials visit our new video page and click on the video to play. If you like what you see, you can rate the video on YouTube and add subscribe to Airport Towing to be informed of all video posts. Add a comment and tell us what you think! We are excited to get feedback from our customers and from anyone else that can help us improve our overall business and our website.