A lot of time people don't have the money to get their cars towed. It can cost up to $90. My rate is anywhere from $35 on up depending on where the vehicle is and how much work it takes. For people on a budget, if they come up with most of it, I'll work with them. We pick up everything cars, vans, trucks. If it fits on the back of the tow truck we can haul it.
A typical day is real busy. I start at 8 in the morning, as soon as I get the children off to school. I ride around in the tow truck until 4. Some days it may be five or six cars that I tow. I use a winch and a cable to roll the vehicle onto the bed of the truck. I hook it up under the bottom and pull it up. In some cases it's hard; other cases it's easy. The truck does most of the work. For me, it's a matter of working the levers.
I have a contract with Sadisco. I go out and pick up wrecked vehicles. When I get them they're demolished. Right now I have a truck that's been turned over maybe three of four times. Most are the result of terrible accidents and floods. Before I started my towing business I worked at Manning Funeral Home. So seeing the mangled vehicles gets you thinking about the people who were in them.
I'm on the road all the time. It gives me a little peace and quiet. But every chance I get I spend with my sons [ ages 13, 12, 10 and 9 ]. They come along in the truck sometimes. They love to ride around looking for addresses. My two oldest know how to read a map.
I'm hoping to start my own fleet. If I get a couple more trucks then I could help more people. The other night a guy called me really late. He had hit a pothole in the city. It looked like it had broken the structure of the car. He really appreciated me handling his car with care. People need their cars.
Interviewed by Brandon Walters,Photographed by Scott Elmquist.
A typical day is real busy. I start at 8 in the morning, as soon as I get the children off to school. I ride around in the tow truck until 4. Some days it may be five or six cars that I tow. I use a winch and a cable to roll the vehicle onto the bed of the truck. I hook it up under the bottom and pull it up. In some cases it's hard; other cases it's easy. The truck does most of the work. For me, it's a matter of working the levers.
I have a contract with Sadisco. I go out and pick up wrecked vehicles. When I get them they're demolished. Right now I have a truck that's been turned over maybe three of four times. Most are the result of terrible accidents and floods. Before I started my towing business I worked at Manning Funeral Home. So seeing the mangled vehicles gets you thinking about the people who were in them.
I'm on the road all the time. It gives me a little peace and quiet. But every chance I get I spend with my sons [ ages 13, 12, 10 and 9 ]. They come along in the truck sometimes. They love to ride around looking for addresses. My two oldest know how to read a map.
I'm hoping to start my own fleet. If I get a couple more trucks then I could help more people. The other night a guy called me really late. He had hit a pothole in the city. It looked like it had broken the structure of the car. He really appreciated me handling his car with care. People need their cars.
Interviewed by Brandon Walters,Photographed by Scott Elmquist.
Comments