Latest / Towing News Now / The Silent Struggle Behind the Tow Lines and the Fight for Fairness

Transcript

The Silent Struggle Behind the Tow Lines and the Fight for Fairness · Towing News Now

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Welcome one and all to the American Tone Recovery Institute podcast.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: This is your podcast to promote safety, education, positive public relations and networking within the professional and business-minded tone recovery industry.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: I'm your co-host, dj Harrington, better known as the co-doctor, and I'm honored, as always, to have as our co-host of today's episode a 40-year Tone Industry Veteran, a friend and the leader, the founder of the American Tone and Recovery Institute, wes Wilber Wes.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: How are you this beautiful day?
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm doing very good very good, it's a great busty day here in North.
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: Carolina.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: We've had some pretty bad storms over the last couple days, so we survived them.
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: We're mid-January at this point.
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: I guess, when people listen to this, we'll be in the third week of January.
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: Yep.
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: The weather's been severe all over the country.
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: So I guess one of the first things I want to do is to recognize all the telling recovery operators out there, keeping the roads moving by clearing those vehicles, stalled vehicles, et cetera, out accidents, et cetera.
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: I want to thank all the different DOT, state police, fire departments, all the different folks that are putting in extra time and effort through these weather difficulties.
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: The other day, the day we were having the bad weather here storms, tornadoes got real close to the house, et cetera.
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: On that day they said in the morning that 49 out of the 50 states were experiencing severe weather, I believe with the terminology.
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: I didn't check to see, but I'm guessing my friend Kenny Tom there in Hawaii was one of the only ones not experiencing severe weather the other day.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: We're thankful for all the people that out there keeping America and beyond moving.
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: I want you all to be safe out there.
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: Take care of yourself.
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: Make sure you're hydrate Hydrate just as important in the wintertime as it is in the summertime.
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: Make sure you take care of yourself.
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: Always try to be a DJ that have had an extra pair of gloves, socks and towels.
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: You've got the towel that I could get my feet dry, get dry socks on and you could go for a while again after that, but I always felt that was really important.
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: Yeah, but well, we told people in other podcasts that we should be carrying extra socks, extra set of gloves.
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: An army blanket, sometimes thrown in the back, is always good.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: You never know.
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that army blanket's good for many reasons, especially in the telling industry.
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: First of all, anybody out there in the roadways or for bed.
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: You never know when you can get stuck yourself broken down, maybe just in the highway where the roads closed down.
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: Then also in the telling business.
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: You compound that by the fact of who you might meet, who might have been stranded for a while.
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: You can use that blanket immediately when you rescue them.
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: So people listen to this day after the Iowa caucus we hope that there's a clear and decisive winner as we move forward.
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: We don't have a long drawn out affair.
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: Maybe we do.
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: That has its own value of healthy for the country.
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: I just think we have so much to do about.
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: Picturing amongst ourselves is a better idea, so hopefully we have a clear winner there.
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: Maybe we do.
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: I guess last time the.
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: Iowa caucus happened.
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: They didn't ever get to vote the count right.
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: They weren't able to deliver it that night.
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: It became almost what an incontroquential to the outcome of the cycles.
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: I hope that doesn't happen again.
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: Bj, while we're thinking about it, I want to remember the Secretary of Defense with his prostate cancer.
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: We sent prayers for him and his family.
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: The serious situation Middle-aged men need to pay that subject serious attention.
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: It's the equivalent of what women go through with breast cancer.
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: One in eight occasion males experience prostate cancer and one of six African.
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: American males will experience it.
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: So something to keep in mind is it gets me years on here.
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: I guess we're all getting three years on us, aren't we DJ?
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: You got that right and that cancer had kicked my family.
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: My mom died of cancer and my brother built deep pockets.
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: He passed away from cancer.
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: It's tough and we all should keep medical attention and make sure you get your annual check.
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: You hit the 55 years old.
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: You better be checking.
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: That's right and I'm sorry, dj.
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: I've tackled what you're talking about your brother's passing and I apologize.
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: It just always tickles me that you're referring to him as deep pockets.
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: What did?
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: he call you?
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: I never have asked you that.
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: What did he call you?
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: No, he always called me the philosopher.
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: It was always because he put me through college.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: I mean, he made so much money in construction business that he put me through college and my brother put an addition on the school that he quit.
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: I mean, that's how wealthy my brother was.
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: And of course, their business is very, very big.
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: Today they did the New Jersey Board walk and they did when the hurricane hit us.
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: And they do it.
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: You know, when we were young they used to do.
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: When I worked for them, we did maybe one or two driveways a day.
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: Today Harrington Construction does well over a hundred driveways per day.
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: Oh, wow, yeah, they do the best parking lot.
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: I mean, you know, they have 260 employees.
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: Now, when you worked for them, what was it?
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: 70s or something?
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: Yeah, in the 70s.
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: That may be the smart amount, but, yeah, late 60s or early 70s.
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: Okay, wow, that's something.
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: And I guess part of it was they grew with the area right.
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and as they grew they had maybe when I worked with them we had five or six employees and I went to maybe 18 or 20 employees while I was in college and of course it it boomed and he started doing banks and he did Burger King restaurants in New York, new Jersey and Connecticut.
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: He did all the parking lot, the curbing and those areas.
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: So it just boomed, it just grew, just like the American Dome Recovery Institute.
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: It just keeps on growing.
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: That's right, dj, that's right.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: So what's happening with you guys?
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: Well, we're getting ready.
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: We're just a couple of weeks out from our first class of the year.
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: It's shaping up nicely.
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: We're in Columbus, Georgia, February 3rd and 4th, the Saturday and Sunday.
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: We had the host on last week for an interview, A delightful couple, Griffin and Griffin, and they're hosting the class there.
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: Heavy duty with the rotator class.
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: So we're getting ready for that.
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: Like I said, that's coming up February 3rd and 4th Class is almost full at this point, dj, so we're really excited about that.
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: That's the nice way to start the year.
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: Sure is.
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: And then, just a couple of nights later, we're going to be doing our free webinar part-time of the Electric Vehicles series.
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: That's February 7th.
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: We'll also be doing a little thing in South Carolina Sumner, south Carolina.
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: I don't even have the date for it.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: It's like February the 1st, I believe It'll be a couple of hours of electric vehicle course, which is a little prompt.
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: Two thing we're doing with Sumner Rector we have that.
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: Tesla display unit.
• 8:05
  Speaker 3: We're going to have it down there.
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: We're going to work with firefighters and toers and it's ready to come.
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: And then we got the subject of today's interview.
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: Our guest is going to be Jared.
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: Vardado from Vardado Sons in Louisiana, Adam Springs, Louisiana, I believe it's a city.
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: He's president of the tele-recognition professionals of Louisiana and that's our second stop of the year, Second weekend stop.
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: I guess, DJ is what I'm saying to you.
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: It's going to be in Lake Charles Louisiana, working with the Association we're going to do on Friday night we're going to do a free two hour electric vehicle course.
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: Fire, police, dot telling a force will be invited at 7pm to 9pm.
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: It's going to be sponsored by the Association.
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: Then on Saturday we're doing a one day heavy duty and one day light duty.
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: On Sunday, all that's going to be in Lake Charles.
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: You can visit our website, wwwamtowricom.
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: Complete schedule there.
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: That's the shortcut to the main website.
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: And then we also are going to have Charlotte, north Carolina, coming up March 23rd 24th for a two day heavy duty telling a recovery course With rotation of the main course I'm doing for heavy duty nowadays we hosted by Hunter Rekker.
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: Want more information on that?
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: Visit the website or to the Craneo that you've seen called 910-747-9000.
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: So that's what's going on for the second DJ.
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: We're going to have Jared.
• 9:47
  Speaker 3: We'll get everybody to hang around until after the break.
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: We'll have Jared come back after the break and we'll talk a little bit about what's going on with their association down there, what's going to happen with the class of Lake Charles, et cetera.
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: So hang around, we'll be right back.
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: The folks at Purpose Rekker are Rekker specialists.
• 10:05
  Speaker 3: They don't get bogged down with other types of sales like cars, assorted equipment or snow plows.
• 10:10
  Speaker 3: Purpose Rekker exclusively specializes in towing and hauling From parts in service to financing.
• 10:17
  Speaker 3: They remain focused on providing the best service and customer care to the towing and hauling industry.
• 10:23
  Speaker 3: Even in these trying times, purpose Rekker works hard to meet the needs of its customers.
• 10:28
  Speaker 3: They are the preferred distributor in North America for purchasing towing and recovery equipment.
• 10:33
  Speaker 3: For more information, visit them on the web at PurposeRekkercom, or speak to a specialist by calling 636-639-9700.
• 10:43
  Speaker 3: That's 636-639-9700.
• 10:47
  Speaker 3: Celebrating 40 years in the towing industry that's PurposeRekkercom.
• 10:53
  Speaker 3: Information in this podcast is made possible by generous sponsorship from Henry's Rekker, serving the community with quality towing and recovery for over 40 years.
• 11:02
  Speaker 3: Henry's Rekkercom.
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: Welcome back listeners.
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: You are listening to the American Towing Recovery Institute podcast with Wes Wilburn, dj Heritage and our special returning guest, jared Bardo.
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: Now, I want you all to remember, they are available on Spotify, itunes, pandora, google Play, stitcher, hiheart Media, amazon or wherever you get your podcast.
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: So, without further ado, I thank all of you for listening and growing this podcast.
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: Wes, I'll turn it over to you because we got a great guest today.
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we certainly do and, DJ, I appreciate you reminding us the fact that our listeners are making this program happen and we can't thank you all enough for listening.
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: Of course, if you like what you're listening, to hit that like button, hit that share button and subscribe.
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: We really appreciate it if you subscribe.
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: That's where the numbers are.
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: So I want to thank my listeners again for listening.
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: So you might remember from episode 67,.
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: He was a guest host for this podcast program.
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: We interviewed Niall Vincent from the Towing Museum Also.
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: he's been a guest as well representing his own company, the Towing Association.
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: Jared Vornado Jared introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your background, your family history, et cetera, if you would please.
• 12:26
  Speaker 4: My name is Jared.
• 12:27
  Speaker 4: Vornado.
• 12:27
  Speaker 4: I'm third generation in our family business Vornado Sons Towing Recovery in General Springs, louisiana.
• 12:34
  Speaker 4: I've been in the industry full time for a little over 20 years.
• 12:40
  Speaker 4: I'm also president of the Towing Association TRPL.
• 12:46
  Speaker 4: I've been president.
• 12:48
  Speaker 4: This is my second term.
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: We're going to definitely talk about the association, but before we do third generation family business.
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: When did the family start?
• 12:59
  Speaker 4: My grandfather started it in 1957.
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: Okay, started out as a what in a telling service?
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: Did it start just as a telling service?
• 13:10
  Speaker 4: Now it started out actually as an SO gas station and grew from there.
• 13:14
  Speaker 4: They built a few you know custom built trucks back then and just to tow some of their customers' vehicles in, and it just grew from there.
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: So telling's been involved with the majority of the life of the business.
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: Then, yes, sir, and today are you telling only or telling another services.
• 13:39
  Speaker 4: No, we also have a full service diesel repair and auto repair.
• 13:44
  Speaker 4: We're a common certified dealer.
• 13:45
  Speaker 4: We do everything from suspension work, motor work you name it we do it.
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: Oh, wow.
• 13:56
  Speaker 4: How big an operation is that.
• 13:57
  Speaker 4: It's pretty large.
• 13:59
  Speaker 4: We've got 12 mechanics.
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, boy, that's pretty large, that's very large in most people's books.
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: That's a lot to keep up right there in the town 24-7 telling as well.
• 14:13
  Speaker 4: Yes, sir.
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: Oh well, it keeps you busy.
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: I'm sure it does 24 hours a day.
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: Absolutely so tell us a little bit about the association.
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: I know we're excited about partnering with the upcoming training event.
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: It's an organization that I've dealt with for decades and always had nothing but great dealings with.
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: Tell us a little bit about the association if you wouldn't maybe expand into what's going on in Louisiana and why it needs to be a member of the association with the hotel or the Louisiana.
• 14:46
  Speaker 4: The TRPL, the selling professionals of Louisiana, is the only selling association in the state.
• 14:51
  Speaker 4: We battle the upcoming laws in the capital and, as you know, we're regulated by the Public Service Commission on our non-consensual towing and so we're constantly battling with them to get our industry raises and increases in pricing and as the price of trucks and insurance go up, we're still trying to get them to understand that it takes more for us to do our day-to-day job and that we need more money.
• 15:24
  Speaker 4: So that's actually a campaign.
• 15:28
  Speaker 4: We started hit hard January 1st well, actually January 6th is when they all took office, but this was an election year in the state.
• 15:39
  Speaker 4: We got a new governor and got a new commissioner and a couple other things.
• 15:43
  Speaker 4: So some of the main topics were devoted on fighting.
• 15:48
  Speaker 4: First is we're overdue a raise.
• 15:51
  Speaker 4: We haven't had a raise price increase in three years.
• 15:56
  Speaker 4: I believe it was, and it was just a temporary raise until they do a study to decide where we need to be, and then DOT has taken over.
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: Go ahead, just hang on for half a second for me.
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: Yeah, some folks may not be familiar with what it means to be regulated.
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: Just to brief over you.
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: Basically any toll that's being consented IE, police tow etc.
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: Is regulated by this public utilities commission.
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: Is that correct?
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: Yes, sir, and they regulate all the pricing across the board.
• 16:30
  Speaker 4: Yes, they have it itemized down for private property tolls has a flat rate, light, medium and heavy duty has a specified hourly rate down to what we can charge for labor supervisors, extra equipment, and so they regulate that pretty heavily.
• 16:50
  Speaker 4: And if somebody files a complaint they do a formal investigation and dissect your bill and if you've done wrong then you have to refund them the money.
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: And this is you can get a couple things.
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: This is all non-compensate telling, correct.
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: And you can get in trouble if you charge somebody more than your posted rates no, their posted rates.
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: And you can get in trouble if you charge somebody less than their posted rates.
• 17:17
  Speaker 2: Is that correct as well?
• 17:18
  Speaker 4: That is correct.
• 17:19
  Speaker 4: That is correct.
• 17:20
  Speaker 2: Just stand on that, just a little bit for me.
• 17:24
  Speaker 4: So just for I'll talk about the light duty rate so just for a normal crash, no recovery, anything like that, they give us a flat rate of $123.50 but we're able to charge an hour and a half and then they allow us a fuel surcharge, whatever the Gulf Coast rating is, which right now is at 12%.
• 17:52
  Speaker 4: So for a normal crash or no insurance toll or something along those lines, if they set rate, so if there's recovery involved, you can add winching as long as your time has exceeded the hour and a half minimum.
• 18:13
  Speaker 4: So if there's a car in the ditch for, say, and you have to recover it, but you, from the time you were dispatched to the time you go back to the office, if you got that done in under an hour and a half, they don't allow you to charge winching.
• 18:27
  Speaker 2: But if it's two hours on the time you leave, the time you get back and there's some winching in there.
• 18:34
  Speaker 4: You're allowed to charge half an hour of winching.
• 18:37
  Speaker 2: Got you.
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: I'll see you later.
• 18:41
  Speaker 4: No, it's a winching is a little bit more 123, something the state regulated rate.
• 18:48
  Speaker 2: What was that number?
• 18:48
  Speaker 4: again, 123.50 per hour.
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: When's the last time the that number has been raised?
• 18:55
  Speaker 4: We got a 14% increase across the board.
• 18:59
  Speaker 4: It was three or four years ago.
• 19:01
  Speaker 4: Prior to that, it had been 10 years since they'd given us a raise.
• 19:06
  Speaker 2: Wow, you already know.
• 19:06
  Speaker 2: My next question was Two raises of 14 years.
• 19:10
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's the real problem.
• 19:11
  Speaker 2: That's the reason right there to have someone Doing what you folks do with the association.
• 19:19
  Speaker 4: One of the other fights that we're fighting for our heavy Heavy duty industry is do?
• 19:25
  Speaker 4: Td has taken over our Scale houses and they, because there's no federal regulations for towing, they lump us into normal trucking, and so they're.
• 19:36
  Speaker 4: They've decided that they're going to start writing us over axle tickets and gross overweight it gets.
• 19:42
  Speaker 4: And their answer to that is well, you should just buy a permit.
• 19:46
  Speaker 4: And our argument is our tow trucks are licensed at 80,000.
• 19:52
  Speaker 4: The truck and trailer that we're towing is licensed at 80,000.
• 19:55
  Speaker 4: If we don't exceed that Wait limit, I don't understand why we're being penalized.
• 20:00
  Speaker 4: As you well know, weight transfers you're picking up a truck with a setback from axle.
• 20:09
  Speaker 4: It's going to put more weight on your rear axle and you may exceed the Federal regulated weight.
• 20:16
  Speaker 4: And their, their answer is to just buy permit.
• 20:21
  Speaker 2: I got a couple questions about that, but we're up against the heartbreak, so what I like to do is ask you to hang around.
• 20:25
  Speaker 2: We'll take a quick break, we'll be right back and I want to know about.
• 20:29
  Speaker 2: But we're talking over gross, over axle, so I got a couple of questions.
• 20:34
  Speaker 2: Okay, good, we'll, we'll get right back at it after the break.
• 20:37
  Speaker 2: Let's just pull me right back.
• 20:42
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• 20:48
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• 21:48
  Speaker 3: That's 910-747-9000.
• 21:51
  Speaker 3: We look forward to serving you.
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: Welcome back listeners.
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: You're listening in American Tone Recovery Institute with DJ Harrington and Wes Wilburn.
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: Remember to like, review and share everywhere.
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: Remember, if you'd like an industry expert like Jared from Louisiana, by all means just dial 706-409-5603.
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: And that goes right to the podcast hotline.
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: Leave a recorded message and Wes and I will do our very best to get somebody like a Jared on the next episode for you and for our listening pleasure.
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: Hi, wes, let me turn it over to you because you're about to ask him and you know what I want to tell all our listeners.
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: Last week, when we had Griffin and Griffin, they had to stop almost at the end of the podcast to do a rollover and there we got poor Jared coming back from a toe and he's in on.
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: All of you know this is a great industry expert.
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: He's in his tow truck right now helping us with the podcast.
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: So I tip my hat to you, jared.
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: You're a good man.
• 23:00
  Speaker 1: Thank you, dj.
• 23:02
  Speaker 2: Thanks, dj.
• 23:03
  Speaker 2: So let's get back to where we're at.
• 23:05
  Speaker 2: You said the right shit.
• 23:06
  Speaker 2: I'm going to ask for it Over axle, over roast.
• 23:09
  Speaker 2: You came back with the answer, both of it.
• 23:10
  Speaker 2: I heard you correctly.
• 23:11
  Speaker 2: Did I hear you correctly?
• 23:12
  Speaker 4: That is correct.
• 23:14
  Speaker 2: It's like impossible to do.
• 23:15
  Speaker 2: Well, okay, they said just buy a permit.
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: How is?
• 23:19
  Speaker 2: that even reasonable?
• 23:20
  Speaker 2: Is it a three day process for a permit?
• 23:26
  Speaker 4: If you know exactly what your weights are, a permit's easy, except if you're towing certain like.
• 23:32
  Speaker 4: For instance, if you're towing a loaded garbage truck, you're going to be over axle.
• 23:37
  Speaker 4: They will only permit up to 20,000 per axle and if you're over that they won't sell you a permit.
• 23:45
  Speaker 4: However, none of us that I know of carry mobile scales with them to know exactly what the vehicle they're towing weights.
• 23:53
  Speaker 4: We're in a somewhat rural area.
• 23:58
  Speaker 4: The nearest scale house is 30 miles from me.
• 24:00
  Speaker 4: I mean the nearest mobile, the cat's tail.
• 24:09
  Speaker 2: Even then, unless there is two cars on the split second, what?
• 24:12
  Speaker 2: I was wondering was?
• 24:13
  Speaker 2: Is it reasonable that as you dispatch, you start contacting them by the time somebody's out there on scene hooking up?
• 24:19
  Speaker 2: You get the process started, you get the permit and hopefully it was a short process, a short turnaround time.
• 24:31
  Speaker 2: But you know I hear turnaround times days in some of these permit offices and I start if it's the exact thing.
• 24:39
  Speaker 4: I might say that's right.
• 24:41
  Speaker 2: But if you went there out and called an assortment do the assolates.
• 24:50
  Speaker 3: You can see down at all.
• 24:51
  Speaker 2: Your keys crossed all your eyes, etc.
• 24:53
  Speaker 2: Would have all we're taking to get back to you with the permit.
• 25:00
  Speaker 4: Depends on the route.
• 25:01
  Speaker 4: So the other issue you have is we have a lot of small rural roads where the bridge may on be posted for 20 times and if you're grossing, let's just say you know your average is 120, 140,000 you can't cross that bridge, so they have to overuse it, you're not gonna have many trash trucks that made it across the point on bridge in the first place that you gotta go across at the rescue you would be surprised.
• 25:35
  Speaker 2: Well, okay, but just, let's just okay.
• 25:39
  Speaker 4: Let's just say it was going from point A to point B.
• 25:41
  Speaker 2: I don't need to say to the local garage in a big city.
• 25:48
  Speaker 4: It would take about an hour.
• 25:52
  Speaker 2: From the start to the finish.
• 25:53
  Speaker 2: Yes, sir, so yeah, so it's an impractical solution is what the providing in my opinion Absolutely impractical.
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: I mean, so there are stipulations.
• 26:09
  Speaker 4: They will exempt us if the vehicle breaks down in a lane of travel and you could take it to a certain it's kind of a gray area.
• 26:21
  Speaker 4: It used to say to the nearest repair shop.
• 26:23
  Speaker 4: Now it just says to its closest destination.
• 26:26
  Speaker 4: However, if it breaks down and it's in a parking lot, it is no longer exempt.
• 26:33
  Speaker 4: It's only exempt if it's in a lane of traffic or on a shoulder.
• 26:37
  Speaker 2: First I thought you were saying lane of traffic is only on a shoulder, but yeah, it's still these whole out of issues If people become aware of it for their own best interest.
• 26:48
  Speaker 2: So maybe we won't try to get it out of a lane of traffic now, but they do now.
• 26:52
  Speaker 2: Right, I hope it doesn't come to that.
• 26:55
  Speaker 2: And yeah, so what?
• 27:01
  Speaker 2: So that's the problem.
• 27:02
  Speaker 2: What is this association been?
• 27:04
  Speaker 3: lobbying.
• 27:06
  Speaker 2: What are they been doing to deal with it?
• 27:10
  Speaker 4: Unfortunately, we're kind of at a standstill due to DOT does not like to return phone calls, they don't like to attend meetings, and they just tell us we need to figure the situation out and they they're kind of escaped goat.
• 27:27
  Speaker 4: As well as federal regulations, what's what we have to abide by?
• 27:33
  Speaker 2: So we identified the problem what is the association doing moving forward with this issue?
• 27:41
  Speaker 3: Where are they?
• 27:41
  Speaker 4: at with the now.
• 27:43
  Speaker 2: Where are they?
• 27:43
  Speaker 2: How are they going to move forward?
• 27:45
  Speaker 4: So currently we have met with the OTD in trying to come up with a solution.
• 27:52
  Speaker 4: We've met with our local enforcement as well, as we have reached out to get some legal guidance and see if we can all come up with a solution that's safe for everyone and we can do our job safely and not be penalized for it.
• 28:08
  Speaker 2: So what do you see as a solution?
• 28:11
  Speaker 4: I think the easiest solution would be an exemption of some form, and I think that's kind of the avenue that we're faced.
• 28:19
  Speaker 4: We're going to agree on some form of a blanket permit that we can buy to exempt us and I understand that the, the actual pressures, the amount of pressure from the that could be damaging the roads, and that's why they don't want to just give us an exemption that they say that it damages the bridges, and so if we could come up to some kind of agreement to say we will, we will purchase an annual permit and it's going to exempt us to X, y, z amount of weight, we will be sufficient.
• 28:53
  Speaker 2: So you are moving forward, working with proposing something like that.
• 28:56
  Speaker 2: Yes, sir, that's what one of the many things the Association does, that folks don't see that what I say, the Association working on your high professionals and what that correct.
• 29:09
  Speaker 4: Correct.
• 29:09
  Speaker 4: The Association, the board of the Association, is made up of Owners of towing companies, right, and not all our owners.
• 29:18
  Speaker 4: Some are managers that attend and and I will say I've got a good support team the guy that's hosting our training course coming up, adrian Benoit he's on the board.
• 29:30
  Speaker 4: James Miracle that's been on your podcast a few times.
• 29:34
  Speaker 4: He's on the board.
• 29:35
  Speaker 4: Well many others.
• 29:38
  Speaker 2: Adrian is going to be a guest next week's podcast where we're actually talking about the most of what we're going to do for training and Lake Charles coming up in just a couple of short weeks at this point.
• 29:48
  Speaker 2: Great, great individual.
• 29:52
  Speaker 2: So, yeah, going back to the Association, just so we can finish that thought.
• 29:58
  Speaker 2: The association is volunteers on the board of directors et cetera, but for this project you're hiring attorney and whatnot, aren't you?
• 30:08
  Speaker 4: Yes, sir.
• 30:10
  Speaker 2: That's where the point I'm trying to get to is all kinds of unseen efforts, unseen professional fee, fees On behalf of the telling professional in the state of Louisiana get those benefits, whether they participate in the system or not.
• 30:25
  Speaker 2: That's what I'm trying to bring to my idea, Jared.
• 30:28
  Speaker 4: Right.
• 30:28
  Speaker 4: The participation in the association is what help pays for that.
• 30:35
  Speaker 4: Those that aren't a member of the association reap the benefits from what we do for free Right as well, as we've got staff in the office that do not work for free and we have to pay those.
• 30:52
  Speaker 4: The association also offers we run papers for stored vehicles.
• 31:00
  Speaker 4: We were actually the first people that did that.
• 31:05
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and one of the three first in the country to be doing that as well.
• 31:08
  Speaker 2: Back in the 80s, late 80s, early 90s, when I had a lean and title business, Louisiana Town Association was doing paperwork for their members.
• 31:17
  Speaker 2: It was unheard of at that time.
• 31:19
  Speaker 2: So I just want to make a point here to people listening, and especially if you're a co-owner in the state of Louisiana.
• 31:26
  Speaker 3: One of the things Jared talked about was something that he said well, I'm a late 80s co-owner.
• 31:29
  Speaker 2: Doesn't affect me, does that affect me?
• 31:32
  Speaker 2: Virgil laws etc.
• 31:34
  Speaker 3: On one level.
• 31:35
  Speaker 2: That's true, but the next thing coming down the pike after that may affect you but, I, know the price you get paid per hour, for your regulated rates, etc.
• 31:42
  Speaker 2: That affects everybody.
• 31:45
  Speaker 2: That's one of the big things the association does as well.
• 31:47
  Speaker 2: You know, associations, they're not perfect, they're made up of individual people, and we all know how challenging any individual person can be at given times, including yours truly.
• 32:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you heard it here first, DJ, I'd be challenging you to go on with sometimes.
• 32:06
  Speaker 3: So we don't make big money.
• 32:09
  Speaker 2: With all that being said, the association, a lot of good people, put in a lot of good work as volunteers, trying to make things better in their state, and that's one of the reasons we at the American Tone Recovery Institute are proud to be partnering up with telling recovery professionals for the class coming up.
• 32:29
  Speaker 1: Yeah, belonging to your state association is vital and everyone who's listening you should belong to your state association.
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: Help that grow to help your own business grow.
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: That's what makes sense.
• 32:43
  Speaker 1: Join your association and join with fellow Toers and Recovery people so that you can improve your bottom line.
• 32:51
  Speaker 2: That's right.
• 32:51
  Speaker 2: So, this reminder February 23rd we're going to be in Lake Charles Louisiana.
• 32:57
  Speaker 3: Two-hour electric vehicle class 7 pm to 9 pm.
• 33:04
  Speaker 2: Open to tow truck operators, fire rescue, dot, any interested parties at the free class sponsored by the Tone.
• 33:13
  Speaker 2: Recovery Professionals Louisiana.
• 33:14
  Speaker 2: Then on the 24th, on a Saturday, one day heavy duty.
• 33:20
  Speaker 2: On the Sunday, the 25th, one day light duty.
• 33:23
  Speaker 2: Go to wwwamcowicom for more information or call us 910-747-9000.
• 33:32
  Speaker 2: So, geron, thank you for being here as a guest.
• 33:37
  Speaker 3: We're looking forward to being down in the warm, sunny Louisiana here in about a month or so and I appreciate everything you're doing on behalf of the.
• 33:45
  Speaker 2: Toers of.
• 33:46
  Speaker 2: Louisiana.
• 33:47
  Speaker 2: Look forward to seeing you then.
• 33:50
  Speaker 4: Thank you, Wes.
• 33:50
  Speaker 4: I appreciate it and hopefully it'll be a little warmer for you instead of this audit bias coming through next week.
• 33:58
  Speaker 2: Yeah, almost any corner of the country and you're going to feel it.
• 34:00
  Speaker 2: Apparently we happen about the time this podcast is posting.
• 34:04
  Speaker 2: I want to let them stay warm.
• 34:05
  Speaker 2: Everybody God bless.
• 34:07
  Speaker 2: Be safe out there.
• 34:08
  Speaker 2: Dj, take it home.
• 34:09
  Speaker 2: All right, my friends.
• 34:11
  Speaker 1: Geron, I can't thank you enough for being our guest, for being the past host of this podcast, and you continue to be successful and our best wishes for you and your family and for all the people who worked the wide line.
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: God bless, we'll see you next time on the American Toad Recovering Institute Podcast.