Tower Charged With Fraud

Tow Trucks Can't Park At Home

Truckers and towers who want to park their vehicles at home in New Bedford, Mass., are in for a rude awakening. The city won't permit it and now they've put teeth into their laws banning it.

According to a report on the website for the Standard-Times newspaper, the New Bedford City Council voted to fine violators of this law $300. The heavy-handed approach was done, the report said, because parking big trucks annoys neighbors and partially blocks roads.

But, the article noted, that some councilors thought it was not a good idea to include tow trucks in the ban. Towers had asked to be excluded from the rule, so they could more quickly answer nighttime calls. Further, the council considered that when towers are out on police calls, they have a 30-minute window to respond or lose a tow to a competitor.

In the end, those features did not win over the council members who felt that neighborhood "quality of life" issues took top priority. (Source: Southcoasttoday.com)
(posted on April 14, 2008)

Gas Prices Expected To Hit $4 A Gallon

Don't expect a break in gasoline or diesel prices any time soon. According to a new government forecast, gas prices could hit $4 a gallon during peak summer driving season. Prices are already 55 cents a gallon higher than one year ago, according to a AAA analysis.

The Energy Department predictions anticipate a per gallon rate at the pumps of something close to $3.60, but warn that $4 a gallon may be found on pumps this summer now and then. That figure is up by 10 cents per gallon from previous predictions, according to news reports.

In response, drivers may cut back their consumption. Diesel fuel prices have risen, and nationally the average price per gallon has increased to as much as $4.05 a gallon, according to analysts. They note that the high cost of diesel has driven up the cost of consumer products and food, which are transported across the nation by trucks under diesel power. (Source: AmericanThinker.com)
(Posted on April 11, 2008)

Rivalry Gets Physical

In Australia, rivalry between two towers erupted into a fist fight, when, according to a published report, one tower punched another in the face over a job.

A tower – or "towie" as the Australians say --  who drove up to a crash site with a vehicle already on his tow truck will have his day in court on charges he punched a rival at the scene over the job. According to the news piece, posted on thedaily.com.au, while the two argued, medical personnel were working to treat the 88-year-old victim of the crash. (Source: Thedaily.com.au)

Japan Towing Giant Passes

No More Manual Trans?

Will Ford stop producing its Super Duty pickups with manual transmission?

That's the word on the Internet, where bloggers and industry reporters say they've heard just that. The discussion has not been settled on whether trucks called upon to tow other vehicles and equipment do their jobs better with standard transmission than with manual. Writers note, though, that manuals go for something like $1,500 less than standards and they wonder whether buyers would see a savings if they did not have choice of transmission. (Source: Blogs.Fourwheeler.com)
(posted on April 14, 2008)

Wrecker Drivers Accused Of Hauling Cars For Scrap

Police in Syracuse, N.Y., say that thieves in their city are using tow trucks to snoop around and haul off older-model cars that they sell for scrap.

According to an article posted on 9syr.com, Syracuse Police Detective Gary Coe told reporters that the high price of metal today may be fueling the thefts. He said a typical car can be broken down to yield as much as three hundred dollars from a scrap yard.

Some towers have said they've been hired by others to pick up vehicles that appear to be abandoned or are not running. (Source: 9syr.com)
(posted on April 14, 2008)

Two Stories About Damaged Wrecker

A Texas tower and a pickup owner got into a scuffle recently that left the wrecker damaged and police detectives to unravel the two tales of woe.

The tower arrived to repossess a white pickup but found a red one in the driveway. He decided it was indeed the correct truck with a fresh paint job and began hooking up the truck. While the wheels were in the air, he says the driver ran out of his house and jumped into the driver's seat, gunned the engine and smashed into the back of the wrecker, according to a report on the website DentonRC.com. That's when the damage to the tow truck occurred. The pickup lurched forward, breaking the wrecker's hydraulic line.  

And that's where the two stories diverge. The pickup owner has a different version. According to the news story, he told police that he saw the tower hooking up his pickup and ran out to jump into the truck before it was in the air. But, he says, the tower slammed the wrecker into his pickup, hauling it aloft. The owner reported that he panicked and tried to drive off the truck, which caused the damage.

Both men called 911; the owner to call for an ambulance and the tower to report the incident to police. While the details hadn't been worked out by police yet, the paper reported that an office noted the damage matched the tower's story.(Source: DentonRC.Com)
(Posted on April 11, 2008)