Friday, April 22, 2011
HOUSTON – Mayor Annise Parker on Thursday announced major changes to the towing program known as Safe Clear
HOUSTON – Mayor Annise Parker on Thursday announced major changes to the towing program known as Safe Clear.
The free towing program started in 2005 and was highly touted by former Mayor Bill White as a way to ease the city’s freeway congestion.
But Parker wants to shift the cost of the service from the taxpayers to the drivers.
Under her plan, it will cost $50 for a tow and $30 for a roadside service, like a tire change.
Drivers who can’t pay up will have their vehicles placed in a safe and secure facility for up to 48 hours, free of charge.
The city has set aside $100,000 to help drivers who are seniors, disabled or with incomes below the poverty line cover the cost of the towing fee if they’re unable to pay.
It’s a move some say will benefit the cash-strapped city.
"In a bad economy, loss of revenues, the real question is who’s responsible for putting a vehicle on the road?" asked 11 News Political Expert Bob Stein. "It strikes me the city’s not responsible for that, the driver is. What I suspect they’re looking to do is to shift that responsibility to the owner and driver of the vehicle."
Rice University studies have shown Safe Clear has succeeded in decreasing collisions and traffic – but the tows have added up and the program was $1.5 million over budget during the 2010 fiscal year.
"I’ve advocated for a long time that we terminate the program because we cannot afford it as a city and I think that drivers have an inherent responsibility to be responsible for their vehicle," said Councilman Mike Sullivan.
The new fee still has to be approved by the city council.
City considering cutting Safe Clear free tows
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The city of Houston is cash-strapped and in a budget crunch, so the mayor is proposing some fees be added to the Safe Clear towing program. She outlined her plan on Thursday.
City considering cutting Safe Clear free tows
Mayor Annise Parker announced her plans for the program known as "Safe Clear." The towing program was started six years ago, but now there's not enough money to keep it going without serious changes.
City leaders considered charges for tows and roadside assistance. They proposed a $50 charge for a Safe Clear tow and $30 for roadside service, like a tire change. A vehicle stored for two days will be for free so you can secure the $50. The city has set aside $100,000 for seniors and low income or disabled to help them cover the cost.
"The Safe Clear program currently does about 74,000 tows a year at a cost of nearly $3.5 million," said Mayor Parker. "It's a good program. It does good work but it is an expensive program for the city."
Drivers who can't pay will have their vehicle stored for 48 hours until they can come up with the money. We spoke with several drivers about the proposed changes.
When this program began years ago during Mayor Bill White's administration, the idea was to get stalled vehicles off the road fast to avoid a backup, and avoid that long line of wrecker drivers, too. The city was doing it at no cost to the driver.
"We were just doing something that was socially acceptable for a lot of people who don't have the money. Some things just come down to that. You have to cut somewhere," said Katy resident Bill Buvinghausen.
"It shouldn't have been free in the first place because your vehicle is your responsibility and if it stalls, you're obviously not maintaining it correctly," said north Houston resident Arpita Baweja.
"Fifty dollars or $150, I'm still paying for it. Maybe it's not my fault but we all have to pay for it," said driver Atheer Hatem.
This is a proposal going to council next week. Their approval is required. If approved, the plan may be implemented as early as June.
City considering cutting Safe Clear free tows
Mayor Annise Parker announced her plans for the program known as "Safe Clear." The towing program was started six years ago, but now there's not enough money to keep it going without serious changes.
City leaders considered charges for tows and roadside assistance. They proposed a $50 charge for a Safe Clear tow and $30 for roadside service, like a tire change. A vehicle stored for two days will be for free so you can secure the $50. The city has set aside $100,000 for seniors and low income or disabled to help them cover the cost.
"The Safe Clear program currently does about 74,000 tows a year at a cost of nearly $3.5 million," said Mayor Parker. "It's a good program. It does good work but it is an expensive program for the city."
Drivers who can't pay will have their vehicle stored for 48 hours until they can come up with the money. We spoke with several drivers about the proposed changes.
When this program began years ago during Mayor Bill White's administration, the idea was to get stalled vehicles off the road fast to avoid a backup, and avoid that long line of wrecker drivers, too. The city was doing it at no cost to the driver.
"We were just doing something that was socially acceptable for a lot of people who don't have the money. Some things just come down to that. You have to cut somewhere," said Katy resident Bill Buvinghausen.
"It shouldn't have been free in the first place because your vehicle is your responsibility and if it stalls, you're obviously not maintaining it correctly," said north Houston resident Arpita Baweja.
"Fifty dollars or $150, I'm still paying for it. Maybe it's not my fault but we all have to pay for it," said driver Atheer Hatem.
This is a proposal going to council next week. Their approval is required. If approved, the plan may be implemented as early as June.
Council will consider $50 fee for SafeClear tows
A formerly free city towing service intended to clear cars from freeways and reduce congestion will cost motorists $50 per tow, Mayor Annise Parker said Thursday.
The changes to the SafeClear program, which began under former Mayor Bill White in 2005, will go before City Council for approval next week and could take effect in June, Parker said.
Roadside services, such as changing a tire, would cost $30.
The city had been paying that $50 per tow. Under Parker's plan, the city's only involvement in the program would be a $100,000 fund, set aside to cover the fees of indigent drivers.
If a driver cannot pay when towed, the car could stay at a storage lot for 48 hours without charge while the owner found the money, Parker said. She acknowledged that loss of revenue to lot operators took time to negotiate.
SafeClear "makes it safe for the motorists who have broken down and it makes it safer for the rest of the traveling public," Parker said. "We believe that this is a much more sustainable program going forward."
Passing the burden to motorists would save the city $3.5 million.
The program otherwise will not change. When a car breaks down in the emergency lane, the city will dispatch a wrecker to tow it from the freeway, with or without the driver's consent.
Parker and Jeanette Rash, of the SafeClear Management Group, a consortium of SafeClear contractors, said they are trying to work with auto clubs and insurers to arrange direct billing so motorists will not have to pay wreckers first and seek reimbursement later.
Houston paid most SafeClear costs with mobility funds it receives from the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Cutting SafeClear costs will let the city use those funds for roads.
The changes to the SafeClear program, which began under former Mayor Bill White in 2005, will go before City Council for approval next week and could take effect in June, Parker said.
Roadside services, such as changing a tire, would cost $30.
The city had been paying that $50 per tow. Under Parker's plan, the city's only involvement in the program would be a $100,000 fund, set aside to cover the fees of indigent drivers.
If a driver cannot pay when towed, the car could stay at a storage lot for 48 hours without charge while the owner found the money, Parker said. She acknowledged that loss of revenue to lot operators took time to negotiate.
SafeClear "makes it safe for the motorists who have broken down and it makes it safer for the rest of the traveling public," Parker said. "We believe that this is a much more sustainable program going forward."
Passing the burden to motorists would save the city $3.5 million.
The program otherwise will not change. When a car breaks down in the emergency lane, the city will dispatch a wrecker to tow it from the freeway, with or without the driver's consent.
Parker and Jeanette Rash, of the SafeClear Management Group, a consortium of SafeClear contractors, said they are trying to work with auto clubs and insurers to arrange direct billing so motorists will not have to pay wreckers first and seek reimbursement later.
Houston paid most SafeClear costs with mobility funds it receives from the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Cutting SafeClear costs will let the city use those funds for roads.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010 Sad News From TX
Wednesday, November 17, 2010Sad News From TX
Our condolences to the family and acquaintances of 38-year-old George Soriano who died yesterday in a tragic accident. Here's the story from the Houston Chronicle:
Federal officials are investigating the death of a tow truck driver at a FedEx distribution center in south Houston.
The wrecker driver, 38, was killed shortly after 2 p.m. at the building in the 2700 block of Holly Hall, Houston police said.
The driver, identified by a family member at the scene as George Soriano, was towing a disabled FedEx delivery truck to the center when he was killed.
"It appears to be a tragic accident," FedEx spokesman Jim McCluskey said from the company’s Memphis headquarters.
FedEx officials offered condolences to the family and said they were cooperating with officials.
Soriano had four children by his first wife and three more with his second wife - of which two were his stepchildren, said his father-in-law Gilbert Lopez.
Soriano had been working with his father-in-law at another company with a Houston Safe Clear towing contract but recently joined another company because he was concerned about towing cars on busy highways.
"He called and said, ‘I don’t think I can handle it over there,’" Lopez said.
An investigator with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration was at the scene. OSHA officials later Tuesday could not be reached for comment.
Our condolences to the family and acquaintances of 38-year-old George Soriano who died yesterday in a tragic accident. Here's the story from the Houston Chronicle:
Federal officials are investigating the death of a tow truck driver at a FedEx distribution center in south Houston.
The wrecker driver, 38, was killed shortly after 2 p.m. at the building in the 2700 block of Holly Hall, Houston police said.
The driver, identified by a family member at the scene as George Soriano, was towing a disabled FedEx delivery truck to the center when he was killed.
"It appears to be a tragic accident," FedEx spokesman Jim McCluskey said from the company’s Memphis headquarters.
FedEx officials offered condolences to the family and said they were cooperating with officials.
Soriano had four children by his first wife and three more with his second wife - of which two were his stepchildren, said his father-in-law Gilbert Lopez.
Soriano had been working with his father-in-law at another company with a Houston Safe Clear towing contract but recently joined another company because he was concerned about towing cars on busy highways.
"He called and said, ‘I don’t think I can handle it over there,’" Lopez said.
An investigator with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration was at the scene. OSHA officials later Tuesday could not be reached for comment.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Houston City Council members are weighing the future of Safe Clear
Houston City Council members are weighing the future of Safe Clear
HOUSTON – Houston City Council members are weighing the future of Safe Clear, the controversial towing program that was one of former Mayor Bill White’s most highly touted projects.
According to a Houston Police Department budget presentation earlier this week, the program was almost $1.5 million over budget during the 2010 fiscal year and projected to be even more expensive during the 2011 fiscal year.
Without council action, the city of Houston is projected to be $50 to $80 million in the red by the end of this fiscal year.
"In a time of deficit, why do we have Safe Clear?" asked Houston City Councilmember Jolanda Jones.
The city is now debating three options: Eliminating the program altogether, raising the highest fee wreckers charge for other tows by $12 to close the budget gap or transferring the entire program to Metro.
Safe Clear launched back in 2005 and was billed as a way to ease traffic along some of Houston’s most congested freeways. At first, drivers that broke down on the freeway were charged $75 to be towed to a nearby location where they could safely call for help, regardless of whether consent was given for the service.
After public protests, the $75 fee was eliminated. Instead, the city of Houston footed the bill and paid tow truck drivers $50 per tow.
Those “free” tows added up, and now cost the city and Metro more than $3 million a year.
"I think, even in tough budget times, you want to maintain safety," said George Greanias, Metro’s president and CEO.
Metro currently pays for the bulk of the program after council members capped the city’s payment in 2006.
Greanias said Safe Clear had reduced freeway traffic and prevented accidents, but he cautioned against having Metro bear the entire cost of the program.
"We don't want to simply embrace the city's budget issue and take it on as one of ours, given our challenges already," Greanias said.
If Safe Clear was transferred completely to Metro, HPD said that would free up 14 officers to return to regular police duties. But the city would have to find another way to pay their salaries.
It’s unclear when council will vote on any of the options.
But many tow truck drivers say they would be happy to see it go.
Jerry Aguilar works for Superior Wrecker Service, a business that’s been around Houston for 20 years. The company was not among the few chosen for the Safe Clear program.
When you cut our business in half like that, guys lost jobs,” Aguilar said. “From ten trucks down to four? That's a lot of money you're losing."
Aguilar dismisses the argument that Safe Clear has cut down on tow truck drivers speeding to accident scenes. He said now he’s forced to ignore stranded motorists on the freeway who need help rather than risk getting a fine.
"I say we need to do without (Safe Clear),” Aguilar said. "It's not fair to the citizens at all."
Towing on the Net
Towing on the Net
The Internet has grown significantly in the last several years. Almost all businesses today use email for everyday correspondence. It is being used in the towing industry by motorclubs and towers alike. The motorclubs dispatch calls and accept claims over the Internet. Many towers are using it to send pages to drivers, to track their truck locations, and in some cases they have even virtually eliminated the radio by using two-way pages or Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs). The next generation of towing software promises an even greater integration with the Internet.
This trend is likely to continue because of the dramatic cost savings that can be realized using the Internet. Motorclub calls now take less than 3 minutes from start to finish using Digital Dispatch. Whereas before, using the phone, a call could take 5-10 minutes. These few minutes add up to tremendous savings for both motorclubs and service providers.
You can even locate a service provider online using sites like www.wrecker.com. The call can then be sent via email, fax, phone, and using digital dispatch like the motorclubs.
The next generation of towing software and management systems promises to be completely integrated with the Internet. You will no longer have to have an expensive, high-powered server networked with several fast workstations to run your towing software. Furthermore these networks require a true computer geek to keep them fine-tuned and running. Backups will be a thing of the past. Access from home is presently complex and slow. This too will no longer be a problem with the newer towing software packages. An Application Service Provider (ASP) will run these packages from a central location. These new solutions can be accessed from anywhere with your security code and an Internet connection (office, home, motel room, etc).
When it comes to Internet connections you have many affordable choices today. The table below lists the common types available:
Connection Type
Expected Speed
Typical Cost
Service Providers Dial-up
28.8 ' 53kbs*
$0-25/month
AOL, AT&T, Earthlink, MSN, CoreComm, MCI,etc.
ISDN
64kbs or 128kbs
$40-70/month
Earthlink, MSN, Telocity, AT&T, MCI, etc.
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)
128 - 1544Kbs
$40-300/month
Earthlink, MSN, Telocity, AT&T, MCI, etc.
Cable
56 - 1544kbs
$40-70/month
Time Warner, Adelphi, CableVision, etc
Satellite (2-way)
150 - 500kbs
$40-70/month
Starband, MSN, DishNetwork, DirectPC/DirectTV, etc.
Frame Relay
56 - 1544kbs
$200-1500/month
Ameritech, GTE, MCI, AT&T, etc.
Fractional ' Full T1
128 - 1544kbs
$250-1500/month
Ameritech, GTE, MCI, AT&T, etc.
* 53kbs is the maximum allowed by the FCC. So even if you have a 56Kbs modem it cannot connect faster than 53kbs.
The connection speed you choose depends on your budget and what you need to do on the Internet. Internet (email) paging and Digital Dispatch do not need a very fast connection. A simple dial-up connection will provide enough speed, but it is not very reliable. You may want to choose one of the other connection types. IDSL, Cable, Satellite, Frame Relay and T1 all stay connected full time. This means they do not need to 'dial out' to establish an Internet connection; they are always connected just like a workstation on your Local Area Network (LAN). After all, the Internet is nothing but a big LAN.
This is the premise behind the next generation of towing software. The application will be run from a secure server farm (several servers working together) and each towing company will just be a user on the network. Therefore you will only need a low cost computer, a security code and access to the Internet. The set-up time will be a matter of minutes instead of weeks. The average person can setup the computer and download the software instead of having to pay the high costs of flying in a technician. Most users will be able to follow the onscreen instructions and will not require weeks of training. However, training will probably still be required for the more advanced features. Addionally, there will be little or no maintenance costs. You will simply pay a monthly fee in addition to your regular Internet costs. These types of solutions should save the average company thousands dollars each year; not to mention the many headaches associated with running your own internal network (e.g. hard drive crashes, failed backups).
I spoke with a company owner last week about a major system crash. He lost an entire year's worth of data and did not have a good backup. His backup failed due to the fact that his backup software was unable to backup his data while the towing software was running. Since they are running a 24/7 operation, they just didn't have the time to shut down the towing software to run the backup. He thought it was backing up but his tapes were blank. Has this ever happened to you? This type of problem will not happen in the future because the ASP (Application Service Provider) handles technical issues, such as backups, behind the scenes.
Now let's talk about some of the present ways people are using the Internet in their towing business.
Paging is probably the most common task being done through the Internet. Any company that has a full time connection to the Internet can utilize email paging. To send a page: you can go to your paging company's web site or if your towing software is Internet enabled, you can send a page from within your program. Some software packages even offer two-way paging, but this requires you use expensive 2-way pagers for all your drivers. Email paging may be faster than standard dial-up paging, it all depends on your paging company. Many towing companies use email paging as a backup to their dial-up paging, because if a paging company's dial-up sever goes down, it probably will not affect their email paging server ' so you can send your pages using email. This too is dependant on your particular paging company. There are new technologies, such as Simple Network Paging Protocol (SNPP), that will enable your software to detect when a page has been received by your driver using standard low cost pagers.
This capability is already available if you have CDPD mobile data terminals. These systems use the Digital Cellular and the Global Positioning Systems (GPS) networks to provide two-way communication as well as truck location and speed. They utilize the Internet to send/receive data (messages) to/from your trucks. @road and Airlink Communications are two of the major players in this type of technology. For a monthly fee @road allows you to completely monitor and configure your MDT from their web site. They even give you an interactive online map to show your truck present and past truck locations. Airlink on the other hand does not charge you a monthly access fee, because the maps reside on your local server. You need to decide which solution works best for your needs.
Digital Dispatch is used by some motorclubs to send calls to service providers using the Internet. In the future you will even be able to submit your invoices to the motorclubs using this technology. This is because many of the motorclubs and towing software vendors have been working together to establish a standard protocol for sending calls and submitting invoices. Presently, a couple of the software vendors have the ability to directly receive calls from GE, which means the call appears on your dispatch screen. The other software vendors and motorclubs are working on similar solutions. The Internet solution from the other motorclubs requires you keep your browser pointed to their web site. When a call comes in you need to print it and then type it into your towing management software.
Several of the motorclubs also offer the service providers a way to submit their invoices online from their website. However, Digital Dispatch promises a much easier and automated solution in the future.
The Internet offers a benefit for every size towing company by using one or more of the following technologies: Digital Dispatch, paging, GPS/MDT, or submitting invoices to motorclubs. The next generation (ASP) towing management systems promises to deliver solutions that are much easier to use, more integrated with the Internet and utilize all of the present technologies as well as a few new technologies, such as Instant Messaging and Internet enabled cell phones.
I neglected to answer an important question that is probably on your minds ' Is it safe? They simple answer is, Yes. In fact it safer than your telephone, since much of the data sent is encrypted. I will save this topic as well as remote access to your software using Microsoft's Terminal Services for a future article on Internet technologies.
About the author: Todd Althouse is a Managing Partner of Beacon Software, LLC - an Internet Application development company specializing in towing software and fleet management software. Visit http://www.beaconsoftco.com for more information.
The Internet has grown significantly in the last several years. Almost all businesses today use email for everyday correspondence. It is being used in the towing industry by motorclubs and towers alike. The motorclubs dispatch calls and accept claims over the Internet. Many towers are using it to send pages to drivers, to track their truck locations, and in some cases they have even virtually eliminated the radio by using two-way pages or Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs). The next generation of towing software promises an even greater integration with the Internet.
This trend is likely to continue because of the dramatic cost savings that can be realized using the Internet. Motorclub calls now take less than 3 minutes from start to finish using Digital Dispatch. Whereas before, using the phone, a call could take 5-10 minutes. These few minutes add up to tremendous savings for both motorclubs and service providers.
You can even locate a service provider online using sites like www.wrecker.com. The call can then be sent via email, fax, phone, and using digital dispatch like the motorclubs.
The next generation of towing software and management systems promises to be completely integrated with the Internet. You will no longer have to have an expensive, high-powered server networked with several fast workstations to run your towing software. Furthermore these networks require a true computer geek to keep them fine-tuned and running. Backups will be a thing of the past. Access from home is presently complex and slow. This too will no longer be a problem with the newer towing software packages. An Application Service Provider (ASP) will run these packages from a central location. These new solutions can be accessed from anywhere with your security code and an Internet connection (office, home, motel room, etc).
When it comes to Internet connections you have many affordable choices today. The table below lists the common types available:
Connection Type
Expected Speed
Typical Cost
Service Providers Dial-up
28.8 ' 53kbs*
$0-25/month
AOL, AT&T, Earthlink, MSN, CoreComm, MCI,etc.
ISDN
64kbs or 128kbs
$40-70/month
Earthlink, MSN, Telocity, AT&T, MCI, etc.
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)
128 - 1544Kbs
$40-300/month
Earthlink, MSN, Telocity, AT&T, MCI, etc.
Cable
56 - 1544kbs
$40-70/month
Time Warner, Adelphi, CableVision, etc
Satellite (2-way)
150 - 500kbs
$40-70/month
Starband, MSN, DishNetwork, DirectPC/DirectTV, etc.
Frame Relay
56 - 1544kbs
$200-1500/month
Ameritech, GTE, MCI, AT&T, etc.
Fractional ' Full T1
128 - 1544kbs
$250-1500/month
Ameritech, GTE, MCI, AT&T, etc.
* 53kbs is the maximum allowed by the FCC. So even if you have a 56Kbs modem it cannot connect faster than 53kbs.
The connection speed you choose depends on your budget and what you need to do on the Internet. Internet (email) paging and Digital Dispatch do not need a very fast connection. A simple dial-up connection will provide enough speed, but it is not very reliable. You may want to choose one of the other connection types. IDSL, Cable, Satellite, Frame Relay and T1 all stay connected full time. This means they do not need to 'dial out' to establish an Internet connection; they are always connected just like a workstation on your Local Area Network (LAN). After all, the Internet is nothing but a big LAN.
This is the premise behind the next generation of towing software. The application will be run from a secure server farm (several servers working together) and each towing company will just be a user on the network. Therefore you will only need a low cost computer, a security code and access to the Internet. The set-up time will be a matter of minutes instead of weeks. The average person can setup the computer and download the software instead of having to pay the high costs of flying in a technician. Most users will be able to follow the onscreen instructions and will not require weeks of training. However, training will probably still be required for the more advanced features. Addionally, there will be little or no maintenance costs. You will simply pay a monthly fee in addition to your regular Internet costs. These types of solutions should save the average company thousands dollars each year; not to mention the many headaches associated with running your own internal network (e.g. hard drive crashes, failed backups).
I spoke with a company owner last week about a major system crash. He lost an entire year's worth of data and did not have a good backup. His backup failed due to the fact that his backup software was unable to backup his data while the towing software was running. Since they are running a 24/7 operation, they just didn't have the time to shut down the towing software to run the backup. He thought it was backing up but his tapes were blank. Has this ever happened to you? This type of problem will not happen in the future because the ASP (Application Service Provider) handles technical issues, such as backups, behind the scenes.
Now let's talk about some of the present ways people are using the Internet in their towing business.
Paging is probably the most common task being done through the Internet. Any company that has a full time connection to the Internet can utilize email paging. To send a page: you can go to your paging company's web site or if your towing software is Internet enabled, you can send a page from within your program. Some software packages even offer two-way paging, but this requires you use expensive 2-way pagers for all your drivers. Email paging may be faster than standard dial-up paging, it all depends on your paging company. Many towing companies use email paging as a backup to their dial-up paging, because if a paging company's dial-up sever goes down, it probably will not affect their email paging server ' so you can send your pages using email. This too is dependant on your particular paging company. There are new technologies, such as Simple Network Paging Protocol (SNPP), that will enable your software to detect when a page has been received by your driver using standard low cost pagers.
This capability is already available if you have CDPD mobile data terminals. These systems use the Digital Cellular and the Global Positioning Systems (GPS) networks to provide two-way communication as well as truck location and speed. They utilize the Internet to send/receive data (messages) to/from your trucks. @road and Airlink Communications are two of the major players in this type of technology. For a monthly fee @road allows you to completely monitor and configure your MDT from their web site. They even give you an interactive online map to show your truck present and past truck locations. Airlink on the other hand does not charge you a monthly access fee, because the maps reside on your local server. You need to decide which solution works best for your needs.
Digital Dispatch is used by some motorclubs to send calls to service providers using the Internet. In the future you will even be able to submit your invoices to the motorclubs using this technology. This is because many of the motorclubs and towing software vendors have been working together to establish a standard protocol for sending calls and submitting invoices. Presently, a couple of the software vendors have the ability to directly receive calls from GE, which means the call appears on your dispatch screen. The other software vendors and motorclubs are working on similar solutions. The Internet solution from the other motorclubs requires you keep your browser pointed to their web site. When a call comes in you need to print it and then type it into your towing management software.
Several of the motorclubs also offer the service providers a way to submit their invoices online from their website. However, Digital Dispatch promises a much easier and automated solution in the future.
The Internet offers a benefit for every size towing company by using one or more of the following technologies: Digital Dispatch, paging, GPS/MDT, or submitting invoices to motorclubs. The next generation (ASP) towing management systems promises to deliver solutions that are much easier to use, more integrated with the Internet and utilize all of the present technologies as well as a few new technologies, such as Instant Messaging and Internet enabled cell phones.
I neglected to answer an important question that is probably on your minds ' Is it safe? They simple answer is, Yes. In fact it safer than your telephone, since much of the data sent is encrypted. I will save this topic as well as remote access to your software using Microsoft's Terminal Services for a future article on Internet technologies.
About the author: Todd Althouse is a Managing Partner of Beacon Software, LLC - an Internet Application development company specializing in towing software and fleet management software. Visit http://www.beaconsoftco.com for more information.
Rochester police want to hear wrecker service experiences
Rochester police want to hear wrecker service experiences
Monday, November 15, 2010
ROCHESTER — The Police Department is soliciting feedback from residents who had contact with a wrecker service through contacts with the police department or other city services.
Capt. Paul Callaghan said the time of year where the city considers bids for towing services is approaching, and at the request of City Manager John Scruton, the department wants to hear from residents who have recently dealt with these services.
"We're doing our due diligence," Callaghan said.
Residents are asked to contact Capt. Scott Dumas at 330-7145.
Monday, November 15, 2010
ROCHESTER — The Police Department is soliciting feedback from residents who had contact with a wrecker service through contacts with the police department or other city services.
Capt. Paul Callaghan said the time of year where the city considers bids for towing services is approaching, and at the request of City Manager John Scruton, the department wants to hear from residents who have recently dealt with these services.
"We're doing our due diligence," Callaghan said.
Residents are asked to contact Capt. Scott Dumas at 330-7145.
Monday, November 8, 2010
No insurance...police will impound your car.
No insurance...police will impound your car.
Great idea! There are way too many people driving without insurance...................
__________________________________________________ ___________________________
TULSA - The law took effect just four days ago, and already some drivers have lost their cars.
Officials are making it very clear that they won't hesitate to tow a vehicle if it means making the roads safer for everyone else.
"If you're out here driving without insurance you better think again, we're towing vehicles," says Trooper George Brown.
OHP towed its first car in the Tulsa area on Thursday. Trooper Brown says he thinks they'll be towing many more.
"This is proof that people are driving around out there without insurance," Brown said.
Since Monday, Tulsa Police say they've towed six vehicles for not having insurance. Storey Wrecker says they've been pretty busy. The law is also creating a buzz among customers of A-Affordable Insurance.
"Some of them are making sure their verification is up to date and we've had lines of people coming in making their payments on their insurance, I think it's just making people aware to keep it up to date," says owner Less Lieurance.
It's also bringing in new clients. Lieurance says the company has filled out a lot more applications for car insurance this week as people realize how much extra trouble it will be if they are caught without it.
"You really can't afford not to have it. I mean what will it cost to have your car impounded? What would it really have to cost you to go to court because you didn't have insurance on your vehicle," he said.
While towing may be a harsh punishment, Lieurance says anything that helps motivate people to have insurance is a good idea.
If your car is towed you'll need to show proof of insurance before you can get it back. Drivers have 45 days to pick up their vehicle before it is sold at auction.
Great idea! There are way too many people driving without insurance...................
__________________________________________________ ___________________________
TULSA - The law took effect just four days ago, and already some drivers have lost their cars.
Officials are making it very clear that they won't hesitate to tow a vehicle if it means making the roads safer for everyone else.
"If you're out here driving without insurance you better think again, we're towing vehicles," says Trooper George Brown.
OHP towed its first car in the Tulsa area on Thursday. Trooper Brown says he thinks they'll be towing many more.
"This is proof that people are driving around out there without insurance," Brown said.
Since Monday, Tulsa Police say they've towed six vehicles for not having insurance. Storey Wrecker says they've been pretty busy. The law is also creating a buzz among customers of A-Affordable Insurance.
"Some of them are making sure their verification is up to date and we've had lines of people coming in making their payments on their insurance, I think it's just making people aware to keep it up to date," says owner Less Lieurance.
It's also bringing in new clients. Lieurance says the company has filled out a lot more applications for car insurance this week as people realize how much extra trouble it will be if they are caught without it.
"You really can't afford not to have it. I mean what will it cost to have your car impounded? What would it really have to cost you to go to court because you didn't have insurance on your vehicle," he said.
While towing may be a harsh punishment, Lieurance says anything that helps motivate people to have insurance is a good idea.
If your car is towed you'll need to show proof of insurance before you can get it back. Drivers have 45 days to pick up their vehicle before it is sold at auction.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Critics: Licensing fees that can drive smaller wreckers out of business
The industry used to be a relatively unregulated process of hook ‘em up and haul ‘em out. But that began to unravel the night a Northern Virginia lawyer’s car was towed from a private lot with a warning sign obscured by tall bushes.
Angered, he pored through state law to find that nothing covered hidden signs, or much else. So, he fired off a letter of disgust and legal insight to a state senator.
“It turns out ... it’s a hot topic with a lot of people,” former senator Jay O’Brien, of Clifton, said of the furor that followed.
For the two years after he received the letter, O’Brien’s life was a mosaic of research, public meetings and rewording state code.
Now, tow truck operators throughout Virginia must have a license to haul cars from accidents, private lots or breakdowns. Simply put, if the tow operator gets paid for the haul, then he needs to be licensed. Additionally, individual drivers must obtain tow truck driver authorization documents.
The tow truck operator also must put a licensing sticker on every truck.
Those regulations, and the operations of tow companies, are governed by a new state body, the Board of Towing and Recovery Operators. Created in 2006, the board is tasked with dispensing the operator’s licenses, tow driver’s authorizations and truck stickers; testing operators on the laws of the profession, a requirement for all new drivers; rummaging through criminal backgrounds; and fielding customer complaints.
“It’s an innocent thing that turned into something much bigger than I thought,” O’Brien said.
Like it or leave it
Roger Blevins, of Rogers Towing in Marion, needed a minute to think when asked how the new licensing laws have affected his profession. He hemmed and hawed as he weighed the drawbacks against the benefits.
On the negative side, he said, the licenses are pricey enough to bankrupt small companies.
“There was a couple of people … that it could put them under in time,” Blevins said of the licensing requirement, which began July 1, 2009.
That first year, the board authorized 1,474 operator’s licenses, approved 4,548 tow driver’s authorizations, and affixed decals to 4,275 trucks, according to the board’s 2009 annual report.
The operator’s licenses must be bought annually and run from $250 to $500 a company, depending on the number of trucks owned and their weight.
The individual tow driver’s authorizations cost $87 a year. The application comes with a $37 fee for a criminal background check. Additionally, every truck must sport a new licensing decal each year, costing $10 each. An extra $50 is added if the business owns three or more trucks, depending on the vehicle’s weight.
In its first year, the application and decal fees generated $1.12 million in revenue, according to the board’s 2009 annual report.
Before the licensing laws kicked in, wrecker companies only had to register their trucks each year with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
That’s still necessary, on top of the licensing.
Annual registration fees run from $80 to $1,328 a truck, depending on the weight of the tow truck and the average estimated weight of vehicles towed. There also is an annual $10 a truck bulk carrier fee going to the Virginia Operating Authority, which allows the truck to haul in the state.
Blevins also saw a silver lining in the expense incurred on his company by the new towing board – he had to expand his business to cover the fees.
“If anything, it probably helped my business because it convinced me to get on the state police [emergency dispatch] list and to join motor clubs,” Blevins said.
Not every tow operator could envision a positive spin.
Retired tow operator Dave Thomas, of auto repair company Marion Frame and Alignment, quit the wrecker business two weeks after the licensing law began.
“If you’ve been doing something for 26 years, and have been doing things the same way, would you want someone to come along and say you’ve got to have a license?” he said.
Thomas tried to tow wrecked cars without a license, but the towing board ordered him to stop, and had the sheriff’s department remove his company from the 911 rotation list.
Shock over the licensing requirements also erupted from the industry’s sidelines, where retired tow operators are voicing an opinion.
David Pickle, of David’s Auto Repair in Rural Retreat, misses the new faces he met and adventures he enjoyed during his nearly 20 years as a tow operator before retiring in 2003.
He’d consider jumping back in but, like Thomas, fears it’s a case of an old dog learning new tricks.
“I think it would be too much regulations to comply with,” Pickle said.
Still off the radar
Public safety tows, where vehicles are pulled from wrecks or other incidents involving police, are among the few areas left untouched by both the towing board and state law.
The issue is still left to local laws and police policies.
Smyth County, for example, doles the tow calls to wrecker companies based on a rotation list regulated by sheriff’s department policy.
In nearby Wytheville, the rotation list is controlled by a recently enacted ordinance that offers public safety calls to companies inside the town limits before looking to companies in the surrounding county.
Town officials created the new ordinance as an attempt to provide priority status to its in-town businesses while also whittling away at the time spent waiting for a wrecker.
“To have an officer on the side of the road waiting for 20 minutes was just too long,” Town Manager Wayne Sutherland said.
Initially, O’Brien’s state legislation mandated that the towing board decide which companies could answer 911 requests. Regulations were to be based mainly on the equipment in a company’s inventory.
But tow operators argued that the need for costly equipment could differ according to geography, population or whether the wreck is on a mountain road or in a big city.
“There was a view held by many that this particular regulation would be very onerous ... to the mom-and-pops and the one- and two-truck businesses,” board Executive Director Marc Copeland said.
In 2009, O’Brien’s law was changed to prohibit the board from regulating public safety calls.
O’Brien, who left the Virginia General Assembly in 2007, did not know his provision on the public safety tow had been repealed until told by a reporter.
Still, he said, the connection between tow operators and emergency calls is a strong one.
“People often think of the first responder [as] the police, and the rescue squads,” O’Brien said. “But the tow operator sees it all, and has nightmares from it.”
Mandatory fees
To operate a tow truck business, the state requires:
Tow operator’s business license: $250-$500.
Tow truck driver authorization (each driver): $87.
Criminal background check (each driver): $37.
Authorization stickers (each truck): $10, with an extra $50 for an operator with three or more trucks.
Motor vehicle registration (each truck): $80 to $1,328.
Bulk carrier fee (each truck): $10.
mowens@bristolnews.com
(276) 645-2549
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Sort newest to oldest +0-0CLEARPosted by shuzee on Oct. 25, 2010 - 8:43 a.m.
This whole series of articles is just BHC Trivia because BHC isn't intelligent enough to write about pertinent subjects.
What a waste of space, ink, time,- but, I guess that's what we get from a newspaper (loosely) with little horsepower...
Why don't you build a REAL newspaper?
Just another way for big brother to step in and control something that obviously became profitable for the government.
$250 to $500 -- for Business License is a % of the Profits -- if your not making at least $25,000 a year Towing then your costing the people who are actually in Business money .
Forcing retired people out of the business is a good idea if they are not in business just towing vechiles for a little extra cash on the side .
The industry used to be a relatively unregulated process of hook ‘em up and haul ‘em out. But that began to unravel the night a Northern Virginia lawyer’s car was towed from a private lot with a warning sign obscured by tall bushes.
Angered, he pored through state law to find that nothing covered hidden signs, or much else. So, he fired off a letter of disgust and legal insight to a state senator.
“It turns out ... it’s a hot topic with a lot of people,” former senator Jay O’Brien, of Clifton, said of the furor that followed.
For the two years after he received the letter, O’Brien’s life was a mosaic of research, public meetings and rewording state code.
Now, tow truck operators throughout Virginia must have a license to haul cars from accidents, private lots or breakdowns. Simply put, if the tow operator gets paid for the haul, then he needs to be licensed. Additionally, individual drivers must obtain tow truck driver authorization documents.
The tow truck operator also must put a licensing sticker on every truck.
Those regulations, and the operations of tow companies, are governed by a new state body, the Board of Towing and Recovery Operators. Created in 2006, the board is tasked with dispensing the operator’s licenses, tow driver’s authorizations and truck stickers; testing operators on the laws of the profession, a requirement for all new drivers; rummaging through criminal backgrounds; and fielding customer complaints.
“It’s an innocent thing that turned into something much bigger than I thought,” O’Brien said.
Like it or leave it
Roger Blevins, of Rogers Towing in Marion, needed a minute to think when asked how the new licensing laws have affected his profession. He hemmed and hawed as he weighed the drawbacks against the benefits.
On the negative side, he said, the licenses are pricey enough to bankrupt small companies.
“There was a couple of people … that it could put them under in time,” Blevins said of the licensing requirement, which began July 1, 2009.
That first year, the board authorized 1,474 operator’s licenses, approved 4,548 tow driver’s authorizations, and affixed decals to 4,275 trucks, according to the board’s 2009 annual report.
The operator’s licenses must be bought annually and run from $250 to $500 a company, depending on the number of trucks owned and their weight.
The individual tow driver’s authorizations cost $87 a year. The application comes with a $37 fee for a criminal background check. Additionally, every truck must sport a new licensing decal each year, costing $10 each. An extra $50 is added if the business owns three or more trucks, depending on the vehicle’s weight.
In its first year, the application and decal fees generated $1.12 million in revenue, according to the board’s 2009 annual report.
Before the licensing laws kicked in, wrecker companies only had to register their trucks each year with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
That’s still necessary, on top of the licensing.
Annual registration fees run from $80 to $1,328 a truck, depending on the weight of the tow truck and the average estimated weight of vehicles towed. There also is an annual $10 a truck bulk carrier fee going to the Virginia Operating Authority, which allows the truck to haul in the state.
Blevins also saw a silver lining in the expense incurred on his company by the new towing board – he had to expand his business to cover the fees.
“If anything, it probably helped my business because it convinced me to get on the state police [emergency dispatch] list and to join motor clubs,” Blevins said.
Not every tow operator could envision a positive spin.
Retired tow operator Dave Thomas, of auto repair company Marion Frame and Alignment, quit the wrecker business two weeks after the licensing law began.
“If you’ve been doing something for 26 years, and have been doing things the same way, would you want someone to come along and say you’ve got to have a license?” he said.
Thomas tried to tow wrecked cars without a license, but the towing board ordered him to stop, and had the sheriff’s department remove his company from the 911 rotation list.
Shock over the licensing requirements also erupted from the industry’s sidelines, where retired tow operators are voicing an opinion.
David Pickle, of David’s Auto Repair in Rural Retreat, misses the new faces he met and adventures he enjoyed during his nearly 20 years as a tow operator before retiring in 2003.
He’d consider jumping back in but, like Thomas, fears it’s a case of an old dog learning new tricks.
“I think it would be too much regulations to comply with,” Pickle said.
Still off the radar
Public safety tows, where vehicles are pulled from wrecks or other incidents involving police, are among the few areas left untouched by both the towing board and state law.
The issue is still left to local laws and police policies.
Smyth County, for example, doles the tow calls to wrecker companies based on a rotation list regulated by sheriff’s department policy.
In nearby Wytheville, the rotation list is controlled by a recently enacted ordinance that offers public safety calls to companies inside the town limits before looking to companies in the surrounding county.
Town officials created the new ordinance as an attempt to provide priority status to its in-town businesses while also whittling away at the time spent waiting for a wrecker.
“To have an officer on the side of the road waiting for 20 minutes was just too long,” Town Manager Wayne Sutherland said.
Initially, O’Brien’s state legislation mandated that the towing board decide which companies could answer 911 requests. Regulations were to be based mainly on the equipment in a company’s inventory.
But tow operators argued that the need for costly equipment could differ according to geography, population or whether the wreck is on a mountain road or in a big city.
“There was a view held by many that this particular regulation would be very onerous ... to the mom-and-pops and the one- and two-truck businesses,” board Executive Director Marc Copeland said.
In 2009, O’Brien’s law was changed to prohibit the board from regulating public safety calls.
O’Brien, who left the Virginia General Assembly in 2007, did not know his provision on the public safety tow had been repealed until told by a reporter.
Still, he said, the connection between tow operators and emergency calls is a strong one.
“People often think of the first responder [as] the police, and the rescue squads,” O’Brien said. “But the tow operator sees it all, and has nightmares from it.”
Mandatory fees
To operate a tow truck business, the state requires:
Tow operator’s business license: $250-$500.
Tow truck driver authorization (each driver): $87.
Criminal background check (each driver): $37.
Authorization stickers (each truck): $10, with an extra $50 for an operator with three or more trucks.
Motor vehicle registration (each truck): $80 to $1,328.
Bulk carrier fee (each truck): $10.
mowens@bristolnews.com
(276) 645-2549
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View More: Board Of Towing And Recovery Operators, Bulk Carrier Fee, Business_Finance, Costly Equipment, Dave Thomas, David Pickle, Director, Driver, Executive, Individual Tow Driver, Marc Copeland, Marion, Marion Frame, Northern Virginia Lawyer, Officer, Recovery Operators, Reporter, Roger Blevins, Rural Retreat, Senator, Sheriff, Smyth County, State Law, State Police, State Senator, Tow Driver, Towing, Town Manager, Tow Operator, Truck Bulk Carrier Fee Going, Truck Driver, Usd, Virginia, Virginia Department Of Motor Vehicles, Virginia General Assembly, Virginia Operating Authority, Wayne Sutherland, Wytheville
Not what you're looking for? Try our quick search:
More from this channel:
Cleanup costs, cataloging fees and distance can affect price of a tow
Creative campaign helps Heaton break 2-party mold
Former colleague: Heaton helped us think outside the box
11 Connects Sportscast: Melissa Hipolit 10/24
11 Connects top weekend headlines: 10/24
Meadowview festival celebrates foundation's work on chestnuts
Bristol volunteers return from trip to Haiti
The Bristol Blotter
Critics: 911 towing referrals being guided by favoritism
Role of firefighters in wrecking service elicits ethics discussion
Advertisement
Reader Reactions
Voice your opinion by posting a comment.
Sort newest to oldest +0-0CLEARPosted by shuzee on Oct. 25, 2010 - 8:43 a.m.
This whole series of articles is just BHC Trivia because BHC isn't intelligent enough to write about pertinent subjects.
What a waste of space, ink, time,- but, I guess that's what we get from a newspaper (loosely) with little horsepower...
Why don't you build a REAL newspaper?
Just another way for big brother to step in and control something that obviously became profitable for the government.
$250 to $500 -- for Business License is a % of the Profits -- if your not making at least $25,000 a year Towing then your costing the people who are actually in Business money .
Forcing retired people out of the business is a good idea if they are not in business just towing vechiles for a little extra cash on the side .
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