The Week's Features

CHP is Grateful for Towman’s Heroic Effort

California towman comes to rescue of trooper under attack

Extra-thick low-clearance roadside mat is 2' wide by 4' long

7M Owners Behind on Car Notes

Delinquency on payments highest since 2010

Superman with Marketing Powers

Man of Steel graphics are a company’s moving billboard

Bagged Peanuts in Ohio

Some 32,000-pounds of peanuts makes a mess

Digital Edition

Events

Las Vegas, NV.
May 8-11, 2019

Tow Expo Dallas

Dallas, TX.
August 15-17, 2019

AT Exposition

Atlantic City, NJ.
Dec. 4-8, 2019

Don't Miss It!

Tired of losing cash calls because of price? Learn how to sell value over price and how to get over the price objection. Mike Porter of Speed’s Towing will also show tow business owners how to train your dispatch team to make the sale. Join Mike for his informative session titled, “Selling Your Value to Callers,” during Tow Industry Week taking place at the American Towman ShowPlace, May 8-11 at the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

atshowplace.com

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American Towman Magazine Presents the Week in TowingFebruary 20 - February 26, 2019

All the Marks of a Classic

By George L. Nitti

At the 2015 American Towman Expo in Baltimore, one of the pageant entrants was a light-duty truck owned by Parke's Auto Repair and Sales of Elverson, Pa.

Part of their contingent since 1986, it was among the industry's first self-loaders, made by Jerr-Dan.

"Back then," said owner Parke Bishop, "you bought directly from Jerr-Dan because they did not have distributors. They had an assembly plant in Greencastle, Pa. This one has sentimental value for me. Since then we've purchased a few other self-loaders."

Entered in the light-duty pre-2014 category, this '86 Chevrolet 3500 1-ton C30 series with an '86 Jerr-Lift has all the marks of a classic.

"Around the time we bought it, the self-loading wheel lift was replacing the L-arm," said Bishop. "It was an upgrade while hydraulics came into play. The early models were not as refined as they are today. Back then, the self-loaders had to be right on center to pick up a car. Today's don't require such precision."

Had Parke waited another year to enter this truck at the pageant, it would have qualified for entry into the classic category.

The self-loading Chevy, with its original red background and airbrushed graphics, has a '50s feel, evoked in part through its metallic striping, classic colors and old fashioned lettering.

"My son, Parke Jr., should be given a lot of credit as he had a lot to do with the custom colors," Bishop said. "Also, credit should be given to our graphic designer, Danny Nunnemaker, who resides nearby."

Its classic quality is exemplified in the older body style of the Chevrolet, which at the time had a flat front.

"It was a common stylistic feature that extended from 1973 to 1988. In '88 Chevy started another style," Bishop said.

Add to it the original Jerr-Dan aluminum bumper and a wireless Microtronics device to control the hydraulic lift, you might say this baby's a classic, all the way.

Brag @ TIW!
Should your truck be featured here? Send a few pics and your contact information to the editor at bdooley@towman.com. You might even be selected to go in print, too, in American Towman magazine!

Ancient Theatrics Found on Flatbed

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By George L. Nitti

What do tow trucks and kabuki theatre have in common? One look at a tow truck owned by Aimes Towing & Collision in Freeport, N.Y., might provide a good indication.

On the hood of their 2004 International DT466 4300 with a Jerr-Dan 22' aluminum bed is a Japanese masked demon which has a history rooted to Japanese traditional theatre.

"I was looking to do something different and I found this image online. It was based off of a Japanese tattoo," said Paul Aimes, one of the owners.

Although the tattoo is rooted in an ancient Japanese art form traced back to the early 17th Century, the imagery presented is not that far removed from much of what we find on tow trucks now. Today, many trucks feature illustrations of mythological characters, cartoons and action heroes, perhaps expressing a tower's connection with the superhero and acts of bravery and heroism.

These ancient masked figures, which were used as theatrical devices to shock the audience and engage them in stories, were later adopted as masks by Samurai warriors to illustrate acts of heroism.

Aside from this graphic on the hood, the body of the tribal flame-themed truck melds well with the demonic mask. Its background colors consist of beautiful gradients of blue, green and yellow, and integrate perfectly to accentuate the company name, Aimes II.

Other eye-catching features of this unit include its red visor and 400-plus LED lights and strobes.

In the environs of Long Island, you might say that the competition is stiff.

"There are about 75 to 80 tow companies in our area," Aimes said. "Slaying the dragon is a metaphor for slaying the competition."

(Note: This article originally appeared in the March 9, 2016 edition of Tow Industry Week)

Brag @ TIW!
Should your truck be featured here? Send a few pics and your contact information to the editor at bdooley@towman.com. You might even be selected to go in print, too, in American Towman magazine!

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