By Brian J Riker
Competition is healthy, no doubt about it, but it doesn’t need to always be confrontational or adversarial. Many industries enjoy healthy competition while fostering a spirit of friendly cooperation and growth. Towing doesn’t have to be different, we too can enjoy this spirit of cooperation.
Returning home from the 2024 American Towman ShowPlace-Las Vegas, I am inspired by the spirit of cooperation I witnessed during the show, both on the floor and after hours as towers from across the country broke bread and shared ideas freely.
Why does the spirit have to end once the show ends? I have long supported professional competition, meaning my competitors are just as dedicated to safety, compliance, innovation and training as I am. When I can compete against a peer the playing field is level and success depends upon being able to leverage my unique strengths or my ability to cast a vision that places my company ahead of the others. I don’t want to compete against the uneducated, unskilled, and dangerous operators. There is no legitimate way to compete with them and I refuse to bring myself down to their level.
If we look at doctors, lawyers and even our nemesis, insurance companies, they all have strong professional camaraderie, share best practices, and help elevate each other. Even the larger trucking companies share best practices and cooperate well, all while competing for limited freight to move and a dwindling pool of drivers. It isn’t easy, but it can be done.
Working to develop industry accepted, voluntarily adopted, standards is an important step towards our industry being recognized as true professionals. Let’s face it, we are under attack on many fronts, including our billing practices and how we complete jobs, among many other things. Without standards we do not stand a chance, and if we don’t work towards developing these ourselves then outside forces will, and we will not like them, that I can guarantee!
This all ties into developing a means to fight back against outside parties that do not have our best interests at heart. They view us as a necessary evil that they are looking to contain as much as possible. This is plainly evident with the recent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) “junk fees” proposed rule, and how the Agency charged with oversight of our industry couldn’t give away that authority quickly enough to another agency.
I was impressed with the amount of legislative information available at the show this year, especially the legislative update provided by CTTA and the NORSHC meeting, which was open to all attendees. They made it very clear that it is past time to develop our own industry standards to mitigate the damage that is already occurring. Great job to both organizations, but the work has only just begun, and as an industry we are behind and need to catch up fast.
Sadly, this will never happen without major industry buy-in and cooperation. I know this as a fact given my long history of working with the Towing and Recovery Association of America, which is the only national organization fighting for the interests of towers, yet membership is nowhere as robust by percentage of industry as are our enemies’ trade groups. The same can be said about many state associations, with most only capturing 10-15% of the total towers in their state as members, with even less as active members contributing anything beyond their annual dues.
Many have seen the emergence of new coalitions in the recent years as an attempt to knock down the “old guard,” meaning TRAA; however I do not believe that is the case, at least not anymore. I believe there is room for all of us to coexist, and working in the spirt of collaboration, we can be a powerful force in defense of the towing industry. I welcome the different viewpoints. Seeing things from another point of view can open a new line of attack. Just like the scene size-up at a wreck, having multiple eyes on a problem can lead to a better solution than just one person is able to provide.
I encourage towers of all size, and from all states, to join their state association, the national association and even one of these coalitions if you think it will help, and it will help. We need strength in numbers. Together our voices can rise from a whisper to a roar, and the legislators will have no choice but to listen.
My only concern is if the various organizations tackling the industry problems don’t open effective lines of communication between themselves, we may end up doing more harm than good. Even with differing opinions on some things, and different styles of leadership or operational guidelines, we all can still work together for the common good of the industry.
Just a few years ago TRAA joined forces with one of our most vocal opponents, OOIDA, in an effort to kill a few bills and regulations that would be detrimental not only to trucking, but the towing industry as well. Working in unison, when possible, helps build relationships and shows both sides we have fewer differences and more in common than we ever thought.
Those of you in states with more than one towing association, or where the towing association is part of the trucking association, should understand this better than most. Having an inconsistent message with the lawmakers and regulators often results in nothing being accomplished despite strong efforts from both sides.
So, what say you, my fellow towers? Can we have unity, even with our differences, and grow our industry or are we going to watch it all go down in flames because of ego and misunderstandings? I chose unity.
By Brian J. Riker
