Tow Professional Podcast

Most towing incidents don’t turn scary because you don’t have lights, they turn scary because the scene gets unmanaged fast. We sit down with Chris Anderson, Executive VP of Towmate Industries, to talk about what real roadside safety looks like when you stop thinking about a single flashing bar and start thinking about an entire lighting system, from arrival to recovery to getting back on the road...

One bad hookup can erase a month of profit, and one shortcut can change a life forever. That’s why we brought on Beau White, CEO of Towing and Recovery Academy and a longtime heavy recovery operator, to get painfully clear about what training really buys you: fewer damage claims, fewer injuries, stronger confidence under pressure, and a reputation that stands up when everyone has a camera. We talk...

Battery calls used to be simple. Now you can roll up on a roadside jump start and find AGM, EFB start stop batteries, spiral wound designs, or even lithium iron phosphate, all tied into smarter charging systems that watch current flow and react to what they think just happened. That’s why we brought on Jim O’Hara, EVP of Merchandising at Clore Automotive, to give tow operators a clear, practical p...

One missed notice can wipe out storage fees, restart a lien clock, or invite a fight you never had time for. We sit down with Matt Harvey from Auto Data Direct and Stephen Holloway from their government affairs team to unpack the unglamorous part of towing and recovery that decides whether you get paid: accurate vehicle data, compliant owner and lienholder notifications, and a workflow you can tru...

Training is not just a compliance box for towing and recovery. It is the difference between a clean, controlled scene and a bad day that follows a driver home. We talk with Megan Bruns, Director of Towing Education and Certification for the American Towing and Recovery Institute (ATRI) and Director of Marketing for Cardinal Legacy Towing Group, about what real investment in people looks like when...

A routine repo in a tight Milwaukee alley turned into a life-or-death sprint when Alfredo heard the first gunshot. What followed was a test of instinct, training, and grit: dropping the hook, flooring the truck, calling for help, and surviving a round that tore through his abdomen and missed his spine by a breath. We invited Alfredo to walk us through the moment, the messy aftermath, and the hard-...

What happens when a light bar becomes a control system? We sit down with TowMate’s Chris Anderson to explore how flexible warning lights and smarter training are reshaping safety, installs, and compliance across state lines. The Infinitra 58 quad‑color bar anchors the conversation with full 360 coverage and deep configurability: independent control of patterns, speed, intensity, front cutoff, and...

Roads don’t move themselves. When traffic locks up, weather turns rough, or a semi straddles two lanes, tow professionals show up so the rest of us can keep going. We sat down with Jeffrey Godwin, first vice president of the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum in Chattanooga, to uncover the human stories, the history, and the hard realities behind this essential trade. From E...

Some stories punch through noise because they’re more than stories—they’re proof. Manny lost a leg at the hip in a car crash, powered his way to the Paralympics as a competitive powerlifter, and now shows up on Oregon roads as a tow operator with a calm focus and a hunger to work. He loves being the person who brings relief at the worst moment of someone’s day, and he’s chasing a bigger future: a...

A tow operator flagged down on I‑10. A man trapped under a semi. A rotator lifts, the team coordinates with fire and EMS, and a life is moved toward safety. That’s where our conversation with Hall of Famer Kevin Goodyear begins—not with chrome and horsepower, but with service, training, and calm decisions when seconds matter. We trace Kevin’s journey from riding in tow trucks as a kid to leading a...

A lifted truck tracking into oncoming lanes. A repo driver on hot asphalt, thinking fast. That’s where this story starts—and where real innovation in towing tools begins. We sit with JB Tow Accessories co-founder and VP of Sales, Jason Giddens, to trace the gritty path from first-week mistakes to thousands of field-proven tools making recoveries safer and faster. Jason breaks down the real-world p...

A single button can change the way a tow fleet moves. We brought on Tony Pierce from EMCI Wireless to walk us through how Motorola WAVE PTX delivers true instant communication—push to talk with nationwide reach—so dispatch, drivers, and recovery teams stay synced without towers, repeaters, or the wait time of phone calls. We dig into the gear that makes it work in the real world. Tony breaks down...

What if your marketing didn’t feel like a coin toss? We sat down and unpacked how towing and recovery companies can stop guessing, aim their message at real decision makers, and turn print plus digital into results you can actually see. From building a verified list of owners and check writers to pairing ads with editorial that spells out features and benefits, we map the steps that move a prospec...

What if a few workflow changes could cut your average arrival time from 44 minutes to nine and reduce secondary crashes by 30 percent? That’s the lived experience industry veteran and Hall of Famer John Borowski brings to our conversation about modernizing towing operations with digital dispatch. We dig into the real reasons teams resist new tools—fear of the unknown, comfort with paper and radio,...

Proof beats promises—especially when an adjuster is deciding whether to pay your bill. We sat down with industry veterans Shelly Hawkins and Dennis McGowan to explore how modern towing operations turn documentation, telematics, and smarter software into real margin, safer scenes, and faster approvals. From factory-ready cameras and scene lighting to driver apps that capture four-corner photos and...

Family legacy meets industry expertise at Austin Insurance, where the second generation of tow insurance specialists continues their father's tradition of hands-on, personalized service. Tyler and Todd Austin share how their father Rob built the business by actually visiting towing companies in person when competitors were simply mailing forms—a practice they proudly maintain today. The broth...

Every year, the towing and recovery industry loses over 65 professionals on our roadways. What makes the difference between a safe operation and a tragedy? Often, it comes down to visibility. Tim Cooper, Regional Sales Manager with Will-Burt Company, brings us deep insights into how proper scene lighting can transform dangerous roadside recovery operations into safer, more efficient processes. Wit...

Death shouldn't be an occupational hazard for those who stop to help others on our roads. Yet every week in America, a tow truck operator is struck and killed while simply doing their job. Matt Spencer never imagined joining the ranks of grieving families until November 4, 2023, when his 25-year-old son Keegan was killed by a distracted driver on a Michigan freeway. Despite having emergency l...

The Great Wolf Lodge welcomes back the towing and recovery community for the 47th Midwest Regional Tow Show, and the excitement is palpable. As Bruce Bender, Executive Director of both the Midwest Tow Show and TRAA, reveals in this engaging conversation, this isn't just another industry event – it's a homecoming that attendees have been clamoring for. What makes this show special? It&apo...

The roads we travel daily might seem ordinary, but for towing professionals, they're battlegrounds where safety concerns and technological innovation collide. In this compelling conversation with Krista Tomasso, Central Vice President of the Towing and Recovery Professionals of North Carolina, we explore the rapidly approaching Mid-Atlantic Tow Expo happening September 4-6 at the Jim Graham B...

Ever feel like you're falling behind in the towing industry's technology race? The game is changing fast, and those who adapt are winning the most profitable contracts. Paul Giese, a second-generation tower with 30 years of experience, has seen the evolution firsthand. When modern vehicles with electronic transmissions and parking brakes started causing headaches for his company, he disc...

Picture this: You're driving down the highway, GPS navigation running, when suddenly your phone announces "Emergency vehicle ahead." Thirty seconds later, you spot a tow truck on the shoulder. That alert might have just saved a life. Behind this life-saving technology is Haas Alert's Safety Cloud, a digital alerting system revolutionizing roadside safety for tow operators acros...

  The electric vehicle revolution isn't just changing how we drive—it's transforming roadside assistance forever. In this eye-opening conversation with Ron Sledzieski, founder of EV Road Hero, we uncover a game-changing opportunity for tow operators nationwide.  Forget everything you thought you knew about handling stranded EVs. Ron introduces us to mobile EV rescue charging—a faster, sa...

Step into the world of towing excellence as DJ Harrington and Darian Weaver explore the remarkable stories featured in the latest issue of Tow Professional Magazine. At the heart of this episode is an inspiring profile of 92-year-young Marilyn Rogers, whose journey from aspiring pharmacist's wife to towing industry pioneer began during a 1957 blizzard. After witnessing tragedy, Marilyn and hu...

Bruce Bender brings his extensive industry knowledge and passionate advocacy to our podcast as he steps into his new role as Executive Director of TRAA. This conversation reveals the crucial behind-the-scenes work happening at the federal level to protect and advance the towing and recovery industry. Bruce shares the significant announcement of his transition from Ohio Association leadership to th...