The Week's Features

Three body manufacturers will give live demos in Las Vegas

Recovering over 50,000-lbs. from a 70-percent grade driveway

Hino Enters Class 8 with XL Series

Markets Class 8 chassis in U.S. for first time

Breen Bros. Towing Suing NYPD

Tow company says contract was arbitrarily cancelled

No Pictures, Just All Decals

SDR Towing has interesting design of decals on trucks

Digital Edition

Events

Las Vegas, NV.
May 9-11, 2018

Tow Expo Dallas

Dallas, TX.
August 16-18, 2018

AT Exposition

Baltimore, MD.
Nov. 16-18, 2018

Don't Miss It!

In his seminar, “Using Technology to Reduce Liability,” Daniel Young of U.S. Fleet Tracking will illustrate how problems can be avoided with the proper technology. He will show what to look for in a vendor as it relates to GPS tracking and dash cams, reviewing the pros and cons of each and how proper research can help reduce liability and cost. This informative Management Conference seminar will occur during Tow Industry Week, May 9-12 at the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Register today! atshowplace.com

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American Towman Magazine Presents the Week in TowingApril 25 - May 01, 2018

Simple to the Core

Sometimes keeping it simple with the graphics on your tow truck garners more attention simply because people understand simple. A couple of basics include having your company name and phone number visible for all to see.

Since most people see one side of your truck or the other when they are driving on the road, having your name and number located on the side is important. Although you may have a great concept and wonderful graphics to accompany your vision for your trucks, if someone can’t remember the name of your company, you may have lost an opportunity for business. Multiply that by the number of drivers that pass by on a major freeway and consider some of the business that may be passing you by.

This week I discovered one truck that exemplifies simple to the core. It’s a 1947 GMC that was turned into a tow truck. Purchased by Joseph Kolodziej of Joe’s Towing and Recovery in Largo, Fla., in 1953 and beautifully restored in 2009, Joe wanted to make a wrecker way back when and did it himself, welding the sockets, adding the steel rods, pipe, ratchets and winches, and used the truck for many years.

“If we needed it now, we could still use it,” said Joe.

It’s bright red color and simple graphics make it memorable. White against red always works—just ask any fire department. Joe’s company name, “Joe’s,” is visible for all to see on the front, back and side, in a classy script font of the ’50s era that hearkens back and stirs up memories of TV shows like “Happy Days” and “The Andy Griffith Show.” What they do - “Towing and Recovery” - is also visible. The phone number is easy to find and read and we also discover that Joe’s business operates around the clock, with his towing service going 24 hours a day. And then there is a simple logo on the bottom front fender and boom that reads, “Helps – A- Comin.”

“I’ll tow anything from a wheel barrow to a tank,” Joes said. His fleet includes 18 trucks run by 10 full-time employees.

Joe’s business is going strong despite several personal setbacks to his health just in the last year. The good news is that next month Joe, 73, will be inducted into the Towing Hall of Fame in Chattanooga, Tenn., in part for his many years of exemplary service and for his particular interest in training firefighters to use extrication tools. He donates 800 to 1,000 cars a year to the fire department so that they can practice using those tools.

“If I can save one life through this action—by showing these guys how to use these tools properly, quickly and staying within the golden hour to get these people to the hospital—that’s all that counts to me,” Joe said.

Hooked on a Bold Design

By George L. Nitti

"Help's here."

That catchy expression on this truck and good graphic design melds together a number of elements that work well together on P.J.'s Towing's 2015 Ford F550 Ext Cab Lariat/B&B 12-Ton Signature Series twin-line self-loader.

The graphics on this tow truck comes together to produce what P.J. Daly, owner of the Lansing, Michigan, company, feels make his trucks "really cool" looking.

Blending a variety of elements, the unit stands out not only as "cool" but also well-composed. Several images come into focus visually, defining what has been seen around much of the towing industry.

Most pronounced are the wild, red flames that run across the hood and the front sides of the F550, serving to enhance the background while complementing other images found on the truck.

"I have always been into hot rods and think flames are cool," Daly said.

Then there is the signature tow chain that sprawls across the side and back of the unit.

"The guy who did the wrap came up with the tow chains," Daly elaborated. "It was done by a company called 180 Designs, which is in Carson City, Michigan. They do really great work. This wrap is bright and colorful and really good. So clean with no lines. Everything lines up."
Another visual element cartoons. On this truck one will find Tow Mater, who was one of the main characters from the movie Cars.

"We were trying to do something fun for kids," Daly stated. "Our trucks are often in parades and the kids like the cartoon."

The final visual is a flag theme on the backside of the unit. The stars are wrapped on the lightbar adjacent to a waving flag along the top and interior of the wrecker.

These images do not overshadow the company name, which stands out in large, bold, bright contrasting colors of blue and green. It's written in a font that asserts itself alongside all of the other imagery.

The slogan, "Get hooked on P.J.'s," written on top of a flag covered boom, says it all.
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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