The Week's Features

Manufacturers, tow bosses, industry leaders will converge Aug. 16-18

Unit’s got that “Executive” design

Coal Truck Dumped in Ohio

All that coal didn’t quite make it around the bend

360-Degree Surveillance with Infrared, Audio

System designed to reduce frivolous accident and damage claims

ARA, NAFA Announce Joint Effort Results

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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!

The AAA-Texas lockout session provides foundational training on lockout basics with a focus on damage prevention. Topics include; basic lockout guidelines, discussion of locking mechanisms, safety around airbags and key lockout techniques. The session will conclude with Q & A. The seminar will take place during Tow Expo-Dallas, August 16-18 at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. Register online today! towexpodfw.com

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American Towman Magazine Presents the Week in TowingJune 13 - June 19, 2018

Best of Both Worlds

By George Nitti

Over the last year, Bill's Service of Stamford, Connecticut, has picked up several tow trucks—some wrapped and some custom-painted—for its body shop located in Darien.

For co-owner Billy Parker III, the decision to wrap or custom paint has to do with several variables. One factor is the time that it takes to do custom paint, a consideration for most tow companies contend.

"We save a lot of time having them wrapped," Parker said. "Within a week you are finished and there is no clean-up in the shop."

Their new patriotic-themed, 2018 Ford F-550 with a 21' steel Danco bed was recently wrapped by Razor Wraps and Graphics, whom they have been working with for 10 years.

Bill's bold lettering on the side door is large and easy to read, written in a white-to-yellow gradient. It sits on top of a design that includes a mix of sleek purple-and-blue tribal flames, along with a flashy American Flag whose stars cover the front end of the unit.

Parker said wraps have other advantages:

"It is easier to get rid of them when you wrap them. You can just peel it off. When it gets scratched, you can just rewrap part of it."

Still, many of Bill's units are custom-painted, drawing on the skills of "Ed the Painter," who has been doing their trucks for years.

One recent custom job is a '96 International 4700 with a 21' aluminum Chevron bed.

"The custom painting of this truck involved a lot of taping and layering," Parker said.

The front of the unit is red and contains tribal flames.

"We have been using flames for years," Parker said. "The company was founded by my grandfather in 1950 and taken over by my father in the '70s. We used to custom-paint our trucks with murals."

The company name, Bill's, is painted green on the side door and sits on top of a diamond-shaped background that has a granite-speckled look.

"We wanted to keep the old-style lettering of the '80s and '90s because that was the style of our lettering back then," Parker said.

Wrapped or custom-painted, both feature expertise and flair for great advertising and appreciation.

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!

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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