This past weekend, the Wisconsin Towing Association held its annual tow show. There were many towing companies there showing their company tow truck, and in some cases, several of their trucks.

One company that is celebrating 40 years in business had their newest rotator along with other towing equipment on display. I’ve known the owners of this family-owned towing company for many years. They are competitors, colleagues and most importantly, great friends. I know they have survived many challenges over the years, like many of you who own a towing company and are in this industry. For them, retirement is the next step.

Getting through 40 years in a towing business and seeing what they have built from the ground up comes from lots of hard work and tears of both sorrow and joy. I know in order to achieve what they have accomplished they are grateful for the support of their family, friends, customers and community along with what they consider their towing family through their state and national towing associations.

I think their celebration of 40 years in their towing business is a triumph and significant win for them. Time for them to take a victory lap, or at least break open a bottle of champagne to celebrate.

Fellow towers, celebrate all of the triumphs you have achieved, you deserve to be proud of those victories, successes and achievements.

Miller Industries press release:

Ever wonder what it takes to properly tow the all-new Generation 5 Freightliner Cascadia? We went straight to the source — Daimler Truck’s Freightliner facility in Fort Mill, SC.
Check out the video and see how it’s done!

Show me the video

With more than 72 million Americans expected to travel for Independence Day, including 61.4 million who will drive, AAA – The Auto Club Group is activating its Tow to Go program to help keep roads safe and discourage impaired driving.

The free and confidential service will be available from 6 p.m. Friday, July 3, through 6 a.m. Monday, July 6.

“With millions of Americans on the road, even one impaired driver is too many, said Mark Jenkins, spokesman for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Tow to Go provides a last-resort option that can prevent a tragedy before it happens and ultimately save lives.”

AAA’s Tow to Go program offers a free ride for impaired drivers and their vehicles within a 10-mile radius. The service aims to prevent dangerous decisions behind the wheel but should be used as a last resort.

Last year, AAA received more than 687,000 calls for roadside assistance from drivers experiencing car trouble during the Independence Day holiday period. Officials urge drivers to plan ahead, designate a sober driver, or arrange alternative transportation before celebrating.

“Tow to Go is there if you need it, but it’s not a substitute for proper planning,” Jenkins said. “The safest choice is always to arrange a ride before you go out.”

How Tow to Go works:

• Available to both AAA members and non-members
• Confidential ride for impaired drivers and their vehicle
• Service provided within a 10-mile radius
• Call (855) 2-TOW-2-GO or (855) 286-9246

Chandler is an accomplished executive leader with 30 years of experience driving strategic growth, operational excellence, and global market expansion across industrial manufacturing and distribution organizations. Throughout his career, he has led commercial, operational, and business development initiatives across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and emerging markets.

Prior to joining Arrowhead Winch, Chandler spent 18 years with WireCo WorldGroup, where he served as Senior Vice President of Global Sales in addition to multiple other leadership positions. During his tenure, he played a key role in the company’s evolution from a regional competitor into a global industry leader with more than $800 million in annual revenue.

Most recently, Chandler served as General Manager of the rigging business for Lift Solutions Holdings, where he led strategy, sales, operations, and financial performance for the business. He is recognized for his commercial leadership, operational discipline, and ability to build high-performing teams focused on delivering long-term value for customers, employees, and stakeholders.

As CEO, Chandler will lead Arrowhead Winch’s continued focus on innovation, customer partnerships, operational excellence, and long-term growth across the company’s BRADEN, CARCO and Gearmatic brands.

Learn more about Arrowhead Winch at www.arrowheadwinch.com.

Men face unique challenges in mental health care, often masking struggles due to what society expects or what the traditional notions of masculinity is. The focus during June is a campaign to reduce the stigma around emotional vulnerability, promoting well-being and providing resources specifically for men.

Some statistics I found were: men are roughly four times more likely to die by suicide compared to women, approximately one in five men experience some form of mental health condition like depression, anxiety or PTSD and fewer than 30% of men experiencing mental health challenges seek out professional support.

As a professional tower, many of you see some horrific scenes when working an incident. Images that are hard to get out of your mind. And while you are taught to basically suck it up, often times that is easier said than done.

I received this from a friend who is a nurse at a VA hospital:
“Let’s breakdown the barriers of talking about, supporting and seeking help for men. It’s ok to not be ok. The struggle is real and no one should have to do it alone”.  She added:

• Men cry
• Men break down
• Men get anxiety
• Men feel insecure
• Men get abused
• Men have emotions
• Men have mental illnesses
• It’s not “unmanly” to struggle
• Let’s support men
• Let’s encourage men
• Don’t belittle or silence men – men struggle, too.

Suggestions to help would be to start a conversation, create a safe space at home, work, gym, etc. and share resources.  Remember, it’s ok to not be ok. Mental health care is as important as taking care of your physical health.

The new DP worm-gear winch is a purpose-built, heavy-duty unit engineered to handle the demands of daily professional use. Key highlights include:

• 100% Bronze Worm Gear — Provides superior heat dissipation over bi-metal designs, keeping internal components cooler under sustained loads and resisting premature wear.
• Oversized Worm Shaft — Eliminates shaft flex under tension, maintaining proper gear alignment and reducing binding and heat buildup.

• Exclusive 4-Year Warranty — Gives operators added peace of mind, reflecting both DP Winch’s confidence in the product and Miller Industries’ commitment to long-term reliability.

The winch carries a true SAEJ706 12,000 lbs. rated capacity, closing the performance gap between winch capability and deck capacity across Miller Industries’ car carrier platforms.

“Going from 8,000 lbs. to 12,000 lbs. of pulling capacity is a meaningful upgrade for our operators,” said Kipp Felice, Vice President of Marketing and Business Solutions at Miller Industries. “The new DP worm-gear winch gives our Century, Vulcan, and Chevron car carrier customers stronger, more capable equipment right out of the gate — and the fact that it’s exclusive to Miller Industries with a 4-year warranty makes it a true competitive differentiator.”

The upgraded car carriers with the new DP winch are available now through Miller Industries’ distribution network. For more information and to find the Miller Industries distributor closest to you, visit millerind.com.

The company’s towing equipment offerings, including Jerr-Dan wreckers, rollback carriers, heavy-duty recovery vehicles, towing parts, and fleet support services, are now being made more accessible to businesses and operators serving Old Bridge, Sayreville, East Brunswick, South River, Spotswood, Helmetta, South Amboy, Matawan, Perth Amboy, Marlboro, Monroe Township, Keasbey, Woodbridge, Manalapan, and Edison.

Businesses operating in these locations continue to rely on towing fleets capable of supporting roadside recovery, commercial transport, vehicle hauling, and accident response throughout Central New Jersey’s heavily traveled transportation corridors.

For more information about All American Jerr-Dan Wreckers and Carriers visit allamericantowtrucks.com.