The TRAA Education Foundation, Inc.® is proud to provide annual scholarship aid to students furthering their education through its Scholarship Fund. Since 1990, the TRAA Education Foundation has awarded thousands of dollars in scholarships to the children and grandchildren of TRAA regular members to assist them in completing their postsecondary education. Scholarships are awarded to students each year based on merit and the candidate’s overall character, community involvement, family service, etc.

The Scholarship Committee was pleased to award $31,500 in scholarships in 2026.

The 2026 scholarship recipients are:

• Spencer Hobson     $6,000 (WTRAA Honorary Recipient Award)
• Alexandria Bender  $5,000
• Jonathan Roth         $3,500
• Jacey Irwin               $3,500
• Madysen Roth         $3,000
• Taylor Irwin              $3,000
• Philip Kuntz              $2,500
• Isabella Finer            $2,500
• Arianna Pirro            $2,500

The TRAA Education Foundation, Inc.® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The function of the organization is to encourage and develop education within the tow truck industry and the members of the Towing and Recovery Association of America. For individuals interested in applying for 2027 scholarship opportunities, look for the TRAA Education Foundation Scholarship Application to run in a Spring edition of TRAA’s National Towing E-News and on the TRAA website, traaonline.com.

Truck Parking Club, the nation’s largest marketplace for instantly reservable truck and trailer parking and storage, has announced that Chief Relationship Officer Brent Hutto has been selected for the Board of Directors of the Texas Trucking Association (TXTA). Hutto also serves as Chair of TXTA’s Truck Parking Committee.

Founded in 1932, TXTA is the unified voice of the trucking industry in Texas, representing hundreds of member companies from small family fleets to Fortune 500 carriers. Its Board of Directors oversees the management of the association’s business, approves its annual operating budget, and is charged with ensuring TXTA acts on behalf of both the public and the trucking industry.

Hutto joined Truck Parking Club in 2025 after more than two decades in freight technology and media, including his tenure as Chief Relationship Officer at Truckstop and earlier leadership roles at Randall Reilly.

Texas is Truck Parking Club’s largest market, with over 700 property member locations and nearly 14,000 spaces. Nationally, the company now has more than 6,200 locations in 50 states and is targeting 10,000 by the end of 2026.

For more information about Truck Parking Club visit truckparkingclub.com.

We are often asked to donate a raffle item or be a sponsor to groups like the Little League. While we can’t give monetary donations like big corporations can, we always try to help out in any way we can.  Supporting the community is important not only as a business owner, but as a citizen of our Village as well.

While when at an event I’m not always sure what will be said when someone tells me they had to use our towing services, I have always heard how helpful we were, and I’m pleasantly surprised at how many remember and even reference the tow operator that helped them by their name.

I think one of the best benefits of giving back to my community is the opportunity to meet so many people, including kids, just to let community members know what services we offer and that we want to help them have a better day. It also gives us an opportunity to remind the motoring public to move over/slow down for towers working on the side of the roadway.

The look on the faces of kids when they get to sit in the seat of one of the tow trucks – especially the heavy-duty trucks – and then getting to blow the horn, is the best. I don’t think you can get any better PR than participating in community events – fostering your public image and creating good relationships.

Arrowhead Winch press release:

Arrowhead Winch welcomes Joe Hillenburg to the team as Senior District Sales Manager. Hillenburg brings more than 20 years of sales and leadership experience to the role, along with extensive knowledge of the BRADEN, CARCO and Gearmatic product lines.

A longtime veteran of the winch, hoist and drive industry, Hillenburg most recently served as National Sales & Marketing Manager at Winches Inc. Prior to that, he held the role of Technical Sales and Service Manager for PACCAR Winch (now Arrowhead Winch), where he provided technical product support and service assistance across our company’s three core brands.

“It’s a privilege to welcome Joe back to the Arrowhead Winch team,” said Paul Hiltenbeitel, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We’ve continued to work closely with Joe over the years, and his industry knowledge, technical expertise and customer relationships will be a tremendous asset to both our team and our customers.”

For more information about Arrowhead Winch Inc. visit www.arrowheadwinch.com.

Flagman Inc., the non-profit organization focused on saving lives of emergency responders by educating the public about the nation’s Slow Down, Move Over laws, is a semi-finalist in the National Safety Council’s (NSC) Green Cross for Safety competition.

This is the second time in three years the Honolulu-based organization has been a semi-finalist in the NSC’s Advocacy category. A category finalist will be named in mid-August.

This prestigious national award honors individuals and organizations that have demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment in advancing safety measures that align with the NSC’s mission to save lives and prevent injuries, the NSC said.

In a July 28 email to Flagman CEO/Founder Cindy Iodice, a Honolulu resident and Fairfield CT resident, the NSC also noted her selection as a semi-finalist “is a testament to the meaningful impact of your work and dedication to creating safer workplaces, communities and environments.”

Iodice created Flagman after the 2020 death of her brother Corey, a tow truck operator, who was killed while working roadside. To channel her grief, she developed an engaging and interactive educational campaign to teach the public, specifically youth and young drivers, about Slow Down Move Over laws and the dangers first responders face while working roadside. To date, Flagman has reached more than 37,000 students in Connecticut, Hawaii, and California and with private and public funding will expand the program this year to Alabama, Tennessee, and Ohio.

For more information about Flagman visit flagmansafety.com.

According to a summary of the bill on BillTrack50:

This bill modifies existing Oklahoma law regarding medical marijuana, specifically concerning employer policies and employee rights. It clarifies that employers can implement and enforce written drug and alcohol testing policies, including those prohibiting marijuana use in the workplace or during job duties, in accordance with the Standards for Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Act.

A key change is the introduction of a “zero-tolerance drug and alcohol standard” for applicants and employees in “safety-sensitive positions,” which are broadly defined to include roles involving hazardous materials, operating vehicles or machinery, critical infrastructure oversight, dispensing pharmaceuticals, carrying firearms, or direct patient/child care.

This zero-tolerance policy applies regardless of other employer policies and means that a positive test for marijuana components or metabolites in such positions will result in disciplinary action, even if the individual is a medical marijuana licensee.

The bill also clarifies that employers are not required to accommodate the possession, sale, transfer, or being under the influence of medical marijuana on their property or during work hours, and it specifies that a positive test result is determined by established cutoff concentration levels. This act will become effective on November 1, 2026.

Auto Data Direct press release:

Auto Data Direct, a Reynolds and Reynolds company, announced the release of CarLocate in Texas and plans for systematically launching it in other states. CarLocate modernizes vehicle recovery, eliminating the need for towing and storage facilities to rely on outdated newspaper publication as the primary notification channel.

“When a vehicle is towed, and the towing or storage facility can’t locate owner and lienholder information, the company simply enters the vehicle information into the CarLocate system via ADD123.com,” explained Ronny New, market development manager for ADD. “Within a matter of moments of entering the vehicle’s details, owners will be able to access the site and determine where their vehicle has been taken. It’s fast and convenient.”

Additionally, the searchable platform streamlines reporting requirements. No longer will companies be forced to use the outdated process of newspaper publication. The website provides a convenient way to manage and share vehicle location information.

Later this year, ADD plans to release CarLocate in Mississippi and will begin working toward additional states. For more information about CarLocate contact a ADD representative and visit ADD123.com.

[PHOTO: RONNY NEW]

[PHOTO CAPTION: Ronny New, market development manager for Auto Data Direct]

Playing youth baseball offers more than just athletic training, it teaches lessons that extend far beyond the diamond. Some important lessons kids learn are embracing failure and building resilience, the power of having teamwork – constant collaboration with other teammates, effective communication and trusting others to do their part, being coachable and learning early on they don’t know everything, the value of the process of getting better with practice, the need to stay focused and mental toughness with having to wait for the right pitch and managing pressure when the game is on the line, and always having good sportsmanship and respect — especially after a tough loss.

Do these sound like lessons you’ve learned working in the towing industry? Teamwork, communication, practice, having to focus and having mental toughness, embracing failure, but also liking the process of getting better?

My grandson did not win the championship. I know he was disappointed because he missed a fly ball, which let a runner get a run in.

I could certainly relate to his disappointment, and I knew he wasn’t ready to discuss that play or the loss. We went out for lunch after, and by the time dessert came he was in a much better mood. My son texted me later and said he wanted to practice hitting and catching with him.

Way to come back after a loss. (Proud moment for grandma.)

PACCAR Inc. has announced that Kenworth Truck Company and Peterbilt Motors Company will implement updated software for vehicles equipped with PACCAR MX-11 and PACCAR MX-13 engines, reflecting revised U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) guidance on Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) inducements. Trucks manufactured after July 20, 2026 will have the software installed at the factory. Trucks built after 2018 will be available for these software updates at Kenworth and Peterbilt dealerships.

In alignment with the EPAs guidance, these updates are designed to help Kenworth and Peterbilt customer improve reliability and reduce unnecessary disruptions to their operations by:

• Having the final inducement speed limit increased from 5 mph to 25 mph
• Extending the timeline from 4 to 160 hours for component-related or fluid-quality issues before reaching final inducement speed limit