American Towing and Recovery Institute onThe Go
American Towing and Recovery Institute onThe Go
Unlocking the Complex World of the Automotive Industry with Matt Harvey and Frank Toms
Buckle up as we journey into the intricate world of the automotive industry with Matt Harvey and Frank Toms, the trailblazers from Auto Data Direct. These industry giants provide pivotal services to towing operators and related businesses, ensuring seamless operations even across state borders. Promise of what you'll learn: By the end of this engaging discussion, you'll have unraveled the complexities of towing operator title requirements and the importance of due diligence in the processing and towing of vehicles. You'll also gain insight into the legislative activities of the companies and their expansion plans.
Posing a provocative question: Ever wondered about the legality of selling service members' vehicles at auction without their knowledge? We delve into this distressing scenario and its far-reaching implications with the experts. Matt and Frank also shed light on their multi-state locator service and the astounding breadth of jurisdictions they cover. Wrapping up our discussion, they extend an invitation to listeners to engage with Auto Data Direct, to ensure compliance, boost efficiency, and stay atop the ever-evolving state requirements in the industry. Don't miss out on this insightful conversation that shines a spotlight on the often-overlooked aspects of the automotive industry.
Welcome one and all to the American Towing Recovery Institute podcast. Remember this is your podcast to promote safety, education, positive public relations and networking within the professional and business-minded Towing Recovery Industry. This is your co-host, dj Harrington. I'm better known as the Toe Doctor and I'm honored to have a 40-gear veteran in today's episode, and he is a dear friend, but he is the head of American Towing Recovery Institute himself, with over 900 hands-on classes. This is the one and only West will burn. West. I'm doing good. I hope you're the same.
Speaker 2:Yeah, dj, surviving summer heat, but we're doing good. I haven't traveled in a couple weeks, so I've spent a little time with my lovely wife, april, and that's been nice. As a matter of fact, first class that I've done in several weeks. I'm headed out this weekend to do a one-day class in Georgia.
Speaker 3:Well.
Speaker 1:I don't know how hot it's been down there, DJ.
Speaker 2:I'm not looking forward to that part it's been hot down there.
Speaker 1:It's been warm, buddy, it's been warm.
Speaker 2:I told the folks this is a private class I'm doing for a company and they said we'll get through it. But I told them it's going to be challenging with the hands-on but it is what it is. We got so much electrical car information now that it ends up in that one-day class, making it a little challenging. So we'll probably maybe not do quite as much hands-on this session. We'll see how that all sorts out. But I'm excited about going out to the first class in a couple weeks.
Speaker 2:Right after that I got one out west for the airlines and then we went back into the season. The fall season is a little odd this year DJ, for whatever reason.
Speaker 2:There's no exact science to it, but a lot of times it seems like if we're going to do private classes for companies during the winter or the spring traditionally, for whatever reason, again it's not exactly this additional general operation. This year this fall we got more private classes summer and the fall than I've ever had a request these seasons for. It's going to make our public classes a little bit more challenging. In other words, not going to have as many because I just can't go every weekend anymore. I said I can, I can, but I'm just so tired and just I just don't want to travel that much, that hard anymore. So we are doing a still got a couple of public classes out there. We're going to be in Elkhart, indiana. Every duty telling, recovery and rotate are a much popular force. We have been with our friends at Tom's 24-hour telling August 26th and 27th. Shrews is helping out as well. Again, great camaraderie between those two companies.
Speaker 2:We'll be back in Elmira, new York, for Fireteller Cross Training with the great Ron Moore and myself. That's a two-day class. That's going to be September 16th and 17th, same group, two days in a row. And the following weekend will be at the Midwest Toe Show. We will be in back in Albury, texas, fire Toe Cross Training. In October it's 14th and 15th. In November I was in 12th Washington, north Carolina, for a two day Fire Toe Cross Training and yes, I'm putting a lot of attention to the Fire Toe Cross Training I'm really excited about how well.
Speaker 2:it brings two groups together in a community and sort of surrounding areas. Also, with the electric vehicle focus, another reason firefighters and towers are networking and collaborating more than ever before because of the situation with those cars. So that's another reason we're focusing on those courses and we're also going to be looking at bringing some of the webinar on electric vehicles back here. We did one or two, a flat summer basically and I keep saying we're going to get them together and deal with them. It's a little bit of my fault we don't, but we are focused on bringing that back to try to get information out there. The ATRI team has worked very hard and we have developed over 2,000 pages of information for electric vehicles, factory information for towing and handling them, and that's part of the class. Now we're working on ways to get that information to folks better.
Speaker 2:So we've got a lot going on, DJ, but we do have some great guests today. They are in a business that's kind of near and dear to my heart. It's the first business I had of my own. Well, it's actually I guess my second business, DJ, maybe my third, because I had a paper out. I fixed my. I had a whole plan on getting an older neighbor kid so a kid to be the mechanic, who was a mechanic by trade, and I was going to meet him. I was going to try to have a bicycle business with him, but he didn't want no part of it. So I did it on my own. But my first official business on the books was a lean and title business. The folks we got for guests today are in that similar type business that provides services like that for towing operators and all kinds of automotive related businesses all over the country. So, folks, if you hang around for just a few minutes, we got to take commercial break but right after the break we got some great guests for you today from Auto Data Direct.
Speaker 4:The folks at Purpose Record are record specialists. They don't get bogged down with other types of sales like cars, assorted equipment or snow plows. Purpose Record exclusively specializes in towing and hauling. From parts and service to financing, they remain focused on providing the best service and customer care to the towing and hauling industry. Even in these trying times, Purpose Record works hard to meet the needs of its customers. They are the preferred distributor in North America for purchasing towing and recovery equipment. For more information, visit them on the web at PurposeRecordcom or speak to a specialist by calling 636-639-9700.
Speaker 1:You have been listening to the American Towing Recovery Institute podcast with. Wes Wilburn and DJ Harrington Every week. We do our best to bring you informative episodes. Make sure you download and listen. You're available on Spotify, itunes, pandora, google Play, stitcher, iheart Media, amazon or wherever you get your podcast. And we have two great guests today.
Speaker 1:Matt Harvey and Frank Toms from Auto Data Direct. They are good guys, great for the industry. And, wes, I know that you've been asking to have them on the podcast. You've had listeners wanting to have auto data on the podcast, so you did your best and we got them on today. So, wes Wilburn, what's the first question you want to ask our two great guests?
Speaker 2:Well, thanks, DJ. I appreciate you doing everything you did to make it happen as well. I'd just like to take a quick second and ask both Frank and Matt both just take a quick second, kind of introduce themselves, give us a brief background and how they ended up at Auto Data Direct. If you wouldn't mind, Frank, would you mind going first?
Speaker 3:Yeah, sure, thank you all for having us on. Good morning. Everyone out there. I'm Frank Toms. I'm out of ADD's home base here in Tallahassee, florida, and I'm joined by my counterpart, matt Harvey, out of Texas. I'm the Eastern Regional and Matt's our Western Regional Manager, but he's also recently taken over for Tom Drake, who is actually retiring this time and passing the torch on to Matt to head up our efforts in the towing industry.
Speaker 3:I got my start with Auto Data Direct about 10 years ago helping out in the dealer services and really grew up in the auto industry, helping my dad pull auto glass out of body shops as a kid. So I'll turn it back over to Matt now to introduce himself and let you know about some of the recent shows that we've attended and what's coming up next. Thanks, frank. Yeah, tom Drake, that's going to be some big shoes to fill. I know a lot of people know him and he kind of jetted off into the sunset. But yeah, with my new role on towing, I have been traveling a lot. We've been hitting all the major shows. We'll be in Ohio next, followed by Tennessee and then, of course, rounding it out with North Carolina and Baltimore. So we are busy. We are busy and running like crazy right now.
Speaker 2:Well, that's good to hear. I guess that's the sign of what a good job you folks do and everything I've always heard about your organization is a very professional organization that helps make a lot of things easier for telling operators. This is a matter of disclosure. Some folks know that, some folks don't. The first business I started on before I got involved with Rackmaster to become involved in this being an instructor Right about 1990, I had had a business called Wolverine Lean and Tide where I processed mechanical leans and squadrons in Virginia, maryland, and I was just learning how to do them when I in DC, when I met Donnie Cruz and started getting involved with training and ended up selling that business off.
Speaker 2:But with all that big. The only reason I bring that up is I have a great respect for what you guys do and how you take what can be a very difficult process of helping folks process their cars Legally in the different states. I have great respect for how, what a detail oriented task that is and everything I've ever heard about tells the organization. People say you make things easy. What services, what services do you offer the towing industry?
Speaker 3:Sure, for those of you not familiar with automated directs, you know, like West has been saying here, for 20 years now we've been serving the towing industry and the automotive industry at large. Really, the main thing that we do is provide real time access to the state vehicle records that you all need to send out proper notices. Right Records contain the last known address information for any owners, lean holders, insurance companies, on file with that state's DMV and that current state of titling. So if you don't know where the vehicle is titled, we have searches for that as well. The title pointer will show you. Okay, this vehicle is currently titled in Georgia, where you can run that state specific record and get your owner and lean holder name and address information. Once we get you that data that you need, we can take it a step further by populating state specific letters and sending out those notices through our direct post office certified mailing options.
Speaker 2:Wow, that makes that a lot easier. That's way more efficient. As far as the multi state locator that was always a problem back years ago was, if you didn't know what state to look in, you really had no way of figuring out what you'd be in a detective to figure out where this car came from.
Speaker 3:It makes it a lot easier and, in addition to pointing to the current state of title, it's going to let you know if there's an active theft case going on with this vehicle, any brands associated with the title, if you're going to eventually resell. So it gives you a lot more than that. And so you don't have a VIN number. We have searches for tag or title numbers. We even have a plate to VIN search available. So there's a lot of nooks and crannies within the ADD system. Once you start using it, you'll just find more and more ways to take advantage of it and make your life easier.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that stuff is coming along ways. That was a challenge. How many states are you able to provide these services to?
Speaker 3:So we're going to be, right over 42 jurisdictions, with more on the horizon. A little birdie told me that Iowa is coming up, so you guys can take that one out and go ahead and start sharing that, because we're going to be stepping into a few other states coming up soon that I can't really share quite yet.
Speaker 2:And, as I understand it, you are involved legislatively in different states trying to make things easier and better. Can you tell me about that a little bit? Yeah, I can tell you that.
Speaker 3:Well, we prefer to work with the co-associations in those states and help them. We aren't out there trying to change the laws, but when different things pop up, you know you're going to have to figure out how to be regulated or they're going to regulate you. So with a lot of our co-associations we work closely with our team to get in there and help them navigate those fields right. The years of experience we have in processing titles and, you know, data access for the states really helps us show them how they can do it without getting kind of pigeonholed into a certain process.
Speaker 2:Let's go into detail about the direct post office school. I know I spent a lot of time at the post office getting those certified letters stamped out. You know going out etc. Tell me about this direct post office school.
Speaker 3:So, yeah, the direct post office tool is our means of sending out certified notices, right? So we have state-specific searches in 12 different states, state-specific forms, I'm sorry, in 12 different states. So in Alabama, florida, georgia, indiana, mississippi, missouri, north Carolina we recently added New York, ohio, south Carolina not recently added, but we do it in Ohio, south Carolina, tennessee and Texas, we all have those state-specific forms programmed. So when you run one of those records, you can take the information from that record and it's going to populate that state-specific claim of lien and sale notice. You're essentially just filling in your fees and clicking the button to send it certified mail. In the other states where we don't have state-specific letters programmed currently, we have a custom letter tool where you can upload your own version of your claim of lien notice and send that out certified mail still from the same website, and not have to go to the post office.
Speaker 2:Oh boy, that makes things a lot easier, so you'll handle it. A teller can handle their whole process with going to you and those states that you mentioned.
Speaker 3:For the most part, I would say. There's still some requirements around newspaper ads or, you know, alabama has a portal that you report into, so there are some state-specific nuances, but for the most part, yes, sir, we get you the information you need, queue up the letter you need to send and send it out certified mail so you're not having to wait on replies from states that can take a week or two before even though who you need to notify.
Speaker 2:Boy yeah, states take that long. I know that could be a challenge because in a lot of different states Delta Telling companies have time limits, that they have to send out that first notice by Absolutely, and it's going to determine when they can start charging storage, so it's going to affect their bottom line.
Speaker 3:The quicker you get this information, the quicker you can start making money.
Speaker 2:Well, that's important to everybody listening to this podcast. I know that Good information. Guys, Can you hang around after the break? I got some more questions out like that.
Speaker 3:Yes, sir.
Speaker 2:Thanks for being here, Folks. We got a great interview on a lot of stuff you learn to help your business. We'll be back right after this announcement.
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Speaker 1:You're listening to a special edition of the American Towing Recovery Institute podcast with auto data directors, our guests Matt Harvey and Frank Tom. This has been a great one. Remember to like, review and share everywhere. I can't thank our 11,000 listeners so much. Please, if you'd like to have somebody like Auto Data Direct, dial our hotline number 706-409-5603 and let Wes Wilburn know that this is a guest you'd like to hear of the number one podcast in the towing and recovery industry. Wes, let me turn it over to you. You're doing good bud.
Speaker 2:Thanks, dj. I appreciate the platform and the foundation that you and Chuck and the whole team gives make this happen. Speaking of teamwork, I noticed more and more the industry you know had a trade to kind of pay attention to what's going on outside my little world of training and products. I noticed more and more companies seem to be working together to coordinate things and bring things together, like the computer dispatch services etc. How do you work with folks like the different computer dispatch services and other folks in the industry to make the whole process easier? On the Towing Operator.
Speaker 3:Well, just like you mentioned earlier, we want to keep it simple. So we've found different partners, one of the most recent being Tobook BTS, omadi the toers are already in. We want to make it as easy as possible to click a button within their operating system, pull that record, click another button, send that notice. So it's a seamless process with plenty of reminders so that they're fulfilling their state statutes and getting everything correct so they can move those cars as fast as possible.
Speaker 2:Oh wow, that really is good to hear that it's all that seamless. I know I sound like a grandparent, but I'll tell you, when I first started doing titles first ones I was doing, you know I learned how to do it working for a tow company, but the first ones I was doing- did it with a Smith and Corona typewriter that my father had for his land surveying business that I bought off of him in carbon paper.
Speaker 2:Well, it was the dark ages. Compared to where it's at nowadays, it sounds like click, click, click, click and you're done. You know, we like I say carbon paper type the thing out on the little green slip from the post office, literally putting that green slip in a green card in the typewriter, and it sounds like things have changed quite a bit. I know I'm dating myself and sound like an old-time car.
Speaker 3:Well, you know, not only does it add so much efficiency to the operation, but it also takes out the human error. You know, I don't know about you, but I'm a chicken-peck typewriter, so I got two fingers going as fast as I can, and there's sure to be a typo in there somewhere and I don't want to mess up a state-required notification.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, people didn't realize that. But if you got one thing wrong on that and it caused maybe the mail to come back when it should know, or whatever you can have, you can have a title in your hand from the state DMV and that did you a good. They came after you for it and right things are supposed to be right. That was another thing I heard earlier that I didn't comment on. But the whole then-checking thing and this, that and the other, you know, years ago many cars got processed and you got right to that point, a final title, and realize that you processed the car with a five and we're supposed to be an F in that VIN number or whatever. So again that one little mistake. Everything is wrong, everything's illegal. You don't take from somebody's car illegally. Basically at that point.
Speaker 2:Yeah but you're on the left of the process.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, finding the other states. I used to tell people to be a detective, you know, especially with a nice car and you're trying to gain title to it, just because it wasn't registered in Virginia but it had Maryland plates on it. And back then you didn't have an obligation to book. But even if it didn't have plates, let's say, but it had paperwork in it that indicated somebody in Maryland owned it. What we always did back then was just search, you know, in that state, which was kind of unheard of. Back then it wasn't required. But it sounds like you folks are doing that automatically for the people, which and I'll let you all talk, I'm sorry I know I'm rambling on but which is huge for the tele-operator because if it prevents that mistake, it just, you know all those days you stored the car for free, etc. I'm sure you guys have situations like that before.
Speaker 3:We hear some horror stories and you know we try to keep our ear to the ground for anything like that and see what we can do to help. But absolutely, if we try to promote the best practices of always running an invidus, you're going to get that theft check as well as the current state of title. But some states require it and some states don't. So you know we can only leave the horse to water.
Speaker 2:Right, absolutely Sometimes folks listen to this podcast. If you're dealing with an automobile title and taking someone's property, you better be double cautious and do everything you can, go extra out of your way, kind of do the right thing. So here's something I want to, I guess, ask a question, but I also just want to make a statement about. I'd always heard, years ago and maybe right now, one case years ago that I'd heard about a serviceman's car being a service person's car, a man or woman's car being sold when they're overseas at auction, and it's a very unfair situation because you don't necessarily know that if they're in the service or not. You don't have the information to check their database. It's really geared that is geared for a different situation, not for our situation, and I've heard of a couple different towing operatives that have gotten stung big time in this situation. One of them, from what I understand, is fighting it, rightfully so. But I guess I'm going to make a statement and then ask you all to expand on the subject. My statement to the toers listening to this is I talked about it earlier about being a detective. You maybe do need to be a little bit of a detective and look in these cars when you're processing them and see if there's anything that might indicate their service personnel. And I know it's your grasp.
Speaker 2:We have to straw, but two things. First of all, their service personnel serving our country to deserve every benefit of the doubt. I know that puts an unfair burden on some towing operator sometimes I hate that it does. But also, if your parents didn't teach your, life's not fair. Today is a good day to learn that lesson. Sometimes it's just not fair. But you do have an obligation as an American citizen to help. In my opinion. This is my opinion. I'm not putting anything on their guess, but living in an army town, fayetteville, north Carolina, with Fort Bragg I'm going to refuse to call it its new name, fort Bragg as far as I'm concerned. Maybe I have a little extra sensitivity of the sacrifice that these folks give to their country for serving, being deployed, etc.
Speaker 2:So all I'm going to suggest to the towing operators is to take an extra look, be a little bit of a detective and if there's something that indicates that, give them the benefit of the doubt. What can you guys tell us about the whole military, the whole situation I'm talking to, and maybe some advice for how to handle it?
Speaker 3:Yeah, wes, I actually come from a military family. I thank everybody for their service. I grew up right here, fort Hood I'm with you, I'm not going to say the new name here in Texas, and you know, yeah, it's horrible because that toer doesn't realize what he just he or she pulled off. It could be a ticking time bomb for him and it comes back and bites you. You know, months, years down the way, there's not a perfect solution quite yet. It is actually on one of our top priorities on our roadmap of figuring out a way right.
Speaker 3:We're the leader in providing data access to states. We make DPO super easy. That's one of the next things we want to try and solve. But it's difficult. There's a lot of federal hurdles we got to jump through. There's channels and there's no perfect solution. So to your point, you have to be a detective If you live in those towns. A lot of those towers do build relations and figure out ways to find out that information, but they may not do it on 100% of their vehicles. So if anybody's struggling with that or has any suggestions, feel free to reach out to me, because that is one of my top priorities.
Speaker 2:Let's get to know that it's on your radar and y'all are looking at it. That is very good to hear. How do you all stay on top of all the different state requirements that must be? I mean, let me just back up for a second. How big of an organization is Autodata Direct?
Speaker 3:Well, we have over 60 employees now, but between our territory reps you know our internal sales team, our legislative affairs team that keeps beers to the ground or on any issues attending state association meetings. You know we participated in as many of those national association meetings and events as we can so we can stay ahead of any changes or legislative. You know impacts to the industry so we can serve our customers best. Again, like Matt said, if anyone listening has any useful information to share, I encourage you to reach out to Matt or I and help us better, help you and your fellow towers stay compliant and run more efficient operations.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's absolutely one of the benefits of this great industry we're involved in. People are willing to work for the fleets and work together Like the state associations. Virtually all the folks helping in the state association are volunteers, with maybe one or two paid employees which give a shout out to them for all the work they do. I know, coming back 30 years ago to Virginia, I helped the Virginia Association at the time, which was that throat with legislation that had to do with some of the title work. So that's why I got involved and it's a very rewarding experience. But it's a challenge because you're spending time and energy away from your business as a volunteer trying to help everybody. So it's nice to hear that an organization like yours helped support those efforts of the different associations around the country. We're very appreciative of that. I want to make sure we give you a chance for their. I wanted to find out more about your services or contact either one of you two directly. How would I go about doing that?
Speaker 3:Well, probably the best way to hit both Frank and I at the same time because we're constantly traveling and out there in the field. But if you email us at sales at ADD123.com that's the distribution group that goes through me, Frank, our director. So it's going to be top priority, we're going to be eyes on and we're going to jump right on top of that.
Speaker 2:Okay, great, and they can go to your website.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and folks could also see us learn more by reading on their own at ADD123.com to see all the things we do across the auto industry. And if you want to give us a call, toll free at 866-923-3123.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you all for being guests today, and I definitely would like to invite you back as a matter of fact, would like to have you on about 90 days and have just kind of getting up there where things are. If we could make that happen, I'd really appreciate that, absolutely, yeah that's right.
Speaker 3:And to your point, Wes, we stay very active with our associations, but we really applaud groups like yourself that's out there and training and helping keep everybody safe.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you, we appreciate that. You know, while we're giving thanks, I should have probably, as we introduced you, I should have mentioned also that you folks supported my Myrtle Beach Toe Show that we did a few years ago, stepped up on a higher sponsorship level and helped make that happen, and it was very good work with you folks in, and I should have recognized that at the beginning of the podcast and I apologize that I didn't.
Speaker 3:Oh good, we like to make it clear that we're here to support the industry and help our mutual customers in any way that we can. But we really appreciate your time today and listening to us and we do hope to be back on soon.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and, like I said we're going to, this is good information. Maybe we'll have you on soon if we get any hack button questions, but if not, we would like to have you as our regular guest. So thank you for coming to that. I probably should have asked you in private. I didn't think about it, but I do appreciate it and I appreciate you all. Thank you, wes.
Speaker 3:Thank you, DJ.
Speaker 2:You got it Well, dj. We had some good guests on today. I can't thank you enough for helping put that together and I can't thank our listeners. We have over 11,000 listeners, so we really appreciate that. Continue to like and share and review us, because that helps too Right, and I want to thank everybody for listening and all that DJ, chuck, the entire ATRI team. We got some big things brewing at ATRI. We'll have a very special announcement coming up here in one of the next episodes. So thanks everybody. Be safe out there. It's still in the summertime heat, so stay hydrated and, believe it or not, before we know it, we're going to school, it's going to be getting in, so we'll have to be watching them kids on the school bus. So thanks for listening. We'll see you next time.