American Towing and Recovery Institute onThe Go
American Towing and Recovery Institute onThe Go
Bridging the Divide: Clifton and Joyce's Mission to Unite Towing and Trucking
When the towing and trucking industries seem locked in an endless cycle of misunderstanding and tension, one Kentucky couple has found a remarkable way to change the conversation – by taking their 50-ton rotator to major truck shows across America.
Clifton and Joyce Parsley of Crossroads Towing are on a mission to transform how the trucking community views the towing industry. What began as simply displaying their wrecker with an American flag at the Atlanta Motor Speedway has evolved into a nationwide campaign of goodwill that's winning trophies, changing perceptions, and building bridges between industries that desperately need better relationships.
"We didn't know what kind of response we would get from taking a rotator wrecker to a trucking show, but it has really been positive," explains Clifton. With their impressive 6x10 American flag illuminated at night by boom lights, they've created a display that draws crowds, sparks conversations, and gives them the opportunity to educate truckers about the realities of the towing business beyond what they see on reality TV.
Their story gained even greater depth when Joyce, a registered nurse, was thrust into running the entire business during Clifton's two-month hospitalization with COVID-19. "I knew he was coming home, so I was going to keep his dream alive," she shares. This experience gave her invaluable insights into operations, regulations, and the day-to-day challenges of running a towing company.
From participating in Christmas parades with the Grinch on their hook to connecting with veterans who appreciate their patriotic display, the Parsleys demonstrate how community engagement can transform industry relationships. Their advice to fellow towers? Get involved locally, attend both towing and trucking shows, and pursue ongoing education through industry certifications.
Join us at the International Towing Museum in Chattanooga on October 9th for a live podcast recording where you can meet industry leaders working to strengthen connections between these essential transportation services. Together, we can change perceptions one conversation at a time.
you're on the train to success with April and Wes Wilburn. I'm DJ Harrington, the co-host, better known as the Toe Doctor. We're all on our way to the town of proper towing and recovery, along with our producer, chuck Camp, in the studio. Don't go to the town of woulda, coulda, shoulda. You coulda had done this. You should have done that. Listen every week to thought-provoking wisdom from great guests iTunes, pandora, stitcher, iheartmedia or the number one podcast, or maybe Amazon or wherever you get your podcasts. Turn in on Wednesday and be turned on all week long. If you are a state association and want your announcements or upcoming state association news announcements or upcoming state association news, or maybe a co-show that's coming up, let us know. Our podcast studio phone number is 706-409-5603. I'm proud to be part of a great team at the american dorm recovery institute. Let's make 2025 our best year ever. I will turn it to April Loomis.
Speaker 2:Thank you, dj. As always, I appreciate your kind words. I appreciate all the effort you put into this podcast, making it happen, getting it started, et cetera. Is that April here? April? How are you doing today?
Speaker 3:I'm doing really good Getting through some of this rainy weather right now, which, you know, we need the rain, but when it comes we complain about it. But um, wrapping up the, wrapping up the summer and looking forward to a really busy fall boy, we do have a busy fall.
Speaker 2:As I look at the schedule, it's amazing how much stuff we've got lined up. Well, thankful jt's come on board to help and we got some other folks. Joel garcia, down out of texas, is going to start working with us a little bit, along with a few thankful JT's come on board to help, and we got some other folks Joel Garcia, down out of Texas, gonna start working with us a little bit, along with a few other folks. So we're very excited about what the future is going to hold. As far as training goes, I'll talk more about that at the end of the session with us.
Speaker 2:We'll give our schedule DJ. How are you doing?
Speaker 1:I'm doing excellent. It is beautiful weather here in Atlanta blue skies, skies, puffy white clouds. It's beautiful.
Speaker 2:Well, good, we've been experiencing some rain, but it's coming all the way across the country and we need it, so that's all good, and it's good to hear the weather's good for you how are you? Feeling.
Speaker 1:I'm feeling good. I'm feeling good, everything's coming together. I'm feeling good. I'm feeling good, everything's coming together.
Speaker 2:I'm doing well, and so the old toe doctor is still moving. That's good. When I talk to people that, if they're familiar with the podcast, one of the first things they do is ask me how you doing so. You got a lot of people concerned about you and care about you, and and you need to know that.
Speaker 1:Wes. I appreciate everybody who bends the knee and says dear God, take care of the old man, because I've been really doing well and I appreciate our listeners. We have so many of them now 20,000 listeners so I think it's fantastic.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, it is fantastic, and it's y'all's hard work that's making that happen, so we're super appreciative of that. We're looking forward to seeing you at the Toe Show in Chattanooga. We're going to be live on the show for or not on the show for the museum for on Thursday night. We'll talk about that a little bit later. We're looking forward to seeing you there. That's going to be exciting to be together in person doing that podcast.
Speaker 3:Yes, yeah, I'm really looking forward to Chattanooga. There's so much going on. There's always so much going on. Speaking of Chattanooga, let's just say this for one second They've gotten I'm complaining about rain, but they've gotten really, really bad.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I mean, there's flooding rain, so we saw it on the news the highways are flooded. We did speak with some folks from out of Chattanooga area that were there visiting, working on getting ready for this show, and they said it's rough but it's not bad. The museum at that point when we talked to them, was it yesterday. Yes, it was in good shape. They said it had been a little challenging but things were getting better.
Speaker 2:While we're talking about classes. Me and Jeff Bauer, part of the Cardinal Towing Legacy Group, are going to do a seminar on Thursday afternoon on the subject of consolidation. We're going to talk a little bit about past, present and future consolidation and what's going on with it and how it's affecting the towing industry. So we're looking forward to that. Jeff's a very powerful individual that speaks very wisely. He's a very just. Short time I've been around him. I've got a lot of respect for him, how he handles things, how he looks at things. I'm excited about the seminar we'll be doing there at Chattanooga on Thursday. It's part of their seminar package program. Then, of course, we got the two-day class Thursday and Friday. We're going to be in Wichita, Kansas, on September the 4th. That's a Thursday evening. That's a sponsored dinner and an evening electric and alternative fuel vehicle class. That's Saturday and Sunday. That's September the 6th and 7th.
Speaker 2:We're doing one of the only let me back up the only light medium class in the middle of the country. We'll be at Elkhart, indiana, for a two-day class. Tom's telling us there's hosting. They always do a great job. The following weekend, october 3rd through the 5th, niagara Falls, slash, buffalo, new York, a three-day extreme heavy duty class. Myself and JT will be teaching a class and we're supposed to have a surprise instructor going to stop by and help teach the class. The following week will be the Chattanooga. We'll be at October 9th and 10th. We'll be at the Chattanooga two-day heavy duty class. That is a class you have to register for and pay for. We can after that, october 16th, on the Friday, we'll be in Kansas City for a one-day light duty. On the Saturday, sunday that's the 17th and the 18th of October we'll be in Kansas City with a heavy duty tow and recovery class, lake Station. The following weekend, october 25th and 26th, two-day heavy duty rotator class. Then we'll be down in Enterprise, alabama, november 7th and Fridays, a one-day light duty on a.
Speaker 2:Saturday, sunday that's the 8th and the 9th. It's a two-day heavy duty tonal recovery class. We'll be in Lake Charles, louisiana, connie's favorite city. We'll be down there on the 15th for a one-day light duty. It's November the 15th. This is working in conjunction with the Tony and Victoria Professional of Louisiana and on the 16th we'll be in Lake Charles, again with a one-day heavy duty. So that's a two-day class. On Saturday a light duty. On Sunday, one day heavy duty two day class on Saturday light duty. On Sunday heavy duty one day class for two days. You can attend one or the other. You don't have to attend both.
Speaker 2:Naples, florida, december the 6th and the 7th. Two day light medium duty the only other light medium duty we're doing anywhere in the country at this point. First weekend of December December the 6th and the 7th in Naples, florida duty the only other light and medium duty we're doing anywhere in the country at this point. First weekend of December is December 6th and the 7th in Naples, florida. And rest in hope Posting class. Give me a call. We've got some more dates we can put on. We've got a crew of instructors that are anxious to get out there and share knowledge with y'all. So hang around until after the break and we've got a great interview for you.
Speaker 4:TRAA, the Injured Drivers Fund and legislation that makes all of us safer are what makes this industry special. Ina Towing supports all of this and more. When there is a need, gay Rochester is always one of the first to come forward and ask how can I help? The American Towing and Recovery Institute is honored to have the support of the INA Towing Network. Together, we all make a difference. Ina Towing Network simplified solutions, superior Service.
Speaker 1:Welcome back listeners. Of course you know you're listening to the new. Towing News Channel and we are so proud to be the number one podcast in the towing recovery industry. Remember, every week we do our best to bring you informative episodes, and this is going to be a great one. We're available on Spotify, itunes, pandora, stitcher, iheartmedia or wherever you get your podcasts. So, without further ado, let us bring us back to Wes and April Wilburn.
Speaker 2:Thanks, dj. I appreciate everything you do to make this podcast happen. Thanks, dj, I appreciate everything you do to make this podcast happen. Of course, we want to thank our listeners. It's very humbling that we have 20,000 subscribers nowadays. I'm very thankful for that. We hope we're providing good content for people to listen to once a week while they're running calls et cetera. But, as I told you in the first segment, we've got some great guests.
Speaker 4:We've got the.
Speaker 2:I don't know if you know, but I'm going to make the official ambassador to the trucking community. Clifton and Joyce Paisley what's the town in Kentucky you're from?
Speaker 1:Tate City Kentucky.
Speaker 2:And these folks. This couple has visited all the major trucking shows in the last couple years and this year in particular held the flag up at the Mid-America Truck Show. We'll let them talk a little bit about that, but they're out there representing the towing industry in a positive light for the trucking community and Clifton and.
Speaker 2:Joyce, I got to tell you you got some nerves because it's not a great year to do that. It seems like truck and drone, but we have to go on real fast, which in my opinion, is a lack of information. But we'll talk about that as well. Cliff and Joyce, we're happy to have you on the podcast. Can you both introduce yourself and give us a little background about how you got involved with the industry?
Speaker 6:Yes sir, this is Cliff and Parsley with Crossroads Towing. We're out of Cade City, kentucky. I started the business in 1999. We started with a garage and one rollback. We worked our way up to rotators and big wreckers. We still work on trucks but we don't work on cars anymore. We mainly do heavy towing. We do have a couple of rollbacks. We do offer car towing, but our specialty is the heavy towing. We do have a couple of rollbacks. We do offer car towing, but our specialty is the heavy towing.
Speaker 6:We enjoy it. Joyce is actually a registered nurse but she helps me with the business and does a lot of the office stuff and does some dispatching and everything else. We enjoy doing what we do. We got started with the truck shows last fall. I bought a new 50-ton rotator and we wanted to take and fly the flag at some of the trucking shows. So we didn't know what kind of response we would get from taking a rotator wrecker to a trucking show, but it has really, really been positive. Everybody loves the truck. We've won several awards with it. Record to a trucking show, but it has really, really been positive. Everybody loves the truck, we've won several awards with it and we try to represent the towing business in a positive way. There's a lot of negative stuff out there about the towing because of a lot of the high bills from the big wrecks and stuff.
Speaker 3:So I know what said. Well, look a moment ago, let's get. This is maybe not a great time to be out there doing that with the truck industry, because it seems like trucking and towing is pitted, but maybe better time than ever because there is that pitting against each other. Somebody out there with a positive message and a positive image might be what it takes to maybe kind of connect us.
Speaker 6:Well, yes, and I appreciate that You're exactly right, image might be what it takes to maybe kind of connect us. Well, yes, and I appreciate that You're exactly right. You know, like I said, we've had very positive results from doing it and we're winning a lot of trophies from the shows and you know people are coming up and congratulating us and asking us are we going to be at the next show? So you know, it feels good to be able to represent the company you know and the towing industry in a positive way to people.
Speaker 2:So Joyce, what's your thoughts on this? Has it been fun or challenging? Tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 7:A little bit about what I'm sorry.
Speaker 6:About your thoughts.
Speaker 7:I agree. I mean, when we first started going to the truck shows we wasn't really sure how we would be accepted, because there are unfortunately other towing companies out there that have kind of given us a bad name absolutely oh yeah.
Speaker 7:So we have been trying our best to bring the positivity back, to let people know that we're not all bad, we're not, you know, all out just to make that buck, so to say so. That's our main purpose for trying to get in, and I mean our our biggest thing is with the big trucks, the semis and the trailers and stuff. So that's kind of what we have been trying to do is get the positive back, get us working together as groups as we should be.
Speaker 2:So yeah, Boy, that's a mouthful. You're right about working together and again. I give you both credit, because it's a challenge here, because there's a lot of hubbub, but I also agree with the thought that maybe it's the best time to make something good out of the bad. What's been your biggest surprise going to these truck shows so far?
Speaker 6:Well, our biggest surprise was last fall at Atlanta Motor Speedway. We actually got to run a rotator around the speedway seven laps. So to have a Rookator tow truck on a NASCAR track, you know, and get to make laps around. It was probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience, you know. It was definitely a lot of adrenaline there. So, we had a lot of fun doing it, so you know.
Speaker 2:What was the first show you said you went to when you got the new Rotator together?
Speaker 6:The first show was actually the Atlanta show. When we got it together. It was the first show we went to. Then we started out this year at the Mid-America Truck Show in Louisville. I went to seven major truck shows so far this year. We still have about four more left to go truck shows so far this year and we still have about four more left to go. So every one of them has been very, very good for us. I'll never forget.
Speaker 6:At Iowa 80, it come a big rainstorm, so we were behind the rotator in our tent during this rainstorm and there was about a foot of water running under us. We had our feet on the coolers and sitting in the chairs trying to hold the tent down. That was a memorable moment. Everybody was okay and it turned out great. The last day of the show, saturday, was a very beautiful day. It's definitely been an experience traveling around to the truck shows and getting to do some of the things that we do. The firework shows are amazing. When you have the flag up, you know they'll set out the fireworks and the fireworks will be in the background with the American flag, and you know that's a very beautiful scene there.
Speaker 2:Well, yes, I can imagine A couple things. First of all, I'm basically an East Coast traveler. I've lived in Virginia and North Carolina most of my life, and until you get out in the Midwest and experience one of their storms, it's kind of a whole different thing, isn't it? I mean, they it is definitely.
Speaker 6:Yes, you have a lot more open flat ground out there, so the sky can look very intimidating because you get to see it at a lot more open flat ground out there. So the sky can look very intimidating because you get to see it at a lot bigger scale.
Speaker 2:You know, I remember being in Kansas on a night of a very powerful thunderstorm, lightning, and they called it the Kansas fireworks. And of course, I was young, just started traveling. This was years ago and boy, there's nothing like that whole prairie sky being lit up with a lightning storm that is.
Speaker 6:That is true. Let me also tell you we do. We do our. You know local christmas parades around christmas and you know we'll throw out candy. And even last year we had a gentleman dressed up in a grinch outfit that we had on the hook of one of our records going through the Christmas parade and that was a huge hit for the kids.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I bet Everybody was saying you've got the Grinch costume you're taking him to jail.
Speaker 6:That was a memorable moment there for one of our Christmas parades. The kids loved seeing the trucks. They loved seeing the lights. There's a lot of kids at truck shows also because they come out to see the big trucks and everything and we hand out. We got these little toy wreckers and we hand those out to the kids at the shows and the parades. Like I said, we just try to promote a good image for the towing. We also use our truck when we don't have it at it shows and it parades and it is a working truck and you know we just try to work our schedule around to where we can make these shows and do it.
Speaker 3:How many trucks do?
Speaker 2:you have.
Speaker 6:We have five heavy wreckers and two rollbacks, a landown and two landowns actually in road tractor and service trucks. So we do mainly heavy towing and roadside service stuff tires, brake chambers, you know stuff like that.
Speaker 2:So and you're located on a major interstate, I'm guessing.
Speaker 6:We're halfway between Louisville and Nashville on I-65. We have six lanes of interstate, three each way through the whole state, and we have a lot of truck traffic. I don't have that figure right now in front of me, but there's a few thousand trucks running up and down that road every day. So, yeah, we get a lot of business off of the interstate.
Speaker 2:And a lot of them go into one of the two big cities, one direction or the other, probably right.
Speaker 6:Exactly, and it's a main corridor not just to get to Louisville or Nashville, but of course you pass through those cities going to other places. So you know it puts us in a very good position to catch a lot of truck traffic. So we do a lot of towing. Probably 70% of our business is towing. We do load shifts, we do winch outs and we also work wrecks. So you know we do get to see some wrecks. You know sometimes that's pretty bad in cleanup you have to have skid steers and roll-offs and you know all that stuff to work those wrecks.
Speaker 2:You know that's one of the things. Just talking with folks about that kind of stuff at these truck shows, you've got to be positive. A lot of times they don't think about it. You look through the headlines for predatory, telling news stories. You see headlines like $13,000 for a six-mile town. They don't, they don't. They fail to share with you that. It was a load spread across the highway. There was a crew out there for four hours cleaning it up. This that and the other. They just say six-mile tow for $13,000 or whatever.
Speaker 6:Well, to justify that is you have to have all that equipment on standby for something Sure, it's kind of like an ambulance. You know people say why does an ambulance ride so high? It's because those people are being paid, whether they're working or not, just to be on call and that piece of equipment is also tied up for that. So you have to do that in order to, you know, keep that equipment so when you need it it's available to you. It's not like if you get a rolled over tractor trailer at 1 o'clock Sunday morning, real early, and you can't go out and rent a skid steer, you can't go out and rent a trailer dolly, you can't go out and rent roll offs at that time of the morning. So you have a huge investment tied up with this stuff sitting around and a lot of times you only use it for the big wrecks. So it makes it more expensive to use at that point in time because you've got to buy it and keep it. You know for that.
Speaker 2:Right, that's a great conversation for members of the trucking community here when they're trying to work out in their own mind how much a bill is or how high it is. This is some good stuff, but I need to ask you to take a quick break. Come back after the break. I want to talk some more about this. I want to get into some of the details about the truck shows a little bit. So can you, Joyce, hang around for a minute?
Speaker 6:Yes, sir.
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Speaker 1:Welcome back listeners. Of course you know you're listening to the number one show in the towing and recovery industry. I want to thank all of you for remembering to like and review and share everywhere we friends. That's why we have 20 000 listeners if you want to hear another industry expert like clifton and joyce. By all means just dial the hotline number here at the podcast center, 706-409-5603, and less than and April, and I will do our very best to get that going.
Speaker 1:Industry expert on the podcast. Hi, Wes and April, I'm turning back over to you.
Speaker 3:Joyce, are you with us still? Yes, yes, ma'am, a question I have to ask is from a girl who met a tow truck operator and embraced that lifestyle. How did you and Clifton meet? And then part two of that is you're a registered nurse. How long have you been doing that?
Speaker 7:Since 2009.
Speaker 3:You've been a nurse since 2009?.
Speaker 7:Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 3:And how did you and Clifton meet and I and, uh, how did you and clinton meet? In mutual? We met through my sister, actually. Okay, how long have you guys been together? Since 2006. So you, that precedes the registered nurse part.
Speaker 7:That kind of explains a lot. Um, yeah, and actually I was involved, involved a little from then until 2021. Kristen actually ended up getting COVID and was put in the hospital on a respirator.
Speaker 2:Oh my.
Speaker 7:And it was a choice for me to either continue doing the nursing or to run the business and keep it going, because I knew he was coming home. I mean, I'm not going to say that there wasn't people that had negative comments about that, but I knew he was coming home, so I was going to keep his dream alive because I could always go back to mine. So then that's when I started I run it by myself while he was in there, for, like, he was in there for almost two months and then we had home health and stuff for probably about six months. So I got really really involved and kind of took it in as my baby, so to speak.
Speaker 3:I'm sure it gave you a whole new perspective as well.
Speaker 7:Yes, exactly yeah, because when he got put in the hospital, there were things that I had no clue about and I had to figure it out on my own.
Speaker 2:Could you give us an example or one of those, without getting too personal?
Speaker 7:yeah, no, no, I mean, oh, for payments for our records, like I didn't know how much or where I and I only had, like I was only messing with like our personal account and stuff, so I wasn't sure what we had in the bank and I actually didn't have the code to our bank account at that time. Honestly, I mean, I didn't you know. He did all that, so it was a lot of what I was having to figure it out and it just so happened I remembered that he had told me that code like some time ago and I was like, please, you know, let this be it. And it was so. Yeah, so that was. That was an example. And the other thing was was like upkeep on the trucks. It just so happens that we have a mechanic that had been with International for 30-plus years and retired. He's a friend of ours. That helped me out quite a bit. I would have him to check the trucks out before my guys had to do long runs or anything. So, yeah, it was a lot of big learning experience.
Speaker 3:Well, I can thank you for that, because a lot of people would wouldn't be able to step up for the partners like that wouldn't be. That they wouldn't want to is just so much to take one yes, especially the time the world was so crazy.
Speaker 7:Yeah, yeah, yeah, that was determined. I was like, you know, I'm keeping this alive and he's gonna yeah, he'll have it when he comes back home, and yep, so I did and how much are you involved in that now?
Speaker 3:are you still?
Speaker 7:actively involved in that. I'm very highly involved in it. I do a lot of the legality, the paperwork of the legal stuff, dealing with the insurance companies, making sure the invoices are playing right.
Speaker 7:I do have a young lady that helps me in the office I deal with the IFTA, urc, irp, everything to keep us where we need to be and, like I said, any regs or anything like that. I deal with insurance companies. But September the 1st I'm actually going back for my nurse practitioner, which I will have in like less than a year. So, or a little over a year, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2:So that's our plan. That's good. You're still growing and learning like that.
Speaker 3:Then, clefton, I have to ask you, how does that change? I'm sure, when you came back and all everything was still going and and moving forward, but then that then, at the same time, she stayed involved after you were recovered how much? Of a relief of that. Was that for you?
Speaker 6:I am very does a lot.
Speaker 6:I am very thankful because before that I was doing probably 90% of everything and with her help with doing the paperwork and the filings and dealing with insurance companies, it releases me to concentrate more on new customers, the guys that work for us and the trucks. You know up keeping maintenance of the trucks, so you know that's a huge job right there in itself because a tow truck does take a beating, you know, with the big loads behind it and the miles that we travel and we go all over the country. You know towing tractor trailer so we put a lot of miles on our trucks doing that. So it's a very, very strict maintenance. You know program that we have for the trucks and we really have good luck with with them running and and not bring me problems, so we're very fortunate.
Speaker 3:And then I have one more question to ask, and I think Wes is going to take it from here and this will help him segue into that what was your first inspiration? To go to a not a tow show, but to a truck show.
Speaker 6:Well, I saw a lot of negative stuff on YouTube and Facebook and different platforms and I just I was frustrated with that because I thought, well, we're not all like that. And when I would meet people out, the first thing would say oh, we watched that repo show. Do you all repo? No, not every towing company repos. So we wanted to get that out there to the general public and you know, you have the general public going to truck shows more than you do tow shows, so we get to interact with people. And a lot of the times the first thing they would say was well, we watched that repo show. Do you all do that? You know. So we wanted to let them know that not all towing companies and I don't have anything negative to say about that, but you know it just they think there's a lot of drama in the towing and that reflects sometimes badly on us.
Speaker 2:So you know, you know, the toe shows you will meet in the front lines of our customers in many cases, at least for the heavy duty side yeah, and I'm sorry, go ahead.
Speaker 6:I would encourage people to go you know that's in the towing business to go to the tow shows and there's so much information there for you and there's so many classes that you can take and you know to learn the different things with the towing and especially the Florida Tow Show. It's the biggest one out there and you know it has a lot of opportunity. You have a lot of opportunity to go through the classes and learn different things. So I would highly encourage that and I would also encourage the Toe community to be part of their community. You know parades, any type of festivals. You know a lot of times we're the only ones there with the American flag up. We have a lot of people that come by and thank us for doing that. You can get more involved with your community. It's a big plus. It lets people know who you are. It also could be potential customers out there.
Speaker 2:That's awesome advice. Awesome. A couple things Florida toe show, probably the biggest, well, definitely the biggest show as far as how much landed occupies etc. And I guess it's still located on the show, the that of that. Compare that to the minimuma Meta, the Bat Show there. In what is it? Louisville, because that's the big one for the trucking community, isn't it? The Meta, meta America?
Speaker 6:It is, uh, the Meta America was. The first time I was there was this year uh, for as a show, you know, as a having a truck in the show. I'd been there several times, but it was definitely a learning experience. With the Mid-America Tow Show you have a lot more trucks you know at that show than you do at the Florida Tow Show, but they also. It's kind of unique too because there's a lot of seminars there at the Mid-America Tow Show that you can take and a lot of classes that you can do also. So I think both of them are great shows and I believe that you can come back with a good experience and a lot more knowledge if you utilize that. So it's just that there's a lot of advantages out here. It's just knowing what to do and taking those. So you know.
Speaker 2:All right. So hang on a second. I got a specific question just trying to put this in perspective. Hang on a second. I've got a specific question Just trying to put this in perspective. For some of our listeners that may not have been to a trucking show, I don't think I've ever been to a trucking show. As I think about it absolutely, I've always wanted to go to the one there in America. Real quick. My direct question is size-wise, compared to the Florida show the last couple years, what is the comparison size-wise to that to the MidAmerica truck show in Kentucky?
Speaker 6:Well, the MidAmerica truck show is quite a bit larger because you have so many vendors in the building at the mid-america truck show and it attracts a lot more people because you have a lot more vendors. The florida tow show is a huge tow show but it's it's not as much room and it's not as much, I guess, vendors and and all that stuff going on.
Speaker 3:I also think that the trucking industry has a bigger footprint.
Speaker 2:Sure they do, sure they do. Yeah, but you know you have a lot. So when you compare the two is it twice as big, half again as big.
Speaker 6:Yeah, it's quite a bit bigger than the Florida Tow Show is.
Speaker 2:yes, sir, Just try to put some perspective on it. Go ahead. I'm sorry for interrupting you.
Speaker 6:That's okay. As far as size-wise, I would say that the Louisville Show is probably three to four times bigger than the Florida Tow Show. There are records at the Louisville Truck Show. I wasn't the only rotator there, there was another rotator there. So we're seeing a trend right now with the big trucking shows where there are more records showing up, which you know. I'm thankful for that because it helps represent the community. So you know, I think that that's probably. There's some of the shows. Like I just got back from Lebanon, virginia, the big truck show down there and they actually had a record class. So there was like five rotators at that show. So we're seeing a lot more involvement with the record community. And you know we work with the trucking community and we're actually, you know, we're trucking companies too. I mean, you know we have to have our DLT and our EFTA and their you know numbers, our DLT numbers and everything. So it kind of goes hand in hand, you know.
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely, and I think it's brilliant marketing on your part.
Speaker 6:Yes, sir, yes.
Speaker 2:I really do.
Speaker 6:Yes, can I take another quick?
Speaker 2:break. Can you hang around until after the break?
Speaker 6:Yes, sir.
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Speaker 1:Welcome back listeners. This is the last segment of this podcast with Clifton and Joyce from Crossroads. It has been a great one. I want to thank all of you. I can't thank you enough for telling your fellow towers and recovery experts about the new towing channel, and I sure do appreciate each and every one of you for telling your friends about it. Now, clifton and Joyce, we're going to go back to Weston April, but I wanted to ask the question how big is the flag that you're flying presently on the 50 ton?
Speaker 6:The current flag that we have now is a 6x10. So the bigger the better. On that, a lot of people like it, you know, and it also shows up better at the truck show. They have a lot of drone footage at these truck shows so they'll do aerial views of the show. So that really stands out when you have a flag that size. You know, do aerial views of the show. That really stands out. When you have a flag that size, people can see it better. I try to get the bigger one and get it up.
Speaker 1:What I was going to ask Wes. Maybe some of our listeners may want to chip in and help them get a bigger flag, sure, yeah, hey, clifton and joyce, I got news for you. Wes has a way of getting some of his listeners to chip in for any good cause, and I believe this is a good cause. You're doing a great public relations for the towing and recovery industry.
Speaker 1:Well thank you and I really appreciate it and I know, as Joyce is a nurse at all these shows you've been to once in a while. She has to help out with people being overheated or not doing their liquids enough. You know, I know as a nurse she's always got her mind open for that stuff.
Speaker 7:Yep.
Speaker 1:I do.
Speaker 6:I knew it. She does and she helps our guys a lot too, like when we're working rollovers or something and it's really hot or really cold. She's very protective there about you know you all need to sit down and take breaks or you need to drink more water or more Gatorade or you know stuff like that, so she's really good, she's really good at that, so exactly.
Speaker 1:All right, let's April. You got it, guys.
Speaker 2:Thanks DJ so when you uh, the first one you went to was Atlanta when you went put the flag flag up, did anybody say anything? Did you just do it? It was prearranged.
Speaker 6:How did that?
Speaker 2:go.
Speaker 6:We were asked by the people that was putting it on. Bennett Trucking puts that show on and we were asked to come and do it for them and we did it and we had a lot of positive. You know I'd been doing the flag around at local festivals and parades and stuff like that for a few years and they found that out and they asked us if we would come down and do it. So we did it and we had a lot of people come by thanking us. We had a lot of photos taken of it, especially at night when the boom light lights the flag up from behind it and it just looks like it's a blowing there in the air, you know. So it's pretty neat.
Speaker 6:So you know they were very receptive of it and every truck show that we've been to, um, I have had nobody just, you know, not want it done. Everybody wants it done. So you know it's been very receptive and we just appreciate having the opportunity to do that and I have a lot of veterans come by and thank me for doing it. They're saying that they don't, you know, see a lot of flags flying anymore and you know they're thankful that we're doing it and you know a lot of the kids enjoy it and they like looking at it, and you know it's just, it makes us feel pretty good when people appreciate it. You know, absolutely I'm not. I feel pretty good when people appreciate it.
Speaker 2:You know, yeah, absolutely, and I can only imagine. So you did it at Atlanta. At Atlanta, that was a truck show at the racetrack, is that correct?
Speaker 6:Yes, sir, yes, it was a big show there. They're actually having it again this year. And then at the end of the show we all get to drive around and make laps on the track.
Speaker 2:So yeah, yeah, and I make laps on the track. So, yeah, yeah. Then I had that experience in Indianapolis one time and that was very special to drive on the racetrack in a tow truck yes, sir, not everybody gets to do that.
Speaker 6:I'm sorry, go ahead not everybody gets to have that experience, so that's a once in a lifetime experience.
Speaker 2:No doubt about it yes, yes, sir so after Atlanta, where was the next show? You went to truck show.
Speaker 6:Well, atlanta. Then the next one would be at Wildwood, florida. We go to that down at Wildwood at the 75 Chrome Shop. They have an early show down there in the spring and then you go from there to they have shows at Bristol, tennessee. They have shows at the Iowa 80. And then you have shows at, of course, louisville, at Max would be your first show and then Wildwood would be your second. And then Rainey's actually had a first show this year at Ocala Florida that we attended and they aim to make that an annual show. So Rainey's is a big chrome and aftermarket truck parts sales out of Ocala Florida. So we got to attend that. And we're actually going to Joplin this year at the chrome shop out there they're having a big truck show. Theirs is semi-annual show, so they only have it every two years and it's at Joplin, missouri. So the next one we're going to semi casual at Crossville and it won't be this weekend but it'll be the next weekend.
Speaker 2:So that it was. Where's that at?
Speaker 6:Crossville Tennessee, semi casual show.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir, and then one of the next show after that you attended.
Speaker 6:Joplin at Joplin, Missouri. They'll have that show and then it'll be Atlanta, so we plan on attending three more shows this year.
Speaker 2:What about any tow truck shows?
Speaker 6:The tow truck shows. Indiana show is, I think, the 1st of September. I think we're going to be able to make that. I don't believe we're going to have any scheduling conflicts. But the Ohio show will be at the same time the joplin show is, so we're already committed to going to joplin, so we're going to miss the ohio show. That's the toe show in ohio, so well that's a shame.
Speaker 6:That's a good show, but it's already committed yeah, yes, sir understand maybe next year, because the show out in joplin's only every other year, so you know. So we're looking forward to that. But I would encourage the people that are listening to get out with the community, do your local parades, do your local festivals. There's a lot of people that can't make all the truck shows like I have this year.
Speaker 6:I've been very blessed and very fortunate that I have good people like Joyce. She stays back home a lot of the times and runs the operation and my guys all are hard workers and they do a good job. So I'm very lucky that I can be in the position to attend these shows. But you don't have to go to every show. There should be everyone that has a show pretty close to them that they could attend, you know, and I highly encourage that. I also encourage going to them that they could attend. You know, and I highly encourage that. I also encourage going to the toe shows and going through the classes and getting some certifications, because you know it, you learn a lot from that and knowledge is, is is golden, you know, in the toe business.
Speaker 2:so absolutely where are we believe that as well? We did a school this year in Florida. We're going to do a school coming up at Chattanooga Show, are we? Going to see you there in Chattanooga.
Speaker 6:Yes, sir, We'll be in Chattanooga and some of my guys are actually going to take your class, so we're going to get that put up and we thank you for everything that you've done for the community and the towing. And we thank you for everything that you've done for the community and the towing and we love the idea of your podcast here and anything that you can do to promote the towing business in a good light, you know, is great. So we appreciate all of our customers and we enjoy doing what we do.
Speaker 2:We're right back at you for everything you're doing good for the towing industry as well.
Speaker 2:Being out there representing the industry on the front line, with real people that can talk seriously with other people about what's actually going on. And taking the fight out of this off the newspapers and things like that and talking to people in the real world is excellent. I commend you all for doing that. Dj, I want to do more of a flag. I think people ought to try to support you a little bit. You know the truck don't run on free and I know you're doing it for enjoyment and doing it for other reasons as well. The folks who you see here don't hesitate to donate to the cause. And he's not asking, I'm asking and what's some contact information, a phone number, a way for people to contact you that want to contact you?
Speaker 6:My direct number is 270-670-6718. And anybody's free to call me at any time for questions or anything that they need. We'll be glad to help. We make a lot of friends across the country. I pass out a lot of cards and I also get a lot of people's cards. So it's nice to know that you know somebody in Texas, or you know somebody in Ohio or Florida, or you know, hey, I know that guy. I was neighbors with him at that show that I was at last year, you know, and we got to know each other. So it's kind of like a little family you know, and then those people know people you know. So if you're out and you need something, if you have any problems, you know you've got somebody that you can call and say, hey, do you know anybody in this area that can help us, sir, you know, and it's the same way they can do us, the same way you know. So it's really just like a family you, so we enjoy it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, it's awesome that you're part of the family, part of the group participating so well. I was just thinking for a moment, thinking about the fellow that started the Towing Museum. He started the group that morphed into the.
Speaker 4:Towing.
Speaker 2:Museum. He also started Tow Times Magazine. He also started Towing Recovery Association of America, professional Recreation Operators of Florida and about half the towing association is out there. Credit goes directly back to a gentleman that discovered the towing industry when his son got involved. His name was john hawkins the second. His son was john hawkins the third. He's just still at miller industries, had a full career there.
Speaker 2:There's John's father that was an attorney that when John got involved in the towing industry selling tow trucks, he took a look at it and started help organizing it. And one of the beliefs that John wanted around the country getting different groups of towers working together he talked about with seven friends you can get anything accomplished in this, this world and I've proven that many times with getting trucks. You know we had the truck that was donated to the flood victim in North Carolina, donated from Missouri, and a group of seven friends I think it was seven towers that actually did that deal, one after the other one. I'm totally hundred miles their place. That's one at 150 miles to the next place.
Speaker 2:With a group of seven friends we got that donated tow truck to that tow that needed it in North Carolina and we all got to remember this business is tough. It can shoot you up at times. You got seven friends that are great people, the people of class like Clifton and Joyce, who make things happen, don't just sit around and talk about it. So it's been a privilege to have you guys on the show today. Looking forward to seeing you all and working with you in the future and thank you for everything you're doing.
Speaker 6:Well, let me say one more thing. If you ever get a chance to go to Chattanooga, please stop by the towing museum there in Chattanooga. They have a lot of unique towing pieces there and it's it's really nice and you know, you can actually have a membership with the museum there and it helps out to keep that open and keep it going. So we encourage you to stop by there, take a look at it and become a member. You know the towing museum there, so pretty great.
Speaker 2:That's a great point where they believe is in the museum as well. As a matter of fact, if you come to the event chat news of this year on Thursday night front live from the museum floor, we'll be doing a podcast live from the museum floor on Thursday night of the show show weekend over the. What is that? October?
Speaker 2:the well at night October the night, october, the 9th October, the 9th, the Thursday evening, be live on the museum floor with this, and there's going to be other content creators there as well. Some of the YouTube stars in the towing industry are going to be there, et cetera.
Speaker 3:So we invite anybody who's coming to the show. If you're at that event, sit down with us for a minute. Introduce yourself.
Speaker 6:Well, you all keep up the good work and we sure do appreciate what you're doing and and we look forward to seeing you soon.
Speaker 2:So thank you, god bless god bless you, thank you.