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The Towing Life Podcast
The Towing Life is not like all other lifestyles. It requires a certain amount of insanity, mixed with a love of caffeine. Together, PlainGuy and TowManG do their best to give the RAW real world experience and stories that come along with this lifestyle! From beterment of the industry to straight out wacky stories, there is no shortage of entertainment on The Towing Life Podcast!
The Towing Life Podcast
Ep:152 Dispatchers, Chaos, and Karma: Inside the Unpredictable World of Towing
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Ever wondered how crucial dispatchers are in the towing industry? In this episode of the Towing Life Podcast, we promise you’ll gain a newfound appreciation for these unsung heroes. We’re gearing up for the Ontario Tow Show in Kitchener and can’t wait to meet you in person. But first, we tackle the intricate dance between dispatchers and drivers, offering insights into their training, the challenges they face, and practical tools like checklists and flow charts that can make their lives a bit easier. Whether you’re a small company struggling to find the right fit or just curious about the inner workings of a towing operation, you’ll find this discussion enlightening.
Picture this: a tow truck incident in Brooklyn spirals out of control when a driver tries to reclaim his vehicle by force, resulting in a chaotic series of hit-and-runs. Sound crazy? It was. We break down the details of this wild episode and discuss the legal ramifications, bringing you right to the scene with us. If that’s not enough, we also share captivating tales from the road, including a reckless minivan driver who gets an instant dose of karma, and a personal story of an unexpected wreck that throws birthday plans into disarray. These stories aren't just entertaining; they offer a glimpse into the unpredictable and often challenging life of a tow truck operator.
Balancing work and personal life can be a tightrope walk, especially in the towing industry. We wrap up this episode with a candid chat about missed birthdays, frantic messages, and the crazy schedules that come with the job. Plus, for a bit of fun, we share a hilarious revelation about one of us never having taken a cab or Uber—an oversight we're planning to correct during our upcoming trip. As always, we value your feedback, so keep those emails, Facebook messages, and YouTube comments coming. Tune in for a blend of practical advice, wild stories, and a touch of humor that only the Towing Life Podcast can deliver.
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Training Dispatchers for Towing Companies
Speaker 1Hey everyone . I'm Brad from Calgary . This is Sean from Cambridge , ontario . I'm Terry from Cornwall , ontario .
Speaker 2Hey , this is Larry from Pit Metals , British Columbia , and you're listening to the Towing Life Podcast .
Speaker 1Welcome to the Towing Life Podcast , where the ditches are deep , the trucks are loaded but the drivers are not . I'm your host , towing man G , and , as usual , I'm joined by my co-host , friend and former co-worker , the man with very strong opinions , mr Plain Guy . What is going on ?
Speaker 2G . What is going on ?
Speaker 1Oh , I'm staring directly into the camera while I did that intro this time , just to make you happy .
Speaker 2Oh good , I'm glad you've finally taken some of my show notes and started to apply them to our weekly episodes yeah , g said .
Speaker 2Welcome to another episode of the Tone Life Podcast , episode 152 . Our last episode before attending the Ontario Toe Show , the PTAO Toe Show Show coming up on September 12th and 13th in Kitchener , ontario , where we are excited and we will once again , in yearly fashion , be brought together to be able to bring you guys exciting content live in person , whether that be from the show itself or from our drinking shenanigans later on in the night . Later on in the night . Either way , we hope to . We hope to have a good time at the show , see a lot of our Ontario listeners down there as well , as we have some merchandise coming with us and , like I said , it's just a good chance for G and I To finally see each other in person , unlike how we do every week over a camera . You know , 400 , 500 kilometers away , 300 miles for those in the US side , as I've been listening and paying attention to my US conversions . So , before we get too far into it , it is a good time to mention your questions .
Speaker 2Comments concerns everything for the show are always relevant and always appreciated . And how can you get a hold of us ? It is simple . You can head over to our website , wwwtowinglifeca , where you will find a link to our merchandise store as well as a contact us form where you can send in your questions or topics for the show . You can also email us directly at thetowinglife at gmailcom , or visit us over on the Facebook page at the Towing Life podcast over on Facebook . And don't forget , if you are watching over on the YouTube side , we appreciate it . It every week and you can go ahead and hit that like , subscribe , all those good buttons . Make sure to hit the bell so you hear when a new episode drops and you can comment down below . Uh , again , your comments , questions are always appreciated and we try to get these episodes out on a timely manner for those listening on the audio side . G messed up last week . I would like to make that abundantly clear it is his fault .
Speaker 2The episode came out so late in the morning . Um , it is partially my fault for not inspecting what I expect of him and I'm remembering that it was monday night and wondering . I haven't received that episode in my email yet . I should probably follow up . So g kind of rushed last minute , put the episode together . Lucky for him , we have recently switched over to a service that allows us to upload the episode and it takes care of a lot of our possible titles . You know it's AI helping us in expediting this process because , as you both know , one of us is involved in the towing industry , One of us isn't , but we still lead very busy lives and don't always have the time to focus on things that we need to . So thank you , AI this episode is sponsored by AI for helping make our lives easier with this podcast .
Speaker 1We only have one YouTube comment . That was from the this is our story after yeah , this is our story . Episode 147 from uh mendez says simps for the crown . Shake my head .
Speaker 2I have no idea what that means but I don't know what that means either . Maybe we are the simps what's a simp ? Like a simpleton . That's my understanding of it . I can look it up .
Speaker 1Please do Urban dictionary of that , because I thought it was something completely different than a simpleton .
Speaker 2A silly or foolish person , a simp yeah .
Speaker 1S-I-M-P .
Speaker 2S-I-M-P .
Speaker 3Okay .
Speaker 1Because I've heard it and like , oh , you're simping for this person .
Speaker 2Oh well . Simp is a slang term used to describe a person who is perceived as overly submissive or even desperate for the attention or affection of someone without receiving anything in return .
Speaker 1So simps for the crown ? That would be like the British Sure .
Speaker 2I don't know . I think it's because you were pandering for uh , for uh tips for the show or something . That episode I don't remember and it could just be some random YouTube troll that you know comments on random things . I don't know . I don't know . We don't have to dig too deep into that , I don't think no I don't think we got to touch too far into that one .
Speaker 2So , um , one thing I wanted to get into is , as we were talking about before the show , I have a new dispatcher , um , that we're training currently in our office and dispatches are super important . They're one of the most important positions within a company . I think one could say right , dispatchers are your first line of you know , your first interaction with your potential customers . The things that they say on the phone can make or break that interaction . The pricing that they give on that phone can make or break future profitability . They have a huge influence over your business and that is why there is so many you'll see in these smaller companies as they even as they'd like to grow , they hate relinquishing the power of dispatch right , they hate putting the trust in somebody else to take care of their customer in a way that they would want done .
Speaker 2Operators , second line right . First they talk to the dispatcher , then they talk to the operators and you know dispatchers are very important and training is is very important . That being said , if you're dealing with , like roadsides , where you just got to copy paste calls that are coming through a portal , it's very easy , even as you get into the the light duty towing side of things . They tend to be pretty basic standard phone calls and you can almost script them to get the information which you need hey , so , and so are you sure you're located at this ?
Speaker 1okay , can I get any more information about ?
Speaker 2repeating information . Um , you know there's those lines like , right off the bat , let me get a contact number from you in case we get disconnected . You know having empathy on the phone , all those things . As you start to move into heavy duty towing , there's a big change because things vary so much . You've got the symbol for breakdowns . Okay , what kind of truck trailer Do you have a trailer ? Yep , loaded empty , excuse me , um , all those kind of things .
Speaker 2You can somewhat have a check box that you need to to fill out the problem with heavy towing and and even other towing , and , and one thing that we are known for where we are is we will get pretty much everything and anything right . You always use the reference , the one number to call . You call us and we'll get it taken care of . But with that comes okay , well , how tall is it ? How ? You know what I mean . Okay , can we run it on permit ? Is it a permit that we need to go get , compared to a permit that we already have ? There's just so much more that can go into it . So training a dispatcher can be a long process . Now go into it . So training a dispatcher can be a long process . Now we can get into different ways and tips and techniques to train dispatchers and I do want to look into there was a gentleman I think we talked about him on the show .
Speaker 2I had his book here somewhere . I don't know where it is now where he . You know he really talks about customer service and and how to promote it . But what I liked is the dispatcher voice , and I don't mean the tone in which you know they don't . This isn't a phone , you know , a phone sex operator where they've got to have the most you know desired voice of any sorts or anything like that . What I'm talking about is you have a customer service voice . I think you have to have a customer service voice and I've even caught myself whenever I'm talking with my customers using a very different voice than I would use in my normal day to day . Some would say it's the voice I use on the show , but I so I listened in on a couple of phone calls with this new dispatcher that was training and he was about a day or two at the time and I'm not sure if it was nerves or what it was , but I had to have a talk with him about it because it was , you know , call like thanks for calling . Abc towing . Yeah , what's your name ? Okay . Your phone number okay . Where's the pickup , where's the drop off ? What kind of car is it color ? Okay , be there , be there soon . Bye .
Speaker 2I was like the hell just happened on that phone call . I mean he got all the points . He got all the points , yeah , got every single one of the points . So I I pulled them aside . I said , okay , good job , I'm getting the information 100 . You got all the points , right , like everything that I need him to get . He got you know what's wrong with it , all that kind of stuff . But I'm like you know , these are people on the other side of the phone , right , like these are people . These are people who have a problem , are not having a good time and are requesting your help . You really need to have a conversation with I . Almost . There was a phone call I took the other day . I'd have to go I maybe I'll see if we can play it on the next show . I gotta make sure it doesn't give away any personal information and I might have to clip out one , but it was one that I had with a customer and it , and it just , you know , have a conversation with these people .
Speaker 2Hey , thanks for calling ABC towing . How can we help ? Oh , I need to tell . Okay , no , that's a . We're not off to a good start now , are we All right ?
Speaker 2Um let me get your name and phone number in case you get disconnected before we get the information . Okay , get the information information , okay . So whereabouts are you located here ? Okay , no problem , yeah , I know that spot really well . Okay , where are you going ? Oh , this garage ? Yeah , no , absolutely , we can do that . What kind of car are you driving today ? Okay , and even like when he'd ask for , like you know , or you get people trained into a like , okay , these are all the points that I need , right . And then I hear phone calls . Like a good customer of mine is calling down for a car that's broken down in his yard right another this yard . Like anyways , he's calling on behalf of the person and he's like , okay , what year is the car ? It doesn't matter . What color is , it doesn't matter . Well , where do they want to get brought to ? He's like somewhere in montreal . Okay , well , do you have the exact address ? It's like no , and I'm sitting there going ow , ow , ow . Like this guy's calling in , he's one of our good customers .
Speaker 2Like he gets it he was very patient , very nice with the gentleman . I think had an idea he was new in training but it's like just send a truck .
Speaker 2We'll figure it out once we get there exactly get the basic information of what you need to assess . You need to know where it's going , no problem , because we need to determine . You know , with shifts and with driver ability , what we're doing , our availability , what we're doing here , but like , what color is it ? The driver can get there and update the call . Yeah , you know . If you're looking for a price , if they say , hey , how much is it going to be okay . So , this is how much . This is what the rates are . You know this hookup , this is a kilometer . If they want an exact rate , you're going to have to get me an exact address .
Speaker 2At that point , the guy probably would have said you know what you know , I'll give them those base rates and they can sort out with you when you get perfect . Yeah , right , so dispatching is probably . I said we said it's one of the most important jobs you know in a company . I think it's very . I want to say operators think that dispatch is stupid . Dispatch thinks that operators are lazy , and they're both right , yep , right , dispatch is like towing , but smarter head over to towinglifeca .
Speaker 2Check out the store . We have those shirts .
Speaker 1Nice plug .
Effective Dispatcher Training Techniques
Speaker 1There's always that disconnect in any industry that has that someone behind the phone talking to the paying customers and then relaying that information over to the person who's actually going to do the work , agreed . There's always that disconnect over to the person who's actually going to do the work , agreed . There's always that disconnect . And one good way of having your dispatchers knowledgeable in the job that the drivers are going to be doing A because I find that some dispatchers , especially when they're new , are pushovers and they could be bullied and be walked all over . Now should your drivers really be doing that ? No , they shouldn't . But you all know that guys will push a little bit too far to see where the boundary is and if you let them push too far , that will become their new normal for them . Right , and it's not a good thing , but it happens and I'm sure we've all pushed a little bit too far on a dispatcher that you knew that you could manipulate in one way or another . But if you have a dispatcher that's trained or hopefully maybe even done the job previously , they have more knowledge behind them .
Speaker 1The other thing that I want to talk about is we talked about having a list and , as stupid as it may sound , having a list in front of the dispatcher with all the points they're supposed to get is a good thing . It's always stupid and we're like , oh , we don't need it . But how many times have you had a conversation while taking a call and you didn't ask a certain thing ? And then the driver says well , did you ? Is it four wheel drive or two wheel drive ? I forgot . So now you've looked , now you look like the idiot because you didn't ask . Right . Actually , having a checklist or using a program like tow soft where you have to click in each box .
Speaker 2Yeah , the boxes are all there whether you use them or not .
Speaker 1Yeah , um , especially once you get into like cube vans or small rvs , you have to ask , like , how hot or like , how tall is it ? Oh , I didn't ask that , okay , well , that really depends . Now I have to call back as an operator to ask these questions which , to be fair , some dispatchers might just not be . They might just not know who . Who knows the customer might not know the height . So now it's a guessing game . Okay , well , is there an ac unit on top right ? Like ? There's just so much information that we just don't know . So sometimes it's just better to say go take a look .
Speaker 2Driver you know I have , I have something I deal with or I do with my dispatchers when they do that . So I'll have that situation , especially campers , right with camper season , I'll have a dispatch come in . You know , again , we're very close in offices . They'll come over and go , hey , can this truck or can this driver do this call ? And I said , okay , what is it ? And a lot of times again , because we use an application like tow soft , I have it open . I look at the and I said , okay , what is it ? And a lot of times again , because we use an application like toe soft , I have it open .
Speaker 2I look at the call , I said , okay , how tall is it ? I don't know . Okay , and I look at the stuff that I'm missing and I'm you know , and I'm like , well , I can call him back . I'm like , well , you might have to because you are asking me to make a decision or to help you in a decision with a matter that I don't have all the information . I can't give you an answer without this information . I cannot tell you if that RV will fit on my tandem , you know , or my tri-axle flop it If I don't know what the height is .
Speaker 3Yeah .
Speaker 2Right Like I need there's . There's information that comes into it . So it kind of , I think , helps them understand a little bit more . That it's like okay , it's teaching a lot that you can't just make a decision without having the information .
Speaker 2You can't just wing it and guess at it but I think having a list though I think having a list , though g to your point earlier can be detrimental at the same time , because now your dispatcher is so worried about checking off all those items that some of those items might not be relevant into the towing side and are simply wasting time , like the customer that was calling in on behalf of the driver and knew the exact address for the drop off and whatnot . That it could make it harder where they just get focused in on that list and not having a conversation with the person .
Speaker 1Yeah , but that's where okay , Only apply this list to when it's something large , like a large vehicle list right . You can have different things like that .
Speaker 2I think you have to have a base , I think , for your training purposes . Yes , you're right , and it's something that I was , somewhere I've definitely failed where you should have a , you know , kind of like a flow chart is it a small or a big light duty , medium duty , heavy duty and then have , like , the weight classes okay , like , this is the information you need . Medium duty , this is the information you need . Heavy duty , this is the information you need . Hoisting right overhead , lifting boom work this is the information that you need . Recovery work this is the information that you need . You know what I mean .
Speaker 2I definitely think there is something there to it , but it's got to be used as a guideline , not as a bible , like , not as a . You know what I mean because , like again , when you don't , when dispatchers don't have a , some of them have a hard time understanding what each , let's say , truck and especially again , this comes into the heavy side and somewhat on the light side but what each truck's capabilities are . So if I tell them that I need , like , what was it the one ? The other day a guy called asking to have um he needed . What did he call it ? In other words , he had a super long trailer with multiple axles that were towed behind , which are not legal in quebec , like you , so they stack them okay right , they stack them up on the back while they travel through and then at the end they put them back down only because of permanent allowance and whatnot .
Speaker 2But there's a name that they have for them and it's not bogeys . I can't , uh , it's bugging me that I'm not remembering this . They call a jeep , I'll call them jeeps , right . And so he said he had to have his jeeps , uh , loaded backwards on his rgn so that the you know he had room or whatever . And he's like I don't understand what a jeep like . How are we supposed to reposition jeeps on an rgn ? Can he just know ? I kind of figured out , based on what he was telling me , the information . I was like no , it's probably because he's got the tires forward or the tongue forward or whatever . He needs to flip the other way around so he has room for something on the deck . But again , that comes with experience .
Speaker 2But unfortunately , a dispatch you'll have that interactions with them once , they may not ever you know what I mean ever do it again , or by the time it does , that they forget , like you've got to watch . It's so hard because they might not know how the equipment works . Therefore , if you even have a list on , okay , when we're doing boom work , we need to know the set out information , but sometimes that set out information is not relevant at all , depending on what the job is . So you know what I mean . Like it can be a hindrance or it can be a tool to be used . I think it's all how you implement it with your dispatch . Yeah , that would be my concern . But as for the voice , yes , these people are people just like me and you .
Speaker 1Some would say I've called into a couple tow companies and it like they just have that resting bitch face , but for a voice like oh , and it just brings your mood down when you're already having a bad day michael , I want to say porter is the name and anyone who's listening might know who I'm speaking of and will tell you .
Speaker 2You can hear a smile through the phone and when you are dispatching , have you know , have that smile Like . I had a call the other night and that's the call . I want to find where a guy called in . He said hey , I need to tell . I said no problem , you know you called the right place , so I start getting his information . I'm going what's going on with the car ?
Speaker 2And he going on with the car and he's like well , I hit a fox and so I'm leaking , uh , leaking some you know , coolant , whatnot . And uh , you know , I was smart and I got pulled over and I'm up in the gas station off the highway here's where I'm at and I go yeah , no problem , um , he goes . He said , no , we'll get it to here , hopefully it's just . Uh , you know , it's a quick fix and I can get my car back pretty soon . I'm like , if not , well , we , well , we'll , we'll head back to the location we found you and take out the rest of the den .
Speaker 2Right , like , um , you know he had made a joke . He's like , yeah , I'm having a bad day , but the Fox is doing a lot worse . You know , like , have that conversation with your customers , engage with your customer a little bit , lead your conversation . Right , like , make sure that is probably one of the biggest things that I tell my dispatchers is you need to control the conversation , because customers will go on about the dumbest shit that you don't need . You know , my sister called for a tow once .
Speaker 2And yeah yeah , my sister called for a tow and that guy there said that she had a flat tire and he just said that she needed air in the tire . But I told her , no , they should change the tire . And they ended up putting air in the tire and that tire went flat again . And I tell you that was 20 years ago . But I think I have a pretty good idea that you don't need a flop head and it's like what the fuck just happened .
Speaker 2Like , how did we get here ? And so if you don't control the conversation with your customers , they will . You know what I mean . Like they will , they will control it . And when they control it , your phone call is going to go from a five minute pleasant adventure to a 10 minute pulling your hair out you know where . Where would you like the vehicle towed to ? Oh , you , you know bob . No , sir , I don't know bob . Well , bob , you see , back in 1945 bob and I were best friends and and then we went to school and bob was always good at fixing little stuff and things . And uh , he , uh , you know , his , his wife , dorothy she was , she was just a treat . And uh , bob and Dorothy got married . I was , I was in their wedding and uh , you know , bob's got a garage now . Okay , cool , yeah , bob's address , yeah , it's dead . Yeah , you could have fucking skipped three of those steps ahead of time .
Speaker 1I , I love it when they're like no , I don't have the address , but I can show the driver where it is .
Speaker 2Yeah , those are always fun . I mean , I don't get those as much anymore . I love the . Hey , I need a tow . Okay , where are you ? I'm on my house . Okay , where's your house ? In between my neighbor's houses ? No , no , it's on Main Street . Okay , do you have a number on Main Street ? Oh , yeah , okay , do you have a number on main street ? Oh , yeah , it's 25 . Okay , we could have saved all this .
Speaker 2When you know , I mean you , you , you expect customers to be smarter than that , but the reality is and for any dispatchers that ever listen to this , the reality is simple customers are not smart , right ? 90 ? You , your salary is paid by people who make bad decisions or who are unintelligent or not intelligent I don't know if unintelligent is actually a word , it is which would then make me unintelligent , um , so a lot of your , a lot of your , your salary is , um , you know , paid for by these people that make these kind of decisions . So do not put faith that they know what it is they're talking about . Listen to them , get the information you need , but lead them . You are the shepherd . You need to lead them to where you are trying to go Because , again , if you let them go , bob and Dorothy were married in 1936 and had two wonderful children . And you know what ? Bob's son , carl , works in that same garage . You know Carl . You know Carl . Carl's a hell of a . He fixed my mower back in 72 . Um , I love that .
Speaker 1I just randomly even if you know Carl never said yes , you know Carl .
Speaker 2Yeah , oh , don't do that , don't don't . Yeah , yeah , yeah , I know Bob . Oh , so you know . Then you know with Bob , right , if you go ? No , I don't know Bob , okay .
Speaker 1You can pretty much end a little spit there and go . No , I don't know Bob , Unless they really want to defend Bob's honor or is offended that you don't know Bob .
Speaker 2It's very possible .
Speaker 1Bob's a very good man , you should know .
Speaker 2Bob Right . Bob and I go to Tim Hortons every morning , 7 am we sit down , we have our bagel . He always gets the sesame bagel with the plain cream cheese and I keep telling him that cream cheese is going to get fat . But you know , you know , Bob right , Because you told me you know Bob . You know Bob , you can't tell Bob anything . Yeah , I'm going to start doing dispatching story time . We're like 24 minutes into this and all we've talked about is bob and dorothy , and she's a good person , bob , bob .
Speaker 1Bob likes his bagels , so we know bob , it's funny because my , my real estate agent is named dorothy and her husband is named bob so they're gonna think this is about them , and he just recently called they don't watch this don't worry , they don't want .
Speaker 2Your realtor doesn't watch the towing life podcast . She does . You have you had a like ?
Speaker 2I would probably fire your realtor no , she's amazing , she's a good realtor so , but no , it is important to have , as a dispatcher , to have that conversation , to have that voice , um , and you know , and like I said , it's tough for companies , it's tough for me to listen to . You know , I don't know how many times during phone calls I hear what they say and I've been from my office what and normally they like stop and they freeze up on the phone and they're like shit , what did I say ?
Speaker 2uh , uh okay yeah , yeah , and they come over . What is it ? I'm like did you just tell that guy we don't have anybody for that ? Yeah , we got bob . Oh , I forgot about bob . Okay , we'll go tell bob that we're gonna send bob and then ask him if he knows bob .
Speaker 2Yeah , so , which is very demeaning to the dispatchers and not very fair to them at the same time , where you know mid-con , you got to let them make those mistakes . But at the same time , mistakes cost money and you know the towing industry is about limiting that money that it's going to cost you . So , speaking of money that's going to cost you , I would hate to see the the explanation to the insurance and the down payment for this
Highway Tow Truck Incident and Youth"
Speaker 2one . So this is a video that is gone and I'm sure you guys have seen it . If you're on this show , you've seen it before . We'll play the video . It was the tow truck . I'm going to silence it a little bit , just because the lady's voice in the background drives me nuts . Oh , come on , it's not that bad , don't put your hands behind the car . So it's a video in Brooklyn , to my understanding where the tow truck driver , who's the gentleman in white , was attempting to either private parking or repossess this gentleman's Chevy Avalanche , or just a 1500 with a backrocket kit .
Speaker 1Wait , the tow truck driver is the one in the white , who's not in the ?
Speaker 2truck . No no , he's not in the truck . No no , this guy stole his truck .
Speaker 1Oh .
Speaker 2Yeah , there's another spot to the video where you see the guy taking stuff out , and so the guy whose truck is on the tow truck decides to , you know , swing at the tow truck driver and then hop in his truck and drive away with his 1500 wheels , cranked , smoking cars , multiple parked cars , while these people record . So this is down in Brooklyn and then we've got a secondary view from it that we pulled off of another video You'll hear the guy in this video talk about , so you can see him emptying his belongings .
Speaker 1Oh , yeah , get the fuck out of here Get the fuck out of here .
Speaker 2Get the fuck out of here , motherfucker , get the truck down . Put the truck down . Get the fuck out of here . Get that fucking truck down . I'm warning you , motherfucker . Get the fuck away from this truck . Get the fuck out of here .
Speaker 2They're just fighting over the tow truck . Yeah , listen , fuck him , nobody's taking this truck from me . Yeah , nobody's taking this truck from me . The parked cars , the 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 . Doesn't get that one . And then he rolls it off the back of the tow truck . 7 . And the truck lands on its wheels and he continues to take off in the tow truck . So yes , and the truck lands on his wheels and he continues to take off in the tow truck . So yes , could you imagine the poor tow truck driver in this situation having to explain this to his insurance company ? Luckily , there's plenty of video footage behind it . Right , like the evidence is clear . Like I don't know what this guy is going to be charged with . I imagine you've got you know . Theft of a Grand Theft Auto , hit and run on multiple occurrences .
Speaker 1Fleeing the scene of an accident .
Speaker 3Delay to remain .
Speaker 1Reckless driving . Yeah , couldn't even charge him with insecure load .
Speaker 2I mean probably . Does it count as insecure load if you've stolen a tow truck , like if you're driving in a vehicle with a load that you had no business having in the first place ?
Speaker 1well , yeah , you're the driver of the vehicle .
Speaker 2You need to be in control of your load I got a cop that I know that would probably also charge him with like failure properly signal . I'm serious . I got a cop cop around here that he likes to have fun at legal legal fun like legal fun .
Speaker 1Like legally throwing the book at you for your wrongdoings when you're dumb .
Speaker 2So I've heard stories One I was witness to myself , but I've heard stories .
Speaker 2So what he does is he will sit on the highway and he will look for vans carrying multiple people like passenger vans . And he will sit on the highway and he will look for vans carrying multiple people like passenger vans and he will pull them over , you know , for if they , you know , either for reason or for you know um , and he will ask if they are transporting people for hire and the people you know , nine times out of ten , yes , and he will ask them to see the fire extinguisher inside the vehicle , because the requirement is to have a fire extinguisher , apparently first aid kit and possibly the first aid kit , and he will find them for those things . I had an incident that I responded to . So in ontario you do not require insurance on a trailer . Right trailer is insured by the vehicle that is pulling it . I responded to a trailer on fire on the highway and this was one of our jobs that we did where we made sure he got prepaid , where he had fined the driver for no insurance on the trailer .
Speaker 2And so I questioned it on him and I you know , I asked him . I said , well , it's insured by the vehicle pulling the trailer . He goes a 100% Except . This gentleman admitted to me that he had unhooked the trailer on the highway and I went because it was on fire and he goes still . He unhooked it on the highway and it is now a trailer operating the highway without insurance . You're not wrong .
Speaker 1But you're a dick .
Speaker 2Like I cannot see . I'd love to know the followup on this . Like I imagine , there's no way that that ticket goes through .
Speaker 1You take it to court and be like sir , judge , like I , I already was losing the trailer and I unpinned the truck to try to save my truck and then I got this charge for just trying to , you know , save extra resources of the fire department and only happened to put out a trailer and not a trailer and truck .
Speaker 2But yeah , no , that was the argument he goes . He unpinned the trailer . I'm like it was on fire . What did you want him to do ? Yeah , so , yeah , Anyways , that is a yeah . So I would love to , like I said , I know a couple of cops would probably charge that guy with with a fail to fail to properly signal , fail to yield . You know , hey , the law is the law , you know . That is why we have a justice system where you can appeal these tickets and have your day in court and have yourself heard yeah .
Speaker 2But no , that guy is definitely having a bad day . But yeah , no , so crazy . I've never had a customer try and steal my tow truck . Then again , I don't deal with PPIs and repos much . No , it's a completely different industry .
Speaker 1We've seen that multiple times and I've explained to people . When I was towing , just from where I was towing to where the city was was less than an hour drive , I say it's a completely different industry . Towing to where the city was was less than an hour drive . I say it's a completely different industry towing where I am compared to an hour South of where I'm towing . Yeah , because they would tell me and I just saw an article uh , there is like a 15 year old and a 16 year old charged in the shootings that were happening in the city of revolving tow trucks or involving trucks , and it's like that mindset , I want to say , is more predominant in city areas because , like in the boonies , where I live and have always operated , that just that would never cross my mind , even if you screw me over . Yeah , I'm not thinking of going to a high school and trying to pay some kids to say , hey , here's some money , go get a gun illegally , and I want you to kill this guy dead okay , first of all , they didn't .
Speaker 2That is not how that happened . They did . Did not walk up to Toronto High and look for the most nefarious-looking kids and go hey , I got a job for you . You want to make marginally good money ? Well , it better not be their own children then ?
Speaker 2no , I don't think they were their own children either , but this was all part of organized crime . Yeah , you know I'm I'm speculating to hell on this . I don't know who these kids were . No one will know , because their identities will be protected under these criminal justice . But no , this towing company did it so that , yeah , there would be less charges against them . It was easier to convince them , but I'm willing to bet these kids were already low level thugs within the organized crime network . This was not little . Justin was on his lunch break at high school and just came out of physics class and somebody walked up to him and said would you like to go buy a gun illegally and shoot somebody like this ? Isn't Michigan ? We have standards . These kids were already rejects and no fault of their own , probably bad upbringings , and I don't know if I can . Is it slander ? If their names are protected under the Youth Criminal Act ? Can I be charged with that ? No , these were not . You perceive that as so much more innocent than what it actually was so much degrading .
Speaker 1I don't know . You just see the these articles of , say , seeing 15 year olds and 16 year olds charged in shootings involving the towing industry and you assume they just did it out of calculus class . I don't know . You never know Kids are dumb and if you approach them , it out of calculus class , I don't know . You never know Kids are dumb and if you approach them , it's like hey , little Tommy , do you want to be able to spend thousands of dollars playing your Fortnite game here ? I've got a little side quest for you to complete and if you do this side quest for me , I will make you the richest kid in middle school , which is a bold thing , to say we don't have middle schools .
Speaker 2We have moved to middle schools .
Speaker 3Well , I don't know how kids are in middle schools , I meant high schools .
Speaker 1We don't have middle schools here , but no , anyways , this is pretty when .
Speaker 2No , I'm pretty sure they didn't offer them fortnight bucks or whatever rope bucks or I don't know what any of those things are to like tokens to to go shoot a tow truck , um , or light tow trucks on fire or any of that stuff . I , I think we've . I think we pulled a little far to like . We went so far left , we became right wing , um , like , um . So while I recoup , what is exactly you said , enjoy this funny video for our audio listeners and you will see the same . Uh , you'll get to hear wonderful captions from the audio side .
Unexpected Wreck Intrudes Birthday Plans
Speaker 3This truck driver was driving in america when he witnessed a moment of karma that he won't soon forget . A super impatient minivan driver decides to speed on the shoulder to get around a tow truck and they hit a pothole at high speeds and end up wrecking their car . It is very reckless to do something like this , as the shoulder is not made for driving and is not maintained the same way a road is . The only good thing about this situation is that the driver didn't have to wait for a tow truck the lame joke at the end makes my day .
Speaker 2But yeah , that has got to be the world's best response time . Yeah , like I've never . You know , that's like having a T-bone happen right in front of a tow truck and then it's like that poor tow truck has got to be like . I swear to God , I was not applying predatory practices . I was not chasing this accident . I just happened like this asshole passed me on the right shoulder . He's lucky he didn't hit me .
Speaker 1I left my yard the one day and I got behind this . It was a black dodge caravan . We've got a big bend just past the yard and I'm following this dodge caravan and he's right over the yellow line and then he brings it back . It's like okay , whatever we're doing , 60 , it's an 80 . He speeds up to 80 . Okay , maybe this guy's intoxicated , I don't know . Not jumping to any conclusions . He then proceeds to go over the white , yellow , the white and yellow for about three kilometers and all of a sudden , out of the blue , from the middle of his lane , he just turns about a 13 degree turn to the left and drives off the road , down into the ditch , through a fence and into some trees right in front of me . So I flicked the beacon lights on and I was on my way to a roadside call , which that's the best time for something like that to happen . Yeah , to go . Go into a shitty roadside call . And , oh look , I'm now a witness of an accident . Guess who's getting this vehicle ?
Speaker 2I wouldn't be a witness to the accident because I was going to tie you up there for much longer and much more involved than you need to be but 100 so I pull over onto the side of the road , I jump out and I grab my phone .
Speaker 1I call 911 . I go down and get this elderly gentleman out of the car and he's no . Something ran out in front of me , no it didn't .
Speaker 1So we get him up and out and the police and the fire and the ambulance all come and they put him in a neck brace and they take him off to the hospital and I pull his van out of the ditch and tow it to my shop and made some good money . Him off to the hospital and I pull his van out of the ditch and tow it to my shop and made some good money . I was like I've seen this multiple times where older people , the um company we used to work for I was turning right a set of lights which is a divided section , and when I turn right there was a vehicle oncoming directly at me . He drove on the opposite side of the barrier to make a left , like he thought the left-hand turning lane was another lane over . So I flipped around and called the police because , like this guy's drunk Right Turns out , he was just old .
Speaker 3Yeah .
Speaker 1He went and parked at the casino up there .
Speaker 2And all people get called in all the time for impossible , impaired .
Speaker 1And there's nothing the police can do .
Speaker 2No , there's absolutely bad drivers . So I felt almost like a scavenger this weekend because we had quite the interaction . That was pretty funny . So , as you may or may not know , I know G does that this weekend was my wife's birthday . As you may or may not know , I know G does that this weekend was my wife's birthday a day on Saturday in which I dedicated that my plan was , is I was going to spend the day with her Right . Like that was the plan .
Speaker 1So it was a plan like ahead of time .
Speaker 2Yes , that was the plan ahead of time .
Speaker 1Yeah , see , that's where he fucked up .
Speaker 2Yeah , I told gods were mad . So the condition I had is that I actually had a fire department coming to do training in our yard that Saturday morning . So I said I'm going to go in , I'm going to check with them , make sure they're good . She's like , I want to sleep in tomorrow . I want to get up around 9 . I said , okay , how about this 9 o'clock ? I'll show up , I'll bring breakfast . You know , I thought I'll make breakfast , whatever we want to do . So , okay , that sounds great .
Speaker 2So that night I get a call at multiple calls . Throughout that night I did not sleep a wink that night , um . But I got a call about three , 34 o'clock in the morning um , for a tractor trailer . Um , that was I . I had two trucks that came in as one with a tanker leaking . So dispatch calls me for that . I head out . I get out there , it's one truck on its side with a fuel tank leak . So I walk up to the police for on scene and they go what are you doing here ? And I said I was called by um , the fire department .
Speaker 3Hmm .
Speaker 2Um and he's like oh , okay , so I go over to the fire department . Okay , how's it going ? He's like hey . He's like what are you doing here ?
Speaker 3And .
Speaker 2I'm like I was called by you guys and he's like I didn't call you and I'm sitting there going . I feel like a scavenger right now , like I'm trying to get this job right . Like I'm like , well , somebody called me , it's 4 am and I didn't get out of bed on my own , and so he calls the dispatch and he goes hey , dispatch , who called ? You know who called towing Andwing ? And he goes well , I'd gotten over the air that you guys said the fuel tanks were leaking , so I called the towing and he's like , oh , and I'm like , thankfully he says this in front of the cops . So the cops not looking at me like you're lying to me , like you you know what I mean . You're , you're poaching , you're trying to whatever . I'm like I'm not trying to do anything , man , I was trying to count sheep . Yeah , like you guys woke me up , don't , don't look at me like I did something wrong I don't want .
Speaker 1You got me out of bed this is your shift to work .
Speaker 2This is I don't want to be here right now . So I'm like , can I tow the truck ? You got me here . And uh , yeah , they called me because the fuel tanks were leaking and they were inquiring about pumping the fuel tanks . Um , however , the fuel tanks have stopped leaking . It's probably just whatever . The top truck's laying on its side , yeah , and um , the cop goes . Well , we don't know about the extent of injuries yet . I'm like , oh , because on my way down here , like I heard the dude was walking around and stuff and he goes , yeah , and then he sat down and I guess he was pretty banged up and so he's , he's gone to hospital and we're waiting for an update . So he's like I'm like , oh cool . I'm like it's my wife's birthday today . Like , do you have a ballpark ? When we know what's going to be going on ? He's like , well , it could be nine o'clock , it could be afternoon , if there's injuries and we got to call down investigators to , you know , recreate the scene could be a while .
Speaker 2So go ahead with your breakfast plans and maybe we'll see you later once we talk to the company yeah so , long story short , at 7 30 that morning they decided to inform me that they did speak to the company and we were going to be doing the job and they wanted us there right away . Oh nice , yeah . So I'd already made some phone calls . I waited until seven o'clock , started making some phone calls to my guys hey , possible that we have this job ? You know , line up the crew , make sure I've got , you know , everybody that I need and I'm sitting there going , my wife's going to kill me , my wonderful , amazing , loving wife , who is so patient whether it comes to the show , whether it comes to the show whether it comes to the work , there's always a reason at work that I'm not around .
Speaker 2And then this is her birthday . I had not told her . I planned on spending the day with her . I planned on we'll do breakfast in the morning and then kind of , just what do you want to do today ? I want to go this . So I did what any smart man would do .
Speaker 3And .
Speaker 2I called my mother and I said mom , I need a favor . She goes what's that ? I'm like . Well , here's what's going on . I'm going to be out on this wreck all day and I was planning on spending the day with Robin because it's her birthday . I need you to bring her to brunch . I told her I'd bring her breakfast , so I'll have her call you when she gets up and if you can bring her out to brunch , I'll buy my treat to both of you . And so , anyways , I , you know , sent my wife a text and didn't want to wake her up and I said hey , honey , I'm sorry . I love you , I'm sorry . I said I'm sorry about four times in this text . I'm sorry , I'm sorry , I'm sorry . You know , it's just , it is what it is . When you get up , give my mom a shout . You guys are going to go over brunch Never really talked to my wife the rest of the day .
Speaker 2I'm in the middle of a job . I got things to do . It wasn't . Until I'm pulling off the highway at the end of the day , it's about four or five o'clock Now . Until I'm pulling off the highway at the end of the day , it's about four or five o'clock Now . Keep in mind . I've been up since four .
Speaker 2My phone rang all through the whole night , so I'm like 30 some hours deep . My wife calls me as I'm getting off the ramp . She's like I just drove by you and I was like , oh really . I'm like , yeah , we're just finishing up . She's like , yeah , thank God . I'm like I just realized I just went from paying for brunch to paying for a whole lot more stuff , but it is a small price I'm willing to pay for your understanding on this wreck .
First Taxi Ride Experience
Speaker 2So that night , whenever I got home , I uh I got home and I'm like , okay , I'm going to go hop in a shower and uh , let me know where you want to go for dinner . Anywhere you want to go , no , no , ifs , ands or buts , we're going . And she's like , oh , so you're pretty . I imagine you'd be pretty tired .
Speaker 2You've been up for 30 some hours at this point and I'm like I'm actually really good right now , not sure why I'm in a um , I'm full of energy , so I brought her out to a nice dinner fancy places you can find and um , yeah , we had a nice steak dinner and by the time dessert came around . Let me tell you I was fading . Yeah , like dessert came around . I'm like remember how I wasn't tired . She's like , yeah , I'm like I am , I'm ready for bed . You make her drive home no no .
Speaker 2I drove home . I drove home and , literally like I drove home , she went into the bathroom . By the time she came out of the bathroom , I was out . I slept for a good 14 hours . I was exhausted , so I missed her birthday . It will not be the last time .
Speaker 1As long as I am part of this , this industry , it is always bound to happen . Yeah , you messaged me , you're like my wife's gonna kill me , and you sent me pictures .
Speaker 2I was like so I guess that means we're recording tomorrow , yep all right , yep 100 , because , uh , yeah , I knew at that point I'm like it's not gonna happen today , because by the time I get back from this and it's her birthday , I could have maybe snuck it in if I had been here all day and if I had spent the day with her . Go , okay , hey , you know , yeah , that was fun . Yay , yay , birthday girl . Now give me an hour to go take care of this . But I was not even going to inquire about that after missing the entire day . So it was an exciting weekend after missing the entire day . So it was an exciting weekend . Um , it made for some fun , made for some great stories that maybe we'll talk to on future shows . All I know is that the next toe , the next show you hear , will be from the toe show yeah we have not coordinated how we're getting together .
Speaker 1I think you're coming to my airbnb to record probably because I don't think there's wi-fi in the trees at the campsite .
Speaker 2No , no , and I think the Airbnb definitely does have it and lighting and everything else . We've got this nice little lounging area . I think you guys should plan a day where you come over to that and then we just got to figure out how to get you back to the campsite . I mean , we could probably figure this out . You guys ride in with us , like ride back to the place with us . We have some drinks there , we put you in a cab back to the campground and that way we can .
Speaker 1I've never been in a cab before . I've never once taken a cab or Uber or nothing actually , yeah , they probably have Uber .
Speaker 2I'll set you up with an Uber .
Speaker 1I've only been on like a bus twice in my life in the subway .
Speaker 2You guys don't realize how uncivilized g is . It was it was last year , I believe , at the meet and greet at the pub . You know the brewery it was and you're like I've never been to a bar before and we're like what ?
Speaker 1like how I've been . I've ded at bars before , but I've never actually gone and sat down at a drink .
Speaker 2You've never been a patron at a bar . Nope , before , okay . And now you're telling me you've never taken a cab .
Speaker 1I've never once been in a taxi . I've driven what you could classify as a taxi before , but I've never been a patron .
Speaker 2You've never called a taxi . How have you ?
Speaker 1I've always . When I was young , I was in biking range for everything . When I , as soon as I turned 16 , the day after my birthday , I went out , I got my g1 and I did the young driver's course . So I only had to wait like six months until I got a license and then at that point I lived out in the middle of butt fuck nowhere , so I had to drive everywhere to get to where you've never gone like for weekends down in the city with with a girlfriend or with the boys and gone out and been like , hey , how are we gonna get here ?
Speaker 1I will just call an uber , like no I've done a go train trip with the girlfriend down to toronto once and we walked around downtown . We did the aquarium , we stopped at a Boston pizza , had some dinner and caught the train back and then I drove from the train station back home yeah , that's fair .
Speaker 2I've done that a lot when I used to go to Blue Jay games , but I still can't believe you would never at one point . You live an hour from one of the biggest cities , the biggest city in Ontario and , I believe , one of the biggest cities in Canada , and you've never taken a taxi , wild , wild . So I guess I have to get you the Uber just for the experience . I don't know .
Speaker 1It's got to be the top line Uber too .
Speaker 2I'm not getting you like an Uber X ? I don't even know what the Uber lines are , I'm just going to assume You've got to pop my cherry for taxi rides on . I'm not paying a hundred dollars for an uber to go . I don't even know if I have the uber app anymore . I do have the uber app . It's on my phone . It's probably out of date . Needs to be like . I don't know what the lines .
Speaker 1I know there's no ubers where I am no same , here there's nothing , I don't even think there's a cab company where I live yeah , like there's .
Speaker 2Oh yeah . Still , I can't believe you've never taken an uber nope that . That baffles me . I'm looking at uber rides right like I can look at my uber activity . I mean , it's not that bad , it's not that big , there's only a couple trips on it , and I was in montreal a while back , october 31st , probably last year anyways , guys , that's been the toying like podcast
Tangents and Shenanigans
Speaker 2.
Speaker 1Thanks for watching . We're going on a tangent that needs to be ended , so thanks for watching . Hit us up . You can send us an email toyinglife gmailcom . Find us on facebook . Do a little bleep bloop down below in the comment section down below . If you're watching over on the YouTube side , we'll see you at the toe show . I hope to see you there . We might do some shenanigans there . I don't know what we're going to get up to . We haven't planned anything , because that's how sophisticated we are . We plan ahead here at the toying life podcast . See you next week .
Speaker 2Toodles . I'm like I want to believe that you're just saying that for the show , but no , you are that fucking under a rock . Yeah , what else have you never done that Regular people ? I don't know .
Speaker 1Tell me something that regular people have done .
