Tow Professional Podcast
Innovating Towing Solutions: The Rise of a Groundbreaking EV App
Ready to ignite your knowledge on electric vehicles? We promise you an electrifying episode as we connect with Kim Holcomb and Jake Green from the American Towing and Recovery Institute, the brains behind a revolutionary app that's making waves in the EV world. They're here to spill the beans on this user-friendly app, designed to eliminate the need for scrolling through extensive manuals and provide swift access to crucial information for emergency personnel interacting with electric vehicles.
But the ride doesn't stop there. We'll also be catching up with the app creators, Kim Holcomb, and Jake Green, to delve into the nitty-gritty of this innovative tool crafted specifically for tow professionals. From vehicle identification to energy discharging, they cover all bases. And you know what the best part is? There's a sweet discount awaiting our listeners! So buckle up, and let's set off on this journey of exploring how this groundbreaking app is fostering safety and efficiency in the towing and recovery industry.
Ready to ignite your knowledge on electric vehicles? We promise you an electrifying episode as we connect with Kim Holcomb and Jake Green from the American Towing and Recovery Institute, the brains behind a revolutionary app that's making waves in the EV world. They're here to spill the beans on this user-friendly app, designed to eliminate the need for scrolling through extensive manuals and provide swift access to crucial information for emergency personnel interacting with electric vehicles.
But the ride doesn't stop there. We'll also be catching up with the app creators, Kim Holcomb, and Jake Green, to delve into the nitty-gritty of this innovative tool crafted specifically for tow professionals. From vehicle identification to energy discharging, they cover all bases. And you know what the best part is? There's a sweet discount awaiting our listeners! So buckle up, and let's set off on this journey of exploring how this groundbreaking app is fostering safety and efficiency in the towing and recovery industry.
Welcome one and all to Toe Professional Podcast. This is your podcast. It's for the pros that have a need to know better on the go, the voice of the Toe industry. I'm DJ Harrington, the co-host, better known as the Toe Doctor, and the real man is the host is the president and publisher of Toe Professional Magazine, my dear friend Darren Weaver. Darren, how are you today?
Speaker 2:DJ. I am fantastic as always, sir. It's a beautiful day down here in Birmingham, a little cool, but listen, I'm not complaining after the heat we had this summer, so it's a great day and I am excited about this episode here. The podcast we're going to this is going to be a great one. We've got Tim Hockelman and Jake Green on here of American Towing and Recovery Institute to talk about their new clever mobile app and for the EV market to cover electric vehicles and DJ. It's something that people are starting to touch on and covering. We've seen others and I tell you it's something that's needed.
Speaker 1:Yeah well, these are two great people. They've put a lot of time in Darren doing this together, and Tim and Jake and don't say Jake from you know Stay Farm now, but he's a real good guy and he's done a great job with Tim Hockelman, so I'll turn it over to you. You start him going.
Speaker 2:I'll be glad to DJ. Thank you so much. Well, I guess the first question I want to ask and I'll lob it out there and whoever wants to take it you're welcome to. But I've heard about the new electric vehicle out. I know some of our listeners are hearing about it. It's hitting right now in Toe Professional Magazine, right there in the industry news talking about the new clever app. But tell our listeners what all does it include?
Speaker 3:So, darren, I'll start off. I am Tim, I am marketing and web design and all that kind of stuff here at ATRI. Well, basically what this app does is it is a more user friendly app for the emergency personnel that is on the side of the road in emergency situation with electric vehicle. This app provides quick links to the particular different information that a towing operator or any fire personnel that may need in a quick manner, instead of scrolling through pages of a manual in the format that the emergency response guide is formatted. So that's basically what it is, so that you can look if you want to find how to.
Speaker 3:I don't know, how to find the listing points or where the high voltage battery is located. You can click that link and it gives you a diagram immediately, and so having to look for that.
Speaker 2:Jim, I think that's fantastic. So you're saying it's to the standard on the side of the road and having to Google search this thing and ask hey, where's the battery location on this car? Where's my lifting points? How do I recognize the vehicle is running or not? They can just jump right on this app and know in a matter of seconds.
Speaker 3:Right, exactly.
Speaker 2:Fantastic. Well, DJ, she knocked it out of park with that one. I'm going to leave the next one up to you.
Speaker 1:Well, you got it and a lot of our listeners you know they're seeing it now in Toast Special magazine. If they were at the Baltimore Toast show it was in every bag that car park put out and Ranger SSG was kind of they passed out some. It was very well done. So, kim and Jake, what is really? How is it different from other EV apps? That's what some listeners will probably ask.
Speaker 4:Well, I'll go ahead and answer that, DJ. I'm Jake. I work here at APRI. I do all kinds of web stuff, help out with testing pretty much everything that he's doing, and the way that our app is different from other EV apps is that we have made the information as Kim mentioned before very easily to access. We've got those quick links again, so whatever information that you're looking for, you can go right to it. There are other apps out there. They have the entire manual, which is great. We also have the manual on there. But if you are in an emergency situation, you don't have time to scroll through 30, 40, 50 pages of the manual. If you need to cut someone out of a vehicle, for instance, or if you need to hurry up and figure out how to shut it off, we've got that information right there. You find it, you click on it and it's there. You don't have to scroll through a whole lot of stuff. So, yeah, I would say that that is one of the biggest differences with our app.
Speaker 1:Well, that makes a lot of difference and I want to tell all of our listeners, before this segment's over, before the podcast ends, you're going to know how easy it is to download the app. You're going to know more about what's on it and more about quick links yourself. So let's do this. We're going to take a fast break, jake, and when we come back you and Tim have been kind enough to give you time just and listeners, just to tease you a little bit, and just for listening to this podcast, we're going to give you a discount on this. So, hang with us, let us pay some of our bills and we'll be right back.
Speaker 7:For over 50 years, Jurdan has defined towing and recovery industry standards for performance, reliability and service. Jurdan offers an extensive range of light, medium and heavy duty records, carriers and rotators. Each truck offers superior engineering for strength and stability, reliability and versatility to exceed the expectations of a demanding industry.
Speaker 1:You have been listening to Toad Professional on the Go podcast. Every week, we bring you new and formative episodes. Make sure. Now. Here's the list of where we're available. We're on Spotify, iTunes, Pandora, Google Play, Stitcher, iHeart Media, Amazon or wherever you get your podcast Now. Just before break, Tim Hockam, marketing director there and vice president of ATRI, Jake Green, is kind enough to go over this new app. So let's do this. Darren, I'm passing it over to you for another inquiry that we have.
Speaker 2:Hey, that's fantastic, dj. What I'm looking at I know our listeners are going to want to ask is does this allow anyone access to the information on it?
Speaker 3:Well, darren, I would love to tell you about that. What the user would do is download it. They have to subscribe to it and then, at that point, they have full access. You have the option to do monthly or yearly subscription, but as soon as you sign up for that, you have full access to all the materials, or all the information, in the app.
Speaker 2:Man, that is terrific and, kim, I'm sitting here looking at it. Now I've downloaded my own app and I'm blown away because I can see that you can search by even the vehicle image, or search by make, or go to heavy duty vehicles and search through there. So you guys have dotted your eyes and crossed all your T's on this thing.
Speaker 3:Thank you. It's a lot of work and we're still working on a lot of updates to do and many other vehicles that we will continue to add to it. I'm pretty proud of it so far.
Speaker 2:I'm going to say it's probably like a classic car or a fine classic motorcycle or something. Even when you get them finished, there's still work to be done on them. It never ends. Well, DJ, I'll throw this next one to you, sir.
Speaker 1:Yes, because I know this is an app that keeps on giving. Yes, kim. What I want to ask is how many vehicles? I know you're adding more to it as you go along, but how many vehicles are on the app as it is right today?
Speaker 3:Currently, we have 702 vehicles on there at the moment and that's for the light duty car and truck passenger vehicles.
Speaker 1:I got you and then down the road, there'll be more as you go across and as listeners. When you get on this and start using it, they they are as close as your phone, and before the podcast, though, we will give you all that information so that you'll be able to go on and Actually see what you're looking for, and they are so customer friendly. If you ever have any question while you're on the app, all you have to do I'm gonna give you the number right now, just down 910 747 9000, at any time, white and if you have a question, all you got to do is hit that phone number and they'll help you. But before it's over, they'll give you the website and everything. So let's take a real fast break, and when we come back, we want to talk about the quick links and we want to talk about Reasons you should be thinking about and why this app was even created. So hold tight, we'll be right back.
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Speaker 1:You're listening to tope pressure on the go podcast. Remember to like, review and share everywhere. As always, we want to tell our listeners. If there's somebody in the industry that you would like to see on tope professional podcast, dial our hotline number 706 409 5603. 706 409 5603 and that number goes to the podcast center. And that's one of the reasons why we have Kim Holcomb and Jay Green on today is because the inquiry came in and said okay, we hear about this new app in the magazine. We heard about this at the tow show up in Ohio. It started being introduced at the Ohio tow show. So that's how we ended up getting Kim to come on. So, darren, let me pass it on over to you.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir, appreciate it, DJ. Well, I guess my my next one for the team here is how many categories are on the quick links that you mentioned earlier?
Speaker 4:I'll answer that. Then we have 20 different categories in the quick link and just to give you an example of what some of these are, we have one for the vehicle identification, so that tells you Things on the outside of the vehicle you can look for to let you know that, hey, this is an electric vehicle, it's a hybrid. It'll also have Specifics on the bin number, so there will be a certain set of numbers in the middle of the bin number that will let you know that this is that certain model. We have information on mobilizing the vehicle how to turn it off, to depart Um. Information on how to access occupants, how to lift the vehicle, how to disable the battery, um. So you know we cut off that electrical Energy from circulating. We have the cut zone for how to cut People out of the car. You know, if that's something that has to be done, which places you can cut, how to do it safely. What to do in case of a fire, which is especially important for these electric batteries, you know there's a certain procedure that has to be done. It's not the same as a regular fire. What to do if the car is submerged in water? You know, can you pull it out it's Electrified, which usually it's not.
Speaker 4:We have how to put the vehicle in neutral, which is something that's important especially for these electric vehicles. They don't have the same kind of engines, so it's not like a regular car that you can just, you know, put in neutrals. We have information on how to tow them, of course, how to secure the vehicle. We have what the curb weight of the vehicle is, you know, so you make sure you know how heavy that vehicle is and how much weight you're putting on your equipment. We have information on how to store the vehicle, just especially important.
Speaker 4:You know If you have a damaged battery, it can catch fire again, like up to 48 hours later or something. So you need to make sure that you're not damaging other equipment if you put it in your yard. How to discharge the energy out of the battery. We also have additional dealer information on how to contact the dealership. We have various warnings. So it's really a lot of information that we have packed in here, and the quick links again Just give you easy access to what you need at the moment without having to scroll through everything.
Speaker 2:Man, jake, I'm going to tell you you covered you and Kim covered the bases A to Z on this app. And let me tell you something I don't see any driver or owner out there that doesn't download this and put it on your phone. I mean men and women out there, hey, listen, this ain't going to take up any room in your toolbox, it's right here in your handheld. And you're talking about looking like a toe professional on the scene when you're able just to pull the phone out and say, hey, here and here. This is how we need to move forward. All I can think that would do is just put more revenue in your pocket in the long run. So congratulations on the app and it sounds very well thought out. So fantastic DJ on to you, sir.
Speaker 1:You know what I was saying. As Jake was talking, I kept thinking to myself you know if you're sitting down the exit waiting for the secondary accident. You know, after one accident there always is another one. And you're there. You actually study. You know if you have to bring it back to the facility. All of this stuff you could be studying in 15 minutes, 20 minute increments, and then, when you do need it, it's right there at your fingertips. Just like you said, derek, it's right in your hand. But there's so much content that they could be going to school learning during the day while they're waiting for their next show. They could actually be actually going to school learning all about EV.
Speaker 2:So without a doubt they'd say perfect, that's perfect.
Speaker 1:That's the way of doing it. You know you got 15 minutes. While you're waiting on the next one, All of a sudden you can do a little study. What was the reason you decided to create ATF to begin with?
Speaker 3:Other than the fact that we didn't have anything else to do, dj. The real reason that we did that is we were actually handing out an electronic copy of the rescue cards and the emergency response guide to class attendee that were taking the light duty part that had a portion of the electric vehicle instruction on it. So it started out around 479 pages and then within a month it got up to 2,100 pages. So obviously you know the feedback that we received from everyone. First of all, it is difficult to scroll through the pages while you're on the side of the road looking for what you needed. So you know, sometimes they don't need to know a cut zone or how to access the occupants or total mic, so you can easily just click on what you needed instead of having to search the pages. So that's where it started at. That was where we wanted to go ahead and just pick that out. Since we did it, we started around the springtime, so that's when we stopped doing that. As far as doing the paperwork, it was a lot of work.
Speaker 3:So anyway, on that Wes also, wes Wolverne also heard many times from people or from tours and fire personnel in classrooms, and then you know where he met out in events or whatnot that we really needed an app for electric vehicles and hybrids. So that's where you know, and I just came together and we just jumped in and did it.
Speaker 1:So Well, darren, and I know Wes will burn, and Wes reminds me of my grandson. We all just came back from holidays and we drove to Florida. I heard from the backseat of my grandson Are we there yet? Are we there yet? And that reminds me of Wes Wilburn. I'm talking to Kim Holcomb and Jake Green. Are we there yet? Because every week, darren, you could hear Wes going. Well, we're going to have this big, big announcement coming up. We're going to have this, going to have this, and this is a lot of work and, as we were explaining it to all of our listeners, we're going to take a fast break and when we come back, we're going to give all of you all the information how you've downloaded, how you get a discount and, because you're a listener the Toe Professional Magazine's podcast we're going to give you a discount. So hang tight, we'll be right back.
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Speaker 1:You've been listening to Toe Professional Magazine's podcast and I'm going to tell all of you this has been a great one, as usual. So, without further ado, I want all of you to know how to download the app. So do I get the Kim to do this, or do I get Jake who's doing it?
Speaker 3:Who's doing?
Speaker 1:it.
Speaker 3:Kim do it.
Speaker 1:Hi Jake.
Speaker 3:Hi Jake. Well, the way we, the way you can access this app is you have a website that you go to. It is wwweV-Clevercom. You can also go to our website and it's listed on there as well, and our website is wwwamtowriorg, and the link will be on there as well. But once you get there, you download it.
Speaker 3:You can actually save it to your phone as a, you know, as an app. It will ask for your info and then you can decide if you want to sign up as a monthly subscriber, which is $9.99 a month, or yearly. You can get it for $59.99, which is our biggest savings, which actually saves you about $5 a month versus $10. So you actually get it half off. So, even though we think that's a low rate, we are definitely going to give everyone a 20% discount on that. And once you do that, when you sign on, it'll ask you to have a coupon and so, before you even put a credit card in, once you decide what you want to do as far as your, when you want to, how long you want to try it out and what not, just put in the code, in all caps KIM and the number 20 behind that in those faces. So that's KIM 20. And that'll give you 20% off each month.
Speaker 2:KIM. That's a terrific offer and I tell you, when you look at this for our listeners, when you look at this, we're talking subscription for the years $59.99,. You get 20% off with KIM 20. So, for less than what you would spend at Zach's Bees for a family of four, you've got a tool that's going to help you for years to come. That's a deal that is fantastic, dj. I'm going to throw it to you, sir.
Speaker 1:I'm going to tell you that's exactly what I was going to say for $59.99, you know $60 and then you get 20% off because you're listening KIM 20. And that's all you have to put in. It's so easy. If you go to wwwamtowriorg, it comes right up and as you hit that, you'll see the app right there, ev-clever. Just hit it and it'll download the app for you. It's an O-brainer. And then you get to make sure you remember KIM 20, kim 20 and get 20% off because you're a listener of the podcast. Okay, any final thing you and Jake want to say? I'm going to turn it over to Darren, who does a very good ending to this event.
Speaker 3:No, I think that we've cleared everything up. We appreciate the opportunity to be a guest on Darren's podcast today, so we're glad to be able to spread our information. We just want everyone to get it and be safe and have all the information at their end.
Speaker 1:And I want to tell our listeners because I'm old school. When I first got the app, I had a hard time getting it and I called Kim at 910-74-79000 and instantly Kim said oh I stayed here, dj, I'll walk you through it. And all Kim did was walk me through it and, bingo, it worked. So if you have somebody, if you're challenged like I was because I'm 75, it makes a big difference. But it was very simple to do. And once it's on your phone, it's just like Darren said all that information, thousands of pages, are on your, it's in your hand and all of a sudden you could be going to school on this and learning at the same time.
Speaker 1:Great investment in your business and in yourself. And just think, is it worth saving a life? Just like when Jake talked about, you know, a battery damaged. A battery has the possibility of igniting again within 48 hours, jake told you. So remember that. So when you take it back to your facility, make sure you have the app so you can protect everybody in your yard. And for 59.99 a year and 20% off because you're a listener, is it worth saving a life? Is it worth saving a building at your place, because this definitely prevents fires starting in one of your facilities. All right, darren, I love it, so I hope that our listeners will too. I know they will.
Speaker 2:Well, I do. I do too, dj, and I tell you they did their work, with a total of over 702 passenger vehicles loaded in there already and over 70 heavy duty vehicles. Let me tell you, like I said, this is a toolbox that you can always go to, and anytime you have new tools, you have more knowledge, which means you're further ahead in line. So, guys, this is a, this is a place to go, go and download it today, but, as always, family, father, this is what we talk about on a daily basis. We thank you for giving our vendors the knowledge, the skill, the fourth off, to bring things to this community, to help bring our men and women back to their families safe. We ask that you keep a hand of protection around, not only our, our first responders and men and women with a service heart that go out there on a daily basis and serve, but also our vendors. Keep them safe and help our vendors prosper as well, father, for the works that they put in to bring safety to this industry. We thank every one of our listeners. We thank you for your protection, father. We ask that you continue to bring our first responders our toers, our men and women are towing in recovery back home safe on a daily basis.
Speaker 2:So next time, make sure you keep listening to Joe professional on the go podcast for more great guests like Kim Holcomb and and Jake Green here from ATRI. Also, make sure you check out the electric vehicle clever mobile app. It's going to be in the upcoming issue that's hitting desk right now. So, professional, you can read about it there on page 16. Make sure you don't miss it. And for everyone, have a great week and hug your family tight. Pray for our nation. Thanks again.