Tow Professional Podcast
Tow Professional Podcast
Why Smart Towers Are Adding Rescue Track to Their Arsenal
Ever feel like you're falling behind in the towing industry's technology race? The game is changing fast, and those who adapt are winning the most profitable contracts.
Paul Giese, a second-generation tower with 30 years of experience, has seen the evolution firsthand. When modern vehicles with electronic transmissions and parking brakes started causing headaches for his company, he discovered the Rescue Track system – specialized equipment that's changing how progressive towers handle complex recoveries.
The beauty of this technology lies in its simplicity and safety. Unlike traditional methods using dollies or go-jacks that risk damage claims, Rescue Track lifts vehicles by their tires only, eliminating contact with vulnerable body components. This approach has opened doors to premium contracts with luxury dealerships who now request this recovery method exclusively. As Paul explains, "One high-end dealership told us: we want every vehicle towed into the dealership on that machine."
What's particularly surprising is the system's versatility beyond its obvious applications for EVs and parking garages. Rural towers are finding tremendous value too, using it for everything from recovering vehicles with electronic problems to moving disabled vehicles between service bays at dealerships. This versatility creates multiple revenue streams from a single investment.
The financial benefits extend beyond premium service charges. By allowing one truck with one driver to handle challenging recoveries that previously required multiple units, the system improves operational efficiency. Towers report getting referrals from competitors and dealerships outside their normal service area specifically requesting this technology.
Ready to explore how this game-changing equipment could transform your towing business? Contact Paul Giese at Advanced Track Solutions: 605-799-3977 or visit advancedtracksolutions.com to learn about financing options specifically designed for seasonal towing businesses.
Welcome one and all to Toe Professional On the Go podcast. Remember, this is your podcast. It's for the pros that have a need to know that are on the go. This is truly the voice of the towing and recovery industry. I'm DJ Harrington, your co-host, better known as the Toe Doctor, and the real main host of this whole program is the president and publisher of Toe Professional Magazine, a very good friend of the industry, a dear friend of mine, darren Weaver.
Speaker 2:Darren we got a good one today, buddy.
Speaker 1:We got a good one today, buddy.
Speaker 2:Man, I tell you, DJ, this is going to be a good one today. I tell you, you always build me up. It is something else, but our listeners know the voice is DJ Harrington man, that silky smooth voice. Everybody at every show remembers him from the podcast. So couldn't do this without you, dj. You're absolutely the hinge pin that helps hold it together. But this is going to be a great one.
Speaker 2:Uh, today, guys, we have uh, we have paul with advanced track solutions and uh, let me tell you, if you've seen this equipment, the rescue track equipment it is phenomenal and me and dj were talking about it earlier and this is the equipment kind of thing.
Speaker 2:When you saw the trucks with the sling and then the next thing came, the, the self-loader, everybody looked at that and said, oh, that's witchcraft, that's crazy looking. But if you but you found out that the leaders in the industry were the guys that were buying that equipment and moving away from the sling, this is it too. You can either be a either be a McDonald's or you can be a Burger King. Burger King can't turn profits like a McDonald's. So this is the leading edge of technology. And, man, we are so excited to have Paul on here today with Advanced Track Solutions to talk in depth about this product and how it can make money for your company, and also just the exposure of having this can help bring in new business that you might have missed in the past. So this is going to be a great one, dj.
Speaker 1:I agree with you, and Paul is a type of guy that can sit and talk down to earth with you with all this technology.
Speaker 2:but he makes it real and he shows you how you can make a dollar in this industry by using this equipment yeah, dj, this is gonna be a good one, brother, I tell you, I met one of his customers right there in his booth that couldn't that, couldn't brag on the equipment enough. Matter of fact, he bought another piece of equipment there at the Florida show while I was standing there, because he knew how effective this could be in his business. So with that, I'm going to let you start throwing the questions to Paul.
Speaker 1:Well, let me ask him hey, but you know what we should do right off the top. Paul, tell us how you got into this, Because what were you doing before?
Speaker 3:to this, okay, because what were you doing? Before. Well, honestly, I'm a second generation toer and my company's been around for 62 years now. My father started it with his partner and I took over about 30 years ago. Uh, so I'm not new to the industry.
Speaker 3:I've been through a lot of different changes through the industry and, and uh, this to me, when I saw it for the first time, it just felt like something that we had to have, just seeing how the industry is changing. This looked like another one of those pieces of equipment that is going to be kind of leading the change of the industry to where it's going and the types of vehicles that are out there that this could definitely simplify our business and our process to be able to, you know, do some of the things that we were having difficulties doing. I mean, it doesn't matter how experienced you are. This new technology on these vehicles is creating a problem for everybody.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this is an answer to a challenge that we have in the industry and listeners. I just want you to know I'm really pleased about this whole thing and Darren has brought us a real good guest. So let me ask this of you first, paul how has the introduction of Rescue Track changed the way you operate in the field?
Speaker 3:Well, that's a great question for us. You know, like I was saying, we were struggling to send the right truck, send the right driver. Every company has those drivers that you know can handle certain things and others that maybe you should just leave them to the regular stuff task. As these vehicles became more complicated, we were seeing struggles on a daily basis of you know. What are we going to do? How are we going to send the truck? How many trucks are we going to have to send? We get one there, find out, we need another truck to help out. We got a flatbed there, but we need a wrecker, or we had a wrecker there, it turns out we needed a flatbed. You know, run into all those different situations and when we bought the rescue track and added it to our fleet, we were able to kind of reduce the number of those particular questions that we had to ask, simplifying it for our dispatcher, simplifying it for our drivers and, honestly, making a better experience for our dealerships that we were taking them to.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I want to tell all our listeners, before Darren asks the next question, we're going to give you the emails, phone numbers, anything you need to get a hold of Paul when this is all done. So just listen up, and a lot of you are going to be impressed, because I went through the website and I was thoroughly impressed. Paul has all the answers. All right, darren, I'll turn it over to you for the next one yes, sir.
Speaker 2:Well, paul, I want to ask you this can you share with our listeners a specific situation where the rescue track was particularly useful for you guys in the in towing?
Speaker 3:Wow, yeah, well, which one? I mean? We've had ours for about six years now, so we've utilized it quite a bit. At least one particular situation I would have to say it would probably have been a garage, actually, at an apartment complex where all the garages were all lined up in a row, very, very tight parking spot.
Speaker 3:It was a German vehicle I think it was a BMW that had just completely locked up A narrow garage to the point where you almost couldn't walk down the sides of each vehicle or the vehicle on each side of it, because it was so narrow.
Speaker 3:There's no way you were going to get dollies in there, there was no way you were going to get a flatbed lined up behind it. So the rescue track, being actually a little bit narrower than the vehicle itself, was able to fit in there to be able to pick this vehicle up, to pull it out of there, without having to try to drag it or skate it because, again, there wasn't enough space out in front. It was truly a situation where, if we didn't have the rescue track, could we have probably gotten it? Yeah, but we probably would have to take multiple trips and multiple trucks to do it because we would have had to come back at a later time, in the hopes that the parking lot would have been a more clear, to be able to get a truck in front of that, because the space was so limited that when they parked the vehicle in the garage, it was such a tight garage that they actually had to fold the mirrors in to be able to fit it into the garage. Wow, Wow.
Speaker 2:So it goes back to the same thing it's taking the right tool to get the job done, and when you have the right tool, you put some more money back in your pocket and get back to the other business at hand. No, absolutely man, something else. Well, dj, I'll give you the next one, sir you got it and we'll ask this one before we ask.
Speaker 1:We'll go to a commercial break after this. But let me ask this of you, paul what kind of operations do you most often handle with the machine? I mean, you did an example just now with that, but there's a lot of others that you could use it with.
Speaker 3:Yeah well, and I'm in a remote area. I hear a lot of people saying it's strictly for EVs and it's strictly for parking garages, and that's not the case, because where I'm located I don't have a lot of parking garages. The big draw for us was that we go out quite a distance to pick up some of these vehicles for our customers and there again, you know you go out 100, 150 miles, 200 miles for us to pick up these vehicles that were what we call bricked up, meaning they wouldn't start, they wouldn't go into neutral, you couldn't get the emergency break off. There was just no power to them. Emergency break off, there was just no power to them.
Speaker 3:It created problems for us to be able to pick up those type of vehicles without wondering did we send the right driver or are we going to have to get somebody else to come help us that far out? So there again, it simplified things for us and that became more of what we needed to use the machine for. In our particular instance, where we're located was to be able to access these vehicles a little bit easier, and you know that's going to depend on what your location is, where you're at, in an urban city area or you know more, rural, like I am. There's a lot of variations that that machine can be used for in different particular situations. That will be beneficial for any company anywhere.
Speaker 1:Yes, I totally agree with you. Let's take a fast break and when we come back, listeners, we're going to learn more about the benefits and business impact that the equipment really helps improve your bottom line. So let's take a real fast break and we'll be right back.
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Speaker 1:Of course, you know you're listening to so Professional on the Go podcast. Every week, we do our best to bring you updated information, like we're doing right now. Buddy, I want you to download and listen. We're available. Now get this. We're available on Spotify, itunes, pandora, stitcher, iheartmedia or wherever you get your podcasts. So, without further ado, darren, I'll pass it back over to you.
Speaker 2:DJ. Thank you so much, sir. Yeah, the next one I wanted to ask, paul, is I know you touched on this a little bit by getting out there having the right equipment, so tell our listeners, paul, what has been the most noticeable improvements in terms of response time, safety or efficiency with the rescue track?
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, that's a great question, darren. The safety part is a huge factor on that. You know everybody uses go-jacks, everybody uses skates there are so many different issues that can come up and damage-free safety, I mean those are huge impacts that really help with this machine. I mean you don't touch the vehicle at all, you touch tires and that's it, so you're not pushing on it. When you're using Go-Js, pushing on any bodies or the wheels or anything, you know they're again skates. You're not dragging it up the bed.
Speaker 3:I mean, who wants to see their hundred thousand dollar vehicle pulled out of their garage on two pieces of plastic that are sliding it out of the garage up onto the truck? That's just not something that people want to see. People want to see this technology is really a game changer for our industry just because of how it operates. I mean there's no physical labor involved in using this machine, it's just knowledge on how to use it and securing the vehicle, which you know in itself the possibilities of damage. It's endless when you're using skates and dollies and go-jacks, but with this, with proper knowledge and use of it, there's no damage to any vehicles.
Speaker 2:Well, I know, paul. I'd heard in the past with some of these EVs it's really hard to find the places to hook to Some of them where you could jayhook in some of these cars with a gasoline engine or spots to hold the vehicle in place once on a rail car and they're not to be hooked. I mean, we've heard about some of the Mach 1s getting internal frame damage and getting the batteries repped by trying to hook to them. So I guess this is more insurance as well when you're dealing with these vehicles.
Speaker 3:Yep, it really is. I mean the claims when you start getting into some of these electric vehicles and the high voltage batteries. If you damage something like that, I mean, let alone type of stuff, it's crazy how expensive it can be and you start getting into suspension components and body parts from pushing on it or whatever. I mean it can add up real fast. So you know, not only is there the monetary part of being able to, you know, get your money out of the machine, it's the fact that you're reducing the risk of potential damage claims, which you know can affect the bottom line of any company, especially if you have too many of them. I mean, our insurance rates are so crazy right now, the way it is.
Speaker 3:You know, most people are going to try to out-of-pocket some of those claims and you know, there again, this is another way to prevent that from happening. You have your initial investment in the machine, but after that it's the potential of reducing any additional damage claims is huge. And there again as well, safety, you know, using go jacks where the thing can get away from you. I've heard a lot of horror stories from people about using go jacks and parking structures trying to get these things out of there and they've gotten away, or a go jack kicks out and damages the vehicle and, just like I said, the potential of four comp claims for that matter. Pushing these things around in parking garages or wherever, even in parking lots, it just it eliminates a lot of that type of stuff. So there's the way bigger picture involved here than just the purchase of the machine to make it simpler to tow vehicles.
Speaker 2:Man, that's what I was thinking. Thanks for explaining that, Paul Well, DJ, I'm going to throw the next one to you, sir.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it just blended into my next question, which is perfect. How has the rescue track impacted your overall operating costs and profits? So it was a perfect lead-in Sure sure.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and it has definitely. Obviously, we were nervous when we first bought it. I was almost at a buyer's remorse of what did I just do when I bought this machine, because there really was nothing like it Mine was the second machine in the US, so there was nothing around to compare it to and I thought, god, what did I just do? And I'm not going to, you know, say that it happened right away because it took some time. I mean, it was something different, something new, so we had to phase it in over a period of time and, you know, be able to start recouping some of the money that we, you know, invested into that machine. But then we started to get referrals from dealerships, from competitors, from other dealerships that weren't even in our area, that knew that we had the machine, and it really just kind of snowballed. And you know, we use that machine in the small little town where we're at, we use it a lot because we're the only ones that haveed. And you know we use that machine in the small little town where we're at, we use it a lot because we're the only ones that have it. And so for us to get recommendations from competitors is a big deal, and they're again from our dealers.
Speaker 3:And you know, at the time when we first started to use the machine people didn't really care the costs and they still don't, for that matter. They just were happy that somebody would do it, because they would contact so many different places that we won't touch it. We can't do it, we don't want to get involved. Especially when the EVs first were kind of really coming out, nobody wanted to mess with them because they were afraid of what they were. Now that phobia is not quite there, but still we run into that a lot where they're just happy that we were able to get it done. In fact I had one guy tell me I would have called you if I knew you were going to bring the machine anyway, just to see how it worked. He said it was so cool even if my car wasn't broke down.
Speaker 1:Well, Darren, that next question goes right into what I just said to him yeah, yep, flowing right along here, sir, yes, sir.
Speaker 2:Well, paul, have you been able to add I know the listeners are wondering this now additional charges for jobs when you use that rescue track out there on the job?
Speaker 3:yes, we do, and and there's there's different rates obviously for who we're doing it for and what we're doing it. We've actually been working with some of the different roadsides now and they're seeing the need for this as well. So we're really gaining some ground with some of these roadsides to be able to get additional fees for the use of the machine. And there again our dealerships they're happy that we're using as well, no issues for anybody, you know, with the cost of what we're doing. And there again it took some time to do this. It didn't happen overnight.
Speaker 3:But now there's becoming some recognition from different roadsides that hey, these things are out here and obviously they're not cheap machines but they get the job done correctly and right the first time. So they're seeing that, hey, we need to compensate for the use of this. So it's definitely come a long way, darren, since the very beginning on when we first introduced them or when I had gotten my machine. So I think everybody knows for the most part that it's out there now and now we're starting to get that recognition where we're able to start charging those fees. That's something I would definitely help anybody with to get them down the right path, being there before myself of how to introduce it, to get the machine out there and be able to build on that to implement it into their company. On that to implement into their company.
Speaker 2:So it much like what we dealt with in the past from you know, if somebody has an overhead light bar they're using, if somebody has a winch box they had to use or something on the scene. Now the rescue track is becoming just another piece of equipment. That's a checkoff. This is how hours and so on can be added right to the ticket. Yeah, it definitely is, man. That's fantastic, paul, that's fantastic. Well, dj, you got the next one and I'll let you take us to break off that one too, since you did such a good job on the last.
Speaker 1:All right. So before we take a break and then we're going to, I want to tell our listeners when we come back from break we're going to clear up any kind of misconceptions. So listen to my question to Paul what benefits have you seen from using Rescue Track that you might not have experienced otherwise?
Speaker 3:Well, yeah, doc, I mean it's definitely been a change for us and beneficial in multiple aspects for us. I mean we do so much more volume of different things. I mean one of the big things that I never encompassed that we would ever do we bring a lot of vehicles inside for dealerships, stuff that we didn't even tow it in to the dealer, maybe another company towed it, but the dealers are running into the same problems that we are. They can't get them to roll, they can't get them to move. So we get called a lot of times just to go to the dealership, pick this vehicle up and bring it inside so they can work on it. I mean we'll actually put them in on side their hoist. So and they love that fact because they're again, they're not trying to figure out how to get this thing in and trying to use forklifts or whatever to try to get them inside and risk damaging vehicles.
Speaker 3:So I mean there's some instances where we'll move a vehicle four times before it's actually fixed. It's the initial tow that we got to bring it in. They don't have room for it inside, so we put it out in their parking lot. They'll call us back later on. We'll bring it inside, put it on the bay. They'll do their estimate and figure out they don't have the parts. They call us back. We haul it back outside, put it in the lot. Two to three weeks later, when the parts come in, they'll call us back and we bring it inside. So we may move that vehicle four times before it's finally fixed and out the door. And that was just something that we did not expect that would occur. Is is those type of situations where we're using it in that that scope gotcha well let me ask yeah, let me ask this dj real quick commercial.
Speaker 2:Now I've got to ask, paul now we're not just talking about moving in chevrolet's right when you, when you're going to dealerships, what kind of, what kind of brand names have opened up since you've had that piece of equipment real quick.
Speaker 3:Well, where we're at there again, I'm not in a big luxury market, so the most common thing for us is going to be your BMW, your Mercedes, volvo, audi. We do some Range Rovers where we haul them about 185 miles away to our closest dealer for a Range Rover dealer, and those are the most common ones that we're running across. But we are seeing some more of some of the typical GM stuff, even like in Cadillac CT-5, some of those they're again. They won't. You can't get them into neutral, you can't get them to roll. So we're running into those where we're bringing those inside or hauling those for the dealers, and then, of course, all the EVs as well. So, yeah, I mean you don't have to have the luxury market. For us, our luxury market is actually the vehicles that I just mentioned, because we're up in the snow country where we just don't see your true luxury vehicles.
Speaker 2:Got you. Got you. Well, listeners, let's do this. Let's take a quick break. When we come back, we'll have more information from Paul guys, owner advanced track solutions and a supporter of the rescue track man. This is one of the latest pieces of equipment. You want to get it now. You want to be the McDonald's, not the burger King. That's what gets you the contracts before your competitors. Keep listening guys.
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Speaker 1:Welcome back listeners. Of course you know you're listening to the number one podcast in the total recovery industry. This has been a great one. I cannot thank Paul enough for being on it. I want to thank all of our listeners. Because of you liking, reviewing and sharing everywhere, this podcast has just boomed, and in the last four or five months, of course, us all being in Ohio pretty soon, that'll be a good one for us too. If you would like to have your company on a podcast or your association has some information they want to share with the largest podcast going, just dial our hotline number 706-409-5603. And Darren and I will do our very best to get that industry expert on this podcast. So, darren, is it my turn or your turn?
Speaker 2:I'm going to let you have it. Dj, you run with it, good job.
Speaker 1:I just happen to like Paul. I mean he knows the business.
Speaker 2:He's good people man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, good, good people. Okay, Paul. Here's the next one I want to, and this is under the area of clearing up misconceptions. Sure, what are the most common misconceptions companies have with the rescue track?
Speaker 3:You know, DJ, this could be an episode in itself because, we run across so much of that.
Speaker 3:You know, I think the biggest thing is one of the things that we talked about at the beginning of the episode here, of being able to get the machine with a vehicle on a truck altogether. I hear that a lot where you need one machine or one truck for the machine and then one truck for the vehicle that you're hauling, and that's just not the case. If you've got an adequate truck, you can do it all in one shot. That's the whole purpose of this is to try to eliminate having multiple trucks that have seen multiple drivers. So you've got one truck, one machine, one driver that can do this one call while another one is at another location. They're again creating additional revenue versus having two trucks and two drivers at one call. So it simplifies the whole process. Right there, they're again having that one person at a scene allowing another truck to be at another call, generating additional income as well as this. Generating additional income because you, well as this, generating additional income because you're using extra equipment that you are going to charge for. So it just it's, you know, multi level as far as what it does for for the company.
Speaker 3:And then you know, there again, the limitations of the what the machine can do EVs it's not just for EVs.
Speaker 3:It's not just for EVs, it's not just for parking garages.
Speaker 3:There's so many different avenues that you can use this for in different ways. I mean, we've used it on vehicles that have had busted ball joints they're again that they wanted into the shop, where there's these little pads that you can actually pick up a vehicle right behind the wheel, so you're not lifting the entire wheel up it's kind of dangling and you can set it into the bay and then they can raise it right off the rescue track to put it into their hoist without doing any potential damage, for, you know, on a fender or whatever, as you're trying to, you know, slide it off or on the bed or whatever. So there's there's just so many different misconceptions about how the machine can be used, what what it can be used for. Is it going to solve every one of the problems? No, absolutely not. But what it is is another tool for your arsenal that you already have and use to be able to complete a specific job in a hopefully a better, a quicker manner and safer manner for the company that has the machine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I use that expression. It gives you another arrow in your quiver and people don't realize that, just this piece of equipment, and if they go to your website, they learn so much about it and before we get the podcast done, we'll give them the website and give them all the information. Great, all right. Darren, you hit the next misconception.
Speaker 2:Well, we touched on this a little bit in that previous question, but I did want to ask, since you have the majority of your experience in South Dakota, tell us how that challenges the idea that rescue track is only for EVs and parking structures.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and you know I mean they're a perfect example, darren. I mean South Dakota. The entire population of the entire state is under a million and where I'm at my town is what? 220,000. So my biggest towns around me would be Omaha, nebraska, about 180 miles away, minneapolis, minnesota, about 250 miles away. So those are our bigger areas, but you know, in my little community where I'm at, I still have so many ample opportunities to use this machine, as we've kind of discussed over the course of this podcast, that if I can make it work in South Dakota, you can make it work about anywhere in the country, because it isn't just for urban cities you know large volume cities Are they going to use it more Probably. But definitely it's not limited to just those types of areas where you're confined to just tight parking spots or just, you know, parking structures or high volumes of EVs, just parking structures or high volumes of EVs. It's a combination of all those different things that makes that machine so useful in any application, no matter where you're at.
Speaker 3:So it's definitely something that's going to be a building block for your company to gain more customer base, because you get so many referral calls once it's out there that you have it and that's part of your marketing. That's something that you have to do when you get it. The old saying is build it and they will come. Well, in this particular case, buy it and they will come. It's not going to happen immediately unless you're doing a great job with your marketing, but the more people see it when you're out using it, definitely it builds and it turns heads. I'm always being recorded, videoed when I'm using it, because it's something that nobody sees and the only company in the area that has it. I feel it's very beneficial because it puts your name on top of all your competitors having the first machine. It's the brand's recognition, because now they know what to call ABC towing, because ABC towing has this type of equipment that nobody else has. So it's that recognition of being an industry leader and staying up on what you're doing.
Speaker 2:That's a huge thing, yeah and you touched on it earlier, paul, I know you mentioned some. You said not high in luxury. But I'm going to tell you from the BMWs you mentioned Audis, Volvos, mercedes-benz, some of those models, you know some of those the aluminum frames, the structures. You pick those up wrong, you blow the back window out, you twist the car. So a lot of those companies would rather not have somebody. We've seen everybody take a gas-powered vehicle and locked up rear end and just wiggle it off the carrier. You can't do that with an electric vehicle or a high-end vehicle. Somebody's not going to sit there and watch you shake their GT63 off a carrier.
Speaker 2:So I would think pulling up to the dealerships and just showing them the equipment could bring in high-end dealers that you've never dealt with. But also just thinking in my head, Paul, I know people aren't going to believe this, but in Birmingham, Alabama, we have a huge car scene, and I'm talking McLaren, 720Ss, 1300 horsepower, GTRs, Ferrari, F40s, Maseratis, you name it all of your high-end luxury vehicles GT3s, GT2, Porsches, and you know some of our local towers do come to the Cars and Coffee events. But I would think as simple as marketing is hook up with your local Cars and Coffee. Take this machine down there, pick up somebody's AMG, shut it down and then every high-end buyer in that parking lot you're going to get the call if their car breaks down yeah, that's your next call and that's that's a good point there.
Speaker 3:and, um, you know some of these newer vehicles with these, the carbon fiber frames, that's not something you're going to pick up with a tow truck and dollies, um it's. It's just too too risky to to have a potential damage and you're not talking a few thousand dollars there. If you damage something, you're totaled out a vehicle, potentially on a high-end vehicle like that. So definitely something that needs to be considered when you're looking at those types of vehicles. And there again, like I said, I don't see a lot of them.
Speaker 3:But you know, one of our customers that had bought a rescue track has a one of the higher end dealerships that once they saw the machine said we want every vehicle towed into the dealership on that machine. And the company said well, you know, it's not necessary for all of them. They said, no, we, we want it done this way. So they didn't care about the cost of it at that point. Again, it's a high-end dealership. So they basically told the towing company anytime you tow one for us, this is how we want it brought in, because they know there's no potential for damage at all.
Speaker 2:Very safe, love it. Look at that. I think we talked about this earlier and I'm probably wrong, dj. I know you knew him, him, so you can tell me if I'm wrong on the quote. But I think it was Ben Franklin that said if we jumped at opportunities as often as we do at conclusions, we do pretty good. Had to tease you with that one, dj, but no, it's you thought I knew him personally yeah, I thought you might have had homeroom with him or something, don't worry.
Speaker 1:Paul, he thinks I served at the last supper also. Okay, here's what I want to ask how do you think that the technology will influence the towing and recovery industry in the coming years?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, and that's been something that's been evolving for the last several years. You know, you look back in the history of the towing industry when you had your sling trucks. You know no wheel lifts, just the sling trucks how the vehicle started to evolve and you saw plastic bumpers come along and all of a sudden now you've seen wheel lifts come about and then came the flatbed, because we started running into the all-wheel drives and then the autoloaders on the wreckers and on flatbeds too, for that matter. So the industry changes as the evolution of the vehicles have changed, and you know this type of equipment. The rescue track is, I think, the next step of where the industry is going, based on the vehicles that are out there and how they've evolved.
Speaker 3:It's not just a matter of putting a key in the ignition and pulling the lever down and throw it into neutrally more, it's way more complicated than that, and the majority of these vehicles that are coming out 24s and and 25s. A lot of them don't have the shift lock releases and if they do, you spend 20-30 minutes figuring out how to get them into neutral, only to find out that the electronic park brake is not going to disengage now. So you're still in the same position after you wasted 20-30 minutes trying to get this thing to roll, to get it up onto your truck, and now you end up skating it or dollying it or whatever anyway. So you know this type of equipment. I do feel it's. It's the future of where our industry is headed, based on what we're seeing in the industry as far as the types of vehicles that are out there now.
Speaker 1:Now, Paul, can I ask you this how do our listeners get ahold of you at Advanced Track Solutions? What's the best way for them to contact you?
Speaker 3:You know we have every available opportunity through either phone, through email, through our website. You can fill out requests on our website if you want to. They're again contacting us directly by phone. You're going to speak to me. I answer all the phone calls. So yeah, all the different opportunities, like I said, through email as well.
Speaker 1:Can I give them 605-799-3977?.
Speaker 3:Correct. Yes, Yep, that'll ring directly to me.
Speaker 1:Let me say it again Paul, so our listeners for Advanced Track Solutions LLC. 605-799-3977. And Paul, his last name is spelled G-I-E-S-E.
Speaker 3:Correct Giese, paul Giese, yep, giese, e-s-e. Correct Geese, paul Geese, yep, yep. And I you know I'm I'm happy to field phone calls from people just inquiring about you know how they're going to make it work in there. I mean, I get a lot of the questions on on return on investment and we're happy We've got some spreadsheets that we can go through with people to show what kind of a timeframe depending upon what they're going to put down on the machines. And I know that was a concern too.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:It was the cost of the machines. Well, a few years ago they were exceptionally higher priced than what they are now. We've been able to get that price to come down, while everything else has been going up. We actually were able to come down, so it's a very competitive price. Now I feel where we're at with these, compared to what it was two to three years ago. If somebody had looked at that point.
Speaker 1:And you got a finance company to help, so that's another plus, yeah.
Speaker 3:And these machines are sometimes a little bit difficult to finance if you're using your local bank, just because they're not titled. It'd be similar to like a skid loader or something like that. So some of the smaller, more local banks don't like to finance that type of equipment. But we do have a finance partner that we work with that can definitely get that done for you and, from what I understand, they can even set it up so when you have your peak times versus your slower times, they can adjust those payments for you. So when you have your peak times versus your slower times, they can adjust those payments for you. So when you hit your off season, like we all do, they can actually lower those payments for you during that time. So you're not spending quite as much. You know paying for that machine when your overall volume is down.
Speaker 1:Gotcha, which is perfect. Yes, so it's Advanced Track Solutions LLC. So it's Advanced Track Solutions LLC, but the website is advancedtracksolutionscom. Yes, that's correct, you got it. Well, my dear friend Darren, what do you say?
Speaker 2:Man. I tell you, I told you, dj, this was going to be a hot one and, as always, I'd like to end this episode with a prayer. As always, dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for every one of our vendors. Father, I ask you, continue to increase their knowledge in the industry, increase the products that they're able to bring to our market. That increases safety and builds margins for our folks in the industry. And, dear Heavenly Father, I ask you, protect every one of our towers out there, the men and women with a servant's heart that goes out there every day to make a difference to get our loved ones home. Dear Lord, increase them, bring them home back safely and just continue to put a hedge of protection around their home and around our nation. Father, we certainly need it. Thank you and amen. Thank you and God bless you for making Tow Professional one of the top podcasts in this industry. We appreciate you listening to us and tune in next week for the next update from Tow Professional on the go podcast. Thank you.