Tow Professional Podcast
Tow Professional Podcast
Safer, Faster Tows With Push To Talk
A single button can change the way a tow fleet moves. We brought on Tony Pierce from EMCI Wireless to walk us through how Motorola WAVE PTX delivers true instant communication—push to talk with nationwide reach—so dispatch, drivers, and recovery teams stay synced without towers, repeaters, or the wait time of phone calls.
We dig into the gear that makes it work in the real world. Tony breaks down the rugged TLK 110 handheld with GPS and Bluetooth, the in-vehicle TLK 150 built for loud cabs and hands-free use, and the ultra-compact TLK 25 that pairs with Bluetooth accessories for low-profile comms. All three connect to the same cloud backbone used by the WAVE smartphone app and dispatch console, so you can form talk groups for heavy recoveries, night shifts, or regional crews and reach everyone at once with one press.
Safety and reliability sit at the center of the conversation. With GPS tracking, dispatchers can see trucks in real time, and an emergency button on the devices sends instant alerts when a scene turns risky. Audio stays clear over rotator noise and highway traffic, and encryption protects your communications. Because WAVE PTX runs on Motorola Solutions’ mission-critical platform—the same DNA trusted by public safety—you get uptime and voice quality that off-brand apps can’t match. EMCI Wireless adds live, personal support and device programs backed by 50 years of Motorola experience.
We also unpack the business side: subscription pricing per device, flexible purchase and lease options, and zero infrastructure to build or license. That means you can start with a few units, add more as your fleet grows, and avoid the hassles of sharing personal phone numbers with company contacts. Real fleets are already seeing faster dispatch, fewer missed calls, and calmer, safer recoveries.
Ready to modernize your communications? Check out ptanywh.com or call Tony at 954-376-3235 to get your team connected. If this conversation helped, follow the show, share it with your crew, and leave a review so more pros can find it.
Well, welcome one and all. This is Darren Weaver with Toad Professional Podcast. You are there. We are here. This is Toad Professional Podcast. Remember, this is your podcast. It's for the pros that have a need to know, that are on the go. It's truly the voice of the towing and recovery industry. And uh today, guys, this is going to be a good one. We've got uh, we do have DJ out. My host is out on vacation today. Uh, so he got a little uh time to kick his feet up, relax a little bit. But guys, today we have Tony Pierce. Uh, he is the product sales specialist for EMCI Wireless. And guys, you know about these products in the industry, they are something that can help you um throughout the day and uh helps helps with safety as well. This is a product that everybody has seen out there, and we're gonna tell you how to get it today. Uh, so with that, Tony, welcome to the podcast, brother.
SPEAKER_03:Thanks, Darren. I appreciate the opportunity to be here. Hey, everybody out there in the tow professional world.
SPEAKER_05:Man, we're glad to have you here, brother. Somebody, some of y'all might have seen Tony in the past. Tony had stopped by and hung out with me at the Florida Toe Show and was at the booth just hanging out. We were talking, and he got to meet a lot a lot of our uh toe professional fan base there as they were coming through shaking the pom-poms. Um, it was a good time, but man, we've got some some great information today. And let's uh let's start out with one here. This first one I want to start with, Tony, is uh for our listeners, we we've got a little over 23,000 worldwide. Uh so I want to lay out to them what exactly is Motorola Wave PTX and why is it a good fit for towing and transport companies?
SPEAKER_03:Sure. Actually, Wave PTX uh is Motorola's push to talk over cellular platform. Um, so in simple terms, uh it lets teams talk instantly with the push of a button, uh, kind of like traditional two-way radios. A lot of people always have that walkie-talkie name in their head when they hear about these. Um, but they work over cell phone service like 4G LTE as well as Wi-Fi. Um, so whether your drivers are across town or across state lines, you can always stay connected with them. Um so for those tow and transport companies, that means faster dispatching, quicker response times, uh, and better coordination between drivers and office staff uh without having to worry about radio range or location. Man, that is fantastic.
SPEAKER_05:I see how so helpful that can be. Well, Tony, let me ask you how is how is Wave PTX different from like a regular two-way radio or even just uh using a cell phone?
SPEAKER_03:That's a great question. So uh cell phones are great for those one-on-one calls, uh, but they're not instant. You have to dial, wait, hope the other person answers. Uh, and traditional two-way radios are instant, but they're limited in the range that they could reach each other with without adding repeaters and stuff like that. Uh, so WAVE PTX brings those brings those two worlds together and gives you that instant push-to-talk experience of a radio uh with the nationwide reach of cellular network. Uh so your tow operator uh could be 300 miles away and dispatch can still reach them again with that one push of a button.
SPEAKER_05:Man, that is uh that's fantastic. So quicker response times, uh better coordination between drivers and office staff, faster dispatching. Um is there a downside? Because I'm not seeing one, Tony. This sounds like it's and I mean you don't you don't have to worry about the uh like you said, you can just push and there it is. It's no uh no worries. So correct. This is this is fantastic. It's fantastic. Well, what what kind of devices are part of the Wave portfolio that you guys are? Sure.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, so they have a full lineup um depending on the team needs, right? Uh so the TLK 110 uh is our rugged handheld, it's simple to use, uh, it's just a push-to-talk device. Um, it has Wi-Fi capabilities, Bluetooth capabilities, and GPS, so you can track your fleet in real time. Uh we also have the TLK 150, uh, which is a vehicle-mounted radio, uh, perfect for tow trucks and transport vehicles. Um, and then we also have the new TLK 25, uh, which is Motorola's smallest, lightest push-to-talk device. Uh about the size of uh, you know, like a key fob on your vehicle. Um and it connects again either over that LTE service or Wi-Fi and works with all Bluetooth accessories. Um all these devices work together um as well as with the uh phone apps that are available uh and the full dispatch computer software program that they offer.
SPEAKER_05:Oh, that's fantastic. So let me ask you this. So if I've got several drivers and dispatch and so on, I can every one of them can have one of these units and be able to just push to talk and grab each other at any time.
SPEAKER_03:Correct. Yeah, with the network, uh you set up the talk groups and with one push of a button, you can talk to the whole team at one time. Wow.
SPEAKER_05:So you're telling me also if they're um on the side of the road, they're working a wreck, um, working with a rotator, they've got one person down the down a ravine trying to hook up instead of the that you've seen some of the the comical types where they're yelling down the hill, right? Doesn't look uh that professional on the side of the road in front of the the troopers and others. Um, they can just key up and have the whole team on there talking back and forth without shouting.
SPEAKER_03:Exactly. Yeah, definitely looks way more professional than screaming over your rotatories, uh um, you know, noise and all that good stuff.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, that and with doing that, I mean, that's why I think Tony that also adds a safety factor because when you got that many people working the side and they've got something they can just pick up, push to talk, and talk right back and forth to that person that's on the crew and talk with everybody that's on it inside the group. Man, that's phenomenal.
SPEAKER_03:Exactly.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, listeners, you're getting an earful today with uh with Tony Pierce here, uh, the product sales specialist from EMCI Wireless. Guys and girls, y'all hang on here. We're gonna take a quick commercial break and hear some from our awesome sponsors, and we'll be back in just a minute, and we'll have more knowledge from Tony on their line of push the talk technology. We'll be right back.
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SPEAKER_05:All right, welcome back, listeners. You are listening to the Toe Professional Podcast. Every week we do our best to bring you the great guest and industry information. Make sure you download and listen. We're available on Spotify, iTunes, Pandora, Stitcher, iHeartMedia, Amazon, or wherever you get your podcast. Now, Tony, when we left, man, we were talking about how um interchangeable this thing is. You can you can add your your members on there, you can have them in groups that you can talk with, the dispatchers can use it. Um like I said, man, I'm not seeing a downside or reason not to run out and get one right now. Faster dispatching, quicker response, so on. Um, but let's let me ask you this. We were just I just mentioned safety, and with safety being a big concern in towing, how does uh does Wave PTX help keep the drivers and operators safe on the road?
SPEAKER_03:Absolutely. Safety is everything in this industry with Wave PTX. Dispatchers can instantly check where their drivers are, send help if someone's in trouble, or even broadcast an alert to the whole team. If something goes wrong, drivers can hit the emergency button right on their TLK device to send an instant alert. Dispatchers then can coordinate help immediately. Uh, the hands-free capabilities is another safety win in the industry, um, especially with the TLK 25 or TLK 150. Uh, it lets drivers communicate without taking their eyes off the road. Uh, the dispatcher systems include GPS tracking, uh, like I said, emergency features. Um, so if something happens on the side of the road, uh your drivers can get help right away. Uh it's all about getting teams a safer way to stay connected.
SPEAKER_05:Brother, that's yeah, that's awesome right there. And that's what I was talking about. I think that's uh very pivotal. Um I mean, you tell me they've got the ability to even broadcast an alert to the whole team. Um, and we know, like you said, how dangerous um this line of business is. And uh this can be uh, you know, when we deal with things that can happen uh in in a mere seconds, um, and getting help uh can come down to saving someone and not as mere seconds. And when you've got a device on you that you can have uh send off an emergency alert, that's fantastic. But also, man, uh kudos on a hands-free capability because that's that's something all the insurance companies are looking for. Uh and we know uh uh how the rates are on insurance in the industry. So uh I know our companies are looking for everything to help make their drivers safer. And with the GPS tracking coming with it and emergency features, it's a win-win, Tony. I still hadn't seen a downside yet, brother. I'm I'm looking, but I hadn't seen it yet. Uh so far, listeners, looks like EMCI Wireless has thought of everything when it comes to their their system with a Motorola. So uh well, let me ask you this. For a for a towing company that says, hey, I've never used that before. I'm used to, I just got past the flip phone and now I'm working on the the latest thing that they've never used Wave before. Is it complicated to set up or manage?
SPEAKER_03:Not at all. Um, that's one of the best parts about this system, uh, is that there's no radio infrastructure to install, uh no repeaters, no towers. You don't have to buy FCC licensing or anything like that. Um, everything runs over cellular network. Um, you can literally hand someone a radio um or just download the WAVE app and then they're up and running within minutes. Um, it's a super flexible system. Um and whether you got five trucks or 50 trucks, um, you can manage the users or uh devices online from anywhere. Um so the system is really customizable for however you need it for your business. Um in addition to having it be this easy um and being a cloud-based solution, um, here at EMCI Wireless, we take pride in long-term relationship um built on trust, performance, and local service excellence. Um, the same values that have kept our business in business for 50 years. Um you get lives, you get live support from me directly from me. So I from the day you order till after the sale, I'm your guy.
SPEAKER_05:Man, that that is fantastic. And 50 years, man, wow, that's uh that's a tremendous amount of time. We're going back to when I even had hair uh before. So that that's that's a long time to be in business, man. That that speaks volumes right there. And uh hey, and you know, one thing I've heard, Tony, when it comes to it, some of the owners have told me I said, you know, one of the problems is when they hire some of these guys and they give them a cell phone uh to use, and then that driver starts giving everybody the number and they're using that cell phone like it's theirs, and then they get an argument over the trying to get the number back and hey, you got to release that. That was I was using that for personal calls, kind of thing. And this just cuts all that out of the equation, cuts it all out. You you've got something here. If the driver works out, he's got a great tool to use going forward. If it doesn't, pick that one up, hand it to the next one, right?
SPEAKER_03:Exactly, exactly.
SPEAKER_05:No reprogramming, no change of numbers, it's just right there, ready to go. So uh man, that is fantastic, fantastic. Well, this next one I want to ask is do you have any um, and I know my listeners want to know this. Do we have any real-world examples of towing or transport companies already using WAVE PTX?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, definitely. Um, I've worked with hundreds of towing services that operate across the country. Um, one of my companies here in Florida, they equipped all their drivers with the TLK 150s. Um, and before WAVE, they struggled with connecting to their staff and having missed calls. Uh, now dispatch can talk to anyone instantly, no matter where they are. Um, they even see where the truck is in real time. Um, they've told us it makes their response times faster and their drivers feel safer. Uh, it's been a game changer for their customer service too. Um REMCI customers keep on coming back to us because we offer them personalized service and we help them uh with any customized needs that they have. Um, you know, over the last five, seven years I've been doing this. Uh, you know, I've been to all the tow shows. So, you know, towing is one of my biggest industries that I service with these radios.
SPEAKER_05:Man, that's so awesome! And guys, let me tell you, I've known Tony about five years myself, seen him at the shows over and over again. And one thing I can tell you, he loves meeting people, he loves folks, uh, he loves taking care of them. He's passionate about this industry. And I tell you, a lot of times, you know, when it comes down to it, you can have a great product, but behind it, what you have to worry about is that person as passionate about my business as I am, are they gonna look after it like me? And uh, I can tell you the job here at Toe Professional, we've done business with people for years. When we know good people, we pass them on to others. And Tony's good people, folks. So uh if you're looking for communication needs, make sure you reach out to him. Uh with that, Tony, we're gonna take one more quick uh commercial break and we'll get back to the back half of the podcast. Listeners, you hang in there. We'll be back in just a moment with more great information from Tony at EMCI Wireless. We'll be right back.
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SPEAKER_05:Welcome, one and all, Tow Professional Podcast. Back at you again with more great information from Tony Pierce with EMCI Wireless. Well, we were talking about the uh real-world examples of uh of towing transport companies that are using Wave PTX. You didn't hear in the last segment. If you're not using it, you're getting behind the times. There's hundreds of companies out there using it right now. Everybody's switching that way. So uh it's you know, it's like when you saw the sling trucks starting to go away and you looked at the new trucks and you were like, man, that looks crazy. I don't know if we can ever handle that. And then everybody had them before you knew it. Same thing here. Don't be behind in time. Go out there and check them out now. Well, Tony, the the next thing I got for you, brother, you are uh you're bringing it to us today, and I'm loving this. For uh, for our towing companies that are listening to this and thinking about upgrading their communications, what would you tell them?
SPEAKER_03:Call me now. Uh-huh. But I'd say if you if you want your team to stay connected, be safer, and more efficient, no matter where on the road takes them, Wave PTX is the way to go, along with the EMCI support from me. Um, Wave PTX gives you instant communication across your entire fleet without the limitations of traditional radios. Um, it's easy to use, it's affordable, um, and it really helps your team work smarter. Uh, whether you're coordinating recoveries, dispatching calls, or just checking on driver safety, WAVE helps keep everyone on the same channel.
SPEAKER_05:Man, I love that. Like you said, it's it's instant, keeps everybody together. You can dispatch calls, coordinate recoveries. Again, Tony, no downside yet, man. It's uh you're gonna you're gonna have me one. Like I told you, I do the four four by four, and so I'm I'm thinking I need some anyway to hook hook my buddies up with while we're out there and don't get lost or stuck. Definitely. Okay, the next thing I want to ask, is there a is there a lot of other push to talk or push over cellular products out there and and what makes uh the the Wave Motorola PTX different and better?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that's a really good question. Um, because there are a lot of low-cost push-to-talk apps out there. Uh, there's a lot of off-brand radios floating around out there. Um on the surface, they might look similar, um, but the difference really is reliability and support. Um, the Wave PTX is built on Motorola Solutions, um, mission critical communications platform, um, basically similar uh technology that uh is trusted by first responders, uh, public safety agencies, uh, and transportation fleets all over the country. The voice quality, uptime, security, um, everything's encrypted and private. So they're all a whole different level than the other solutions that are available out there. Plus, when you go with uh EMCI wireless, uh, you're not just buying the device, you're getting a whole ecosystem support from us, uh, technical support, uh, device replacement programs. Um, and like I said earlier, you get our 50 years of Motorola uh experience. You know, like I said, while while there's some cheaper products out there, you know, there's nothing like the Motorola wave quality. And if if if you know Motorola, you know they're the number one two-way radio in the world.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, I I tell you, man, when you said Motorola, I mean, like I said before, before I when I had hair, I knew who Motorola was when I was a little kid. And anytime you watch the TV shows, anything you see, whether it be first responders or three-letter agencies or whatever, that's what they all got on. And uh when everyone carries a certain product name, it you kind of figure out well, uh, might be a reason behind that because it's exactly up the test of time. Yeah, and uh that is something, man. Fantastic. Well, uh, I know everybody's going, all right. Well, let's get to it. Let's what where's the hook? What is it? Because there's no there's no downside to this yet. I've found listeners. Um, there's only upside for you and your business. So, Tony, let me ask you the big one. How does pricing work for Wave PTX? And is it affordable for smaller towing companies too?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, one of the best things again with the WAVE system is that it's a subscription-based system. Okay. Um, so you don't need to make a big investment uh up front in infrastructure or anything like that. Um, so you just pay a low monthly service fee per device, uh, kind of like your cell phone plan, but cheaper. Okay. Uh, and that covers your nationwide push to talk service. Um, the TLK devices themselves are competitively priced, they're not super expensive, uh, sometimes half the cost of what it would cost you to buy a cell phone. Wow. Um and they offer different flexible purchase plans as well as kind of like a lease option where you could literally get started with little to nothing out of pocket to get set up. So whether you're running a multi-truck operation or a large regional fleet, uh, you can scale this system up or down very easily.
SPEAKER_05:Wow. So it doesn't matter if you're a uh 20 or 60 truck fleet or just a two-truck startup company, correct? You got something that everybody can get into.
SPEAKER_03:Exactly. Yep.
SPEAKER_05:And uh and and take Tony's word on it, folks. Uh the Motorola is a fantastic product. Um, they can make things that look like a Corvette, but they're not all a Corvette. They can make them look like it. But uh you you you got to step up to get the quality, and that's what they've done with this is backing a product that's Motorola, is uh put you a quality product there that you can trust on because we know our first responders have to trust in their tools that are in their toolbox on a daily basis. Well, Tony, I tell you, this is fantastic. Well, let me ask you this if our listeners want more information, where do they need to go to see more info on the product? Um, can they go to uh pushtalk ptanywh.com?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, ptanywh.com is our website. Uh that's our dedicated website just for all the Wave push to talk um products. Um my email is apierce at emci wireless.com. And my phone number, my direct phone number is 954-376-3235.
SPEAKER_05:Guys, let me tell you something. If you've ever wondered, is this something I should step to? Is this uh technology too advanced for me? Man, it's the uh slickest walkie-talkie you ever seen in your life. A push to talk with cellular ability. So all you got to do is push it. Your folks are right there at the end, and then they couple that with GPS and um emergency alerts, other things that are that are added to the product. Let me tell you, and also a cost uh half of what you'd spend on a cell phone or less. Guys, it's it's something you got to look into. And when you're out there working that big recovery on the side of the road, you got people watching you, no yelling down the hill, hey, hook the sucker up. All you got to do is just click it, talk, clear as it can be, and you look like uh you stay looking like a tow professional every time on the side of the road. So, folks, for for more information, ptanywh.com. You can go take a look at the website. Very informative, a lot of information there for you. Also, give Tony a call, 954-376-3235. You can reach him directly, he'll answer any questions you have and can tell you how he can help um your business and help you stay connected. And as always, uh, we thank every one of our listeners for making Toe Professional the number one podcast in the industry. And as always, folks, before we go, uh I'll end with a prayer for our industry. Dear Heavenly Father, I just thank you for every one of our vendors in the industry. I thank you uh for them bring the products that they bring to us. We just ask you continuously increase their knowledge and their ability to bring products that bring more safety and connectivity in this industry for for our first responders. And dear Heavenly Father, I just ask you put a hedge of protection around our first responders, keep our men and women safe as they go out there on the highways and byways to take care of our family members, help them come back home safe and bless them for their heart of service. And we ask that in your precious name. And listeners, as always, we appreciate you tuning in, Toe Professional Podcast. Tune in next time. We'll have more industry experts on here, like Tony Pierce of EMCI Wireless. And guys, if you're not connected yet, give Tony a call and get connected. 954-376-3235, or you can get him on his email directly at apierce at emciwireless.com. Uh, until next time, keep listening. We appreciate you and God bless. Have a great week.