Tow Professional Podcast
Tow Professional Podcast
How Hands-On Training Builds Safer Tow Teams
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One bad hookup can erase a month of profit, and one shortcut can change a life forever. That’s why we brought on Beau White, CEO of Towing and Recovery Academy and a longtime heavy recovery operator, to get painfully clear about what training really buys you: fewer damage claims, fewer injuries, stronger confidence under pressure, and a reputation that stands up when everyone has a camera.
We talk through Beau’s path into towing, why he chose to join Hannon, and what great leadership looks like when owners show up on the roadside and invest in people like family. From there, the conversation goes deep on the real-world value of towing and recovery training: how humility separates good operators from great ones, why “I’ve always done it that way” is dangerous, and how hands-on learning beats watching from the back of a crowded class. Bo also shares a standout recovery bringing a loaded tractor-trailer out of the water during a hurricane, and why you don’t “rise to the occasion” as much as you fall back on your training.
We also get into what makes Towing and Recovery Academy different: small classes, “no wallflowers,” and a culture where questions don’t get mocked. Bo announces the next step in heavy duty recovery training with an indoor heated and air-conditioned facility in Maryland, plus the chance to get hands-on with serious equipment. If you run a towing company, manage a team, or want to level up as an operator, this is a practical playbook for safer, cleaner, more professional recoveries.
Subscribe wherever you listen, share this with one operator who needs it, and leave a review so more tow pros can find the training-first mindset.
Welcome And Guest Overview
SPEAKER_05Well, welcome one and all. You are there. We are here. This is Toe Professional On the Go Podcast. And remember, this is your podcast. It's for the pros that have a need to know that are on the go. And it's truly the voice of the towing and recovery industry. And one thing we try and do weekly on this is bring you the industry leaders, the men and women in industry that are making things happen that can help your business get out of the red and back in the black and can give you that information that'll make you successful out there on the day-to-day task. And guess who we've got today, man? One of the greats in industry when it comes to training, and that's Bo White. He's CEO of the Towing and Recovery Academy. And we have him on here today. We got the pleasure of having him, and he's going to be on here asking, answering questions for you and letting you know how training can not only save you money and keep your employees long term, but how it can add to saving you costs, protecting lives, and the whole overall picture of training. So this is I'm so excited about this because we actually have a feature coming up in the upcoming issue that is on training, and Bo's got his information on there on everything he does. So uh Bo, uh, welcome to Toad Professional on the Go podcast. How are you doing today?
SPEAKER_03I'm good fine, man.
SPEAKER_05Glad to be here. Fantastic, man. Fantastic. Well, man, I tell you what, we're gonna do is we're gonna jump right into this because I've got a bundle of questions I'm just biting at the bit to ask. So uh, first off, tell our listeners here how long you've uh uh been in in the industry and towing, and how did that all start?
Falling In Love With Wreckers
SPEAKER_03Well, to be honest, it started. I was a little kid in the barbershop one day, and I saw a guy come in driving a Henry's wrecker. And uh I looked at that truck and I said, Man, I like to do that one day. And I met the gentleman, he asked my father, can I can I ride with him for the day? And him and I went out for a ride, and I just fell in love with it.
SPEAKER_05Wow, man, that is that is so awesome. But I'm gonna tell you what our listeners might not believe is that either one of us has been at a barber shop anytime soon. So it's been a while. It's been a while. And you say you've been in you've been in towing for what nearly 30 years? Yeah, almost 30 years. 28 years. I've been in an industry for 28 years. Wow, man, that's that that is unbelievable. Well, let me ask you this. What made you uh decide to to join Hannon towing and recovery?
SPEAKER_03Well, um, it was it was it was a very easy decision. I went there uh actually almost a week, a year ago, and I uh they hosted my my company, Torn Recovery Academy. I came out and I done a training course there. And um when I walked into their facility, I felt like I belonged there a year ago. Um, I've been always in constant contact with the owners, and um you know, we we communicate for the last year or so, and it just you know you go somewhere, you just feel like you belong. And I just always felt like that that was the place I needed to be.
SPEAKER_05Man. So it felt like home when you walked in there. Felt like home. Yes, awesome, awesome. Well, was this tell me was this the right move at this stage of your career? Tell me what was your what was your mind telling you in your heart?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, at this stage of my career, yes. Um one of the reasons it was is the uh the way that the owners are, right? The things that they do and how they communicate. And it was just perfect the timing, right? We we all you know we all had a place in our lives for a season, right? So now is my season to be there.
Choosing Hannon For Culture
SPEAKER_05Right. What what stood out about Hannah's uh Hannah's uh culture and leadership to you?
SPEAKER_03Oh, what stood out for me was hey, seeing the owners actually not just own the company, but their presence. When they walked in, all the employees knew exactly who they were, and they knew all their employees. They uh would come in and just have conversations with them, talk to them. But what really impressed me about Hannon is the brothers, they're out there every day. They actually run the rotators, not that they just have the money to buy these trucks, these guys actually run them, they actually run their controls, they run the remote controls. So our similarities, our drives are like the same. We want we have the same motivation, the same drive.
SPEAKER_05So, would you would you say they uh do you feel like they differ from some other companies you work for in the past, or um, because it's oh they say different?
SPEAKER_03Oh, they definitely differ, like I like I said uh a minute ago. Um just just to have owners on the side of the highway, yes, working with you, uh making you feel like you're somebody. You're like we're just not a member, you're actually somebody like they actually value you and they value your input. And um, you know, just the conversation we're having, and you know, me seeing them on the side of the highway, those the people that I want to work for. Standing next to me, not just not just the owner of a company, uh being a dictator, they're actually doing the work.
SPEAKER_05Right, they're involved, they understand the the stress, the hot, the cold, all the conditions, and they don't see you as just a number in the sea of of people. They see you as somebody that's generating growth and helping them get to the goal that they're growing, and they know investing in you is what gets them there to their goal.
SPEAKER_03And they and they believe in family. We talk on the weekends for the last few months, and I'll call them and they say, Hey, Bo, I'm out of the family family event. We'll talk on Monday. So they believe in family, so their their employees, you know, have family time because they understand family time. So that will make a company go far.
SPEAKER_05Amen. I agree with that a hundred percent. Well, tell us, tell our listeners, uh, what does your role as a director of towing operations and training involved there? And what would you say your goals would be um for Hannon over the next three to five years?
SPEAKER_03Well, as being a director and a trainer, it's um I would be in charge of the day-to-day operations. Um, I would be in charge of the hiring, uh, training and and um helping move the company forward. You know, um that's the goal. For the next three to five years, I want to grow this company. I want it to be the best company around the beltway. I want them to know when Hannah's come around, it's Hannah's. They know it.
SPEAKER_05Yes, they want to see that you you want the name to be when they hear the name, they hear quality, they hear reliability, they hear people that'll be there for them no matter what. I love it, man. I love it. Well, let me ask
Training Saves Money And Lives
SPEAKER_05you this. So, this is the key question, and I think a lot of owners sometimes miss this. Um, how important is training in today's towing industry?
SPEAKER_03Oh, training is very important. Um, the lack of training shows, you know, we all have Facebook and TikTok, and you know, everything's video these days. So uh someone with a good eye like I have, or experienced operators and trainers, they're being watched. So um at the end of the day, your company is a brand. So if you're trying to build a brand and your team is not the best, it's gonna show it. Doesn't matter how much money you have, you can't hide the skill, you can't hide the knowledge. So um training is very important. Training is gonna get you home, training is gonna save you money at the end of the day. Either you're gonna pay now or you're gonna pay later.
SPEAKER_05Yes, amen. That's uh the old saying, you know, what if I train them and they leave? What if you try don't train them and they stay and they cost you money? So it's the whole thing. Well, what Bo, what would you say are some of the the biggest mistakes that some of these towing companies make?
SPEAKER_03The biggest mistake is training. The biggest mistake is putting a price on training. That's the biggest mistake. You know, I people contact me all the time and they want to know price, price, price, price, price. It's not about the price. No, it's my course is cheaper than one damage claim. And that's the biggest mistake that these companies are making is um what they're doing now is just they have these 50-ton rotators and 60-ton rotators, and just putting people in a seat. Like they have this truck, they have this bill they have to pay, and so they're just you know putting people in a truck without training. I didn't come up that way.
SPEAKER_05Right. Right. I get that, brother. I get that. Well, what would what would you say separates a good operator from a great operator?
SPEAKER_03A good operator from a great operator is training, being able to listen, not thinking that you know it all. That's what separates a good operator from uh a well-seasoned operator. Is it's being humble and um always willing to learn.
SPEAKER_05Ooh, you said it, man, Bo, you said it right there. Being humble. I think that's uh uh a lot of us when we when we've done something repetitive, we've done it over and over again. I know you hear this daily. Well, I've been doing this for 20 years, but just because somebody's been doing something for 20 years doesn't mean they've been doing it right for 20 years. And being able to be humble and and tuck that ego away and say, hey, this is about me coming home safely to my family, uh leaves you open to be able to soak in the the education and get the materials in your head so you can uh work with them daily. So that's that was big what you said there, brother.
SPEAKER_03Uh one of the most dangerous things you can say in this industry industry is I've always done it that way. That is the most dangerous thing you can say.
SPEAKER_05Yes, that's right. I agree. Well, how would you say uh, or let me ask you this because I want to know this one now. What is the most challenging recovery that you've ever been involved in?
unknownOh man.
SPEAKER_03I've been I've been in you know 28 years, man. And I've done uh I've done casualty, I've done um uh entrapments, I've done um I would say probably recent, probably about a year ago, the one we've done down in Florida where the uh tractor trailer went off the bridge in the in the in the in the hurricane. So Florida had their biggest hurricane in a hundred years, was last year. And uh we had a tractor trailer that blew off the bridge down in the water. So I would say that was probably one of my most challenging uh jobs I've done in a long time that I could like really that stands out was bringing the track a fully loaded tractor trailer out of the water and putting it back, setting it back on the bridge in the in the middle of a hurricane.
SPEAKER_05Wow, yeah, that that had to take a and that's a skill set that you have to have. And it's uh as they say, you don't um rise to the level, you fall to the training that you have uh when you get hit with a with something that comes up. You don't rise to the level, you fall back to the training. And if you don't have enough training, that's where that's where people get hurt. That's where people step in above their head. So, man, I'm I'm so happy you're on here and we're we're going over this. Uh let me ask you your thoughts on where do you see the future of heavy recovery headed?
SPEAKER_03You know what? People I hear all the time that it's a dying breed. I don't think it's a dying breed. It's it's how you present the company, it's how you uh your equipment, you know, having nice, shiny, clean equipment will attract the younger generation, you know. It's not a dying breed, it's just that we just have to invest in them and we have to change the way we think, right? And the industry has evolved, right? So we're cut from a different cloth than the generation that we have now. So um we're just built different, to be honest with you. Uh, you just have to understand the younger generation. And the good thing is, I have my sons are 26 and 28 years old, right? So I can relate to my children and I can relate to the younger crew, right? So at some point in our industry, as as leaders, even myself, at some point I gotta know when to get out, right? So we have people that's been in this industry for 30, 40, 45 years, right? And it's time to hey, give it away. You know, it's time to let it go. That not being gatekeepers, you know what I mean. We have to be able to share all our knowledge. It like I tell people, I don't have a dog in a fight, I don't own the touring touring company. I give people everything that that I have.
SPEAKER_05Amen. I love that. I love that. Well, if you could give one piece of advice to a young operator, what would it be?
SPEAKER_03Listen, stay humble, and train and never think you know it all. I love that.
SPEAKER_05I love that. That's that's what I've always heard, man. When when you think you know it all, you start backing up because there's so much, so many other things you can learn on a daily basis. Well, Bo,
Sponsor Break And Industry Support
SPEAKER_05let's do this. We're gonna take a quick commercial break. We're gonna hear from some of our great sponsors, Wilbert, Towmate, Toe Book, T RAA, and Hino uh Motor Corporation are great sponsors. We're gonna hear from them and we'll be right back.
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SPEAKER_04TRAA is the national association representing the U.S. towing and recovery industry. We act as the voice of America's towing industry by offering representation, education, and leadership at the federal level. Much of our focus is on representing the interests of the towing and recovery industry on Capitol Hill, including promoting positive legislation and opposing potentially negative legislation. TRAA is the industry's watchdog on Capitol Hill. There are so many compelling reasons to be a TRAA member that besides being the right thing to do, membership gives you exclusive member benefits worth thousands of dollars a year, including exclusive TRAA member discounts from our featured partners, such as Host Fuel Cards, EV Clever, Tobo, Redmaster, Ploser, Oz Alert, we buy key flops, auto data direct, complete compliance solutions, free advertising and our national membership directory and online directory, email updates, invitations to inclusive events and scholarship access. But best of all, you are pouring back into the industry to ensure we together make it stronger for generations to come. A special thank you to our partner Gay Rochester of INA Toey for her continued ongoing support service to TRAA and her commitment to safety for our industry with one over, lose none. Become a National Association member today at TRAAonline.com.
SPEAKER_05Well, welcome back, one and all. You are listening to Toe Professional Podcast. Every week we do our best to bring great guests, industry leaders, and get the latest industry information out there to you. Make sure you download, uh, you listen, like, and share. We're available on Spotify, iTunes, Pandora, Stitcher, iHeartMedia, Amazon, or wherever you get your podcast. And also with a face that's made for radio, now you can find me on YouTube, everyone. So now we're over on that side as well. Make sure you check us out there. Well, we're we're back with Bo White of uh Towing and Recovery Academy. He's a CEO there. And now what we want to do is we want to dive in a little bit to Towing and Recovery
Building Towing And Recovery Academy
SPEAKER_05Academy. Because Bo, let me tell you, I've heard tremendous reviews across the board. Everybody likes you. Uh, you you've got a style that ever that I hear, everybody's like, man, they were he's relatable, he's down to earth, and he cares. And that's what shows and stands out. So tell but tell our listeners, I know that, but tell our listeners why you started Toe and Recovery Academy.
SPEAKER_03Well, I started to be honest with you, I started to recover academy. There was used to be this group on Facebook. It was uh the heavy medium group, right? And I I logged into the group, and it was maybe at that point it was a hundred members, right? But no one was actually teaching. So I started something called the Bow White Walkarounds. So I would video and I would go live and show these guys how to hook things up, right? Because I I I what I always disliked was gatekeepers. You know, when I came up from I won't mention the company, but when I came up and in my era, it was hey, they wouldn't want to teach me. I would get out on a job, I had a truck that was leaning or something like that, and the senior guys would come and say, Oh, I got it, go ahead. And they would leave, they wouldn't teach me anything, right? So then at one point I got what a company called Roadrunner Record Service, and uh the owner Dave Butcher at the time um brought me on, and I remember my first rollover. It was in the winter time, it was a dump truck rolled over the plow, and I head out there. He says, Hey, can you get it? I was like, I can try. And you know, being able to him to trust in me to do something like that is why. So that group, get back to that group was there. So I started training in that group, showing everybody in the group. That group grew to thousands of um uh uh members, group members, right? Thousands of members in that group, and then at some point, you know how life is, you know, somebody's doing good, and next thing you know, there just comes a bandwagon of people that try to bring you down. So they um try to bring me down on certain things, and all it did was actually lift me up and it actually made me better, right? It brought more attention to me. So I decided to just leave that group and I created my own group. It's called Teaching How It's Done Heavy Duty Style. I I I uh created this group as a safe place for operators that can ask questions because the other groups were someone asked a question and somebody would come in there and say, Hey, if you shouldn't be driving a record if you got to ask this stupid question, all right? Things like that. So I created a group, a safe place for people that they can come in, post pictures, and have it and ask any question they want. And if there was any bashing or any disrespect, I just deleted the people out of the group, man. I wanted I wanted to be a safe place for people, and I that went on for years. And next thing I know, Tony Curry Academy was built.
SPEAKER_05I love it, man. I love it. Well, I mean, that that's what you see when when people like that get out of the way that want to say something about others, you get them out of the way and you're able just to um talk with people. That's when the egos are removed, and that's when people get their most growth and grow the most, is when they're able to ask those questions and understand why they're doing what they're doing. Um, so that that's huge. So I I think you answered some of this, but uh two, this will be a two-part question. What problem were you trying to solve in the industry when you started towing in recovery academy? And what makes your training different than everyone else's?
SPEAKER_03Well, uh what I wanted to do is show people how it's done the correct way, right? You know, I always hear is you always gotta be bow ways, always gotta be bow way. No, it's not both way. There's only one way that's the right way. We can do it different ways, but it has to be right. So my goal was to just show people other ways of doing it, but as long as it was correct. And I forgot the other part. What was the other part?
SPEAKER_05Um, how's it different? And what were you trying to solve in the industry by doing that?
SPEAKER_03Okay, so I'm different. The way that my my company is different is because I'm patient. Um I keep the classes to a small to a small uh member, right? Because for me it's not about the quality, about the quantity, it's it's about quality. And just to make it different, that's all.
SPEAKER_05Love it, love it. Um, so let me ask you this What does uh no wall flowers mean in the classes?
SPEAKER_03So the no wall flow, so this is how this works. The no wall flow flowers, that's the reason why I limited. class right i've been to multiple uh training training courses right so no wallflowers mean that what happens is uh you have these big name companies right and they they you know have hundreds of people in there right so when you have hundreds of people in a course you can't control it right you you can't control uh uh and time management and then what happens is people get disconnected from the course right because yeah they can't get their questions asked too much is going on right so uh no wallflowers mean that everybody when who's attend to cover academy when there's a tractor trailer rolled on the side everybody gets to do it if there's a box truck rollover everybody gets to do it everybody participates um every question gets asked and that's where that no no wallflowers come from I love that I love that because I've I've seen these classes where you got 80 to 100 plus in a class and you'll see some guys that get answered and others you know they got questions they're they're afraid they'll be in the way if they ask it because there's so many people and then some people get hands on and some don't and and that brings me to the next question because I I feel like I know the answer to this but I'm just a publisher so I'm gonna leave it to you why is hands-on training so important so hands-on training is very because we all learn different right so yes me I was a guy where somebody can explain something to me over the phone I was able to understand it and do it right but then you have people that actually have to physically do it so what I do is when you come to Torn Recovery Academy everybody shows a way they rig things no because everybody does things different right so you just have to be hands on like you can't be a wallflower is standing back watching this one operator who owns the truck get to roll it over so when you come to me I don't care who the owner is I don't care if it's a light duty I don't care if it's your daughter your secretary or your janitor they will get their hands on that control and actually see how it how it operates and fill the truck you know and and and and hands on is very important for a lot of people we all learn different I love that you know I I watched one of your videos Bo and it really stood out to me and one of the some people might say it's a small thing but to me it was one of the biggest things because if you don't get this part right you don't make it to do the rest of the job and you were showing every one of your attendees how they were to enter and exit the truck how they were to exit it when they were out there on the on scene and that that can change a lot right there if you don't know how to get in and out of the truck correctly because people aren't paying attention to you.
Hands-On Classes And Common Mistakes
SPEAKER_05So you saw the comments and you saw he's wasting time y'all paying for this right but what the people was missing was they weren't watching the video they didn't see nine people get out of the truck incorrectly so it's like they're not they're paying this is what they're paying for right so I believe in building a solid foundation right you have to build a solid foundation because you can build on anything but if it's not solid it's going to crumble right in time it's gonna crumble it's gonna show what you don't know in time you know so like I said nine people got out of the truck it is not just about that it's about uh the workman's comp you know if you slip and fall then there's a workman's comp against that company and what these employees don't understand is at the end of the year when it's time to renew you're paying all right so it's about uh education you know education you know it's those little if I can teach you one little small thing in my course I felt good about it I love it I love it well what are some of the uh success uh stories you've seen from former students oh man I I see it every day every day there's just a saying and I go to this I go to this course and the saying is uh you should create a lot of mini bows is what they say right create mini bows so so for me is when someone comes to one of my courses and I've seen them elevate to um a bigger truck right for example lawren right uh his daughter I trained her when she was driving a wheel of a light duty truck right and she took another course and I trained her and now she's a rotator operator right she's running a rotator I taught her a lot in the heavy industry and for me just to turn on Facebook and turn on my TikToks and I get a tag with my name on it hey Bo this is what I'm doing just watching uh my students is is what motivates me and what keeps me going man I love it I love it um well when you say uh I want to ask you this uh what's the most common rigging mistakes that you see out there the most common it's just um not properly putting the connecting the rigging together you know you'll see people put a a chain to a strap not under not understanding that they're creating pinch points um that's pretty much the most common just the rigging you know rigging gotcha good that's good well what is the would you say is the most reward rewarding part of your teaching the most rewarding part yeah just to see people elevate and move to the next level it's it's making all those little bows that go out there and are are excited about it and they're able to tell others how to be safe from your training man that's that that's awesome that's so awesome well tell me this what uh I gotta ask this what legacy do you want toing and recovery academy to leave in the industry um just uh legacy man I ain't nowhere near that yet but uh see uh I I would say just training the legacy would be like when I started in the towing industry right there was this guy by the name of Kevin Greer lives in Fred's bird Virginia he taught me a lot of things that that I know right so the legacy is when I go to places and I'll tell people hey Kevin Greer um I would say Will Kane I would say Richard Gretman you know I would say hey I still talk about these people where I learned a lot of things that I know today um Casey Beryl you know people who have taught me the things I know along the way uh for me is 20 years from now somebody sitting in the same spot in a different podcast saying hey I want to Bo you know Torn Recovery Academy's course and you know just to hear my name I won't hear it but just people still talking about Bo 20 years from now is is is is is what was what's moving me right and like I said the guys that I learned from um I talk about them and the same thing that they would say hey you know just remember that you know Bo got them started and you know that's what it's about for me is is being able to talk about Bo 20 30 years from now. I love that I love that and they'll they'll they'll know they got there just the way you did which was uh paying homage to the the men that went men and women that went before you and them paying homage to Tonin and Recovery Academy for them being able to get their growth and be able to grow their career in the future to have them give that shout back that's huge. That's
Legacy, Leadership, And Handling Negativity
SPEAKER_05huge. Well let's do this let's uh take one more commercial break for our wonderful sponsors and uh listeners when we come back we'll have uh more on uh Bo's ideas on personal and leadership uh qualifications I think this is fantastic it's something we all need to know when we go into a job and uh Bo's got some good information for us so stay tuned don't go anywhere we'll be right back in the heavy wrecker and towing industry safety and efficiency are paramount that's why professionals trust Will Burt for their scene lighting needs.
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SPEAKER_02Wilbert Innovation Elevated command calls to number one platform in the industry welcome back listeners you are listening to Toe Professional on the go podcast we are here you are there and we're trying to always bring you the the top uh leaders in the industry the top information so you can get out of the red and stay in the black and uh with today we have Bo White with Towing and Recovery Academy and let me tell you I don't get to do a lot of these interviews where I get to ask as many questions as I want.
SPEAKER_05Bo said hey man I'm an open book brother just ask me anything you want so I'm enjoying this thoroughly and we're gonna get all the information we can for you guys so y'all can so you men and women can take part in this in the future.
Indoor Training Facility And M100 Class
SPEAKER_05So uh one of the things I want to ask before we move on and talk about leadership Bo is I I know you moved to Maryland uh so uh and are working with Hannon so I I wanted to know what's the the plans with towing and recovery academy going forward tell us tell our listeners about that because I know they're they're waiting there on pens and needles and got their their pencil handy and ready to write down some info.
SPEAKER_03Oh man so Tony Cover Academy and Hannons we teamed up together right this is something that we've been planning for a good little while so Tony Cover Academy is still there but let me tell you guys something we're doing something that's never been done before at Hannon's and Tony Cover Academy we have a first indoor training facility so we will have a heated and AC inside training so when the weather is bad when it's cold outside when it's snowing outside and you know some people don't want to be in the cold because I do understand when I took one of my courses up in Hagerstown it was snowing and it was cold. It was hard to focus because my feet were cold my hands were cold and you know trying to get through a two day course but that's real training right so we have the option to go outside and train outside in the snow or in the rain or we have the option to train on the inside which hadn't been done before we could take a tractor trailer in there with the rotators and we can swing picket swing and not just that hey listen we have the very first M100 in the state of Maryland who don't want to get listen who doesn't want to get their hands on the M100 in train who don't want to put their hands on that remote listen we got the M100 we got 1075s we got 1150s we got 9055s we got tractor trailers we got dump trucks we got everything you could possibly want in a training session like come on it's the M100 who doesn't want to swing the boom on the M100 you just you just took my child dream the talker playground and put it inside so you can play with it on rainy days on stormy days rainy day I love listen listen it's the M100 people listen yeah hey listen we're in Maryland the very first class will be July 18th you heard it from me the very first very first class will be july 18th come out just stand next to the M100 you will get your hands on the M100 hey 1075s I mean we're gonna it's gonna be some crazy lifts going on at Hannah's man i'm i'm telling you bo that's that's like somebody letting you walk up and drive their uh Bugatti Sharon around the parking lot and and and getting to put their hands on a two million dollar piece of equipment that when it's specced out is uh that's unbelievable to be able to learn at that level so whoo not just that that brings me go ahead not just that we're hiring at Hannes let me tell you about Hannes they have the very best equipment and the cleanest equipment they say if you don't have the equipment you're not gonna be very successful. So let me tell you guys everything's shining everything's new we have every piece of equipment you can possibly it's a dream so listen we're hiring at at Hannah's so if you want to get on with Hannah's contact me y'all know my contact information and trust me when you come in all you got to do that separates Hannah from all the other toy companies all you got to do is show up we have every air fitting every chain every Milwaukee blower uh all the power tubes that you're gonna need our trucks are turnkey ready to go wow I love that well I was gonna ask but I think you just answered it why people call you the recovery goat uh I mean having a having an indoor playground where everybody can train uh bringing that inside hands on with a two million dollar piece of equipment and if you show off your skills well enough you got an opportunity to try out for a job as well man you can't go wrong that's like a winning lottery ticket uh being able to train with you so uh you have me at you have me at your disposal every single day now the recovery goat is what people say you know I appreciate it I'm very humble about it um that listen there were guys that came before me that that and there are guys in this industry that that are greater than I am right that there are guys that I listen to that I have to sometimes you know uh get good advice from uh so um the goat thing is you know it it's it's a uh it's the younger generation type thing and and I'm humble about it I appreciate it but I I don't think I'm a goat I just think that um I just do things different than everybody else and and people are seeing it and I'm just reaching the younger generation I love it man I love it I love how you're humble bo and that's one thing I thought about you from day one is I was like man this guy's got a tremendous amount of knowledge but he's just as humble as he can be and that's who people love learning from is somebody I'll be I'll be honest I wasn't always humble I'll be honest I wasn't always humble I was probably one of the biggest assholes in the industry uh I learned from it though like I learned from it um uh as you get older you know you mature and you see things different so I'm able to see a lot of things different because I can't lead you know being a leadership position you know doing some of the things that I used to do and hey I'll be honest with you I'm still growing right there's some things that I'm eliminating out of my life I'm eliminating the negativity so I I'm back to where I used to be a couple years ago you know what instead of me responding to a lot of comments I just you know if it's negative I just delete them because I still I'm still growing because sometimes I want to get on that keyboard and just type back so now I just figure figure out you know the best thing to do is like you know what just delete it you know just move on you know you got you get a handful of people that like to steer the pot you know and I didn't always be humble I didn't people know me they know where I come from I know where I came from but I know where I'm going. So what I did yesterday is not who I am today. So but I definitely learned from it.
SPEAKER_05Yeah and I still I'm still growing man I'm still growing hey hey same way here listen I I I'm I can proudly say I'm not the man I used to be I'm not even the man I was when I started in this market 15 years ago but it's just like going for a suit. I ask everybody hey just check the size again just just recheck me and and you'll see I'll show up differently than I used to so I I'm gonna need a recheck in here before you just go get the suit because I am different than I used to be and I've learned from a lot of my mistakes that's the only reason why I'm doing better is because I learned from them instead of didn't pay attention to them.
Investing In Yourself To Level Up
SPEAKER_05So I I hear you on that one man uh well what does what does success mean to you today compared to when you first started and I think you talked just talked about a little bit of that well you know uh success is um you know wanting to learn you know yeah the only way you can to succeed is training you know and I tell people I get calls all the time let me see if my company will pay for it no my company won't pay for it and I tell people all the time listen the best investment is in yourself you know when I did it you know I had to pay out of my pocket you know I wanted to to to move to the next level um so I had to pay for it you know I had uh one of my previous companies who introduced me to other training and uh you know we signed a contract hey we'll send you here one year and this is what it costs 600 bucks and we'll prorate it so if you leave it six six months you owe me 300 bucks so I would say um just invest in yourself you know don't let don't wait for your company to uh to pay for it just do it yourself it's the only way you're gonna get ahead in in certain situations yeah and what once you've been certified you've taken that training that's knowledge you got in your pocket and that makes you more um valuable out there in the workforce anyway so like you said investing in yourself it's gonna pay off long term anyway um without a doubt well let me ask you this what would you say uh was your was your biggest career setback and what did it teach you my biggest career setback was um probably not being humble uh responding responding to negativity right when I was younger I would say I don't know maybe like eight nine years ago uh was my biggest setback was um I I pissed off a lot of people in the industry right and right I that was one of my biggest setbacks and and I tell people even to my training classes today hey man don't make the same mistakes I I did it was a um tough hill for me to climb to get back to where I am today and I still have some of the people that they just still remember me from those days and I have to accept that um but I'm not who I was yesterday.
SPEAKER_03So um that was my biggest biggest um uh mistake was retaliating back you know uh with negativity and um something that that cost me a lot and I now I tell people don't do it because somebody's always waiting for you to fail and every dog has his day and I had my failure day and people around the world talked about it and I I I recoup from it though right I learned hey you're gonna make a mistake so you keep talking running your mouth your day's gonna come so I learned you'll never see me comment anymore on Facebook about somebody's work I just I just leave it alone I I look at it I get privately messaged or I would probably message someone and say hey change this change that but I would never publicly uh say it because my voice is very powerful in this industry so if I said something uh it'll everybody would just jump on the bandwagon on it and and crucify this guy in public and I know what it's like to be crucified in public so um just stay away from the negativity and I and I and I'm trying now to do better myself just just just delete it out of your life.
SPEAKER_05Yes yes I love that and and Bo you sound like me I had a I had a lot of hope uh in my heart I thought I was doing good when I came back and I always thought I was doing something to help along uh but once I realized uh what I was doing wasn't being helpful and it was being harmful man I I changed that completely and uh you know some people want to bring up the past but uh you know when that thing you say about haters and criticism is uh a lot of them they they they want to talk about you but they won't unfollow you because they'll be afraid they miss something when they unfollow you so hey I can tell you this man my group listen I got I got more fake accounts in my group uh but you know what I don't mind you know what they're learning it's the same people that it it here's I'll be honest with you about this industry the people who dislike me have never ever sat at my table have never met me never had a conversation so that's what that's what really kills me is we've never even met we've never even talked you know I I had some words with one of your friends and now you don't like me and I tell everybody each each each to their own like just because you don't like this person doesn't mean that him and I can't have a great relationship so the people who dislike me never ever ever met me we haven't shaken hands we haven't break bread we ain't sat at a table nowhere so I don't know how you cannot like a person and don't
SPEAKER_03Even know them. So yeah. Well, I tell you what that's my success.
SPEAKER_05Yes, it exactly. And it's you know, when you're able uh to be vulnerable and admit your mistakes, that shows the biggest, strongest person in the market right there. And uh I used to think uh the ego was strength, uh, but being humble is a much more powerful position to come from. And those are the people that are successful, that get heard, and people uh seek out, and that's why you do so well in the industry, brother. Um, so I love those answers. Um, let me ask you this. What are what are you most proud of in your career?
Family, Motivation, And Last Message
SPEAKER_05And what does coming back home mean to you?
SPEAKER_03Oh man, most proud of uh just seeing my work, you know, just seeing uh uh uh the things that I've put out there in the industry, just seeing people doing the right way. And to come home was a bonus for me. Uh I have my first granddaughter, she's one now, and to be family, family is very important. That was one of the number one reasons that I chose Hannah's because they are very family-oriented. They understand that your kids' birthday or softball game, and me having my granddaughter being so far away from her, you know, 14 hours from my granddaughter, you know, yeah. I it broke my heart every time I came in town and I left. Now my granddaughter has a room in my house, and I can see every I can see my granddaughter every single day.
SPEAKER_05Awesome, awesome. I love it, I love it. Um that that's without a doubt, that's the right move. Well, what what keep I guess I know that's some of it, but what keeps you hungry after all these years?
SPEAKER_03What keeps me hungry? Man, you know what? It's crazy for me. I'm not sure how other people are, but being on the side of the highway, uh, being able to be under that pressure and get that job done, get that rollover, uh rolled over and a success, uh, being able to get that excavator out of the water or whatever. For me, every job is like my first one. Yeah, if you ever see me on the on the side of the highway, I'm jumping up and down like one of the guys. I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm just screaming. Ah, you know, people will look at me and they're like, Man, I can't believe this guy still has this kind of energy after 28 years. I still feel like every recovery is my very first one. And I'm jumping up and down with my guys, I'm screaming, I'm hugging. It's just it's it's in me. It this is what I was born to do. This is this was my gift was towing in recovery or teaching. It's it's my gift, you know. Everybody like some people can sing, some people can dance. I can do touring recovery.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I love it, man. And like they say, when you when you do what you enjoy doing, you never work a day in your life. You're just going out there and enjoying yourself, man. I love it. And it and it shows in your training. So uh what when it's all said and done, how do you want the industry to remember Bo White?
SPEAKER_03Oh, I want the industry to remember, uh that I'm throwing heat today, man.
SPEAKER_05I'm bringing it.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, you know, just just the the the deposits, the investments that you know, uh that I um put out in in the world, you know, just just to make the industry safer, uh, people to understand that just because I do it different doesn't mean it's wrong. So I got different techniques, you know. I do things a lot different, I see things a lot different. I'm always looking 10 ahead, 10 steps ahead. Like my guys that work for me, they know they're thinking about I'm like, listen, I'm 10 steps ahead of that. I already know what's coming, right? I see it coming. I've been there a lot. Uh just just the deposits. I'm making to the earth, man. You know, to see my name on you know somebody's truck, you know, like JB Toe. You know, we talked about him, right? Hey man, put my logo on your truck. He's like, Cool, send me, send that to me, you know. Just to just what I'm leaving in the earth, man, just that deposit, you know. You know, they say you're born on this date, you have that you have that gap in between there, that dash, and then you have the end date, right? It's not about those two, it's about what you've done in that dash. Like, what have you left in this earth to continue to give? So, my training and my teaching will always continue to give. It's a gift that keeps giving.
SPEAKER_05Yes, I love it, I love it. So, if you had a microphone connected to every toe operator in North America right now, what's the one message you want them to hear? If I had a microphone, reaches everybody, every toe operator, everybody, every toe operator, do it right, do it right, don't cut corners, no shortcuts, and never say it'll be all right.
SPEAKER_03Never do that. Don't cut corners and do it the right way.
SPEAKER_05Yes, and if and uh if you want to do it right, if you want to never cut corners, if you want to do it the right way, and if you don't want to be embarrassed for asking any question or told this is a dumb question or whatever, if you want to meet somebody that's humble, that will take any question you throw at them as somebody that's digging for knowledge to do it right and to show up as the best possible operator on every job, go see Bo White at Towing and Recovery Academy because he's the man that's gonna help you make that happen. Um, and and I tell you, anybody wants to get a hold of them, make sure you go to you can email Bo at towingacademy at gmail.com. You can go to the website, give them the website, Bo.
SPEAKER_03The website is towingacademy.net.net.
SPEAKER_05There you go, towingacademy.net. Or do you want me to give the cell phone number?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, cell phone number. Hey, listen, one thing about what separates me from all the other courses is every person, every student gets my personal cell phone number. Uh there I'm available to every student from eight in the morning to 10 o'clock at night. So if they're on the side of the highway, they got a question how to rig something, how to tow something, how to do a recovery. I'm available. So my number is 571-833-8884.
SPEAKER_05Love it. I love it. Towing and Recovery Academy. Now remember, got a course coming up. When is it? July 18th.
SPEAKER_03July 18th in Merida, in Maryland at Hannah's Toyne. I will be putting the flyer out Monday.
SPEAKER_05Love it. Awesome. Awesome. Well, Bo, I I appreciate you so much being on the uh on the podcast today. And man, I appreciate you letting being an open book and letting me ask as many questions as I wanted to ask you. I'd say the first podcast host that we uh that we've had a guest we've had on here that's allowed us just to answer, uh ask as many questions as we wanted to. And it just shows how much you care about the industry and and where your heart's at with these folks, and how much you take pride in big them being able to leave, do their job, do it correctly, and come home safely. And I know that means a lot to you. And uh I appreciate you being on. And I'm gonna do one thing I always do on this podcast.
Contact Info, Prayer, And Farewell
SPEAKER_05I'm gonna end it with a prayer. Um, if you bow your head. Dear Heavenly Father, I just thank you uh for our service providers. I thank you for our vendors. Uh, Father, I ask you to continue to protect them, continue to fill them with knowledge so that they can bring that to our market to keep our men and women safe. Uh I thank you for every one of our tow operators out there, our owners, our dispatchers, um, our mechanics, everybody involved, Father. And I ask that you just increase them uh for their servants' heart, protect them, bring them home safe to their families, and open the public's eyes on the dangers that are out there for our roadside first responders and uh protect them along the way and bring them home safe. And we ask this in your precious name, Jesus. Amen. Well, as always, we we thank every one of you listeners, 23,000 plus worldwide that have made tow professional podcasts number one in the industry. We we thank industry leaders like Bo White for coming on here with Towing and Recovery Academy. Make sure you go see them, Towing and Recovery Academy.net. Take a look at it. Make sure you make that course July 18th. Just like Bo said, invest in yourself. It'll be the best money you ever spend. It'll pay dividends throughout your life. And before I go, any last words, Bo?
SPEAKER_03Come the hand is torn. We are hiring. We have the best equipment in the world.
SPEAKER_05Come get your hands on the M100, try it out, work the controls, do the training, pay, pay it forward, and earn more in this industry and get home safe and learn from the best. Bo, appreciate you being on the show with us, sharing all of your industry knowledge. And as always, man, we hope you stay prosperous and blessed out there in the industry. We thank you. Thank you, listeners, and until next time, keep listening, Toe Professional on the Go podcast, and pick up volume 15, issue four. Be hitting hands in the next week and a half. And our focus on that one is training and safety. And you'll see directly from Bo White and the editorial. Thanks again and God bless you.