“Oh I bet you love this bad weather.” “No. I don’t.”

My objection to statements about the profits made by towers during bad weather is that people are only looking at the revenue paid to the towing company with little consideration for the very difficult work, long hours, excessive wear and tear on the trucks, higher risk of damage or accident and the resulting down-time, and many other expenses.

People are always saying, “Oh I bet you love this bad weather.” No, I do not. Sometimes the revenue generated does not seem to compensate for the much higher risk to life and equipment, the terrible working conditions, and the long, exhausting hours which the operators must endure. Yes, towing companies may earn more money during bad weather, but they work very, very, very hard for that money. In some cases, it actually might make more sense to not do the work than to attempt to do it with the extremely slow, strenuous working conditions and the extremely high risk involved. But if the work is done, it needs appropriate compensation.

Many are upset when they are asked to pay more than the amount of a “normal” service even though, under bad conditions, the job takes longer, the risks are greater, and the work is more difficult; then the tower is accused of gouging and/or taking advantage of the customer. I am sorry, but the difficulty, time involved, and risk dictate the price, not a desire to take advantage of a customer in a bad situation.

Under bad conditions, not only does each job take longer, but there may be an avalanche of work, causing the tower to have to work many, many long hours often without breaks for food, warmth, or rest.

Another factor of which many people are unaware is that towing companies are only paid for the jobs which they do. They receive no compensation from the state, the Troopers, any local government, motor clubs, or insurance companies for being on call, for going to look for vehicles which are gone by the time the tow truck arrives, or for the jobs involving abandoned and/or impounded vehicles which are not claimed by the owner. Yet towing companies are on call 24 hours/day, 365 days/year. Though there may be only 20–40 hours of work in a week, there is no telling when that work will be. The work can rarely be scheduled. Professional fire fighters and police officers are paid for being on-call and for going on calls regardless of the outcome or revenue generated by the call. Volunteers often belong to a group of people so that any one individual is not constantly on call. With a small, family owned and run towing business, there is no one else to cover. A driver and a truck need to be ready to roll at any time and the phones must be covered at all times.

The towing operator must always be available which often means no vacations, no time off, no drinking and partying, and interrupted sleep. The tow truck must always be ready to roll which means being maintained and repaired at the highest level so that it does not break down when needed; always been warm in cold weather even if this requires that it is always plugged in and in very cold weather that auxiliary heaters or idling of the engine are used; and having a back-up truck for those times when the truck does need to be down for repairs and maintenance.

The main consideration is that it is not about getting rich through the misfortunes of others, it is about providing a needed service and being adequately compensated for the hard work.