Industry News

A tow operator was struck and killed August 31 on I-95 in College Park, MD. Maryland State Police said the crash occurred at approximately 12:10 p.m. Operator Osama Abdelfattah Marey, 31, of Suitland, MD, had stopped to assist a motorist with a disabled vehicle on the left road shoulder when both the tow truck and…

Source: Safe Fleet press release: Safe Fleet, a supplier of safety solutions for fleet vehicles, has extended its tarp system capabilities with the acquisition of Merlot Vango Tarping Solutions, a provider of rolling tarpaulin systems for flatbed and platform trailers. Merlot Vango Tarping Solutions is a designer, manufacturer, installer and servicer of rolling tarpaulin systems…

Beauty contest entries arriving by 5 p.m. on Thursday, September 28, can park inside the Chattanooga Convention Center, space permitting. Trucks arriving after the Thursday cut-off, or overflow trucks, may require parking on 13th Street adjacent to the Convention Center. 2023 Beauty Contest information: • Entry fee of $60 per truck. Enter as many trucks…

Flagman™, which educates the driving public on how to safely navigate roadside emergencies, has been presented with a Peter K. O’Rourke Award. Peter K. O’Rourke awards recognize notable achievements in highway safety by individuals, coalitions, organizations, nonprofit groups, businesses, media, government agencies, universities or programs. “On April 22nd, 2020, my brother Corey Iodice was working in…

Source: Association of Professional Towers — Ohio press release The Association of Professional Towers — Ohio (APTO) is conducting its Tow Training Boot Camp August 17-19 at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds in Middleburg Heights, OH. There will be multiple training sessions at this single location. Training Schedule: Thursday, August 17 Day 1 of ERSCA Heavy-Duty…

Daimler Truck North America press release: On August 10, Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) celebrated the grand opening of its new Redistribution Center (RDC) in Whitestown, Indiana. Spanning over 605,000 square feet, this build-to-suit facility will replenish DTNA’s ten Parts Distribution Centers (PDC) across the U.S. and Canada with efficient and timely truck parts availability.…

Source: NHTSA The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has partnered with advocates and experts from across the country to launch its “Speeding Wrecks Lives” speeding prevention campaign. The launch comes as new data show that while there has been three quarters of a slight dip in overall roadway deaths, speeding fatalities reached a 14-year high…

On Friday, July 21, a jury in a Saratoga County Court convicted a Moreau, NY, man of aggravated vehicular homicide among other charges in the 2022 death of a tow operator on the Northway. Justin P. Rodriguez, 42, was at the wheel of a vehicle that struck and killed operator Alex Bleikhardt on Sept. 15,…

News reports and the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) state that a 24-year-old Cleveland, OH, man driving a tow truck was killed Monday, July 24, on the Poinciana Parkway in Kissimmee. At approximately 9:30 a.m., the operator was hauling a Mercedes-Benz when his northbound truck struck a water tanker truck driving from the median of a…

Source: Beacon Funding press release: Equipment financing company Beacon Funding and Transit Pros, a towing, roadside and transportation company, have announced a strategic brand partnership. By combining their expertise, resources, and innovative approaches, the two companies aim to empower towers to expand their transportation capabilities. This strategic collaboration will provide businesses with the tools they…