Industry News

A benefit for Wisconsin tow operator Joe Altenhofen, 56, is planned for Friday, Nov. 1. Altenhofen’s truck was hit by an out-of-control tractor-trailer on August 26 as he was loading a vehicle onto his tow truck on I-41/94. The horrific crash was videotaped and circulated widely by numerous news outlets. Altenhofen recovering from the crash, with…

Houston police have identified a person of interest in the murder of tow operator Augustin Martinez, 48, who was shot following a verbal altercation on Wednesday, Oct. 23. Martinez was able to take a photo of the two suspected assailants prior to the shooting. The suspects, riding in a red 2004 Ford Explorer with Texas license…

Talbert Manufacturing welcomes David Henderson as dealer development manager. With the expansion of their Liberty, N. C., facility earlier this year, Talbert Manufacturing created the position to support their dealer network. Henderson works with dealers and Talbert’s regional sales managers to develop and grow the company’s recognition across the United States and Canada. “Talbert Manufacturing…

A coalition of 31 trucking and trade groups is urging Congress to halt four bills it claims would cost the industry billions of dollars in “burdensome” unfunded mandates. The coalition sent a letter on Sept. 16 to Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), chairman, and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), ranking member of the Committee on Commerce, Science…

A tow operator was shot and killed on Oct. 23, by two suspects after a verbal altercation in Houston, Texas. The operator, Augustin Martinez, 48, was reportedly giving a customer a ride when he encountered the suspects at an apartment complex. During the altercation the suspects, who were driving a red Ford Explorer, began firing…

Malik Dosouqi, who has been charged in the murder of tow truck operator John Sione Pekipaki, 31, and taxi driver Abdulmalek Nasher, 32, near Woodside, Calif., in June has been declared mentally incompetent to stand trial. Two court appointed doctors made the declaration after a San Mateo County judge ordered an evaluation of Dosouqi, of Pacifica,…

Mario Lopez Silvas, 53, has been identified as the man who was killed while working on his tow truck in a tow yard in Otay Mesa, Calif. on Oct. 18. The Medical Examiner’s Office and the San Diego Fire-Rescue department said Silvas was working on the hydraulic lift system on his rollback tow truck when…

Tow operators in Indiana, Vermont and New York are among those raising awareness of national Move Over laws this Saturday, Oct. 19, billed as National Move Over Awareness Day. The Indiana Towing and Wrecker Association organized a family event at the Indiana State Fair Ground from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. In Burlington, Vt., emergency…

Tow truck operators in Riverside, Calif., joined together in a procession paying tribute to operator Jesse Martinez, 27, who was shot and killed Oct. 7 during an argument with a customer, Javier Martinez, 32. Javier Martinez had called for a tow and Jesse Martinez responded. The argument reportedly escalated to Javier Martinez pulling a gun…

A man has died in an Otay Mesa, Calif., auto yard Oct. 18 after he became trapped between a flatbed tow truck’s bed and the hydraulic system. The man, reported to be in his 50s, was working on the tow truck at the time, police said. Fire rescue personnel responded, but the victim died before…