Industry News

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…

The woman convicted in the 2011 dragging death of a Colorado Spings tow operator will not receive a release to a half-way house and will remain in prison. She has served seven and one-half years of her 20 year sentence. The Arapahoe County Corrections Board reached the decision October 17. The board earlier voted in…

  Also Donates $50,000 to the Survivor Fund AAA launched a #SlowDownMoveOver campaign and donated a total of $50,000 to the International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame & Museum‘s Survivor Fund, which helps the families of fallen tow operators. Jeffrey Godwin, of the Survivor Fund, was on hand to accept  donations of $25,000 each…

The woman convicted in the dragging death of Colorado tow operator Alan Lew Rose in 2011 will receive an early release from prison. Detra Farries of Colorado Springs was convicted of vehicular homicide and other charges in Rose’s death and sentenced to 20 years in prison. As Rose was attempting to tow her SUV, Farries…