Breaking the Stigma About Tow Truck Drivers

Do you ever get that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when you see someone’s car getting towed? Have you ever thought of why you get that feeling? It’s probably because you’ve been holding on to some stigmas or stereotypes about tow truck drivers. Well, today’s the day that’s going to change.

Tow truck drivers are constantly getting a bad rap for a variety of things. From people thinking they drive around looking for cars to take, to being rude and generally dirty. But here at Pepe’s Towing we work hard to break those stigmas, and strive to provide both a higher level of customer service and a better understanding of how the industry operates.

3 Myths About Towing to Stop Believing

1. Constantly Patrolling and Looking for Cars to Tow

Trust us when we say we understand that getting your vehicle impounded is not fun. Often times, in these situations our drivers hear an array of accusations from “YOU took my car!” or “Why would YOU take my car just because this or that.”

However, this is not the case. As a tow truck company, we’re taking orders from the agency that issued the impound. For instance, let’s say you left your car parked in a no parking zone. As a towing company, with a fleet of vehicles, we are not authorized to pull up and tow your car away. By the time the tow truck company is called, there is already paperwork and an order to take it issued by an agency such as the Department of Transportation, CHP or LAPD.

We understand how frustrating and inconvenient this process can be, but yelling at the tow truck driver or blaming them for doing their job doesn’t make the process any easier. To be honest, we don’t want to take your car. We have bigger fish to fry like the semi-truck on the I-5 that overturned earlier this morning or recovering a car that went over a hill and into a ditch.

2. Any Tow Truck can Repo a Vehicle

While repo and towing companies need specific permits, insurance bonds, certifications, etc. to operate, they can also have various city, state and law enforcement contracts that can assist with their impounds and accident recoveries. While repos and tows both drive and operate tow trucks, they each perform vastly different services. For example, you wouldn’t call a repo truck when you need a jump start, tire change or tow when your car breaks down. Likewise, a bank wouldn’t call a standard tow company to repossess a vehicle when a buyer fails to pay his bill.

A repo driver is someone who is (usually) hired by a debt or collection agency to locate and recover property in which debt is owed. Repo drivers typically work for repossession companies, but sometimes they work as independent contractors. Like tow companies, they also have their own strict requirements to operate. So while we may drive the same trucks, we operate in two completely different industries.

3. Always Rude and Dirty

The fact that we even have to address this stigma is somewhat disheartening. The towing industry is always portrayed in the negative on TV and in movies. Usually it’s some dirty guy in overalls with a beat down wheel lift that is seen taking the protagonist’s car away. Even the hit Pixar movie, Cars, portrayed the only tow truck in the movie as dumb and dirty.

While we can’t speak for every tow truck company and driver out there, we can say a few things about how we operate. At Pepe’s Tow Service, we’re a family owned and operated business. That means that we take the utmost pride in bringing on employees that are respectful, and embody our values of reliability and respect on every job. There’s a popular saying in the trucking industry that says, “Take Pride in Your Ride.” This is something we strictly follow to give our customers the best service possible.

Towing Services in the Greater Los Angeles Area

When you’re in need of a tow, we want to be the company you call. We may specialize in heavy duty towing jobs and recoveries, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t here to help with medium duty towing or roadside assistance. Our tow truck drivers are available 24/7 for all your towing needs. You can rest easy knowing that when you call Pepe’s Tow Service, you’re going to get quick, reliable and respectable service.